Updated on August 28, 2024.
Green Mountain Transit has announced a preliminary plan to cut 25 to 30 percent of its bus routes and services in the next year. If all the changes are made, the regional transportation authority would save roughly $3 million.
The decision comes on the heels of years of financial instability due to the sunsetting of COVID-19 relief funds and the agency’s reinstatement of fares for Chittenden County-based services after a hiatus of more than three years during the pandemic.
“It’s depressing,” said Clayton Clark, the agency’s general manager. “We all joined GMT because we wanted to make public transportation better, not tear it apart.”
The bulk of the proposed cuts would be to weekend and late-night services, which are some of the most costly to provide.
Cuts proposed for November 2024 and February 2025 will affect commuter lines and weekend service, while cuts scheduled for June 2025 involve service reductions in the Burlington area. Clark hopes the agency won’t have to resort to the June cuts.
The agency will likely eliminate the Jeffersonville Commuter and cut some weekend trips in Williston and Essex and to the Burlington International Airport. The plan could potentially eliminate some of the Montpelier LINK times and the weekday airport route.
GMT will make very few changes to Routes 1 and 2 to Williston and Essex Junction, which have some of the highest ridership rates.
Funding for the $29 million operation comes from a mix of local, state and federal funds. But the transition to a fare-free model during the pandemic led to declining revenue. For the past three years, the agency has depended on one-time pandemic relief money.
This year, though, GMT was able to save roughly $1 million by securing additional federal funding and making internal cost reductions. That means the agency may only have to cut $2 million worth of routes and services, rather than $3 million.
Clark is most concerned that some towns will pull back funding, which would worsen the situation.
Two municipalities, which Clark did not name, have already expressed concerns.
“I’m going to have to go to these municipalities in a few weeks and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to cut some services, and we would like you not only to give us what you’ve previously given us but actually some more,’” he said.
Clark wants to update the rates for municipal contracts. There hasn’t been an update on how yearly contracts are calculated since 2008. GMT is also planning on adding a nonprofit branch of its operation, emulating other transit agencies in Vermont and opening the door for donations.
The first round of service reductions is scheduled to take effect in November, with the remaining planned for February and June 2025. Clark hopes the legislature will be able to pull enough money together next session to limit the number of cuts.
The agency will schedule a minimum of five public hearings in the coming months about the planned cuts. Clark encouraged residents to attend and voice concerns they may have.
“People really want to hear how this will impact riders,” he said.