On November 1, staff at the Community Health Center of Franklin County became the first agency to participate in the Franklin County Access Pilot for Nonprofits when they began booking subsidized, on-demand rides for patients. The pilot will eventually offer free, on-demand rides to consumers of six additional participating agencies: Baystate Franklin Medical Center, The Brick House, Center for New Americans, MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center, Tapestry Health, and The United Arc of Franklin and Hampshire Counties. Trained staff members at each agency will book the rides when other transportation options are not available to meet a consumer’s need.

The idea for the pilot came from the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG). After decades of transportation gaps in Franklin County, with limited public transit and taxi service scarce and expensive, FRCOG staff were excited to see the rise in Uber and Lyft service in other parts of Massachusetts and hoped to bring these new options to Franklin County. Senator Jo Comerford secured an earmark to fund a pilot, and FRCOG contracted with Lyft. The pandemic delayed the launch, and then difficulty recruiting Lyft drivers caused further delays. In the meantime, the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) launched the FRTA Access microtransit service, which provides on-demand rides through an app similar to Uber or Lyft service, but using accessible, public transit vehicles and trained drivers. FRCOG was able to get out of their Lyft contract and contract with FRTA Access instead. FRCOG and FRTA agreed to roll the pilot out gradually, launching agencies as FRTA Access hires additional drivers.

The shift from Lyft to FRTA Access has benefits, according to Megan Rhodes, Senior Transportation and Land Use Planner II at FRCOG: “We’re happy that we’re able to support the FRTA. The FRTA Access fares are much lower than Lyft rides, so we’ll be able to offer many more rides, and people who need wheelchair-accessible vehicles will be able to get them. Plus, many of the partner agencies were not yet using FRTA Access, so this will expand awareness of this great service among the nonprofit community.”

As of October 25, NewMo – the City of Newton’s microtransit – now allows any rider age 13 and older to travel anywhere in Newton. When NewMo launched in 2019, it replaced the senior taxi program with on-demand service and was open only to older adults, although the City hoped to eventually expand access to commuters and other groups. This past July, Newton began a soft rollout, opening NewMo to any rider age 13 and older who was connecting to or from a transit stop or employment center. Once the City was confident they could meet demand, they allowed all riders to travel anywhere within Newton.

NewMo is a shared ride service. The vehicles are hybrid sedans – though Newton hopes to shift to electric vehicles in the future – and the fleet includes two wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Older adults can access additional perks, such as pre-booking for medical appointments, service on weekend mornings, travel to select destinations outside of Newton, and door-to-door rides (younger riders have to walk to the nearest corner). Rides generally cost $2, but to make the service accessible to low-income riders, Newton offers a 50 cent fare for anyone receiving public assistance, such as MassHealth, SNAP, or other benefits. Nicole Freedman, Director of Transportation Planning in Newton, reports that many residents have applied for the low-income rate, and she has also seen students using the system: “We are seeing very strong ridership among students, commuters, and our low-income community, as we had hoped,” she notes.

NewMo is funded through multiple grants, including the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization's Community Connections grant program, MassDOT's Workforce Transportation program, and MassDOT's Community Transit Grant Program, as well as through City funding.

Worcester-area recipients of Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) cash assistance through the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) can once again get rides through the Ready to Go program, which originally launched in 2018 and restarted this past September after pausing for the pandemic. Ready to Go provides rides for DTA consumers who need transportation to access work, childcare, health and mental health appointments, grocery shopping, housing searches, appointments with state agencies, and other essential trips in the Worcester area. DTA caseworkers submit ride requests to Ready to Go, which dispatches a driver and a vehicle. Trips are available between 6 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday, and vehicles are equipped with carseats for riders who are traveling with children. The Worcester program is funded through an earmark. Based in Vermont, Ready to Go is a program of the Good News Garage initiative within the Ascentria Care Alliance.

Registration is open for the spring 2022 semester Online Professional Certificate in Organizing and Managing Senior Transportation Options. Join Helen Kerschner, Director, Volunteer Transportation, Shepherd’s Centers of America and Nina Silverstein, Professor, Gerontology Department, UMass Boston in their ninth year of offering a professional certificate to people working in the fields of transportation and aging through the Gerontology Institute and the College of Advancing and Professional Studies at UMass Boston. This fully online course has both asynchronous modules and biweekly synchronous virtual classroom sessions on Tuesday nights. Learn more and register. A few partial scholarships are available - contact Nina Silverstein for more information.

Free, virtual training for drivers on assisting passengers with dementia from the Alzheimer's Association and MCOA. Register for a December 8 evening session from 6-7pm. Send requests for reasonable accommodations to patty@mcoaonline.com at least two weeks before the session.

MassDOT's annual conference on bicycling, walking, and public transit is coming up December 7-9. This year's conference will be virtual. Learn more and register.

The Hilltown CDC is seeking a Director of Community Programs.

Many transportation companies that provide human service trips are hiring. If you are interested in applying to drive or serve as a monitor to help consumers access key health and social services, check out these opportunities.

Many transit authorities are also hiring drivers. Find your transit authority. Some transit authorities offer free CDL training for new hires.

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