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84 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2016 Transportation INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT › By Christina H. Davis M ore so today than in recent memory, public transportation in the United States and in Connecticut is having a moment. And riding that wave is Dattco, a bus company based in New Britain that is now run by a second generation of the DeVivo family. "When I wasn't in school, I'd go to work with [my dad, Lou DeVivo] either on the weekends or in the summer," recalled Don DeVivo, now president of Dattco. "A lot of the employees were kind of like my extended family." Family ties at extended family has since grown to 2,300 employees that help run 1,500 buses in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. While most recognizable for its large motor coach buses seen cruising the state's highways, the company also operates school buses in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Even as DeVivo grew up in the business, it was never a foregone conclusion that he would work there. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree and then went to the University of Connecticut Law School. Aer that he went on to work for an attorney in Connecticut before he came back to Dattco. DeVivo has two sons of his own, one of whom works for the company while the other is in college. Now with a third generation of DeVivo on board at the firm, Don DeVivo says the family element of Dattco is part of what makes the company different. "I think the difference is the connection that employees can have with upper management," he said. "We're not a thousand miles away. We're visible in the termi- nals. We can have a dialogue with our employees." Increasing ridership In the past, buses may have gotten a bad rap as far as public transportation goes, but that is changing according to DeVivo. And Dattco's capitalizing on that change in perception through its ownership of a Megabus franchise in New Eng- land. e company runs Megabus coaches from New York to Hartford, Providence and Boston. e Megabus brand, which is designed to be attractive to Millennials, has "re-engaged a whole new generation of riders," DeVivo said, adding that the demographic for the Megabus service is 18- to 25-year-olds. "I talk to some of the kids who ride these buses and some of them never had a car and never even had a license," he said, adding that taking the bus "is not the transportation of least choice. It's now the first choice." Working in concert with the increased interest in buses is the rise of on-de- mand car services like Uber. Now, a West Hartford resident can call up Uber to get to the Megabus depot, and be in New York City in an hour or so. Uber, he said, "makes our system more viable, easier to use." ❑ Don DeVivo, president, Dattco for the U.S. Department of Commerce, said 2016 has been "a really exciting year" for Brad- ley International Airport, with the addition of non-stop flights to the West Coast and Europe, and a second nonstop flight to Denver. Passenger traffic is also on the rise. Ac- cording to the Connecticut Airport Authority, the number of passengers using the airport has grown 9.6 percent since 2013. "We've got really good connections to all the major airline hubs. Delta's got a ton of flights, American's got a ton now that they merged with US Air, and United has more connections to Asia out of Hartford than any- body else. And of course, we've got Aer Lingus, which is destination Europe," said Evans. With all the new flight options, she said Hartford has become "a really good place" for the business traveler. Aer Lingus will begin service from Bradley to Dublin in September, the first trans- Atlantic flight out of Hartford since 2009. Meanwhile, American Airlines has begun daily non-stop flights between Hartford and Los Angeles, making Bradley convenient for travelers doing business in California or Asian markets, said Evans, especially those who want to get into LA early in the morning. e flight leaves Bradley at 7 a.m. and arrives at Los An- geles International at 10 a.m. e return flight leaves at 9 p.m. and arrives at 5:20 a.m. Regional airline OneJet started offering weekday non-stop service between Bradley and Pittsburgh this spring, while United Airlines began a second non-stop flight to Denver, joining Southwest Airlines. With the city easier to access, Evans said, event planners are more likely to look to Hartford when scheduling confer- ences in the Northeast, giving a boost to the Connecticut Convention Center and downtown hotels. "Everybody says, 'Let's go to Boston. But you look at Boston and you get sticker shock. You look at New York and you get sticker shock," Evans said. "Now you look at Hartford and not only do you have a lot of flights, but a really cost-effective place to go." ❑ MILES AND MILES Dattco President Driven Toward Success PROFILE > Continued from page 82