Connecticut Greenlights Microtransit Pilot, Boosts Funding

0:00Connecticut lawmakers just gave a big thumbs up to Senate Bill 9, passing a 48-0 in the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee. This bill keeps the state's microtransit pilot alive, offering at-base shared rides to fill gaps in bus and rail for commuters heading to work. They bumped up the funding to $10.5 million from the earlier 9 million, and shifted focus from just running the program to also, evaluating if it should stick around long term, especially as federal pandemic money runs out. By partisan support was strong across committees, reflecting real talk about making these on-demand services a permanent fix for traffic and transit. Wows, while helping folks ditch solo drives. The bill also opens up a tax credit for businesses to push commuter perks, like transit subsidies or van pulls, now for companies with just five or more. Employees, instead of only big outfits, covering up to 50% of costs. Caped at $500 per worker with a statewide limit of $1.5 million.

1:02Now it's headed to the Senate calendar before the session wraps on May 6th, bridging services short-term while they crunch the numbers on what works. Best for riders and the budget. Local news, powered by AI. This is Hartford News Today.