CTtransit will provide free, statewide bus service every weekend this summer in an effort to boost tourism and help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
State officials, who announced the plan Tuesday afternoon, said the service will benefit the sizeable share of residents in Connecticut’s cities who do not own cars and rely on public transportation options.
“To help support our economic recovery from the pandemic, I want to make Connecticut’s many attractions and businesses reachable by as many of our residents as possible, and implementing free weekend bus service this summer —the busiest time of tourism season— will help facilitate that,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement.
The service is expected to start Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day in September. Free service will extend to Mondays on those holidays, as well as the observed Independence Day holiday on Monday, July 5.
The state Department of Transportation plans to use $3 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stimulus Act to fund the free routes.
Social distancing will continue to be enforced on all CTtransit vehicles, state officials advised.
