Connect-Ability. Bringing Connecticuts employers and people with disbilities together.

Fifth Annual National Dump The Pump Day To Be Held On June 17

CTTRANSIT will join with other public transportation systems nationwide to participate in the Fifth Annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday, June 17. Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) the 2010 National Dump the Pump Day is a day that encourages people to ride public transportation and save money, instead of driving a car. This national day emphasizes that public transportation is a great travel option that also helps people save money.

In this economic climate, saving money is on everyone's minds and public transportation is the quickest way to beat high gas prices. According to the latest APTA Transit Savings Report, individuals in a two person household can save an average of more than $9,000 annually by downsizing to one car. The average household spends 18 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 94% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.

Public transportation in the United States is a crucial part of the solution to the nation's economic, energy, and environmental challenges--helping to bring a better quality of life. In increasing numbers, people are using public transportation and local communities are expanding public transit services. Every segment of American society--individuals, families, communities, and businesses--benefits from public transportation.

So on June 17, Dump the Pump. Save Money. Ride Transit! Use CTTRANSIT's Online Trip Planner to plan your trip.

Getting on Board Transportation Guides

Connect-Ability, in partnership with Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and RideShare developed the Getting On Board accessible transportation guides for the Eastern and North Central regions of the state.  Similar guides are currently available in the Northwestern, South Central and Southwestern regions of the state.  These guides will be available through transit districts; state agencies; libraries; schools; Para transit providers; hospitals; colleges; Chambers of Commerce and other organizations.  To request hard copies, please contact Glendine Henry at (860) 424-5543 or go to Transportation Brochures to download the guides directly.

How Much Does It really Cost You To drive To Work?

The transportation calculator will help you compare the price of using public transportation with purchasing/driving your own car.  When considering the cost of driving, most people think only about how much they pay for gas.  Other considerations include the cost of purchasing and maintaining a car or van, including tune-ups, oil and tires, as well as insurance, registration, and parking.

Once you consider your out of pocket direct expenses you may also want to consider the many alternatives to driving alone and try carpooling, vanpooling, walking, bicycling, taking the bus or telecommuting!  To calculate your true cost of driving go to the Transportation Calculator.

Web-based Trip Planner

The trip planner was developed in partnership with CTTRANSIT and Connecticut Department of Transportation to help you plan your next bus trip.  You can use the trip planner to find maps and schedules for the Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, and Stamford bus routes by simply entering a starting and ending location or address.

You can also look up the schedule for a specific route, locate the stops nearest your starting and ending locations, and once you know your bus stop, determine when the next scheduled bus will serve that location.  The Sort Results by drop-down menu enables you to optimize your search results by:

• Trip Time - sorts by the shortest trip.
• Number of Transfers - sorts by the fewest transfers.
• Walking Distance - sorts by the shortest walking distance.

To begin planning your next bus trip visit http://www.cttransit.com/tripplanner/

United We Ride

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) received a grant through United We Ride to bring a variety of state agencies together to develop a State Action Plan for improving coordination of human service transportation programs in Connecticut.  The purpose it to facilitate and encourage better coordination among public transit and human service transportation programs at federal, state, and local levels as a means to improved mobility for older adults, persons with disabilities, individuals with low income, and other transportation-disadvantaged populations.

Transportation for such groups are typically provided by a number of entities in any given area, which results in services that are fragmented, incomplete, or duplicative.  Planning, operating, and/or funding transportation services in a coordinated manner can help to reduce or eliminate overlap between programs and make better use of resources, so that gaps in service are filled and more people have access to jobs, education and training, shopping opportunities, health care, and other important services and activities.

With encouragement of Governor Rell, representatives of a number of state agencies participated in a series of facilitated workshops in November 2008 and February 2009.  The next step is to draft an Executive Order to move forward with the State Action Plan.

Accessible Taxis

After many years of advocacy, distribution of Connect-Ability issue briefs on the need for accessible taxis, recommendations to the Governor and the Connecticut Department of Transportation and hours of meetings with several taxi providers, Connecticut now has its first wheelchair accessible taxi fulfilling the dream of people with disabilities and their advocates.

In October, 2009 the City of New Haven's Department of Persons with Disabilities along with MetroTaxi, the state's largest full-service taxi company, jointly launched Connecticut's first wheelchair accessible cab.  The state's first ADA-compliant taxi cab is owned and operated by Metro Taxi in West Haven.  Supported by a recently passed state legislation permitting this type of wheelchair accessible taxi cab, around the clock service to customers who use wheelchairs and scooters within New Haven is now available.

Commuters: Share Rides Whenever You Want

Try this new rideshare Option. Save at the pump and improve your commute with NuRide - a free and highly flexible service. With NuRide you can share just one ride whenever you like and earn points which can be redeemed for rewards. If you currently carpool or vanpool you can also join NuRide and start earning rewards right away. NuRide is the rewarding way to Go.

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