Looking to Extend Shuttle
The summertime shuttle bus in Montauk, organized by East Hampton Town and provided by the Hampton Hopper bus service, carried about 1,600 passengers in its first week early in the season, running a loop from the Hither Hills area to Montauk’s downtown to the docks between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.
By the final week at summer’s end, ridership on the free shuttle, set up as a trial run this year, had risen to approximately 2,800 people, Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc reported at a town board meeting on Tuesday.
“I think the shuttle bus concept was clearly proven successful this year,” Supervisor Larry Cantwell said.
“It was very well supported, and people want to see more of this kind of thing,” Mr. Van Scoyoc said.
The town received a state grant to pay for the shuttle’s first go-round, and, Mr. Cantwell said, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has secured state funding for it for next summer.
The shuttle was designed to reduce traffic and take some of the pressure off parking areas in various parts of town. “We will have to start looking at expanding in Montauk, or starting similar services in other hamlets,” Mr. Cantwell said. “That’s where we need to go in the future.”
Talks have been ongoing between state and local elected officials and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority about adding more trains to and from the East End, including shuttle train service between hamlets and towns in the region. East End officials have long been looking to add public transportation options in order to give people an alternative to driving here for work or vacation.
A shuttle train service could be launched in the fall of 2018, Mr. Cantwell and Mr. Van Scoyoc said. “We’ll have to look at bus service for those who use the shuttle train,” said Mr. Cantwell. Local transportation to and from stations and hubs is a key element to the shuttle train concept and would be provided by individual towns.
Representatives from the Hampton Hopper will provide a briefing on this summer’s service at a town board work session early next month. Planning for next year could then begin, Mr. Cantwell said, based on details about ridership, popular stops, and the like.