Alex Zhong, Contributing Photographer

The bus ticket kiosk on the New Haven Green reopened last Monday, receiving generally positive reactions from commuters. 

The CTtransit Customer Service and Sales Outlet, located along Chapel Street on the south side of the New Haven Green, closed for repairs on May 7 in order for the city to make upgrades to its structural and utility systems. It is located at a central point in New Haven’s bus system, with all regular routes originating from the Green area. Commuters can now purchase tickets and receive live updates on bus schedules at the reopened kiosk. 

“CTtransit’s primary goal for this renovation project was to protect the well-being of our employees, which led us to temporarily close the sales booth for crucial upgrades,” CTtransit executive director of external affairs Vanessa P. Brooks said. “These improvements, which focused on enhancing the interior workspace and implementing additional security measures, were implemented to ensure elevated safety for our team and, by extension, our customers.”

All accessibility features — such as assistance in Braille and large print — of the kiosk remain the same. Renovations were completed for its internal components, aside from some reused IT equipment, to ensure that the kiosk is equipped with the latest technology for ticketing and display of real time schedules. 

Brooks added that CTtransit was extremely apologetic for any inconvenience the closing may have caused. 

John Wallace, a daily commuter, didn’t hold any strong sentiments about the kiosk’s reopening, as he mainly buys tickets via the mobile app. However, he appreciated the convenience the kiosk offers, making commuting more accessible and more straightforward.

“I might ask them for the time of the bus that comes,” Wallace said. “You kind of want to talk in person to somebody instead of calling on the phone. But for the most part, if you have a phone, you learn how to use the app… [the kiosk] was pretty old, so it’s good that they fixed it.”

During the period of repairs, CTtransit stationed customer service representatives at a table nearby. However, the representatives weren’t able to issue tickets themselves; they could only assist customers with purchasing digital bus passes.

Commuter Nick Rosenberg found the kiosk useful as a source of live information, and appreciated the safety it offered, but didn’t use it to buy tickets. 

“I just ask them what time the bus leaves… the buses are never on time,” he said. “Lots of sketchy people around here, so people feel safe talking to [the kiosk workers].”

The kiosk is staffed with a CT transit employee who is available to answer questions Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. When approached by the News, the kiosk employee on Tuesday, who gave his name as Craig, stated he was instructed to direct all questions to CTtransit’s PR department. 

Many commuters appreciated the human aspect of the bus kiosk due to its element of reliability and accessibility. 

“It’s more convenient,” commuter Tomaine Young said. “You used to be able to get [tickets] on the side… there was a machine there that needed a debit card to get bus passes… [the kiosk] is more human.”

CTtransit is the largest state owned fixed route bus system in Connecticut.