The PVTA will partner with the FRTA to provide the first direct transit connection between Northampton and Westfield.
Republican file photo
SPRINGFIELD — Fulfilling one of the recommendations in the Master Plan and with the support of the Select Board, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, in partnership with the Franklin Regional Transit Authority, launched a new public transit route that includes Southwick.
“The town and Select Board are pleased to have played a role in supporting and facilitating the implementation of a key action item identified within the town’s Master Plan,” said Chief Administrative Officer Nicole Parker about the new route. “The expansion of transportation options in Southwick reflects the town’s ongoing commitment to enhancing accessibility and ensuring that all residents have equitable access to transportation services and opportunities.
Greg Diely, the chair of the town’s Economic Development Commission said establishing the new route was “encouraging.”
“I love that we got another form of transportation, and it’s encouraging. I really hope it succeeds,” said Diely.
The new route, G47, will serve Northampton, Easthampton, Southampton, Westfield, and Southwick while providing the first direct transit connection between Northampton and Westfield, according to a statement from Brandy Pelletier, the PVTA’s manager of marketing, advertising and public relations.
The G47 route began last Monday and operates 10 weekday trips. The first trip departs from the Academy of Music in Northampton at 7:45 a.m., and the final trip departs Southwick at 7:30 p.m.
The bus will stop at Town Hall, College Highway at South Village Road, which is the entrance to The Cottages at Southwick Villages, College Highway at Gristmill Plaza, and College Highway in front of Southwick Plaza and New England Bikes.
The bus stop signs have already been installed.
Exact fare is required. The PVTA fare boxes cannot make change and accept only U.S. coins, $1, $5, $10 and PVTA tokens. The fareboxes do not accept pennies.
The expanded service improves access to health care, shopping, education and employment opportunities across both regions. The route also creates a new transit connection for students traveling between Westfield State University and the Five Colleges, Incorporated consortium, according to Pelletier.
“The new route strengthens regional transit connectivity between the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the Franklin Regional Transit Authority service areas,” Pelletier said. “Through coordinated service, FRTA will provide microtransit connections in Southampton and Southwick to link riders with the G47 and broader PVTA routes.”
“The fixed route is only a part of the picture,” PVTA’s director of transit operations, Paul Burns-Johnson, said in an email to Parker about the new route.
He added in the email that the FRTA will soon be providing connections to the G47 route through its Access Program, which will be door-to-fixed-route service.
“The Southwick program isn’t set up yet, but I believe it will be live on or about June 1,” he said, adding the program will provide service from someone’s home to the Town Hall, serving as the primary bus stop.
Parker said the initiative represents an important investment in serving the needs of the entire community and advancing the town’s long-term goals for inclusivity and quality of life.
“We are deeply grateful for the partnership between PVTA and FRTA for acquiring the grant funding and making this happen,” she added.
Senior service will continue to be provided by FRTA. If residents believe they are eligible for ADA paratransit, they will need to be certified through FRTA. The PVTA can provide trips for eligible riders within three-quarters of a mile of the fixed route bus service, said Burns-Johnson.
To fund the new route, the PVTA, in partnership with the FRTA, was awarded a Regional Transit Authority Connectivity Grant of $1.76 million last December from the state Department of Transportation, according to a MassDOT fact sheet.
