To The Editor:

We keep hearing a lot about Wheels2U, a door-to-train shuttle bus service promoted by the Westport Transit District.  The ubiquitous ads claim it’s cheap, green and convenient. But if you look at what the service actually costs, and the broader context of congestion and air quality issues impacting our town and region, it’s clear that the Wheels2U service isn’t getting us where we need to go.

Let’s start with funding. With the widespread availability of Uber and other door-to-door services, Westport should not be spending nearly $1 million in state and local public funds just to take people to the train. Based on current ridership numbers, the Wheels2U service now costs taxpayers an average of $92 a ride.

Given that the Wheels2U oversize vehicles are running mostly empty in delivering each passenger door-to-door, they are definitely not green. If we want to be “green” we need to demand more efficient public transit. Transportation cannot exist in a local bubble. We live, work and recreate in towns across Southwestern CT and every day thousands of people come to Westport to do the same. But our transit providers have divided our region into illogical and isolated town bubbles. In just our corner of the state, there are seven separate transit districts/providers. If you want to use public transit to go from Greenwich to New Haven, you must navigate seven different websites and/or mobile apps to determine your route.

State officials recognize that the current system is flawed. It stifles economic growth, contributes to congestion, increases pollution and negatively impacts employment and housing opportunities. But the State can’t force towns to change. It’s up to us to recognize that the current system isn’t working.

I’m not suggesting that Westport kill the local funding component proposed in this year’s town budget. But instead of wasting $1 million in state and local tax dollars perpetuating an inefficient bubble, Westport should demand that our regional transit providers immediately work to extend existing routes and services into Westport, for example, by consolidating the Westport and Norwalk Transit Districts. Westporters, including those who rely on ADA services, should have the same access to regional transit that exists in dozens of towns across the state.

We all need to email the RTM and ask them to dissolve the Westport Transit District. The First Selectwoman should then request that Norwalk Transit District (NTD) provide a summary of route extension options into Westport. Since Westport doesn’t have a current contract with NTD (the last one dates to the 1980s), we can reset with a single line-item grant to NTD like other towns do.

Most importantly, we should tell NTD that Westport wants the same level of service per local tax dollar as NTD provides to other riders (including ADA). And that should be posted on the same website and app so the public can figure it out.

We can’t afford to have a $1-million transit bubble in Westport anymore.

Jennifer Johnson / Former Westport Transit District Director