New MART schedule starts Sept 3: Here's what you need to know about the routes and timing.

Gardner's new bus routes go into effect starting Sept. 3, and officials say the changes will mean faster and more frequent service in the city - and the fare free rides will continue through June 2025.

The changes to Gardner Routes 1, 2, and 3 will increase the number of loops MART busses make around the city from 11 during the day to approximately 19, according to officials. This means the average wait time for each bus will be cut down from about an hour to around 30 minutes.

Route 1 , which services South Gardner, makes stops at City Hall, Price Chopper, Gardner MART Center, Gardner Plaza, Timpany Plaza, Olde English Village, Heritage Village/South Gardner Center and Walmart Plaza.

Route 2 , which services North Gardner, stops at the Gardner MART Center, Price Chopper, City Hall, Gardner Highrise, West Street/Foss Road intersection, Dunn Pond, Heywood Hospital, and Mount Wachusett Community College.

Route 3 , which has been operating on a trial basis since January, will now be a permanent route. The bus will make a 30-minutes loop in the city 19 times per day from Heywood Hospital to South Gardner, including stops at City Hall, Hannaford/CVS, Walmart, the South Gardner Community Health Center, and Timpany Plaza.

Route 3 pilot program received positive feedback from riders

"The initial piloting of our new Route 3 for over six months received extremely favorable feedback due to the increased frequency and speed of the route," said Scott Rich, assistant administrator for the Montachusett Regional Transport Authority. In our public meeting on July 10th at the Gardner City Hall, the attendees saw how the new routes would significantly reduce their travel time and give them over 50 percent more access to our routes 1 and 2. All of the public meeting Gardner participants saw how the new shorter routes would greatly enhance their ability to use public transportation in the Chair City."

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Additionally, the changes include transfer locations. Riders can transfer between Routes 1 and 3 at Wal-Mart Plaza, Timpany Plaza, or City Hall; Routes 1 and 2 at Gardner MART Center, Price Chopper, or City Hall.; and Routes 2 and 3 at City Hall, Gardner Highrise, or Heywood Hospital, according to officials.

Fare free service to continue through June 30, 2025

The new routes along with the extension of fare free service through June 2025 demonstrated MART's commitment to providing residents with affordable and reliable transportation that meets their needs, Scott said. And the response from the public had been overwhelmingly positive, he added.

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"In just seven months this year, our fare free bus services have grown our ridership by over 24 percent, showing the real impact this is making in getting people to use public transportation," he said.

Mayor Michael Nicholson, who serves as the chair of the MART Advisory Board, said he was happy to vote for extending the fare free rides on all fixed routes in the MART district for another year.

"Ridership on the busses has greatly increased since this was first implemented, and I'm happy to see this continue with the support of our state partners," Nicholson said in a post on social media.

MART officials said other improvements would include additional bus shelters, a new website, and the development of an app to make services available easier to use and understand.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: New MART schedule starts Sept 3: Here's what you need to know about the routes and timing.