CT Transit New Haven

CT New Haven^[1] is the second largest division of Connecticut Transit, providing service on 24 routes in 19 towns within the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck River Valley areas, with connections to other CT Transit routes in Waterbury and Meriden, as well as connections to systems in Milford and Bridgeport at the Connecticut Post Mall.

CT New Haven

CT Transit New Haven Division New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 1750 heading to garage after a run on (formerly) the M3.
Parent	Connecticut Department of Transportation
Founded	1976
Headquarters	2061 State St. Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Locale	Connecticut
Service area	Greater New Haven
Service type	Local bus service
Routes	24 local 1 flyer 2 commuter shuttle
Hubs	New Haven Green
Fleet	114
Operator	RATP Dev, USA
Chief executive	Thomas E. Stringer, Jr. HNS General Manager
Website	Official Website

Since 1979, the Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford divisions of CT Transit have been operated by First Transit. Service is operated seven days a week on 24 routes.

Routes

Regular routes

All routes below originate from the New Haven Green. Through service is provided between routes with the same letter. In October 2017, CTtransit New Haven transitioned their routes from letters to numbers, and are now identified as routes 201-299.^[2]

Route	Route name	Terminus	Neighborhoods/towns served	Notes
USS	Union Station Shuttle	Union Station	USS: Union Station Free Shuttle	Downtown New Haven This is a free shuttle connecting Union Station with the New Haven Green and the Temple Street Garage, and a surface lot at the former Coliseum site.
201	Madison	201 (S1): Madison via US 1	New Haven, East Haven, Branford, Guilford, Madison	Connects to Route 204 (formerly Route F) at Branford Green. Connects to 9-Town Transit at the Scranton Gazebo in Madison. No service on Sunday.
204	East Haven	204 (F3): Branford Green 204 (F4): Walmart (Branford) 204M (F2): Momauguin	Wooster Square, Annex, East Haven, Branford	Connects to Route 201 (formerly Route S) at Branford Green. Night and Sunday service to East Haven Center is provided by Route 206E (formerly Route GF). Provides through-route service to Route 254 (West Chapel St) or Route 255 (Ansonia/Seymour).
206	East Chapel St	206 (G2): Tweed NH Airport-Lighthouse Rd 206E (GF): Tweed NH Airport-East Haven Center 206F (G): Ferry St	Fair Haven, Fair Haven Heights, Annex, East Shore	Night and Sunday service to East Haven Center is provided by Route 206E (formerly Route GF). Provides through-route service to Route 237 (Shelton Ave).
212	Grand Ave	212 (D): Ferry St 212B (D3): Bella Vista 212F (D12): Bella Vista-Walmart (New Haven)-Foxon Rd 212F (DL): Bella Vista-Foxon Rd-North Branford 212U (D13): Bella Vista-Walmart-Universal Dr 212U (D14): Universal Dr-North Haven Center 212UX (C4): UNIVERSAL DR via I-91 212W (D4): Bella Vista-Walmart (New Haven)	Fair Haven, Fair Haven Heights	Route 212F to North Branford operates weekdays only. Provides through-route service to Route 238 (Dixwell Ave).
213	North Branford	213X (L1): North Branford Center via Maple & Carol 213X (L2): North Branford Center via Foxon Rd	Quinnipiac Meadows, East Haven (Foxon), North Branford	Weekday service only
215	North Haven/Meriden	215 (C3): North Haven Center via Grand Ave 215X (C3X): North Haven Center via I-91 215M (C1): Meriden TC via Grand Ave 215MX (C1X): Meriden TC via I-91 215W (C2): Wallingford via Grand Ave 215WX (C2X): Wallingford via I-91 215X: Amazon	Fair Haven Heights, Quinnipiac Meadows, North Haven, Wallingford, Meriden	Route 215M connects to the new CTrail Hartford Line, Route 919 Express to Hartford, Meriden Routes 561, 563, 564, 565 & 566, and the M-Link to Middletown at the Meriden Transit Center. Routes 215M & 215W connect to Wallingford Routes 291 & 292 at Wallingford Green. Service to Universal Dr. in North Haven is operated by Route 212U.
223	Lombard St	223 (Q1): Clinton Park 223W (Q3): Walmart (New Haven)	East Rock, Fair Haven	Provides through-route service to Route 246 (Edgewood Ave).
224	State St	224 (M5): State & Ridge 224D (M3): Devine St 224N (M4): Northside	East Rock, Hamden, North Haven	Route 224D Connects to the 950-Hartford Express at the Devine Prk & Ride. Provides through-route service to Route 268 (Washington Ave).
228	Whitney Ave	228 (J) Davis St 228C (J1): Centerville 228C (J2): Centerville via Hamden Hills & Hamden Plaza 228C (J3): Centerville-Cheshire 228H (J8): Hamden Plaza via Skiff St	East Rock, Prospect Hill, Hamden, Cheshire	Route 228C also provides part-time service to Quinnipiac University. Provides through-route service to Route 271 (Kimberly Ave).
229	Waterbury	229 (J4) Waterbury via Whitney Ave 229X (J4X): Waterbury via I-91	East Rock, Prospect Hill, Hamden, Cheshire, Waterbury	Connects to the CTtransit Waterbury routes and Route 925 (or 928) express to Hartford at the Exchange Place on West Main St. Provides through-route service to Routes 271 (Kimberly Ave) or 272 (Union Ave).
234	Winchester Ave	234 (O4): Millrock Rd 234P (O5): Davenport Apts 234P (O7): Davenport Apts-Putnam Place	Prospect Hill, Newhallville, Hamden	Possibly getting combined with another route in October 2017. Provides through-route service to Route 261 (Boston Post Rd).
237	Shelton Ave	237 (G1): Marlboro St 237P (G3): Marlboro St-Putnam Place 237P (G4): Marlboro St-Pine Rock 237B: Marlboro St-Brookside	Dixwell, Newhallville	Route 237P (formerly Route G4) route replaced the old O6 route to Pine Rock Ave on January 6, 2013. Provides through-route service to Route 206 (East Chapel St).
238	Dixwell Ave	238 (D5): Hamden Plaza 238C (D6): Hamden Plaza-Hamden Hills-Centerville 238C (D7): Hamden Plaza-Centerville 238C (D8): Hamden Plaza-Hamden Hills-Centerville via Circular Av 238C(D9): Hamden Plaza-Centerville via Circular Av 238P (D10): Putnam Place	Dixwell, Newhallville, Hamden	No service to Centerville on Saturday, limited service to Centerville on Sunday. Provides through-route service to Route 212 (Grand Ave).
241	Goffe St	241 (Z1): West Hills 246A (FQZ): EDGEWOOD AVE-Amity Rd/West Hills via West Chapel St (weeknights and all day Sunday)	Dixwell, Beaver Hills, West Rock, Amity	Provides through-route service to Route 274 (Sargent Dr).
243	Whalley Ave	243A (B2): Amity Rd-Amity Shopping Ctr 243A (B3): Amity Rd-JCC 243A (B3): Amity Road-JCC-Seymour 243B (B1): SCSU-Brookside	Westville, West Rock, Amity, Woodbridge	AM trips to Seymour continue to New Haven via Route 255 (formerly route F). PM trips operate via Route 255 to Seymour, then continue to New Haven via Route 243. Provides through-route service to Route 265 (Congress Ave).
246	Edgewood Ave	246 (Q2): Fountain St 246A (Q4): Amity Rd 246A (FQZ): Amity Rd/West Hills via West Chapel St (weeknights and all day Sunday)	Dwight, Edgewood, Westville, Amity	Provides through-route service to Route 223 (Lombard St).
254	West Chapel St	254 (F5): Ella Grasso Blvd 246A (FQZ): EDGEWOOD AVE-Amity Rd/West Hills via West Chapel St	Dwight, West River	Provides through-route service to Route 204 (East Haven).
255	Ansonia-Seymour	255 (F6): Ansonia-Seymour via West Chapel St & Derby RR Station	Dwight, West River, Derby, Shelton, Ansonia, Seymour	Connects with Routes 15 & 23 to Bridgeport at the Derby RR Station (Metro North). Provides through-route service to Route 204 (East Haven).
261 261x	Boston Post Rd	261 (O2): Westfield CT Post 261X (55X, formerly PMF): CT Post Mall via I-95	The Hill, West River, West Haven, Orange, Milford	Connects to the Coastal Link through Greater Bridgeport Transit, Milford Transit District, and Norwalk Transit District, as well as Milford Transit District local route 4.
265	Congress Ave	265 (B): West Haven Center 265B (B4): Bull Hill Ln/Sawmill Rd 265B (BO): Bull Hill Ln/Sawmill Rd via Boston Post Rd 265B (BJO): Bull Hill Ln via Boston Post Rd & Union Station 265R (B5): Oyster River 265R (B6): Oyster River via Railroad Ave 265S (B7): Savin Rock	The Hill, West Haven Center	Provides through-route service to Route 243 (Whalley Ave).
268	Washington Ave	268 (M1): New Haven Career Campus 268C (M2): Veterans Hosp-Coleman & Greta 268B (M7): Veterans Hosp-Bull Hill Ln 268C (ZM): Long Wharf-Veterans Hosp-Coleman & Greta via Sargent Dr	The Hill, West Haven	Provides through-route service to Route 224 (State St).
271	Kimberly Ave	271 (J): Ella Grasso Blvd 271M (J7): Milford Green 271M (J7): Milford Green-CT Post Mall 271R (J6): Oyster River (Sunday only) 271S (J5): Savin Rock	The Hill, City Point, West Haven, Woodmont, Milford	Serves New Haven Union Station Route 271M connects to Route 261, the Milford Transit District routes, and the Coastal Link at CT Post Mall. Provides through-route service to Route 228 (Whitney Ave) or Route 229 (Waterbury). Also connects to the New Haven Line. for Metro-North Railroad, and Shore Line East. at Downtown Milford, Connecticut
272	Union Ave	272 (J): Union Station 268B (BJO): CONGRESS AVE-Bull Hill Ln via Boston Post Rd & Union Station		Provides through-route service to ROute 228 (Whitney Ave) or Route 229 (Waterbury).
274	Sargent Dr	274 (Z2): Long Wharf 274C (Z3): City Point 268C (ZM): WASHINGTON AVE-Long Wharf-Veterans Hosp-Coleman & Greta	Long Wharf	Provides through-route service to Route 241 (Goffe St).
278	New Haven Connector Downtown Loop	Union Station	Downtown New Haven	Service coordinates with Amtrak, Shore Line East, Hartford Line, and MetroNorth Trains. Weekday service only
950	Hartford Express	950 (20 [née 42]): Hartford Express	New Haven, North Haven, Middletown, Wethersfield, Hartford	Serves New Haven Union Station Serves the Devine Park & Ride in North Haven, the Country Club Park & Ride in Middletown, and the Wolcott Hill Park & Ride in Wethersfield. Serves Hartford Union Station. Operated by Arrow Line Acquisition/ Peter Pan Bus Lines.[3]

Operation

In downtown New Haven, Connecticut pedestrians board public buses on all sides of the green -the "Central Park" of New Haven. New Haven's buses are late to stops over fifty percent of the time.

State Public Transit Administrator Dennis Solensky suggested this structure of routing, which he calls hub and spoke, funneling all people downtown.^[4] The use of the spoke-hub distribution paradigm results in buses sitting in traffic in the heart of the city, which may delay scheduled stops.

Bus service guidelines in Connecticut suggest there be no more than four stops per mile on any given route. However, CT Transit's General Transit Feed Specification shows that only two of the twenty-five routes have on average less than four stops per mile with the highest being eleven.^[5] Bus ridership in New Haven has fallen drastically hurting an already struggling transportation budget. Economic returns from bus routes have ranged from sixty-four percent to two percent of the cost to maintain.

There are no plans to amend this issue even after the addition of GPS monitoring on all buses revealed how bad the situation truly is. Fifty five percent of stops are reached exceeding five minutes past the scheduled time.

See also

• Connecticut Transit Hartford
• Connecticut Transit New Britain and Bristol
• Connecticut Transit Stamford
• Northeast Transportation Company

All of the above provide CT Transit route service.

References

1. "Local Service". CT Transit. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
2. "Important information regarding the route renumbering and renaming for CTtransit's New Haven-area bus routes". CT Transit. August 30, 2017. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
3. "Schedules". CT Transit. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
4. Breen, Thomas (October 15, 2019). "Report: Buses Late Half The Time". New Haven Independent. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
5. "Existing Conditions and Evaluation of the Greater New Haven Bus System" (PDF). 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2021.

External links

• Official website for CT Transit