Trolley is the latest service in a transportation pilot program that launched in Winchendon over the summer.
All aboard the Toy Town Trolley!
Starting on Saturday, Jan. 11, the town of Winchendon will be offering a free shuttle bus (not an actual trolley) from the downtown area to the shopping plaza in Rindge, NH, which includes Market Basket, Walmart, and other stores.
The service, which will run each Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., is an expansion of a transportation pilot program the town, in partnership with the Winchendon CAC, has been operating for the past few months, according to Miranda Jennings, the director of the Winchendon Council on Aging.
She said the town applied for and received a $500,000 Regional Transit Innovation grant through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation last April, which included funding for hiring drivers, repairing vehicles, establishing an app for riders, and updating equipment at the senior center’s dispatch center.
“The project was called the Winchendon Community Connection and Access Project, and the goal is to improve access for residents to go food shopping, get to jobs, and recreation and things like that,” said Jennings, who added that the senior center had already been providing residents with transportation to medical appointments.
Trolley route the latest addition to existing transportation services
After bolstering the senior center’s existing transportation services with additional vehicles and expanded hours – including a Saturday morning grocery store trip for seniors only, which Jennings said was always at capacity – program organizers began offering rides over the summer to all residents.
Katie Johnson, the program’s transportation coordinator, said the response demonstrated just how great the need was for additional transportation options in the community.
“We had virtually no transportation options in Winchendon, and even without a lot of marketing we’re maxed out on our rides with expanded hours, three new drivers – there’s still a great need and we’re just trying to keep up with that need,” she said.
The program offers transportation in the town or region for Winchendon residents, with senior citizens and persons with disabilities being priority, but rides are available for residents under 55 who are without transportation. Rides are available Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and limited weekends by request.
“The purpose of the grant is to try something out and see what works and build off of that,” Jennings added. “The grant is for a year, so it will go through June of 2025, with the hope of it being extended a bit.”
Success of pilot program shows need for additional transportation options in Toy Town
The program was boosted after the results of a survey of Toy Town residents showed a need for more additional transportation in the community, according to Jennings.
“People needed help getting to jobs and medical appointments, of course, but everyone liked the idea of doing a trolley to Rindge,” she said, adding that the Winchendon School donated a 14-passenger bus for the project. “So, the trolley came about because the community wanted to try it.”
The reponse to the transportation pilot program, which employs five drivers, had been overwhelmingly positive, according to Jennings.
“The demand just keeps growing and the response has been great – the phone is ringing off the hook,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of younger people who don’t have cars but really want to get to their jobs. So, we’re now able to bring people to their shift and pick them up. We’re helping people improve their lives, which is great.”
The trolley will run on a loop with stops at Pearl Dr., Hyde Park, Beals Memorial Library and Town Hall, the Winchendon Shopping Plaza, the Clark YMCA and Post Office, CVS and Not Just Produced, the Winchendon Fire Department bus stop, Ipswich Dr., Ready Dr., Goodrich Dr., the Glen Wood II 55-Plus Community, AutoZone, Marshall’s, Walmart, and Hannaford’s. Advance reservations are not required.
“I’m anticipating a full bus on Saturday,” said Johnson. “I’m excited because I think it will be really popular.”
All other rides are by online sign-up or telephone reservation only. For more information: [email protected] or call (978) 297-3155.
“By June 2025, we also hope to have an app and dispatch system where people can request on-demand Uber-type rides,” Jennings said. “Fingers crossed!”
