MART bus service expansion will bring more bus stops and shelters to Gardner
GARDNER — Mayor Michael J. Nicholson and Ward Five City Councilor Aleksander Dernalowicz recently unveiled the first out of several new bus stops and bus shelters installed in the city of Gardner.
"The addition of this bus shelter to the fixed route bus service in the City of Gardner is an important first step to improving the overall services to our customers," said Bruno Fisher, the administrator of MART, the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority. “We look forward to working with the City of Gardner on locating additional shelters for the benefit of our riders.”
The first of several new bus shelters in the city is in front of the former Prospect Street School. It was unveiled July 13.
“The impetus behind this bus shelter was South Gardner resident Bonnie Marabello. She saw a need in the area and reached out to see what could be done,” said Dernalowicz. “The real work was done by the City's Department of Public Works crew and the team at MART who worked together to investigate, plan and install the shelter. I can't thank them enough for their hard work.”
The state Department of Transportation awarded MART a $180,000 Shared Streets and Spaces grant. The funds will be used to install an additional 20 bus shelters in 2022 and 2023 with four to 10 of them to be constructed in Gardner. Locations for the other new bus shelters are still being discussed.
“Access to transportation is essential for our community,” City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas said. “We are fortunate to have a reliable partner like MART right here in Gardner. The new bus stops will support our current residents and visitors, and the expected growth from residential and commercial development happening throughout the City.”
Nicholson said they are not planning on increasing the bus fare and it will stay the same price of 60 cents for seniors citizens and $1.25 for everyone else.
The glass and metal bus shelter structures are provided by MART and the concrete foundations are installed by the Gardner's DPW.
“I’m very excited to see how we can grow the services MART has to offer to the residents of our City,” said the Nicholson. “Throughout the city, people rely on public transportation to be able to get to where they need to go and initiatives like these help connect the work we are doing to grow and develop Gardner as a whole, not just for the benefit of one specific area.”
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: MART adds news bus stops and weather shelters to Gardner routes
