REGION – Southeast Vermont Transit, aka the MOOver, is proposing a change in the Bellows Falls-Ludlow Route #57 weekend schedule that would become effective Friday, Dec. 24.
Last year, the MOOver provided weekend service from Christmas through late March, with one round trip in the morning and one in the afternoon. Ridership averaged one person in each direction. The proposal is to travel to Ludlow once in the morning, and to come back to Bellows Falls once in the evening on the Route 61 bus travelling to/from Okemo before and after its 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. service at the resort.
The bus would leave Penguin Mart in Bellows Falls at 5:43 a.m., arriving at Okemo at 7 a.m. It would depart Okemo at 5:55 p.m., and arrive at the Penguin Mart at 7:04 p.m. On weekends, it would not stop at the state offices, Park and Union Streets, Springfield Hospital, and JC’s Market. The weekend service would run Dec. 28 – March 30, plus Dec. 24-27, Dec. 30 – Jan. 1, Jan. 20, and Feb. 17-21.
“We cannot economically justify operating for that level of ridership, yet we want to keep the service available,” said Randy Schoonmaker, MOOver CEO. “By combining service with the Route 61 bus, we are still able to provide service from Bellows Falls to Ludlow.”
SEVT has made similar adjustments on other routes this spring and summer in response to rising operating costs without a corresponding increase in grant income.
Public input is welcomed, and can be given in any one of three ways. Riders can call 802-463-2474, Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., email randys@moover.com, or go to www.moover.com/customer-feedback. A copy of the existing schedule is posted online at www.moover.com or via an onboard bus schedule.
An opportunity to hold a public meeting can be made on or before Oct. 30, via the email address above.