Rabbittransit’s Gettysburg-Hanover Connector will continue for another year

Rabbittransit’s Executive Director Rich Farr announced at a recent @Home in Adams County Coalition meeting that the Gettysburg-Hanover Connector bus will provide service for another year.

This is a big deal!

rabbit transit

This Governor’s Workforce Development Pilot Project launched in February 2021 with the goal of connecting people living at Misty Ridge north of Gettysburg to downtown Gettysburg, on to downtown Hanover through New Oxford and Cross Keys, and around Hanover’s industrial complex along Moulstown Road.

The original idea was to get people to work in Hanover and students to Gettysburg’s HACC campus.

Of course, launching when it did, the fixed-route service certainly faced some challenges, including COVID, masks, businesses and services closing or changing their hours of operation, and bus driver shortages.

Fast forward two years, and ridership has grown to about 3.5 riders per hour. That doesn’t sound like many. But Gettysburg is considered a rural area, and ridership tends to be lower than the 7-riders-per-hour metric typically seen in more urban areas. According to Farr, rabbittransit officials are pleased with the direction ridership is going and say the line shows merit.

Officials would like to see ridership grow over the course of the next year. They also need to start thinking about the funding of this bus route. Farr said the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation secures 50 percent of the funding from the federal government. The other 50 percent needs to come from local and state sources.

“Local dollars is key to the transit program,” Farr said at the @Home Coalition meeting. rabbittransit will need help securing those local dollars – about $17,500 a year. That’s a lot of bus rides!

So, what does this mean? It means we need to ride the bus! It means we need to ask our county and municipal officials to contribute to this important service. Over the next year, @Home will work with rabbittransit and others to explore ways to secure a local match. Be mindful that this bus service can be a lifeline. It gets people to their medical appointments, to their jobs, to the library, or to the grocery store. It allows people to connect with others while they ride or sit in quiet contemplation. The bus allows people to meet up with friends for breakfast at Rosie’s Restaurant in New Oxford, lunch and shopping in Hanover, and hop off for their shift working at PCA Fulfillment Center in Hanover.

Share this information with your elected officials. Write them a note sharing your experience. Write a letter to the editor asking them to support this bus line. Better yet… ride the bus!

Riding a bus around Gettysburg may not be something that readily comes to mind in this rural area. However, it’s a great way to save money, foster independence, help the environment, and relax while doing so. Never been on a bus before? No problem. rabbittransit officials can help walk you through the process – from using the smartphone app to purchase tickets, to showing the driver your bus pass, to navigating the MyStop app to view the bus route in real time.

The bus runs Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is currently $1.60 per ride.

To learn more about the Gettysburg-Hanover Connector and all the Gettysburg bus routes visit rabbittransit.org. To learn more about @Home in Adams County and what we do visit homeinadamscounty.org.

@Home in Adams County is an initiative that educates, advocates, and develops solutions around housing in line with income, viable transportation options, and economic development that supports sustainable wages.

stacey rice
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Stacey Rice is coordinator of @Home in Adams County. @Home focuses on coordinating resources, advocating, and developing solutions for affordable living in Adams County. It is an initiative developed and funded by the Adams County Community Foundation and operated by South Central Community Action Programs. Her email is srice@sccap.org.

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Leon Reed
Leon Reed
1 year ago

This is fantastic news. @ Home, and you personally, have sure labored to make this happen.

Stacey Rice
Stacey Rice
1 year ago
Reply to  Leon Reed

Thanks, Leon. 🙂

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