SRTA Announces New Line Connecting New Bedford to Wareham

A new bus line is being created that will connect New Bedford to Wareham.

SRTA announced Wednesday it is partnering with GATRA for a new line that will go between SRTA's New Bedford Terminal and the Cranberry Plaza in Wareham, primarily running along Route 6.

The service is a flag service, meaning you can wave the bus down anywhere along the route and the bus will stop where it is safe.

Erik Rousseau, administrator of SRTA, tells WBSM News that this is a pilot program that has been a long time coming.

"There hasn't been a connection for people to cross-pollinate the region," Rousseau said. "It's something people have been asking about."

This will be a pilot program to examine the viability for a permanent line.

"We're working hard to figure out how to pilot this service, and see what its long-term viability might be," Rousseau said.

The Wareham-New Bedford Connection will run between SRTA’s New Bedford Terminal and Cranberry Plaza in Wareham, primarily along Route 6. The service is a flag service and you can wave the bus down anywhere along the route. The bus will stop where it is safe.

The service will begin on February 6. The fare will be $1.50 for a full fare, and 75 cents for a reduced fare. It will run Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There will be two round-trip buses in the morning, leaving from New Bedford at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and then two more in the afternoon, leaving from New Bedford at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The fares are cash only, and exact fare is required. No passes or Charlie Cards will be accepted at this time.

Rousseau said the continuance of the line would depend first and foremost on ridership.

"We have to make sure there are people out there that want to ride the bus," he said. "Moving on from there, it's how we can actually fund it, working with the communities that are serviced to see if it's something they feel is important. Then hopefully from there, we can work with our other funding partners at the state and federal level to bring in the resources to keep it going."