Taunton buses will be free as of Oct. 1. Schedules, transfers, more
Free GATRA buses will start running in Taunton, Attleboro, and surrounding communities on Oct. 1, a GATRA spokesperson said, due to state funding to make buses free across Massachusetts.
A spokesperson for GATRA (Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority) said that they “anticipate an increase in ridership” because of the free fares, although “it is difficult to predict how big of an increase.”
Using public transportation can sometimes be confusing. But GATRA’s bus schedule is designed with several features, such as clockface scheduling and timed transfers, that make the system intuitive to understand and easier to use.
“We encourage current and new riders to utilize GATRA for their local transportation needs,” the spokesperson said.
Here’s what to know if you decide to give GATRA a try when the system goes fare free in October.
Where do GATRA buses go?
GATRA operates buses in multiple cities and towns, including Taunton, Attleboro, Plymouth, and Wareham. A system map can be found online.
Some of these routes connect multiple municipalities. Other routes are more local. Taunton and Attleboro, in particular, have multiple local bus lines that allow riders to get to destinations within those two cities.
Apps can be used to navigate system
Multiple phone and computer applications can be used to plan trips using GATRA buses.
GATRA is “integrated” with Google Maps, a spokesperson said. This means that when searching for directions in Google Maps, if the transit option is selected, then Google Maps will suggest directions that use GATRA buses.
The Transit App, which is available on Apple and Android phones, provides real time locations of GATRA buses and can be used to navigate the GATRA bus system as well.
For riders who have a computer but not a phone, real time locations of GATRA buses can be found using a website as well.
In addition, bus schedules are available on the GATRA website.
In Taunton and Attleboro, buses arrive, depart from central terminals
GATRA operates two central bus terminals: the Attleboro Transit Center (located next to the Attleboro Commuter Rail station off of Riverfront Drive) and the Taunton Bus Terminal (located on 10 Oak Street).
Bus routes in Taunton and Attleboro start and end at the two central terminals. For trips that involve multiple bus routes, the terminal is where riders will transfer from one bus to another.
The bus schedule has features that are designed to help make transfers between routes easier. In Taunton, for example, the 2 route (which goes from the Taunton Terminal, up north along Broadway, before terminating at Market Basket in Raynham) and the 4 route (which leaves the Taunton Terminal before traveling in a loop on Highland Street) both leave the Taunton Terminal every half hour on the half hour, creating a timed transfer.
To travel between Hannaford Supermarket in Taunton and Market Basket in Raynham, a rider could board the 4 bus at 1:46 p.m. (when the 4 bus is scheduled to stop at the Hannaford bus stop). The 4 bus would then arrive at the Taunton Terminal at 1:55 pm. That would leave five minutes to transfer to the 2 bus, which leaves the terminal at 2 p.m. and arrives at Market Basket at 2:11 p.m.
If the 2 and 4 buses left the Taunton Terminal at different times, that would result in riders transferring between the bus routes waiting for longer periods of time at the terminal.
“Schedules allow for routes to return to the terminal with enough time for riders to transfer to another route,” a GATRA spokesperson explained. “The time to wait can vary based on the route.”
Although the 2 and 4 routes run every half hour, most bus routes depart from a central terminal (either in Taunton or Attleboro) hourly the spokesperson said.
“When creating schedules, we prioritize departures from the central hubs (Taunton Terminal or Attleboro Transit Center) at the top of the hour in order to facilitate transfers,” the spokesperson said.
How to exit the bus
GATRA buses have cords above their windows that riders can pull to indicate that they intend to exit the bus at an upcoming stop.
A guide for riders on the GATRA website recommends pulling the cord “about one block before the bus gets to your stop.” The guide also says that riders can ask bus drivers to tell them when the bus is approaching a particular stop.
GATRA buses have flag stops. How that works
When using GATRA buses, riders can wait for the bus at any location along the route, not just at a specific stop.
“Most of GATRA’s fixed routes are flag stop routes,” the GATRA spokesperson said. “This means that riders can flag down the bus anywhere along the route and the driver will stop and pick them up, as long as it is safe to do so.”
GATRA’s guide for riders recommends that riders “make sure you are standing in a spot that allows the bus to safely pull over and leaves the bus plenty of room to pull back in to traffic” when flagging a bus.
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