This year, the Green Mountain Transit – Mad River Valley (GMT-MRV) public transit service will look the same, and different. Bus service, which began December 19, 2020 and will run through March 28, 2021, is well underway, but I wanted to help provide some quick details on the changes and offerings this season.
Routes
The four primary daily bus routes, Valley Floor (#120), Mt. Ellen (#122), Mountain Condos (#124) and Access Road (#125), are all generally operating from 8am to 5pm with individual route schedules and routes. They’re actually operating with a very similar schedule as previous years.
The Valley Floor departs Lincoln Peak every hour from 8am to 5pm and heads to Waitsfield and back. The Mt. Ellen shuttle runs between Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen every 30 minutes from 8am to 4:45pm. The Access Road and Mountain Condos routes run every 40 minutes midweek from 8am/8:20am to 5pm/5:20pm and during weekend and holiday periods every 20 minutes from 8am to 5:20pm. These routes are all fare free.
Operational Changes
The things that are different for GMT-MRV bus service this year include many COVID19 precautions and operational changes.
- Bus schedules have gone digital. You won’t find those handy paper bus schedules around town this year, but there are two super easy ways to access the GMT-MRV bus schedules.
1) Go to the GMT web site and select the Mad River Valley tab at https://ridegmt.com/gmt-schedules/.
2) Download the Transit App, a real time bus locator and trip planning tool. Information about the Transit App can be found at https://ridegmt.com/wheres-my-bus/. Along with links to the app in the apple and google play store. This is a convenient way to locate your bus.
- COVID-19 on-board capacities are much lower than usual. No more packing the bus like a sardine can…
Big (blue) Bus: 16 passengers
Small (white) Buses: 9 passengers
- The Valley Evening Service route will not operate this winter. If you are planning to dine out, please plan accordingly and drive responsibly.
- Passengers are required to wear a face covering on all GMT vehicles, this includes children 2 and older.
- Bus operators are required to wear a face covering unless there is a driver compartment barrier installed on the vehicle
- Whenever possible, bus operators may ask passengers to board and alight through the rear door of the bus.
- For Everyone’s Safety PLEASE DO NOT BOARD THE BUS if:
- You have any symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, or headache.
- You are a close contact for a person who has COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
- You have traveled to or from the State of Vermont and have not self-quarantined per state regulation.
During the COVID19 pandemic, GMT is continuing to take necessary steps to protect the health and safety of riders and GMT employees with increased cleaning and sanitation on vehicles. This includes:
- Regular cleaning and disinfecting vehicles
- Regular cleaning and disinfecting GMT property
- Drivers complete daily health checks.
GMT Customer service staff is available by phone from 7:00AM-4:00PM, Monday-Friday. Please call (802) 540-2468 with questions or email GMT at info@ridegmt.com. Just like everything we do to stay sane and safe during the pandemic, with a little extra planning and leaving a little extra time to get to where you want to go, you too can ride the GMT-MRV bus to get to the mountain, to work, to town or to anywhere else along the routes.