Green Mountain Transit has shed more light on its draft plan to reduce services and cut certain routes as the transit agency faces a possible $2 million deficit.Officials from GMT held a public meeting on Wednesday morning to go over a plan that it developed to stem a financial gap that is expected to impact the municipality beginning in fiscal year 2026.Read the full draft service reduction plan here.GMT stressed that the plan, which was developed at the request of the board of directors, is currently only a draft and will need to pass through the public input and feedback phase before it is voted on and implemented.The draft currently includes three phases of service reductions and eliminations, with the first phase scheduled to begin in November and December. During that period, GMT is proposing several cuts that include the elimination of the Jeffersonville Commuter run, as well as a number of Saturday eliminations on runs including all of the #10 Williston/Essex route, as well as select reductions to the number of runs on other lines.The second phase, which is planned for February and March 2025, proposes consolidating the St. Albans LINK and the Milton Commuter as well as some weekday eliminations to the Milton Commuter run and the elimination of both AM runs of the #3 Lakeside Commuter.Finally, the third phase in June 2025 proposes the elimination of many weekday runs on lines including the #11 Airport line, the #8 City Loop line and all of the #10 Williston/Essex runs, among others.GMT said they have received $700,000 in funding from the Vermont Agency of Transportation and are not filling some vacant positions, allowing them to reduce their total FY26 deficit from just under the originally forecasted $3 million to $2 million dollars. That means they will not have to go through with all of the proposed cuts in the draft plan laid out this week.GMT said that they spaced the proposed cuts into different phases to allow time for community input and to work to reduce the number of actual cuts that needed to be made. The draft plan, as it stands, is being considered a “worst-case scenario” for what would need to be cut before additional funds and rider feedback are considered.A series of five public meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks, including three in-person meetings and two virtual meetings so the public can sound off on the proposed cuts.Riders and employees will also be polled to determine what GMT and its board should ultimately decide to cut from their services.
Green Mountain Transit has shed more light on its draft plan to reduce services and cut certain routes as the transit agency faces a possible $2 million deficit.
Officials from GMT held a public meeting on Wednesday morning to go over a plan that it developed to stem a financial gap that is expected to impact the municipality beginning in fiscal year 2026.
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Read the full draft service reduction plan here.
GMT stressed that the plan, which was developed at the request of the board of directors, is currently only a draft and will need to pass through the public input and feedback phase before it is voted on and implemented.
The draft currently includes three phases of service reductions and eliminations, with the first phase scheduled to begin in November and December.
During that period, GMT is proposing several cuts that include the elimination of the Jeffersonville Commuter run, as well as a number of Saturday eliminations on runs including all of the #10 Williston/Essex route, as well as select reductions to the number of runs on other lines.
The second phase, which is planned for February and March 2025, proposes consolidating the St. Albans LINK and the Milton Commuter as well as some weekday eliminations to the Milton Commuter run and the elimination of both AM runs of the #3 Lakeside Commuter.
Finally, the third phase in June 2025 proposes the elimination of many weekday runs on lines including the #11 Airport line, the #8 City Loop line and all of the #10 Williston/Essex runs, among others.
GMT said they have received $700,000 in funding from the Vermont Agency of Transportation and are not filling some vacant positions, allowing them to reduce their total FY26 deficit from just under the originally forecasted $3 million to $2 million dollars. That means they will not have to go through with all of the proposed cuts in the draft plan laid out this week.
GMT said that they spaced the proposed cuts into different phases to allow time for community input and to work to reduce the number of actual cuts that needed to be made. The draft plan, as it stands, is being considered a “worst-case scenario” for what would need to be cut before additional funds and rider feedback are considered.
A series of five public meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks, including three in-person meetings and two virtual meetings so the public can sound off on the proposed cuts.
Riders and employees will also be polled to determine what GMT and its board should ultimately decide to cut from their services.
