October 23, 2014 — Following years of outcry by immigrant advocates over the lack of city buses in the fish packing district, SRTA is proposing a rerouting plan that would lay those cries to rest.
“This is a very low, low cost way of providing service to this area,” said Martin Burke, general manager of the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, at a Wednesday hearing on proposed changes to two city routes. “I honestly believe that this is going to be a huge impact on ridership on this route, and make the entire thing worthwhile.”
Proposed changes to the New Bedford bus routes were presented at the hearing, attended by 11 people; they could take effect in December. Route 1, which runs from the North End to the South End, would be rerouted should the changes be approved. On the outbound side, Route 1 would be rerouted to Spring Street, Acushnet Avenue and Grinnell Street, while the inbound route would stay the same. Route 5 would run along MacArthur Drive in both directions, adding a stop at Price Rite. Although the proposal comes as a result of immigrant and fish house issues, Burke said he expects ridership to increase with inclusion of the discount supermarket.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times