Lebanon
The Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission unveiled its plan last week for a bus service on Interstate 89. Officials shared the proposal with commuters at Colby-Sawyer College, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the Howe Library in Hanover.
According to the presentation, a commuter service utilizing two vehicles would cost an estimated $690,000 in its initial year to get up and running. The service would require $175,000 annually from outside funding to remain financially viable.
While planners acknowledge that’s a hefty price, they say there’s a high demand for more transit options along the corridor, and are optimistic that funding could be secured.
“Sometimes funding becomes available with not a lot of notice,” said Jill Cahoon, of the Connecticut-based consulting firm ASCOM. “It’s good to have studies like this that are ‘shovel ready’ so that when funding does open up and present itself, the study’s ready.”
Planners hope the bus route could help alleviate congestion during the weekday commute and offer expanded access to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the Dartmouth College campus.
About 1,500 people participated in a survey from the commission last October. Of those, about a quarter lived in New London and 20 resided percent in Grantham; 37 percent commuted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The survey also found that 64 percent of respondents would use the bus at least once a week if the service was available.
“From the survey and from the analysis, we identified that the core connection that had the most demand was really from New London to Dartmouth-Hitchcock,” Cahoon said. “So, all of the routing utilizes that particular corridor.”
Plans call for the bus service to initially start small, with two buses that would operate from 5:40 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. during the morning commute, and again between 3:45 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. The service would make stops at Colby-Sawyer, the Exit 12 park-and-ride, Exit 13 and downtown Lebanon as well as the medical center and college.
That initial service would draw an estimated 55 daily riders and charge a $3 fare for adults and $1.50 for seniors and those with a disability, according to information on the commission’s website.
As ridership grows, Cahoon said, hours and routes could be expanded to meet demand. The goal is that the bus wouldn’t just serve commuters, but also visitors to the Upper Valley and people who might want to stop for a few hours instead of the entire day, she said.
“We mostly focused on commuters and students, but throughout the course of the study and the survey, we identified that there’s a lot of needs for seniors as well as other folks who don’t necessarily work the normal eight-hour, 12- or 10-hour shift like you see here at Dartmouth-Hitchcock,” Cahoon said.
According to the planning commission feasibility study, an expanded service could attract 130 daily riders but that also results in increased costs.
Ultimately, organizers would need to secure $324,000 annually in outside funding to maintain that level of operation.
“From what we’ve heard and all the responses we got, it sounds like it would be successful,” Cahoon said, adding the service could also add a route to Concord.
Funding for commuter buses isn’t readily available, however. Cahoon said the state sets relatively little money aside for transit, so they’ll likely look to federal programs.
The commission has also put together a list of financing alternatives that could be sought. Some propose partnering with area businesses and municipalities to fund the service, while others, such as expanded taxes and fees, would require legislative changes.
State Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, said she considers the service a good idea, especially if funding comes from rider fees and employer subsidies.
“While riding the bus, you can read, write, and since you don’t have to watch the traffic, just relax and get ready for the day’s work,” Ward wrote in an email on Sunday.
As for legislative solutions to funding, she said she would need more details before rendering a judgment as to whether there would be support at the Statehouse. Whatever is proposed for the bus service, she said, would also need to be available for similar services in other regions as well.
Patricia Crocker, a planner at the commission, said an advisory committee working on the project will come together later this month for a final meeting, with hope of publishing a report in the coming few weeks.
“What we’ve learned is that there is support in the communities for the service and it is likely to be successful if implemented,” Crocker wrote in an email on Friday. “We’ll now have to wait and see what the prospects are for funding public transportation infrastructure projects in the future.”
People can read more on the project at https://tinyurl.com/UVLSRPCI89.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.