L-R: GBT CEO Doug Holcomb chats with rider Bamidele B.

Meet Bamidele

Goin’ GBT for 10 years.

As part of GBT’s ongoing efforts to “engage, interact, and improve” we make it a priority to connect with people that ride GBT buses to learn what public transportation means to them.

Meet Bamidele B. We met Bamidele as he was waiting for his bus on the platform of the bus terminal at 710 Cross Street.

Bamidele is a Bridgeport resident who works as a clerk and managing member at a local convenience store.

GBT runs from 5:30 AM – 11 PM, Monday – Saturday, and 8 AM – 8 PM on Sunday. Using mostly Routes 8 and 9, Bamidele depends on the buses to get him to work every day and sometimes takes two children to the Trumbull Mall and other places around Bridgeport.

Even throughout the pandemic, Bamidele had to rely on the buses to get to work. “We had to cope with it, it’s nice that it was fare free. It was a surprise, it’s good they extended it to November.”

Without bus service, Bamidele said he would have no other choice but to rely on Uber. According to Bamidele, GBT’s bus service is helpful and if there was anything he could improve, it would be more late-night service.

Bamidele relies on public transportation to connect him to his job, shopping, and the community.

Thanks for Goin’ GBT

Ridership is back to pre-pandemic levels — 406k+ rides in July!

Since January, there has been steady growth in bus ridership throughout the region.

In July, more than 406,000 trips were taken, making it the highest ridership month since the beginning of the pandemic and returning the bus system to pre-pandemic ridership levels. Welcome back!

One measurement of bus service productivity is the number of trips per hour of service. In July, there were 30 trips per bus, per hour. This exceeds the pre-pandemic national average which was 27 trips per bus, per hour.

“25 people on a bus as opposed to 25 people driving their own cars means a lot less air pollution and greenhouse gas emission. And a lot less traffic congestion. People riding the bus are doing a favor for everyone else.”

— Tom Condon, CT Mirror | Free bus fare has created more traffic on CT Transit — and less on the road | WSHU