CTDOT Launches Microtransit Pilot Program

In a press release, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced it is awarding funding to nine transit districts and municipalities to develop and pilot an on-demand microtransit service.

Microtransit service is an accessible, on-demand mode of transportation that uses a smartphone app or phone number to request and schedule a ride within designated service areas.

The Program was authorized by Public Act 22-40, and the following municipalities and transit service providers were selected to participate:

• Estuary Transit (River Valley Transit): Three pilots serving Madison and Guilford, and portions of East Hampton and Middletown
• Greater Bridgeport Transit: Serving Trumbull
• Greater Hartford Transit: Serving Enfield and portions of East Windsor
• Milford Transit: Serving Milford
• New Haven: Serving Hill, West River, Dwight, Edgewood, Beaver Hills, and West Rock neighborhoods with connections to existing transit services
• Norwalk Transit District: Serving Norwalk
• Southeastern Area Transit (SEAT): Serving portions of Stonington, Mystic, Noank and Waterford
• Stamford: Serving a five-mile boundary within the city
• Valley Transit District: Serving the Ansonia Train Station, Derby, and Shelton areas

Microtransit services within the awarded areas are scheduled to begin within six months of the award, and the pilot program will last for two years with the possibility of two one-year extensions exercisable by CTDOT, based on performance and ridership.

In addition to this new pilot program, existing microtransit services in Connecticut include XtraMile (Estuary Transit District), Wheels 2U Norwalk and Wheels 2U Westport (Norwalk Transit District), and New London Smart Ride and Stonington HOP Service (Southeast Area Transit District).