Monroe to Get Bus Service Along Main Street

Blue Greater Bridgeport Transit buses already take passengers to jobs and day trips along Route 111 and on Monday, Feb. 3, the service will be extended along Main Street — from the Trumbull shopping mall to Clock Tower Square in Monroe.

Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) announced the extended bus line on Tuesday. The service is designed to provide morning and afternoon employment related transportation to the area, according to Doug Holcomb, CEO for the GBT.

"We have known for some time that there is growing demand for service due to increased commercial development in the area," Holcomb said. "We hope that in the future GBT will be able to expand to more frequent service throughout the day."

The service is similar to GBT’s Route 19 Express which already serves Trumbull and Monroe along Route 111. It is known as Route 20.

First Selectman Steve Vavrek lauded the new bus line as "another example of the benefits of regional cooperation in municipal government and the synergies generated by cooperation among Monroe, Bridgeport and Trumbull" inside the framework of the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council.

Bus Route 20 "makes Monroe a more viable destination, giving people more access to jobs while expanding the labor pool for employers, of special significance in these economic times," said Vavrek.

Both the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and the Monroe Economic Development Commission were instrumental in pushing forward this latest transportation initiative, according to the first selectman.

EDC Chairman Roberto Perez said, "The extension of the bus line will give present and future businesses exposure to more customers. It will also give those same businesses a larger base of employees to fill their open positions. New businesses will be more inclined to build, expand or open in our town if they feel they can properly fill all of their positions."

Monroe Chamber of Commerce President Raymond Giovanni could not be reached in time to comment on this story.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said, "The creation of Bus Route 20 is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with regional cooperation. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of GBT, the city of Bridgeport, the town of Monroe and the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council, we're able to get Bridgeport residents to and from Monroe while also cutting down on the number of vehicles on the road — a priority of Bridgeport's BGreen 2020 sustainability initiative."

Route 20's Schedule

The new GBT Route 20 service will operate between the Westfield Trumbull Mall, in Trumbull and upper Stepney in Monroe, with connections to GBT Routes 3, 4, 6 and 8 at the mall and Route 19 Express at Quality Street in Trumbull.

Stops to be made along Newtown Turnpike (Route 111) include the area of Spring Hill Road and Trefoil Drive. Stops will also be made along Main Street (Route 25) at Victoria Drive, Purdy Hill Road, Judd Road and the area of Clock Tower Square in Monroe.

Trips will be made Monday through Friday, with two morning departures from the Westfield Trumbull Mall, at 7:09 and 8:09 a.m., each arriving in the area of Clock Tower Square at 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.

Afternoon departures from the area of Clock Tower Square will be made at 4 and 5 p.m., arriving at the mall at 4:22 and 5:22 p.m.

GBT's cash fare of $1.75 will apply to this service and all of GBT's regular fare media will be accepted onboard.

GBT offers bus service throughout the Bridgeport Region with 19 routes providing more than 22,000 trips to area residents every day. For details about the new service or any of GBT’s routes or schedules visit gogbt.com