Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 15, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 21 another round-trip to the Hartford Line rail service. Employers still support public transit None of the 150 companies that work with CTrides, a DOT agency that advises employers and commut- ers on how to use the state's public transit system, have told Larry Filler they plan to change their incentive programs — including subsidized bus and rail passes — that encourage em- ployees to use public transportation. Filler, CTrides' senior director of business development and program services, said he believes public transportation use to and from work will recover, but maybe not completely, as some companies will likely allow certain employees to work remotely permanently. "It's going to be a mixed picture for a while, I would not say it's going to just switch on," Filler said. A couple of major downtown Hartford companies said they don't plan to make significant changes to their current policies. Travelers Cos. offers employees pre-tax subsidized bus passes through payroll deduc- tion, and about 20% of its downtown Hartford employees use it, spokes- woman Courtney Garro said. "We have had the program in place for many years and have no plans on changing the offering due to CO- VID-19," Gallo said via email. "The majority of our employees continue to work remotely, but when they do be- gin to return to the office, we will rec- ommend they maintain appropriate social distancing measures, including while using public transportation." A spokesperson for health insurer Aetna, which offers its Hartford em- ployees a monthly subsidy to use van carpools or buses, said the company doesn't expect any changes to its public transit incentive program, but will re-evaluate in coming months. Pedaling around Bronin, the wife of Mayor Luke Bronin and a law professor at the UConn School of Law, said the city will continue to encourage the use of public transportation and bikes. She points to cities like Tokyo and Seoul, which have extensive pub- lic transit systems and COVID-19 transmission rates lower than the U.S., as evidence the public can still safely ride buses and trains. The pandemic has actually al- lowed the city to accelerate plans to paint more bike lanes on Hartford's roadways, she said. "One advantage that we have right now during the coronavirus pandemic is there's not a lot of cars on the road, which means that we're able to do things like striping or road improvements," Bronin said. Anthony Cherolis, an activist for non-car travel and program manag- er at the Center for Latino Progress, said revenues at BiCi Co., a nonprof- it associated with the Center that fixes and customizes bicycles, rose 25% in the first four months of this year, which could indicate greater bike use during the pandemic. On public transportation as a whole, Cherolis also says it will bounce back. "I think we'd be better served by continuing to increase our tran- sit ridership and transit-oriented development with the best [cleaning and hygiene] practices in place," Ch- erolis said. "It would be terrifying if we choose to slide into an even more car-centric future." CTfastrak bus ridership nosedives amid pandemic Average weekday local and express passenger trips 2020 2019 % Change January 10,508 10,011 5.0% February 11,012 10,620 3.7% March 8,197 10,853 -24.5% April 5,160 11,448 -54.9% May 5,679 11,742 -51.6% Source: CT Dept. of Transportation CTfastrak runs daily buses between Hartford and New Britain. WHO IS YOUR HERO ON THE FRONT LINES? GO TO >> HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/HBJ-EVENTS GO TO >> HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/HBJ-EVENTS CLICK ON HEALTHCARE HEROES & NOMINATE! NOMINATE TODAY DEADLINE 9/15 PLATINUM SPONSOR: GOLD SPONSOR:

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