Proposed Cuts to Green Mountain Transit Montpelier Link Express Bus Route

Image: Screenshot of Green Mountain Transit bus (via Seven Days article).

Seven Days recently reported about potential cuts to routes and service by Green Mountain Transit (GMT), a public transportation company, here.

According to the article, the potential cuts include the Montpelier Link Express (route #86), providing bus service between the cities of Montpelier (the Capital of Vermont) and Burlington:

[...] The plan could potentially eliminate some of the Montpelier LINK times and the weekday airport route.

This is the bus route that I would have needed to take to Burlington and back home if I had to show up for jury duty at the US District Court building during a scheduled four week long trial that was supposed to begin later this month. Fortunately, the case had gotten cancelled.

Someone had posted on the subject of the proposed bus route and service cuts to Montpelier's Front Porch Forum today (Wednesday), writing in part:

"[...] GMT is not (and I don't know if they have ever been) financially self-sufficient. They have relied on support from the State and Municipalities for ~$29M in funding. Montpelier, for example, cut $40k from GMT to $0."

It is no wonder then that GMT Montpelier Link routes to and from Burlington could potentially be on the chopping block.

What a disgraceful shame.

If these cuts were to take place, what are riders dependent on public transportation to get to their destinations on a timely enough basis supposed to do, especially if they are required to be present for one thing or another (e.g., US District Court jury duty), hitchhike (posed rhetorically)?

Update: Read a vtdigger article regarding the proposed cuts to Green Mountain Transit bus routes and service, including about the Montpelier Link Express route, (9/12/2024), here.