The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
State scrambles to fill bus route
Finding a replacement for Kelley Transit Co. could take a year
TORRINGTON — It could be nearly a year before the state chooses a new company to run the express bus route to Waterbury, which until Feb. 7 was operated by the now-defunct Kelley Transit Co.
A request for proposals from interested transit companies will be issued fairly soon, said Ricardo Almeida, transit manager for the state Bureau of Public Transportation.
Kelley abruptly ended its state contract with an official letter on Feb. 8, but the owner of the transit company, John F. Nason called Almeida just before closing time on Feb. 7.
“I was absolutely surprised,” Almeida said. “It was 4:30 p.m.”
He and his staff had to “take immediate action and change the management (operator) temporarily so public service remained,” Almeida said.
It’s been at least 20 years since a contractor has given such a short contract termination notice, he said, and the last one was caused by a lawsuit, not the closure of the company, Almeida noted.
On the weekend of Feb. 9-10, state workers came to the Kelley bus yard at 53 John St. to retrieve five commuter buses with a total value of about $2.4 million, based on replacement costs listed by the state.
Kelley received the buses through a federal transportation program overseen by the state. The buses were not put back on the road, Almeida said. Instead, “They’re being inspected,” at a state vehicle garage, he said.
The company was paid $380,000 for its services in the fiscal year that ended on July 1, Almeida said.
The state bus contracts were through Nason Partners LLC, doing business as Kelley Transportation Co., according to records. The corporation bought the transit service in 2005, but it kept the Kelley name, Almieda noted, because it was so well known.
Kelley had provided transportation and freight service to Litchfield County and throughout Connecticut for more than 150 years.
Nason, the managing member of the corporation could not be reached for comment Monday.
The sudden closure of the transit company also affected the “Candystriper” mini-bus service between Torrington and Winsted. The Northwestern Connecticut Transit District of Torrington had operated the service under a contract with Kelley transit.
With the cancellation of the contract, the state had to find a temporary solution to keep the route operating. It chose Northeast Transportation Co. of Waterbury.
“We were there on Sunday, (Feb. 10), to look at all the routes (in the region),” Almieda said. “They were completely unaware of the routes,”and had to learn them to provide service the next day.
“We will reconvene on what strategy we will have for the commuter and “Candystriper” services,” Almieda said. “We will find a contractor to run the service for the best price possible.”
Another loss for the program are new transit signs for the “Candystriper” program that will no longer be needed. “We had just finalized bus signs in Torrington,” Almieda said.
But the image on the sign is logo for the Northwest District, which will no longer operate the routes.
Both Peter Pan Bus Lines of Springfield, Mass., and DATTCO of New Britain will likely bid on the commuter bus contract to Waterbury, Almieda said. Representatives from the two companies could not be reached Monday.