The state Department of Transportation has awarded a $7.3 million contract to RATP Dev USA to manage the Hartford, New Haven and Stamford divisions of CTtransit.
CTtransit is a state-owned bus system. The three impacted divisions use more than 500 buses and employ roughly 1,200 workers, according to the state DOT.
The DOT said it doesn’t anticipate the move will have any impact on jobs or the nearly 100 local bus routes run by the three divisions. During the 2022 state fiscal year, the DOT said the three CTtransit divisions accounted for over 18 million passenger trips.
All public transit buses have been offering free fares to riders since April. Recent legislation extended free rides through March 2023. A DOT spokesperson said the new contract won’t change that.
Turnover of operation and management of the Hartford, New Haven and Stamford CTtransit divisions was to take place Dec. 31. The DOT said that’s when the current management contract with First Transit expired.
Other private companies operate CTtransit divisions in Waterbury, New Britain, Bristol, Meriden and Wallingford, the DOT said.
“Riders will continue to have the same great service when we change operators,” state DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with RATP Dev USA as we continue to improve our system to give our valued customers a top-notch experience.”
