WATERBURY, Conn. — Waterbury sisters Jennifer Clarke and Judy Blackman-Stoute are all about public transportation.
“I love the scenery, I love to see the trees and the plants and the see the different buildings and so on,” said Clarke.
The sisters were eager for details when the Connecticut Department of Transportation released a progress report on bus and train improvements Monday.
“I am so happy for that because I don’t have a car, I take the bus and I take the train,” said Blackman-Stoute.
The CX Action Plan touts millions in improvements following some 10,000 CTDOT interactions with riders from across Connecticut.
“It showed some consistent needs across the state, people wanted reliability, they wanted a better bus stop, they wanted a better way to pay, they wanted a better way to track their bus,” said CTDOT Commissioner, Garrett Eucalitto.
The CTDOT says bus and rail service has already been improved. It’s highlighting mobile ticketing for busses and a better app- and it’s also checking new electric trains off the to-do list.
Despite major improvements – riders say there’s a must-have they’re still missing.
“I wish that you would have bathrooms at the bus locations, because I came to Meriden for the first time and I needed to use the bathroom and there wasn’t any,” said Clarke.
“For the bus facilities it is just not practical to have bathrooms at every bus stop across the state, we have thousands of them, but we do have businesses nearby that provide public access to restrooms” said Eucalitto who also pointed out bathroom access on board trains.
Still in the works as part of the plan, faster train speeds, on-board electronic displays, enhanced wireless connectivity and improved ADA accessibility. CTDOT said we can expect monthly progress reports and for conversations with riders to continue. And it's part of a wish list that adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars
“We are the everyday person that is doing it every day, we know the disadvantages and advantages that we encounter because we are doing it every day.
The plan also calls for new rail cars and train stations. Click here to see the full CX Action Plan report.
Keith McGilvery is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at kmcgilvery@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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