The RTS bus system on Monday began operating under its new route system, which was developed during the Reimagine RTS initiative.
The changes were originally planned to happen in June of last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic led RTS officials to postpone the transition until May 17 of this year.
Bill Carpenter, CEO of the transit system, said that if you are a regular use of the buses, you probably should leave yourself a little extra time at first to get used to the changes.
RTS overhauled its routes with the goal of providing more frequent service on popular bus lines. On Monday the transit system also launched a new option providing on-demand transportation for areas not served by the major routes.
“And I expect in a few weeks, people will be saying, you know I never tried to get to this location because the connections were so difficult, and now, the fast, frequent routes, the great connections they have, crosstown routes, on-demand shuttles in the suburban areas, there are a lot more places I can go, get there more directly,” Carpenter said.
But the route redesign does have its critics, many of whom are upset of the loss of certain suburban routes and stops. RTS officials have said that many of the routes that were eliminated were underused and that the new on-demand service is meant to fill the gaps caused by eliminating some routes.
Carpenter said that this week, RTS staff will be on hand at various locations to help provide information for bus riders.
You can get more information on the changes at myrts.com
Randy Gorbman is the news director at WXXI News, a media partner of CITY.
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2021.
