Estuary Transit District

Last updated
River Valley Transit
River Valley Transit Logo.jpg
Estuary Transit District - 9 Town Transit - Bus.jpg
A River Valley Transit bus in the former 9 Town Transit branding on the 643 route in New London
Formerly9 Town Transit, Middletown Area Transit
ParentEstuary Transit District
FoundedMay 1981 (9 Town Transit)
July 2022 (merger)
HeadquartersOffice: 340 Main St, Middletown, CT
Garage: 17 Industrial Park Rd, Ste 6, Centerbrook, CT
Locale Lower Connecticut River Valley
Service area Chester, Clinton, Durham, Deep River, East Haddam, Essex, Killingworth, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Middlefield, Middletown, Madison
Service typeLocal bus
Dial-A-Ride
XtraMile Microtransit
ADA Paratransit
Routes12
Hubs Old Saybrook station
Middletown Bus Terminal
OperatorEstuary Transit District, managed by First Transit
Website Official website

Estuary Transit District, doing business as River Valley Transit, is the public transit provider for the Lower Connecticut River Valley region. ETD provides bus service through in the municipalities of Chester, Clinton, Durham, Deep River, East Haddam, Essex, Killingworth, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Middlefield, Middletown, and Madison. It was former in 2022 by the merger of the Estuary Transit District (dba 9 Town Transit) and Middletown Area Transit.

Contents

History

The Estuary Transit District was founded in 1981 and operated 9 Town Transit bus service in the Old Saybrook area. XtraMile microtransit service in the Old Saybrook area began in 2019. [1] Middletown Area Transit merged into the Estuary Transit District on July 1, 2022. [2] [3] XtraMile service was added in Middletown later in 2022. [4] On March 27, 2023, the system was rebranded as River Valley Transit, replacing the old 9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit names. [5]

Services

Fixed-route bus services are divided into two divisions: Shoreline (formerly 9 Town Transit) and Middletown (formerly Middletown Area Transit). The Shoreline division hub is Old Saybrook station; the Middletown hub is the Middletown bus terminal. [6]

RVT operates two microtransit services branded as XtraMile. Shoreline service operates in Old Saybrook, Centerbrook, Essex Village, and part of Westbrook; Middletown service operates in parts of Middletown. [7] In May 2024, a two microtransit service zones will be added, one operating in the towns of Madison and Guilford and one operating in East Hampton. [8]

RVT also operates paratransit services in portions of the Shoreline and Middletown divisions, and dial-a-ride services with a higher fare but no age/disability requirement through the whole service area. [9] [10]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The name is a transfer from Chester, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep River, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Saybrook, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, and the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Valley Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in Connecticut

The Connecticut Valley Railroad was a railroad in the state of Connecticut founded in 1868. The company built a line along the Connecticut River between Hartford and Old Saybrook, which opened in 1871. It was reorganized as the Hartford and Connecticut Valley Railroad in 1880, and leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1887. Following partial abandonments by the New Haven Railroad and successor Penn Central Transportation Company between 1968 and 1972, the line south of Middletown was revived as the Valley Railroad, a heritage railroad, while the portion in Middletown and northward saw operation by several freight railroads. As of 2022, the Providence and Worcester Railroad and Connecticut Southern Railroad both operate portions of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut</span> Planning region in Connecticut

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References

  1. Estuary Transit District (October 14, 2022). "Estuary Transit District Board Meeting" (PDF). Estuary Transit District. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  2. "Two Connecticut bus services in Middlesex County will merge on July 1". Connecticut Public. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  3. Hushin, Adam (2021-10-06). "Middletown Area Transit to merge with Shoreline service for 'more freedom and flexibility'". CT Insider. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  4. "XtraMile Pilot Program Brings Free Shuttle Service to Middletown". The Wesleyan Argus. 2022-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  5. "9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit are now River Valley Transit (RVT)" (Press release). Town of Deep River. March 27, 2023.
  6. "Schedules". River Valley Transit. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  7. "XtraMile". River Valley Transit. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  8. Comerford, Joe (2024-03-25). "New Bus & Microtransit Service Coming Soon". River Valley Transit. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  9. "ADA Paratransit". River Valley Transit. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  10. "Dial-A-Ride". River Valley Transit. Retrieved February 26, 2024.

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