Valley Independent Sentinel

Mohegan Sun Bus Now Stops In Ansonia

by Eugene Driscoll | Aug 19, 2010 10:07 am

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Posted to: Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour

DATTCO and Rose Marie Spatafore of E-Z Travel on Kingston Drive have teamed to provide bus service to Mohegan Sun seven days a week.

“We want them to spend their winnings here in the Valley,” joked Bill Purcell, president of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Purcell was in Ansonia Thursday morning as a show of support for the new bus line.

The bus leaves every morning at 8:25 a.m. from Spatafore’s business at 3 Kingston Drive.

Tickets can be purchased at E-Z Travel starting at 8 a.m. Tickets are $25.

Riders can park for free in the large parking lot on East Main Street near Fitzpatrick’s Chrysler and Jeep at 430 E. Main St. There is also ample free parking on nearby West Main Street.

The bus arrives at the casino at 10:30 a.m. and departs at 4:30 p.m. It arrives back in Ansonia at 6:40 p.m.

Spatafore said she has been lobbying New Britain-based DATTCO for about three years to establish the service in Ansonia.

Spatafore is hoping to expose other Ansonia businesses to the people who come to ride the bus.

They can get a cup of coffee at Millie’s or Eddy’s Bake Shop on Main Street before the trip, or grab a bite to eat at Crave, Lanza’s, Pilgrim Bar-B-Que or any of the other eateries downtown once they arrive back in Ansonia, Spatafore said.

The bus starting running in Ansonia Aug. 2. Ridership has been light so far — but that’s only because the new location hasn’t been heavily promoted yet, said M. Scott Grant, a DATTCO sales representative.

DATTCO transports about 100,000 a people a year to Mohegan Sun.

Spatafore is hoping to tap into organizations that organize group trips to the casino.

“We want to show that Valley people are interested in the run,” Spatafore said.

The bus holds 56 passengers. If more than 56 people show up, Spatafore said she can make a phone call to get another bus to Ansonia.

“You can wake up in the morning and decide to go. You don’t have to have a reservation to get on the bus. If seventy people show up, they will get another bus, immediately,” she said.

‘Getting To Know Us’

Customers who purchase a bus ticket from E-Z Travel will be entered into the “Getting To Know Us Campaign,” a raffle offered by the Ansonia Business Council and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The grand prize is four days and three nights at the Sunsail Colonna Club in Antigua.

Raffle entries are also available for anyone who spends at least $20 in one of about 60 participating business in Ansonia.

The complete list of businesses is posted below.

The winner of the “Getting To Know Us Campaign” will be announced in the fall, at the Ansonia Harvest Festival.

Getting Know Campaign

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