ROCKINGHAM — The Connecticut River Transit (CRT) Board of Directors announces that it has negotiated a one-year management agreement with the Deerfield Valley Transit Association (DVTA) to become effective Sept. 16.
The agreement calls for the DVTA to act as a management company to provide overall management services. The DVTA reports to the CRT Board of Directors, which retains full control of the company.
CRT is using this period to review and take a fresh look at the company from top to bottom with the help of a neighboring transit agency. All routes, rides, and services continue uninterrupted and unaffected.
The DVTA serves a six-town area in Windham County from Wardsboro to the Massachusetts border. Nicknamed the MOOver, for its Holstein-spotted buses, the DVTA operates 16 routes and makes 290,000 rides annually.
Started in 1996, it's the third-largest provider of fixed route rides, behind only Burlington and Rutland.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation has been working closely with the CRT Board in a support function as the major grantee of state and federal funds. Both agreed that the best mechanism moving forward was a one-year management agreement.
At the DVTA's request, Bellows Falls resident Rebecca Gagnon took on the role as CRT's general manager, effective Sept. 16.
A former DVTA operations manager, Gagnon has a lengthy career in the transportation industry, and administered the Brattleboro BeeLine for several years.