Vermont: Will the Town of Hinesburg Finally Have a Public Bus Route?

At least that is the hope of the residents there as well as that of Karla Munson, Program Coordinator for Hinesburg Rides, which facilitates cooperative carpooling with participating private citizen drivers. The small state of Vermont in the New England area is one that prides itself in being green and eco-friendly. No wonder for they have breathtaking mountainous sights overlooking the peaks of its neighbor state of New York to the West.

Being a transplant from Wisconsin in the Midwest, I spent a few months in Hinesburg in the winter of 2009 through the spring of 2010. I was living in a townhouse complex that was elevated and offered a heightened panoramic sight to the post office, shopping plaza, gas station and local library. Therefore, everything was within walking distance, thankfully, as driving was not an option I had in my brief stay there.

However, a small town does not always offer the greater convenience in doing business in the city in the form of shopping, working, or visiting governmental offices. Therefore, the subsidized bus route, as proposed by the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) in conjunction with Addison County Transportation Resources (ACTR) in December of 2009, would run from and to Hinesburg, the town of Bristol and the city of Burlington during weekday hours.

While most residents in those three locations have private cars, it is the hope that residents will opt to use the planned public transportation in order to not only save money on their high-cost car usage, but to also reduce gas emissions and trim dependency on imported oil.

The funding for such bus route would come from both state and federal funding as well as from a private business located in Hinesburg called NRG Systems. This is planned to finance the purchase of two buses with a 28-passenger seating capacity. It is expected that by February of 2012, provided that the Transportation Bill is approved by the House and Senate Transportation Committees after representatives from Hinesburg Rides, NRG Systems and CCTA, among others, the town of Hinesburg will benefit from a 6-month contract of public bus services for the time being. A decision is expected to be made and heard this summer of 2011.

For more information: http://www.hinesburg.org/hinesburg_rides.html#hr_update