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Date: 12/12/2023
PALMER — It will soon be easier to catch the bus in Palmer and Ware. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, which runs bus routes throughout the valley, has announced a schedule expansion for three routes. At a public hearing in Palmer on Dec. 5, Director of Operations Paul Burns-Johnson answered questions from the public.
Burns-Johnson said the PVTA is taking an “incremental approach” to return services to the levels they were at prior to 2017 state budget cuts. With increased state funding, the PVTA’s goals are to restore previously reduced services, expand weekend service throughout its service area and increase the frequency on all routes so there is a bus available every 30 minutes or less.
Beginning Dec. 18, the Ware-Palmer shuttle route will have two vehicles circulating in the towns and riders will have access to a stop at the Wilbraham Big Y six times each day. A weekend service for this route will be rolled out in spring 2024.
Cathy Plouffe, who runs the Palmer Food Share asked about the stops along the route. She said the residents who use the Palmer Food Share, at 39 Walnut St., leave with up to 60 pounds of groceries and the closest stop is on Park Street at the Dollar General, nearly a mile away.
Burns-Johnson explained that people can use the flex service by calling 413-323-6170. The bus can “flex onto a side street” within three-quarters of a mile from the route, provided the bus would not need to turn around to do so. He also said there was “no reason” why PVTA could not add a stop at the corner of Park and Walnut streets. Paul Anziano, president of Humes Transportation Services, which contracts with PVTA to operate the Ware-Palmer shuttle, added that the shuttle can be flagged down to stop anywhere along its route.
The Ware-Palmer Shuttle runs to Union Station, the authority’s main hub, twice a day. From there, passengers can connect to other routes and travel as far north as Sunderland, as far south as Enfield, west to Westfield and east to Worcester.
A Title VI equity analysis on the changes to schedule changes was conducted by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, which helps the PVTA with route planning and scheduling. Burns-Johnson said that after the spring services may expand beyond pre-budget cut levels, but that is dependent on staffing.
PVTA, like many bus companies nationwide, is experiencing staffing shortages. Those shortages are the company’s “only limit,” and the reason for the incremental changes. To combat this, PVTA implemented “aggressive” hiring and is providing in-house CDL license training. Something Burns-Johnson called a “relatively lengthy” process. He added that a driver hired today would not be able to drive until February due to the training required.
Aside from the Ware-Palmer Shuttle, the routes affected by the changes are the P21E — the Springfield to Holyoke express — and the G73E, which brings passengers between Springfield, Holyoke Mall and Northampton. The two Springfield routes will see a reduction in wait time to 45 minutes on Dec. 24, and a further reduction to 30 minutes in spring 2024. There are no challenges expected on the P21E route. Changes to the G73E will initially result in four fewer trips to the Holyoke Mall but expanded service to Northampton.
In addition to the Palmer hearing, there were several other hearings on the route changes scheduled throughout the week in Springfield, Ware, Holyoke and Northampton.
The PVTA is also accepting comment on the changes by phone at 413-732-6248 ext. 2237, by email at comments@pvta.com or by mail at PVTA, c/o Paul Burns-Johnson, 2808 Main St., Springfield, MA, 10017.