TRANSPORTATION VITAL IN JOURNEY FROM WELFARE TO WORK

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As Rodney Slater, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, likes to say, "Transportation is the 'to' in Welfare-to-Work." Since only about 6 percent of all welfare recipients own cars, getting new workers to employment sites is one of the greatest challenges facing the nation's welfare-to-work initiatives.

DeBorah Sutton knows about those challenges on a first hand basis. DeBorah works in the Customer Service Department at First Union Bank in Shelton. She started her job there in January 1998 after completing a training program provided by Career Resources. (Career Resources offers training and job placement services for Connecticut public assistance recipients and serves as a source of skilled workers for employers.)

DeBorah's daily journey to work involves three modes of transportation. She leaves home at 6:30am and carpools to First Union with two coworkers. In the afternoon, DeBorah leaves work at 3:30pm and boards a commuter shuttle in Shelton. The shuttle takes her to a bus stop where she boards the #15 bus to get to the transit terminal in downtown Bridgeport. From the Bridgeport terminal she can catch the #6 bus the rest of the way, which drops her off about a half block from her home.

Her afternoon commute via transit averages 45 minutes, 15-20 minutes longer than the morning carpool trip takes. DeBorah pays $1.10 for the bus trip, but the Shelton commuter shuttle is free.

Before her hours changed and she began carpooling, DeBorah used to take the bus in the morning. "It was packed," she said. During her afternoon commute, a seat is easier to come by. "The bus is real convenient," said DeBorah.

DeBorah's commute to First Union Bank would be impossible had it not been for a number of changes made to the public transit system. Transit service was enhanced on 36 routes throughout the region. That means 163 additional hours of service per week. Two shuttles were also introduced, adding 48 more hours of service a week.

The bus service on which DeBorah depends comes from the Greater Bridgeport Transit District. Greater Bridgeport Transit enhanced bus route 15 over a year ago. It makes 14 trips a day during weekdays (10 on Saturdays, and five on Sundays), linking Hawley Lane Mall and the Derby train station via Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton. The route receives 90 hours of service per week.

The shuttle DeBorah uses, known as the Bridgeport Avenue Commuter Connection, was introduced by Valley Transit District. It links GBTD bus route 15 at the Shelton stop all along Bridgeport Avenue to employer sites in the area. The shuttle provides 30 hours of service per week.

Other areas received enhanced service, as well. In Stamford, CTTRANSIT extended evening service on eight routes in April 1998, which resulted in more than 18 hours of additional service.

The Norwalk Transit District introduced an evening shuttle in April 1998 and provides 18 hours of service a week Monday through Saturday. The shuttle links the South Norwalk train station and other activity centers along the Connecticut Avenue corridor.

The Greater Bridgeport Transit District also extended its evening hours on 12 routes during the week, seven routes on Saturdays, and nine routes on Sundays. Those changes resulted in nearly 146 hours of additional service per week in the Bridgeport/Fairfield/Stratford/Trumbull area.

"There is a disparity between where the jobs are and where people live," observed Tom White, Transportation Coordinator, The WorkPlace, Inc. "We want to get transit service where it's needed and when it's needed."

Thanks to the transit service enhancements made so far, more people are able to connect with more jobs. For more information about additional commute options, contact MetroPool at (203) 324-6700.