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The Long Island Rail Road offers additional service to the East End as part of the South Fork Commuter Connection. GREG WEHNER
Southampton Town Board members voted on Tuesday to support the elimination of the South Fork Commuter Connection shuttle bus fare of $1, with hopes that users will benefit through a lower cost and streamlined ticketing.
The current price to ride the South Fork Commuter Connection — a service provided by the Long Island Rail Road to help get commuters to work on the East End — between Speonk and Montauk is $4.25. Of that price, $1 covers the cost of Hampton Jitney or Hampton Hopper shuttle bus service from the train stations to local business centers.
Anyone who does not want to take the shuttle has had the option of paying $3.25 for one-way transportation on the train between Speonk and Montauk.
In September, State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. proposed that the $1 surcharge for the shuttle be dropped, after statistics showed ridership on the connecting buses dropped when compared to a pilot program conducted 10 years prior, when the buses were free.
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the Town Board supported Mr. Thiele’s proposal. The price change is expected to go into effect on Monday, January 13.
Town Board member Tommy John Schiavoni told the rest of the board he would take on efforts to educate the public between now and then of the change.
Greg Wehner on Nov 12, 2019