Randolph Loses Bus Service To Boston, NYC

Randolph Loses Bus Service To Boston, NYC

Just as gas prices hit $3.50 in Central Vermont, the Vermont Transit Co. has discontinued all bus service to Randolph.

As of Monday, it dropped service to Rinker's Mobil at Exit 4, where Vermont Transit had been making two stops a day—once southbound at 9:35 a.m. and the other a 5:40 p.m. northbound, if a passenger desired to get off.

Anyone wanting to ride a bus to Boston or New York, or intermediate points, must now drive or find a ride to White River Junction or Montpelier.

There just weren't enough Randolph riders to justify the stop, according to Christopher Andreasson of Vermont Transit's White River office.

"The amount of traffic was minimal," he said. It amounted to one or two riders every other day or so, he said, so that about half the time, the bus would pull off the Interstate and stop at Rinkers, only to find no riders.

Andreasson admitted that making the Rinkers stop didn't take very long—about five minutes or less, he said. Still, he said, today's bus passengers are interested in quick transit to wherever they're going, and the company must eliminate low-traffic stops.

Not at all happy about the change is Janice Thresher of Randolph, who said she makes regular trips to Boston and had taken the bus from Rinkers. She's discovered that a cab to White River Junction would cost her $40 each way, doubling the overall fare to Boston, she said.

"It is completely ridiculous," Thresher said. She also pointed out that many Randolph-area students go to school in Boston.

"Maybe they do, but they don't ride the bus," Andreasson responded.

Strange Disappointed

Marty Strange, president of the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce, was also disappointed by the change.

"With gasoline reaching $3.60 a gallon, it is a shame that bus service is being reduced for our area," he said. "There ought to be some kind of solution so that bus travel remains a viable option for people in the Randolph area."

He suggested the Rinkers stop be an on-demand stop.

"If Vermont Transit knows it has a passenger waiting at Rinkers, why not stop? In this day of cell phones it seems that they could figure out an arrangement that would minimize unnecessary stops," he said.

In fact, for several years, the northbound stop has been strictly on-demand. The bus would stop if, and only if, a passenger had bought a ticket to Randolph, and there were no pick-ups.

Even this limited on-demand stop has not been eliminated, however.

David Palmer, president of The Stagecoach, also said that cancelling the service is "unfortunate."

"It leaves me wondering if Vermont is just in the way" between metropolitan centers, he said.

He also pointed to the gas prices. His two Stagecoach commuter routes have seen a big spike in riders the last week and are now at 100% of capacity, he said. Some of that is normal this time of the year but some is attributable to the gas prices, he said.

Andreasson suggested that the Stagecoach itself could be part of the solution. The Stagecoach run down the eastern side of the state already stops at the Vermont Transit station. Perhaps the "89er" commuter bus from the Randolph could do the same, he said. That would connect people to the Boston and New York routes.

Palmer responded that the bus that currently stops in White River gets there at 7:20, too late for the 7 a.m. morning bus to Boston. The next Boston bus is at 10:30 p.m. which would mean a three-hour lay-over.

No Permit Needed

The state of Vermont no longer has any regulatory authority over Vermont Transit's routes and stops, Andreasson said.

He explained that before the abolishment of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in the 80s, the state would have had to approve closing the Rinkers stop.

By M. D. Drysdale