Springfield City Councilor and Mayoral Candidate Justin Hurst introduced a resolution at yesterday’s City Council meeting (March 20, 2023) that would provide a 50% subsidy for all Springfield residents riding public transportation within the city limits for the next 2 years with the goal of making public transportation in the City of Springfield permanently subsidized for all riders. This initiative would cost roughly 4 million dollars over two years and calls on Mayor Domenic Sarno to fund this proposal out of the 36 million dollars remaining in American Rescue Plan Act Funding. The resolution was unanimously passed by city councilors present at the meeting.
Councilor Hurst stated, “It is exciting to finally get this resolution over the finish line. While it is slightly different from the resolution that was proposed last year, this one covers more routes and will provide a much-needed financial break to even more residents. More importantly, this is the culmination of a significant amount of research, intense discussions on how to provide relief equitably to all residents, and compromises made on all sides. I am extremely grateful to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for all of their hard work on this piece of legislation and I also am appreciative of my colleagues for seeing the importance of providing subsidized transportation for the residents of Springfield.”
Councilors Whitfield, Walsh, Govan and Davila co-sponsored this resolution and also made up the contingency of city councilors who rode the bus last year from the Eastfield Mall to City Hall to gather input from residents on the impact that free or reduced transportation can have on the lives of residents. While this resolution is not binding, with its passage the City Council strongly encourages Mayor Sarno to implement the proposal. ■