The current PVTA service will still be offered, and the new service will help supplement it; East Longmeadow will share the van with the Hampden Senior Center.
EAST LONGMEADOW — A new transportation service will be offered to seniors thanks to the efforts of Council on Aging Director Carolyn Brennan.
Brennan met with the Board of Selectmen Tuesday to discuss the van that The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority has loaned to the town in order to provide rides to the senior center for $1 per day. The current rate is $2.50.
Brennan said the current PVTA service will still be offered, and the new service will help supplement it. The town will share the van with the Hampden Senior Center. A dispatcher in Hampden will coordinate the schedule and a part-time driver has been hired by the town.
Newly elected Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Enrico J. Villamaino said this transportation option will help seniors struggling on a fixed income, so that they may still visit the senior center regularly.
Brennan said the shuttle service will begin on May 7. Seniors who are residents of East Longmeadow and would like to use the service should call (413) 525-5412 beginning Monday.