GREENFIELD — The Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) now offers weekend fixed-route transportation.

With additional funds from the Fair Share Amendment, all free routes will run through the weekend, providing much-needed transportation access in the county.

“We are very excited. We hope that people who are asking for it will utilize it,” said FRTA Administrator Tina Cote. “We hope we can get numbers up to justify the expansion.”

FRTA has not offered weekend fixed-route bus service since 2005, when it was the Greenfield Montague Transportation Authority (GMTA). In 2021, FRTA began weekend service for its Access Program, which provides on-demand rides through a phone application between selected zones.

The new weekend service has limited buses running from 9:30 a.m to 5 p.m., covering the same area. The weekend service provides about half of the buses that are available during the week. They are as follows:

■GreenLink Connector Route 20 will run four routes daily instead of its weekday nine.

■Greenfield Community Route 21 will run four routes daily instead of its weekday 12.

■Sunderland-Greenfield Route 23 will run three routes daily instead of its weekday six.

■Crosstown Connector Route 24 will run two routes daily instead of its weekday 13.

■Northampton-Greenfield Route 31 will run three routes daily instead of its weekday seven.

■Orange-Greenfield Route 32 will run three routes daily instead of its weekday seven.

■Charlemont-Greenfield Route 41 will run two routes daily instead of its weekday seven.

In November, voters ushered in the new Fair Share Amendment through a referendum vote for the state. This new tax, dubbed the Millionaires Tax, adds a 4% tax on all annual income over $1 million. Part of this new income for the state has been set aside for transportation, and a portion was given to each of the regional transit authorities to be spent before the end of this fiscal year in June. FRTA used those funds to start the weekend service.

Megan Rhodes, planning coordinator at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, explained that weekend fixed routes have been a frequently requested service in recent years. She said up until this service started last week, FRTA was the only regional transit authority in the state to not offer weekend fixed routes.

“Activities don’t stop on the weekend,” Rhodes said. “People still need to get to their jobs, grocery shop and get to medical appointments. That has been a huge barrier to our region.”

This weekend service will act as a pilot program to see where the region’s biggest needs lay, with the ability to pivot as feedback and data are collected. After the first week of weekend service, FRTA was given the feedback that it did not have stops on Main Street in Greenfield, so those have been added.

FRTA Travel Ambassador Elizabeth Quirk explained that the transit authority will have to show data demonstrating that people use this service to continue to get funding from the state.

The transit authority hopes to attract new riders who might be less stressed about having sufficient time to ride the bus on the weekends. She explained this free service saves money on gas and is more environmentally friendly than using a car.

Quirk rode the bus the first weekend of service and found many regular bus riders happily riding the fixed routes on Sunday, but hopes new riders will take advantage of the weekend service.

Riding the FRTA bus routes will continue to be free until this summer, with the opportunity from the advisory board to vote to extend it at the board’s meeting in May. FRTA currently covers 10 of its 41 towns with fixed bus routes and more towns are covered for the elderly and disabled. It plans to expand service to Goshen and Southwick soon.

One of the biggest challenges FRTA faces is finding enough professional drivers to fill its open positions.

Quirk said that the Fair Share Amendment funds help achieve the FRTA’s goal of providing accessible transportation in Franklin County, but with people living farther apart in this rural area compared to many parts of the state, they need a rural fair share, which equates to more money, to provide adequate services in Franklin County.

“FRTA is one of the most fiscally responsible RTAs [regional transit authorities] in the state. We do not waste a penny here,” Quirk said. “We do everything we can to get the service out and it shows.”

Reach Bella Levavi
at 413-930-4579 or
blevavi@recorder.com.