Estuary Transit District Explained

River Valley Transit
Parent:	Estuary Transit District
Founded:	May 1981 (9 Town Transit) July 2022 (merger)
Headquarters:	91 N Main St, Middletown, Connecticut
Service Area:	Lower Connecticut River Valley
Service Type:	Local bus Dial-A-Ride XtraMile Microtransit ADA Paratransit
Routes:	12
Hubs:	Old Saybrook station Middletown Bus Terminal
Operator:	Estuary Transit District, managed by First Transit
Chief Executive:	Joseph Comerford
Former Name:	9 Town Transit, Middletown Area Transit

Estuary Transit District, doing business as River Valley Transit, is the public transit provider for the Lower Connecticut River Valley region. ETD provides bus service through in the municipalities of Chester, Clinton, Durham, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Killingworth, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook, Middlefield, Middletown, and Madison. It was formed in 2022 by the merger of the Estuary Transit District (dba 9 Town Transit) and Middletown Area Transit.

History

The Estuary Transit District was founded in 1981 and operated 9 Town Transit bus service in the Old Saybrook area. XtraMile microtransit service in the Old Saybrook area began in 2019.^[1] Middletown Area Transit merged into the Estuary Transit District on July 1, 2022.^{[2] [3]} XtraMile service was added in Middletown later in 2022.^[4] On March 27, 2023, the system was rebranded as River Valley Transit, replacing the old 9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit names.^[5] In May 2024, two additional microtransit service zones were added.^[6]

Services

Fixed-route bus services are divided into two divisions: Shoreline (formerly 9 Town Transit) and Middletown (formerly Middletown Area Transit). The Shoreline division hub is Old Saybrook station; the Middletown hub is the Middletown bus terminal.^[7]

• Shoreline
  • 640: Old Saybrook Loop
  • 641: Old Saybrook – Madison
  • 642: Old Saybrook – Chester
  • 643: Old Saybrook – New London
  • 644: Old Saybrook – Middletown
  • 645: Madison – Middletown
• Middletown
  • 581: Saybrook Road
  • 582: Wesleyan Hills
  • 583: Washington Street
  • 584: Newfield Street
  • 585: Westlake Drive
  • 586: Portland/East Hampton
  • 590: Meriden – Middletown Flyer

RVT operates four microtransit services branded as XtraMile.^[8] RVT also operates paratransit services in portions of the Shoreline and Middletown divisions, and dial-a-ride services with a higher fare but no age/disability requirement through the whole service area.^{[9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Estuary Transit District . October 14, 2022 . Estuary Transit District Board Meeting . September 4, 2023 . Estuary Transit District.
2. Web site: 2022-06-30 . Two Connecticut bus services in Middlesex County will merge on July 1 . 2022-08-29 . Connecticut Public . en.
3. Web site: Hushin . Adam . 2021-10-06 . Middletown Area Transit to merge with Shoreline service for ‘more freedom and flexibility’ . 2022-08-29 . CT Insider . en-US.
4. Web site: 2022-09-19 . XtraMile Pilot Program Brings Free Shuttle Service to Middletown . 2023-09-04 . The Wesleyan Argus . en.
5. 9 Town Transit and Middletown Area Transit are now River Valley Transit (RVT) . Town of Deep River . March 27, 2023.
6. Web site: Comerford . Joe . 2024-03-25 . New Bus & Microtransit Service Coming Soon . 2024-05-21 . River Valley Transit . en-US.
7. Web site: Schedules . River Valley Transit . February 26, 2024.
8. Web site: XtraMile . River Valley Transit . June 27, 2024.
9. Web site: ADA Paratransit . River Valley Transit . February 26, 2024.
10. Web site: Dial-A-Ride . River Valley Transit . February 26, 2024.