Two local transportation agencies were among the recipients of the latest round of state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) grants to be used for operation costs, mobility management or new capital investments.
The Greenfield-based Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) was awarded seven vehicles and $50,600 to help establish a travel training program, with one full-time position as travel trainer/travel ambassador. According to a MassDOT press release, the Springfield-based Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) was awarded 14 vehicles in addition to $150,000 to support the continued transition of paratransit service from PVTA to local councils on aging, and $108,240 to help maintain and expand its mobility management Travel Training Program across PVTA’s service area.
“We’re very excited,” said FRTA Assistant Administrator Michael Perreault. “We’re always excited when we get awarded things. We go into these things not really expecting to get everything you ask for, but when you do, it sure does feel good.”
Perreault said the grant will allow the FRTA to create a new position for a travel training program modeled after other transit agencies.
“We’re looking to have this program to help people familiarize themselves with the FRTA system as a whole,” he explained.
That includes educating riders on the different apps, such as ACCESS, as well as services for seniors, how to purchase fare, or how to load or unload a bicycle from a bus, he continued.
“Originally, as part of our 2020 comprehensive regional transit plan, out of that came a number of different recommendations to help improve our transit system as a whole,” Perreault explained. “One of them was … to create a travel training type of position to be able to focus specifically on helping riders navigate our system and our different transit options we have.”
The seven vehicles awarded to the transit authority will replace aging buses.
“Of the seven, four of them are going to be low-floor vehicles,” he noted. Low-floor buses make boarding and deboarding easier for passengers with limited mobility. “We had received one (low-floor vehicle), not this past year, prior to that. The drivers love it, the passengers love it.”
Two of the vehicles will be minivans, similar to the high-floor paratransit vehicles, Perreault added.
The PVTA could not be reached for comment.
The grants awarded to the FRTA and PVTA were among nearly $9 million given to municipalities, councils on aging, nonprofits and other entities to use under the Community Transit Grant Program administered by MassDOT.
“Community Transit Grants provide critical funding to local organizations to purchase equipment to help people get where they need to go efficiently and safely,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a press release. “Our administration will continue to make efforts to work with local leaders, community stakeholders and the private sector to make transit accessible to everyone.”
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne