Many bus route changes coming with new terminal
Saturday bus service will be restored and many other local route changes will be made when the Butler Transit Authority opens its new bus terminal Oct. 1.
Authority officials outline the changes Thursday during a public hearing.
The authority is relocating the terminal from Cunningham Street to 128 W. New Castle St.
Moving the terminal to the other side of Main Street requires the route changes, said John Paul, authority executive director.
Some stops that were made soon after buses left the old terminal will be made toward the end of the routes because of the location of the new terminal, and the new routes are more efficient, Paul said.
“We're pretty much going everywhere we went. We moved some stops to other routes. We improved time efficiency with rerouting and rescheduling,” Paul said.
Time adjustments have been made to all the routes. The authority has posted the proposed bus schedule on its website at www.butlertransitauthority.com.
The authority board must approve the schedule before it becomes official, Paul said. The authority meets Sept. 11. The new schedule will be made official at least a week before the new terminal opens, he said.
Most existing Route 1 stops will remain in place, but several changes are proposed. The Route 2 and 5 buses will make the Woody Drive stop. The Route 5 bus will make the Sam's Club stop. The Route 1 bus will stop at Butler Crossing on Saturday and the Route 5 bus will make that stop on weekdays. A stop at the rear of Point Plaza was added.
Routes 2 and 4 will be combined into one route and the buses will display both route numbers. The Monarch Place stop will be moved to Morton Avenue at Freemont Street or the Donut Connection. The stop at Fairview Street and Center Avenue will be moved to Morton Avenue at Fairview Street. The stop at the South Butler Fire Hall on Old Plank Road at Litman Road will be moved to other side of the street. Green Acres will no longer be serviced. Stops at the Days Inn on Route 8 and at Decatur Street at Butler County Community College will be added.Route 3 changes include eliminating the North Butler stop. The Monroe Street stop is being moved to Elm Street at Locust Street. The stop at East Brady and First streets will be moved to Second Street. The Route 68/Eau Claire stop will be moved to Eau Claire at Fourth Street.Route 5 changes include moving the stop at Shady and Young avenues to Whitestown Road at Young Avenue. The stops at Ferguson and Linhurst avenues, Boundary Avenue and Butler Road and Weir Avenue and Butler Road will be eliminated. Stops at Moraine Pointe Plaza and Butler Crossings are being added. The stop at the VA Butler Healthcare will be serviced by the Route 1 bus.
