Do you ride a 9 Town Transit Bus? If not, what service changes would lead you to ride the bus? If yes, what would get yo to ride more?

These are among the questions the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) is asking in a statewide bus study of bus service and travel patterns. Area residents and transit users, though, have only until tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 5, to complete the online survey at www.ctbusstudy.com where they can share their views and opinions.

The DOT will use results of study to help shape the future of public transit in Connecticut. A key reason that 9 Town Transit management is seeking local input into the statewide bus study is to ensure there is continued support for the transit services’ planned expansions and improvements.

These proposals include the following: Eliminating deviations on Shoreline Shuttle to improve on-time performance; adding ADA paratransit service on the Shoreline Shuttle route to ensure those with disabilities would continue to receive off-route service; adding extended hours of service on the Shoreline Shuttle route to add earlier times into Old Saybrook and later times going back to Madison; adding Saturday service for the New London and Middletown routes and Sunday service for the Shoreline Shuttle; and adding a new bus service between Old Saybrook and North Branford along Route 80.

The DOT website for the studystates that the “2016 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study will evaluate statewide demographics, travel patterns, and bus system performance and coverage. The study will propose recommendations to improve the state’s bus system consistent with the goals set forth in Let’s Go CT (www.transformct.info).”