College, ACTR to offer 'free' ride

Author: Joshua Carson

The College is teaming up with Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) to explore the possibility of providing free Saturday bus service to and from Burlington. The initiative was conceived this summer when Jim Moulton, executive director of ACTR, invited Student Government Association (SGA) President Eli Berman '07.5 to join the ACTR board of directors. Recognizing the limited transportation resources in Middlebury, the SGA is hoping to combine resources with the College to promote a shuttle which would provide service for both town and College residents.

When Vermont Transit Service went out of business, effectively eliminating the long haul bus option from Middlebury, it left a large gap in the transportation infrastructure that students rely on for rides to Burlington and beyond. Recognizing this, the Community Council invited Moulton to make a presentation about ACTR, the services it provides and possible areas for expansion. Moulton suggested adding a Saturday service to complement the existing Monday to Friday commuter service, which because of scheduling, tends to be unsuitable for non-commuter needs.

"From our perspective, we would be ready and willing to get service running right away," said Moulton. "The one barrier is the funding for it."

Moulton estimates that two roundtrip loops would require a financial commitment of $7,000 with an additional $3,000 increase for three trips per Saturday. Berman added that this pilot program could start as early as January with the College providing 100 percent of the funding. In the future, if Moulton can demonstrate to funding agencies that there is enough demand for the service, he could apply for an 80-20 grant which will ensure that 80 percent of the cost is borne by state and federal funds while 20 percent would be picked up by the College.

Beyond the question of funding, however, is that of demand. While both Moulton and Berman have anecdotal evidence to suggest that students and town residents would use the service, they want to accurately measure the response before devoting additional resources. Following the Community Council meeting, Berman and the SGA drafted a survey to gauge student interest and establish where students would like to go and when they would like to travel. Berman also mentioned possibly increasing options beyond Burlington to include regular routes to Sugarbush, Mad River and even Montreal.

Another potential barrier is the lack of student awareness regarding the ACTR service. With stops at Adirondack Circle, Old Chapel, McCullough, Center for the Arts and the Main Library, the white and yellow ACTR buses are constantly passing through campus. Despite the presence of the buses, along with advertisments in Also magazine and e-mails at the beginning of the semester, Moulton was "surprised by the lack of knowledge still as to what services we already have available."

"People see it and still don't understand that it's for everybody," he said.

Perhaps the issue, however, is not only a lack of understanding but also a general lack of need. According to Fawn Torrey, administrative assistant at the Department of Public Safety, 1,039 student vehicles are currently registered on campus, which means there is about one car for every two students.

But Moulton wants students to think of ACTR as a transportation alternative and hopes it will appeal to environmentally and economically conscious Middlebury students. While the bus may not always appear full, Moulton said it only takes three or four people in the bus at one time to reduce the carbon balance. Moreover, in a recent analysis conducted for the state of Vermont, Moulton concluded that the fare-free ACTR service costs the individual taxpayer $30 per year compared to about $6,000 in costs associated with maintaining a car.

While the majority of ACTR's funding comes from state and federal grants, the rest is provided through local governments, businesses and rider donations.

"To me," concluded Moulton, "it is important that people know we are here and, except the Burlington service, everything is free."