A Pelham resident pulls up an app on their phone, selects a shop downtown and several minutes later a town-operated electric vehicle glides up to take them to their destination.
That scene may play out sometime in the future. Right now, Town of Pelham officials are taking the first steps in the possible creation of an app-based transit service that could, if funded, provide rides for seniors to shops and commuters to the train station. The effort kicked off with an online survey of residents that ran through Sunday and was funded by a $100,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
The consumer research sought input on community transit needs, preferences and potential service features, said Town Supervisor Dan McLaughlin in an interview.
The idea for a public transit system began with officials exploring ways to increase transportation services for senior citizens.
“We’re always looking for ways to help them,” Councilwoman Kristen Burke said. “We have a senior van that gets seniors to doctors’ appointments, but we always thought it’d be nice to have more accessibility to come to the town, come to the Picture House and get shopping during the day.”
McLaughlin and Burke began the planning process by speaking with Circuit, a company that runs an electric vehicle-shuttle service in New Rochelle and other municipalites. “It’s a ride-share app like Uber, but it’s much lower cost,” Burke said.
The city allocated funds raised from the developers of the apartment buildings going up in the downtown to cover the cost of Circuit, according to McLaughlin. However, in all likelihood, the Pelham service would not be free. “We all talked about keeping the cost down as much as possible, not raising taxes, if at all possible,” he said.
For seniors or individuals on fixed incomes, Burke said that there would be some form of voucher to cover the cost of the service.
“We would make sure the service would be free to individuals who need it,” McLaughlin said. “We want to make it as accessible and as cheap as possible.”
(According to the City of New Rochelle website, Circuit has run its “electric micro-transit solution for residents and visitors” since 2019 in the city, taking riders anywhere in a designated coverage area. Vehicles can be called by an app or waved down. Six vehicles carry more than 3,000 riders a month.)
Burke said there is significant need for a ride-share service beyond senior citizens, including the residents who commute to the train in the mornings. “There are 700 people waiting to get a parking permit at the train station, so the idea of a shuttle running in the morning is something we’ve thought about,” she said.
Funding for the Service
The NYSERDA funding for the survey kicked the effort into gear, after two years of discussions by the town, with progress held up by the need to focus on creating the new ambulance service. The grant meant it didn’t cost anything to find out if residents wanted the transit service, said McLaughlin. “Somebody else paid for it. So that’s why we jumped on this idea.”
But funding for the service itself will need to be found if it’s to start operating. Burke said Pelham should receive another NYSERDA grant once the feasibility study is complete. There is not yet a timeline for when the service might be offered.
“We’ve gotten mixed feedback on [the idea]—many people think this is great,” Burke said. For the survey, “the only thing Dan and I really had input on was the different areas of town that people might be seeking.” She listed the train station, grocery stores, recreational facilities and schools as all in consideration as stops for the service.
McLaughlin pointed to consistent traffic problems at the six public schools in Pelham. “It would be a great idea to have these shuttles run to the schools,” said McLaughlin. “And Glover Field is an ongoing concern, and we’ve been working on improvements to the safety of that area. We’ve talked with the school about potentially getting vans after school and taking kids to Glover.”
