Joan Hartley

Hartley, Other Officials to Launch P.M. Bus Service for Waterbury and NVCC

State Senator Joan V. Hartley (D-Waterbury) will be joined by what is scheduled to be—literally—a busload of city and state officials next Monday for the first run of new evening bus service for Waterbury residents and commuters to and from Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC). Senator Hartley said the expanded hours are made possible through a collaborative formula including state funds and a voluntary fare increase for NVCC riders.

Monday’s ceremonial first run will depart from the Ekstrom Hall bus stop on the NVCC campus at 5:45 p.m. Senator Hartley will be joined at that time by state Representatives Jeff Berger, Larry Butler, Selim Noujaim, David Aldarondo, and Tony D’Amelio, state Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker and NVCC President Daisy Cocco DeFillippis, along with other dignitaries. The first regularly scheduled evening run is set for 7:00 p.m.

“The addition of this evening bus service will provide a vital link between the community college campus and the rest of the city, advancing for all Waterbury residents the true intentions of a community college,” Senator Hartley said. “So many enrolled students have daytime commitments at jobs or with family obligations—this program expands their ability to get to campus where they can acquire new skills or take other classes to make important career moves.”

Senator Hartley said access to the Ekstrom Hall bus stop is from the west entrance to the NVCC campus; signs will direct visitors to Monday evening’s event.

“This new transportation service features an additional bonus: those who work on campus will now be able to use mass transit rather than go to the expense of driving and parking their own cars,” Senator Hartley said. “This will help individual residents avoid the cost of gas and additional wear and tear on their cars, and will help the city at large by reducing congestion during the busy early evening hours.”