A new bus service is making it easier, and more affordable, to travel to Boston from the Pioneer Valley.
The service, called BTX, launched in April of this year and promises to get riders to Boston before 9 a.m. and back by around 7 p.m. on weekdays for medical visits, day trips and business meetings. The service guarantees legroom, working wifi and power outlets according to Principal Connie Englert.
BTX, which stands for Bus Train Transfer, is a division of the Shelburne Falls-based TrueNorth Transit company founded by Englert in January 2014. The company is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and intends to fill a gap for public transit that opened in the early 1980s as privately-owned bus companies began to disappear, Englert said.
“We are the return of the long-distance public transit service,” Englert said.
The company’s first regional intercity express bus service MAX launched on September 14, 2015. MAX uses three buses owned by the Department of Transportation which operate twice daily, 365 days a year.
The BTX bus picks up riders from around the valley starting in Leeds and traveling through Northampton and Amherst with stops in Pelham, Orange, New Salem and Athol. The bus brings riders to MBTA stations in Worcester, North Leominster or Fitchburg and riders board the train to Boston or Cambridge from there.
“It is great for people who want to live in the Happy Valley but still need to be a part of the Boston economy,” said Sindy Hammond, director of engagement and alliance for TrueNorth.
Hammond said college students, business people, and other community members frequent the service which runs on weekdays and weekends with a slightly different schedule.
The base fare for the service, determined by the Department of Transportation, ranges from $4 to $12 depending on the length of the trip. The service offers discounts for children and seniors. Englert said the fares are kept low to encourage use and include lower income community members.
Other services, like the Peter Pan Bus company, charge around $40 for a direct trip to Boston and approximately $23 for a trip to Worcester to board the MBTA train.
What makes the company unique, Englert said, is the synchronization between the train and the bus. If the 4:30 p.m. train from Boston or Cambridge is late to the Worcester station, the BTX bus will wait at the station for Western Mass-bound riders.
“By guaranteeing a connection for the train the afternoon … we remove a big barrier for people,” said Englert.
Running a new bus service, especially a long-distance one, poses challenges Englert said. Because the route is so long, it is difficult for the service to operate more than twice per day. Ideally, the company would operate four to six times a day, Englert said, but with the current number of buses and passengers that is impossible.
Being a new service, MAX and BTX do not have as many riders as a bus to Boston would have, but it is hoping to triple its ridership over time with the new BTX service.
“It takes about three years for a bus company to be known and rooted in the community,” Englert said.
But MAX could be defunded before that three year deadline. The Department of Transportation will have a meeting in Boston to determine whether to continue funding the company on June 31. Englert said the funding question is an “open issue.” She does not know what the decision will be, but said the company is “at risk.”
TrueNorth is one of five Massachusetts-based companies recognized as a LGBT-Owned Business Enterprise by Executive Order 565 signed by Gov. Charlie Baker. The order created new certification categories to ensure an inclusive marketplace with equal opportunity. Englert, the company’s founder, is transgender. There are 29 additional companies recognized by the order but are based out-of-state.
TrueNorth is also affiliated with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Moving forward, Englert said she hopes to move forward with the project and bridge the transportation gap between the Pioneer Valley and Boston in an affordable way.
“It has been a great start, I’m looking forward to more success,” said Englert.