'We had a conference and this is our first time to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

MGM and the city agreed.Īt the Hilton Garden Hotel near the Basketball Hall of Fame, Rondeau and Martinez got off, and Joe Badaloto, who was staying at MGM for work, got on with a colleague. The original language called for MGM to fund a fee-based downtown trolley system run by the PVTA.īut according to the PVTA, the trolleys it owns are not wheelchair accessible, and aren't well-suited for harsh winter weather, so it pitched an electric bus instead. The service was included in the host community agreement MGM signed with Springfield and the state - sort of. MGM has footed the bill for the Loop since it started in August of 2018, and has spent about $220,000 so far. Rondeau added that the bus is 'nice and warm gets us closer, so we don't have to walk as far in the cold.' We're 'riding it because it's free,' Martinez said. The bus departed Union Station with no passengers on board except for the reporter of this story.Īs the bus went down Main Street, a few people flagged it down and boarded.Īmber Rondeau and Luis Martinez of Holyoke said they were headed to a doctor's appointment near the Basketball Hall of Fame. Stops include MGM, the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Springfield Museums and a few hotels. There wasn't the usual sound of a diesel engine, because it's an electric bus. On a recent Friday morning, a Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus pulled into berth nine at Springfield's Union Station. (Alden Bourne/NEPR)Ī free bus service in Springfield, Massachusetts, that connects the MGM casino with area attractions and hotels isn't seeing a large number of riders, but the buses will keep running.

Facebook Email The Loop bus at Union Station in Springfield, Massachusetts, on December 13, 2019.

Bus trips to mgm casino