When talking with older adults at senior centers, PVTA staff kept hearing that cost was a barrier to transportation - especially in Springfield, where one centralized venue recently replaced a network of community-based senior centers. When PVTA Administrator Sandra Sheehan heard about the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's fare-free Wednesdays for seniors, the idea for the pilot clicked into place. Offering free bus fares once a week could help seniors on a fixed income make ends meet, while also encouraging seniors who do not already ride to try the bus. "If you really give the fixed-route bus a try, you might find that it is very convenient," Sheehan explains. "Our intent is to have them try the buses and see how easy it is and how friendly the drivers are."

 

Sheehan ran the idea by audiences at senior centers, and people expressed interest. She then presented it to her Board, who enthusiastically endorsed it and approved a two-year pilot. They chose Tuesdays to coincide with discount days offered by local stores for seniors - though Sheehan is quick to point out that the bus can also take you to the library, to a volunteer engagement, and to other destinations - all helping reduce the isolation that older adults can face.

 

Representative Carmine Gentile joined MWRTA, town officials, the Sudbury Senior Center, the Sudbury Transportation Committee, and local business officials for a ribbon-cutting on June 24 at the Sudbury Shaw's, which hosts one of the bus stops. Visible from Route 20, the ceremony drew attention from drivers passing by.

 

"We're really excited to see this come to fruition and glad that MassDOT saw the potential and gave us the opportunity to put this on the road," shares Emily Van Dewoestine, Administrative Assistant/Operations at MWRTA. MWRTA plans to continue conducting outreach to housing developments and local businesses whose residents, employees, or customers could benefit from the pilot service.

 

The launch was the culmination of years of planning. In 2017, the North Shore Coalition, which consists of mayors, town administrators, and town managers of almost 20 municipalities in the region, engaged MAPC to conduct a mobility study to identify regional mobility challenges and opportunities. This shuttle was one of the report's recommendations. Follow-up surveys and focus groups corroborated the value. In 2018, the region received an Efficiency and Regionalization grant to pilot the service. The North Shore TMA worked with partners to identify member organizations to help fund the service, meet with area employers, and interview potential riders about their needs in order to plan a route and schedule that would yield high ridership. "We took our time in planning to make sure the shuttle would be successful when it launched," explains TMA Director Andrea Leary.

 

Four employers - American Renal Associates, Axcelis Technologies, Cell Signaling Technology, and the Cummings Center - as well as the City of Beverly and the Town of Danvers are funding the pilot. A strong supporter of the shuttle, Beverly's Mayor held meetings with business leaders and employees to make sure that the service aligns with their needs, and the City of Beverly is also providing in-kind support for the service. For example, the DPW is creating signs to mark the shuttle stops.

Ridership is growing steadily from two passenger trips on the first day to an average of 13 passenger trips per day, and the TMA is continuing to do outreach; the brightly colored vehicle also draws attention. In addition, the TMA is exploring opportunities to expand the service, such as through offering a park-and-ride option for commuters.

MassDOT invites high school students to submit roadway safety videos to the annual Safe Streets/Smart Trips contest. Submissions are due October 4. Video submissions must align with MassDOT's "scan the street for wheels and feet" campaign, highlight crash statistics, and offer tips for how to avoid crashes. Winners will receive prizes and will be recognized at this year's Moving Together Conference.

Registration is open for  Organizing and Managing Senior Transportation Options , a fall 2019 course offered through the Gerontology Institute and the College of Advancing and Professional Studies at UMass Boston. This online course is co-taught by Helen Kerschner, former Director of the National Volunteer Transportation Center, and Nina Silverstein, Professor in the Gerontology Department at UMass Boston. Kerschner and Silverstein, who are now in their seventh year of offering the course, also authored the course textbook:  Introduction to Senior Transportation .

 

Ginny Salem, Administrator of Northern Essex Elder Transport, took Silverstein and Kerschner's course last year and highly recommends it: " This program provided me with the information needed to grow our volunteer driving network with excellent outreach suggestions."

Her classmate Susan Marancik,  Senior and Community Services Director for the Town of Sandwich , agrees: "As a newer Council on Aging director, I found the class tremendously helpful in learning ways to improve our existing transportation program. I also gained a broader knowledge of aging issues as they relate to transportation. I have used that in developing a five year strategic plan for the Sandwich Council on Aging, as well as managing our combined volunteer and paid driver transportation program."