Travel to Stratton during the winter ski season on the luxurious and comfortable Stratton Jitney
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER
Looking for an easy and convenient way to enjoy a marvelous winter weekend getaway at Stratton? Look no further! After discontinuing their operations for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stratton Jitney is back and better than ever. Offering luxurious motorcoach transportation from Eastern Long Island and New York City to Downtown Manchester and Stratton Mountain, Stratton Jitney is the ideal travel option for discerning winter vacationers in search of a stress-free Stratton experience. Pack your bags, leave your cares behind, and treat yourself to a comfortable and relaxing ride from the bustling city to the picturesque Southern Vermont Mountains.
Established in January 2016, Stratton Jitney operates as a subsidiary of Hampton Jitney motorcoach service. Founded in 1974, Hampton Jitney has faithfully served the communities of New York City and Long Island for the past four decades. “We have always prided ourselves on having a very high level of service,” says Hampton Jitney’s Vice President Andrew Lynch. “Our onboard attendants help our passengers load their luggage and answer any questions that they might have about where they are going. We go out of our way to work with our passengers and develop travel times, trip options, and schedule frequencies that meet their needs, so we are very excited to be resuming our Stratton Jitney service! Stratton is the premier ski resort for the Atlantic Northeast, and we’re grateful to be able to work with them to provide this service.”
According to Lynch, Stratton Jitney came into being as a collaborative effort between Stratton Mountain Resort, Hampton Jitney, and the Stratton Mountain Club. “We were able to work with Stratton Mountain Resort’s marketing team to design the Stratton Jitney service. Thanks to our collaborative efforts, it’s been successful from its first year.”
Stratton Jitney is a wonderful option for travelers who don’t own cars. It also offers direct transportation services from New York City to Stratton for passengers with busy work schedules. Lynch elaborates: “One of the primary benefits of Stratton Jitney is that many families who travel to Stratton from New York City have
working spouses that are unable to travel with them at the same time. Stratton Jitney allows people to meet their families at Stratton without having to drive, which makes it possible for them to build their weekend vacations around their work schedule.”
To that end, Stratton Jitney’s route is custom-designed to accommodate the schedules of its working passengers. Stratton Jitney departs from Hampton Jitney’s transit base in Calverton in Eastern Long Island every Friday from December to Late March at 3:30PM. It then stops at 44th Street and 3rd Avenue in Midtown Manhattan at 5:30PM, where the majority of passengers come on board. From there, The Stratton Jitney proceeds northward toward Southern Vermont, where it stops in Downtown Manchester at Zoey’s Double Hex on Depot Street at 9:30PM. After stopping in Manchester, it then arrives at its final destination of Stratton Village at 10PM. Travelers who wish to return to the city in time for the beginning of the work week can take Stratton Jitney back to New York City on Sunday afternoons. On Sundays, Stratton Jitney departs from Stratton Village at 4:30 PM, stops in Manchester at Zoey’s Double Hex at 5PM, arrives in New York City at 44th Street and 3rd Avenue at 8:45 PM, and finishes off at Hampton Jitney’s transit base in Calverton at 10PM. “We also adjust the schedule for holiday weekends,” says Lynch. “For example, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend, The Stratton Jitney service will return to New York City on Monday, instead of Sunday.”
Stratton Jitney uses high-end Prevost motorcoaches, which are equipped with comfortable seats that provide an elevated riding experience. The motorcoaches also feature complimentary WiFi and digital entertainment options. “We offer onboard direct-to-device movies, podcasts, and TV shows for our passengers. If you sign into our onboard WiFi, there is a whole library of content that our passengers can access on the way up.”
Lynch says that Hampton Jitney goes to extreme lengths to ensure the safety of passengers on all of their routes, including Stratton Jitney. “We follow New York City’s CDC state guidance protocols to the letter to ensure the safety of our passengers,” says Lynch. “We also have very extensive cleaning protocols for each vehicle. In addition, the buses are equipped with cutting-edge HVAC systems. The entire volume of air on the motorcoach is turned over every five minutes, so it has great ventilation.”
Lynch adds that Stratton Jitney isn’t just safe – it’s also environmentally-sustainable. “People are often shocked to learn how environmentally-friendly modern motorcoaches are. While your typical car and single passenger may average 30 miles per gallon, owing to the number of people on board, Hampton Jitney motorcoaches typically average 280 passenger miles per gallon. When you compare transportation by car, train, airplane, or ferry across the board, motorcoaches use the least amount of energy. They also produce lower carbon dioxide emissions per passenger mile than any other form of transportation. Additionally, new and mandatory technology like diesel particulate filters and exhaust gas re-circulation have reduced their environmental impact even further.”
To ensure a smooth ride, Hampton Jitney employs the services of experienced and considerate drivers on all of their routes, including Stratton Jitney. One of their drivers, Mohammad “Raja” Ishtiaq, won the prestigious “Motorcoach Driver of the Year Award” from the American Bus Association in 2021. “Raja’s recent award is a fantastic reflection of Hampton Jitney’s commitment to safety and customer service,” says Hampton Jitney’s Marketing Manager Nina Bracovic. “We’re proud to work with such a talented team of drivers and staff members, and we’re going to continue to provide world-class service to all of our passengers for years to come.”
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STRATTONJITNEY.COM