Route Focus: PVTA Route S - Northampton Survival Center Shuttle
There is a PVTA route called
the “S”, which is short for the Northampton Survival Center Shuttle. Using a
little para-transit van, the S runs between Northampton’s Downtown and the
Northampton Survival Center (NSC), three times a day, every weekday.
The NSC is a food pantry for low-income individuals and families living in the Hampshire County. After riding the "S", I briefly visited the non-profit food pantry and spoke to staff who gladly answered my questions. Clients usually pick up groceries from the NSC monthly, and the “S” is a way for clients to get the center, usually connecting from another route at the Academy of Music.
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Just a
standard para-transit van for the “S”
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I rode the “S” on a snowy Monday morning. The map of the “S” gives the impression that the bus stops across the street from the Academy of Music. But no, once I saw a PVTA van pull up across the street, I went across to the correct side. The vehicle operating the “S” was PVTA van #5705, a 2017 CEQ Phoenix Type E, which is the standard para-transit and senior van for the PVTA. These vans don’t have destination signs, so the only thing indicating that the van was operating on the “S” were two paper schedules for the “S” taped on windows next to the door.
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Not very professional but it works
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Before I even got on, the driver, a very friendly and conversational woman, asked where I was going because people usually mistake the “S” for the Nashawannuck Express (a different van-operated route). Once sitting down, one of the first things I talked about with the driver is that the “S” leaves about 20 minutes later than the time indicated on the schedule, which was another thing that confused me about this route.
Once we left the Academy of Music (with me being the only passenger onboard) the route to the NSC is straightforward. The van uses Northampton’s Main Street and King Street, then the quieter residential streets of Finn and Prospect Streets and your already there. The van parked outside of the center’s parking lot and I was let out. The route is only 1⅓ miles so getting there was fast, lasting just five minutes.
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The
van resting outside of the NSC, waiting for the trip back
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Overview
The “S” route serves a very specific group of people who need to use the services of the NSC. Unless you live close to the NCS and somehow find it convenient to use the “S”, there isn’t much of a reason to use the “S” for the typical passenger. The driver told me that the ridership is hit or miss, with some trips running empty and other trips with 4 or 5 people who are “regulars” to the service. This makes the “S” very niche and obscure. Unless you need the “S” or really know PVTA’s routes, one may never know that the “S” even exists.
I’m a fan of niche and obscure transit routes, so I appreciate that this route exists and serves the few people who need it. Besides for the schedule and map inconsistencies, I don’t see any need to change this route or add more service to it.
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