PAXTON — Next summer, a new bus service will provide rides for senior citizens.
The Select Board approved the plan to contract SCM Elder Bus to provide the service at its Dec. 11 meeting.
The town’s cost for the service will be less, and riders will pay $1.50 per ride rather than the current $7, Council On Aging Director Cindy Love said.
It may only run three days a week, a plan that the Council on Aging was already looking at, she said.
But by keeping their existing bus, the COA would have the option to provide local service on off days or even weekends, especially if volunteers could drive.
Love said last year saw a big decrease in bus ridership, so it was time to revisit it.
“We decided to cut it down to three days a week,” she said, with one rider a day being typical now.
“The yearly rate is 221 rides that go out.”
In addition to the price being “a substantial difference, almost anyone can use it,” Love said. “There are a lot of individuals that need some assistance.”
The bus used by SCM Elder Bus is also bigger, so there would be less of a scheduling conflict if there were too many using it at once.
“It would save the town substantial money,” Love said, with the main change being calling the service rather than the senior center.
“And it runs a bit longer than we do,” Love said, even as the cost to the town would drop from $16,000 to about $4,500, freeing up resources.
The Senior Center will work with riders to coordinate the transition so appointments can be made to coincide with the new schedule starting in July.
