Wearing Bolt Bus red, Dixwell Alderman Greg Morehead secured unanimous approval for a resolution encouraging the discount Bolt Bus company to add a stop in New Haven.
He was cheered on by four similarly clad supporters who came out to show their approval of the plan as the Board of Aldermen approved the resolution Monday night.
Bolt Bus offers cheap bus fares between several Eastern cities, including Washington D.C, Boston, and New York. Fares range from $1 to $25. Last month, an online campaign to encourage the company to stop in New Haven was launched on the website SeeClickFix.
Riding the wave of enthusiasm, Morehead (pictured) drafted legislation to invite the company to add New Haven to its list of destinations. The non-binding resolution is the first bill that the alderman has authored.
The resolution shows the Bolt Bus company that the city is interested in hosting a stop, Morehead said. He said that he hopes that the company will respond favorably to the overture.
Morehead has made his work on the Bolt Bus issue into a key element of his campaign for reelection, mentioning it to Yale voters during dorm-to-dorm canvassing.
Bolt Bus would provide an affordable way for city residents to travel around the Northeast, Morehead said before the meeting. Addressing fellow aldermen, Morehead touted the bus line’s leather seats, ample leg room, and free wi-fi. He also mentioned the environmental benefits of increased bus use. The buses already travel through New Haven on their way between Boston and New York, he said.
The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the Bolt Bus resolution.
Red-shirted supporters gathered in the hallway after the vote for a photo. Doug Hausladen (second from right in photo), who had proposed the red-shirt convergence on SeeClickFix said that he was pleased that Bolt Bus had found the unanimous support of the board.
Morehead said that a location for a potential Bolt Bus stop had not yet been selected. He suggested that Long Wharf would be a convenient spot.
Has anyone even bothered to ask the people at Bolt Bus if adding New Haven as a stop is feasible for them? Since Morehead does seems more interested in getting reelected than doing productive work maybe someone at the NHI should ask for a response from the company in a future or updated article?