Green Mountain Community Network
|
GMCN bus at the GMCN bus terminal | |
| Slogan | We're Here to Get You There |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | 215 Pleasant St. |
| Locale | Bennington, Vermont |
| Service area | Bennington County, VT and fringes of adjacent counties |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 8 (5 local, 3 out-of-town connectors/commuters) |
| Hubs | 215 Pleasant St., Bennington |
| Fleet | 22 |
| Annual ridership | 64,900 (2010)[1] |
| Chief executive | Donna Baker (executive director) |
| Website | greenmtncn.org |
Green Mountain Community Network (GMCN) is a private, nonprofit organization, that owns and operates the public bus transit system in Bennington County in southwestern Vermont called the Green Mountain Express. Their bus service currently has 3 local "fixed deviated" weekday routes in Bennington: the Red, Blue and Brown routes, which can deviate up to 1/4 mile from their alignment upon request. They also have two local Saturday (Green and Light Green) routes, and three commuter routes: the Orange Line, with weekday plus Saturday service to Manchester, and the Purple Line, with weekday service to Williamstown, Massachusetts, and the Emerald line, with weekday service to Wilmington.[2] The Emerald Line is a partnership between West Dover-based Southeast Vermont Transit's "the MOOver" and GMCN.[3]
The company also provides paratransit and Medicaid transportation services for Bennington County.
GMCN had an annual ridership of approximately 64,900 in fiscal year 2010, the second fewest of any public bus transit provider in Vermont for that time period when not including the Brattleboro BeeLine (now fully operated by the Current).[4] They now have an annual ridership of about 135,000.[5] There are 22 wheelchair accessible vehicles in GMCN's fleet.
History
Prior to February 2007 and dating back to 1985, the Green Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross filled the role of providing the Bennington area's public transportation needs.[6]
On July 9, 2012, GMCN added the Emerald Line to their schedule with weekday service to Wilmington, along with the opening of the renovated Pleasant St office building as their transit center.[7] And as of July 1, 2014, the Yankee Trails Bennington shuttle and Vermont Translines' Albany to Burlington intercity bus route use the transit center as their Bennington stops as well.[8][9]
As of January 19, 2015, trip planning via Google Maps is also available for GMCN bus routes.[10]
Route list and fare schedule
(information is current as of July 1, 2016)
Children under 5 years of age ride free upon boarding with a paying adult, as do Mount Anthony Union High School, Burr & Burton, Bennington College, CCV, Northeast Baptist College and Southern Vermont College students. All local one-way fares are $0.50 unless indicated otherwise. Slightly discounted 10-ride, 22-ride, and 44-ride passes are also available for local routes. Bus passes for the Orange Line between Bennington and Manchester are also available, and fares vary on the Orange and Purple routes, depending on the boarding passenger's origin and destination. As the Orange Line and Purple Lines are out-of-town commuter routes featuring a zone-based fare structure, travel between one or two towns (one zone) is $0.50, with an additional $0.50 tacked on to each additional town passed through. The local passes mentioned above may also be used on those routes. One ride is deducted from such passes per zone traveled on these two routes.
As of August 2016, there is no discount fare schedule for seniors, the disabled or Medicare cardholders on fixed deviated routes.
| Route | Serves | Fare | Notes | Connections to other bus routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Line (weekdays): 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (30 minute single-direction loop) | Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Price Chopper, State Office Building, GMCN bus terminal | $0.50 | ||
| Blue Line (weekdays): 7:45 AM – 5:45 PM (30 minute single-direction loop) | Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, United Counseling Service, Benmont Ave, Main St, Depot St, GMCN bus terminal | $0.50 | ||
| Brown Line (weekdays): 7:35 AM – 6:05 PM | Southern Vermont College, Bennington College, North Bennington, GMCN bus terminal | $0.50 | ||
| Green Line (Saturdays): 11:00 AM – 4:55 PM | Shopping areas, Southern Vermont College | $0.50 | ||
| Light Green Line (Saturdays): 11:17 AM – 5:12 PM | Shopping areas, Bennington College | $0.50 | ||
| Orange Line (bidirectional), to Manchester (weekdays): 6:25 AM, 10:10 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:05 PM, 5:15 PM; (Saturdays): 6:25AM & 3:10PM | Base fare from Bennington | $0.50 |
|
Yankee Trails to Albany, NY via Hoosick Falls; Vermont Translines to Albany and Burlington |
| South Shaftsbury | $0.50 | |||
| Arlington | $1.00 | |||
| Sunderland | $1.50 | |||
| Manchester | $2.00 | MVRTD "The Bus" to Rutland | ||
| Purple Line (bidirectional), to Williamstown, MA (Weekdays): 7:00 AM, 8:50 AM, 10:15 AM, 12:10 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:05 PM | Base fare from Bennington | $0.50 |
| |
| Pownal Center | $0.50 | |||
| Williamstown | $1.00 | Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) to North Adams and Pittsfield, MA; Peter Pan Lines to Boston and New York City | ||
| Emerald Line (bidirectional), to Wilmington (weekdays): 7:40 AM, 9:00 AM, 3:20 PM, 5:00 PM (winter); 7:20 AM, 9:00 AM, 4:00 PM (summer) | Grace Christian School during the school year, Wilmington | Free |
|
DVTA "the MOOver" to Brattleboro and the rest of southwestern Windham County |
Transfers
Bus-to-bus transfers are available as well between the three local routes (the Red, Blue and Brown Lines), but are not valid for round trips or when traveling northbound from Bennington on the Orange Line or southbound from Bennington on the Purple Line.
Bus passes
- $4 per 10-ride pass on local routes
- $10 per 22-ride pass on local routes
- $20 per 44-ride pass on local routes
- $60 per 40-ride pass on Orange Line between Bennington and Manchester
References
- ↑ 2012 Vermont Public Policy Plan, Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ↑ Bus Schedules, Green Mountain Community Network, Inc.
- ↑ DVTA Bennington Route Starts July 9th, Deerfield Valley Transit Association. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
- ↑ 2012 Vermont Public Policy Plan, Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ↑ Sanders Praises Bennington Transit Center, Zeke Wright, Bennington Banner, October 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ↑ Green Mountain Express Adds Bus Routes, Neal Goswami, Bennington Banner. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
- ↑ Sanders Praises Bennington Transit Center, Zeke Wright, Bennington Banner, October 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
- ↑ Bennington, VT Bus Service, Yankee Trails World Travel. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
- ↑ Bus Service VT NH NY, Vermont Translines. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
- ↑ Cities Covered, Google Maps. Retrieved 2015-01-19.