Tri-Valley Transit (TVT) is excited to introduce EZ Trip Middlebury microtransit service, a door to door on demand ride service which will be free and accessible to anyone in the large EZ Trip Middlebury Trip Zone. Two public outreach meetings are scheduled on Wednesday, April 24th:
- In-person at the Ilsley Public Library from 1:00-2:00pm in the Community Room. If transportation to the Ilsley meeting is needed, rides can be provided. Please call TVT at 802-388-2287 at least 48 hours in advance to arrange.
- By Zoom from 7:00-8:00pm. Dial in at 305-224-1968 or join online. Meeting ID: 844 8941 0201 and Passcode: 350216
“We’re eager to significantly expand our Middlebury service area with EZ Trip,” said Executive Director Jim Moulton. “The new service will provide greater frequency for current riders and bring new access to many more homes and places in Middlebury. This helps Middlebury residents who don’t live near a bus line as well as residents who are older or disabled and rely solely on Dial-a-Rides. Unlike Dial-a-Ride (limited by funding availability to 6 rides per month), there are no set limits on EZ Trip rides and availability will be governed by demand.”
May 8th is the tentative launch date. EZ Trip Middlebury will replace the Monday-Friday MSB Hospital, College, Shaw’s and Marble Works bus routes with door to door reserved rides. It will function similarly to Uber or Lyft but by public transit on ADA accessible small vans. Two of the vans are the first electric vehicles in TVT’s fleet. Local match support for these vans was provided by Walter Cerf Community Fund and Neat Repeats.
The MSB Hannaford Monday-Friday route (which accesses public schools, human services and shopping) will remain with adjusted endpoints: Community Services Building (Hope) on one end and Middlebury College Adirondack Circle on the other. If a trip begins and ends within ¼ mile of the MSB Hannaford route, it will be served by the MSB Hannaford bus. Locations that begin or end outside of the MSB Hannaford footprint, but within the defined Middlebury Zone, will be accessible by EZ Trip Middlebury. One benefit of the new Hannaford route shape for the College community is that it will provide twice the frequency plus one-seat convenience to reach popular destinations on Court Street.
On Saturdays, in-town service will revert to the familiar Middlebury Shuttle Bus system with bus stops and a fixed schedule.
To preview the EZ Trip Middlebury service area and comprehensive weekday and Saturday travel options in Middlebury, visit https://www.trivalleytransit.org/ez-trip-middlebury/ TVT staff have been meeting with small groups served by human service agencies throughout the month of April to help with the transition. To request a meeting for your group or to ask a question, email info@trivalleytransit.org or call 802-388-2287.
