testimony for the Standing Committee on Transportation

 The Worcester City Council Standing Committee on Transportation meets this Thursday at 5 pm. Their agenda this week focuses on the WRTA. I have sent in the following testimony (their meeting happens during our executive session); I'd urge you to submit your own testimony to Councilors Mero Carlson, Nyugen, and Bergman.

Good morning,

I am writing to you this morning in my capacity as a member of the Worcester School Committee to submit testimony for Thursday's Standing Committee on Transportation, which will be taking place during our own executive session.  I offer the following in response to items 3ab, and c on the agenda, regarding the Worcester Regional Transit Authority. 

Councilors, I'd invite you first to review the Twitter feed of the WRTA. Again this morning, we are informed that some trips--this time on routes 5/6, 11, and 24--may not be available today. This means those along Grafton Street, all the way out to Roosevelt Elementary; those on Vernon Hill, over to Quinsig Village, and all the way down to Route 20; and those on Belmont Street, out to UMass Med may not have service. 

I hope that you understand the impact that this has on residents who depend on bus service. From a Worcester School Committee perspective, it means that students who depend on the RTA to get home after after-school activities simply cannot depend on public transit. Their neighborhood may simply, randomly, not be served on a particular day. Please also note, contrary to what the messaging of the RTA says, the bus tracker does not tell you when your next bus will be coming if there is not one on the road. It simply says no bus available.

This is unacceptable.

I believe the Worcester School Committee has made it very clear this year how important we feel dependable access to transportation to and from school is for us. We have taken on transportation ourselves directly to ensure that families can depend on us. And, as they will attest themselves, they can.

What families now cannot depend on is their student getting home from a track practice, musical rehearsal, or after school extra help. 

I would note that we have found that paying competitive wages and providing for training has allowed us to fill the gap of drivers. I would suggest the RTA consider doing the same. 

Free public transit is a very useful service for the district, but it only is as useful as a bus that comes.

Thank you for your attention to this,

Tracy Novick