EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an updated version of a previous story.
Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra lashed out at the Connecticut Department of Transportation on Thursday for its proposed elimination of the downtown Star Shuttle.
“This service is environmentally friendly and economically sound when it comes to our conventions and tourism. As Hartford strives to be a choice destination through our rebranding campaign, the Star Shuttle is perfectly designed to play a strategic marketing role,” Segarra told the DOT at a hearing Thursday afternoon.
Introduced in 2005, the shuttle was meant for visitors, workers and residents to get around downtown easier.
The shuttle operates in a clockwise loop around downtown, ferrying passengers from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays. For large downtown events and conventions, hours and Sundays are added to the route.
Under ConnDOT proposals that include fare increases and service reductions, the Star Shuttle could be scaled back to operate only during conventions.
Segarra attended the noon hearing in the Hartford Public Library to advocate for keeping the Star Shuttle service unchanged.
“Simply put, people need to know when this free bus service runs, where it stops and what it has to offer them— which is a lot,” Segarra said.
David Panagore, the city’s chief operating officer and development services director, plans a similar plea at the 4:30 p.m. Thursday hearing at the library.
ConnDOT did not immediately respond to a phone call for comment.
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