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Connecticut awards $7.3 million contract for management of buses in Hartford, New Haven and Stamford

The “Bradley Flyer” bus stops in front of Union Station in Hartford, Conn., in July 2015.
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
The “Bradley Flyer” bus stops in front of Union Station in Hartford, Conn., in July 2015.

The state Department of Transportation has awarded a $7.3 million contract to RATP Dev USA to manage the Hartford, New Haven and Stamford divisions of CTtransit.

CTtransit is a state-owned bus system. The three impacted divisions use more than 500 buses and employ roughly 1,200 workers, according to the state DOT.

The DOT said it doesn’t anticipate the move will have any impact on jobs or the nearly 100 local bus routes run by the three divisions. During the 2022 state fiscal year, the DOT said the three CTtransit divisions accounted for over 18 million passenger trips.

All public transit buses have been offering free fares to riders since April. Recent legislation extended free rides through March 2023. A DOT spokesperson said the new contract won’t change that.

Turnover of operation and management of the Hartford, New Haven and Stamford CTtransit divisions was to take place Dec. 31. The DOT said that’s when the current management contract with First Transit expired.

Other private companies operate CTtransit divisions in Waterbury, New Britain, Bristol, Meriden and Wallingford, the DOT said.

“Riders will continue to have the same great service when we change operators,” state DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with RATP Dev USA as we continue to improve our system to give our valued customers a top-notch experience.”

Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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