A regional planning council is preparing to launch the first study of the city’s public transit system in more than a decade, examining the effectiveness of both fixed-route and microtransit services serving local riders.

The Comprehensive Operations Analysis, overseen by the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (SECOG), will kick off next month with an online survey aimed at gathering data on where New London riders are picked up and dropped off, how frequently they use the service and why they ride.

The data collection phase will be followed by an analysis and development stage that will include recommendations for potentially reconfiguring services overseen by the Southeast Area Transit District (SEAT). The $50,000 study is being funded with federal money, with a 10% match from state and SECOG funds.

“If there’s going to be any change in service, we first need the data to back up any proposed changes,” Kate Rattan, SECOG’s director of transportation, said on Wednesday. “We are looking holistically at the entire system, both the fixed-route bus service and the SmartRide option in New London.”

The study’s launch comes a year after city officials waged a months-long battle to keep the popular SmartRide microtransit service funded and operating in New London.

The door-to-destination SmartRide system — which operates similarly to Uber’s ride-hailing service — was introduced in December 2021 with the help of American Rescue Plan Act funding provided to SEAT.

That funding ran out in July 2025, and both the state Department of Transportation and SEAT said they were unable to provide long-term funding for a system that delivers roughly 4,000 rides a month.

To keep the program active, local, regional and state officials last year pieced together a stopgap funding solution. It included using a portion of a $1 million state grant and $100,000 in city Parking Authority funding to keep the three SmartRide buses operating in New London through the current fiscal year.

The biggest obstacle to securing state support for the microtransit service has been its coverage area. DOT officials have argued that it duplicates existing fixed-route bus service, which operates three routes in the city, along with a nighttime option.

In an effort to reach a compromise with state officials, the city and SEAT agreed to raise bus fares from $1.75 to $2.25, prohibit SmartRide pickups near fixed-route bus stops and adjust microtransit operating hours.

Pushing for a more responsive bus system

Mayor Michael Passero has long called for an updated examination of the city’s bus service, arguing that the current system, which he said prioritizes fixed-route buses over microtransit, is outdated and does not adequately respond to riders’ needs.

“We’re looking for a system that’s more user friendly to riders traveling within the city’s boundaries and meets their demands,” Passero said. “And we want to encourage more people to get out of their cars and take then bus, but right now there’s too many bus routes that require riders to go through Waterford or Groton to reach a destination inside New London.”

Rattan said one challenge with microtransit is its cost relative to its benefits.

“Microtransit is more expensive than traditional fixed-route buses and less efficient,” she said, noting fixed-route buses can carry more passengers. “That said, there are a lot of benefits to microtransit, especially in areas with underperforming bus routes.”

Rattan said New London has changed significantly since the last transit study was conducted in 2015.

“It’s denser and companies like Pfizer have left while Electric Boat have moved in,” she said. “And those two companies have different worker and rider demographics.”

Tyler Frost, SECOG’s transportation planner II, will oversee public hearings and meetings with various stakeholders, including city officials, drivers and representatives of local health care providers, businesses and other companies.

That input, along with survey results and information collected by SEAT, will help shape recommendations for potential changes to the bus system.

“That will include keeping the fixed-route system, moving to only microtransit or a hybrid system,” Rattan said, adding that the study is expected to take up to five months to complete. “We’ll also be rethinking existing fixed routes. We want to figure out how to provide the best and most efficient way to serve our riders.”

Passero said that even if the study’s consultant recommends retaining the current fixed-route service, the system still needs to be updated.

“It needs to be more responsive to our ridership’s needs,” he said.

Rattan said any changes to the system would require a separate public hearing and approval from SECOG’s Board of Directors, SEAT leaders and state DOT officials.

Rattan said the goal is to keep any changes “cost neutral.”

“But the goal is to increase the quality of service, and I think people feel OK about reasonable additional expenditures if they know they’re getting quality service,” she said.

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