BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation is funding, through a federal grant, a microtransit service in Brattleboro beginning on April 15.
The van service, operated by the Moover, is based on a service piloted in Windsor, and will operate from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
MicroMoo2, is free of charge and open to everyone, though trips must begin and end in the town of Brattleboro and must be booked in advance. An app and a PC-based portal called QRyde will be used to book rides. When the van is running, people can also arrange rides by calling Southeast Vermont Transit.
The vehicle is a seven-seat, lift-equipped, all-wheel-drive Ford Transit.
Brattleboro’s existing three-fixed-route bus system ceases operation between 5 and 5:45 p.m. The MicroMoo2 service is designed to pick up where the fixed routes leave off.
“People need opportunities, and employers need people,” said Jennifer Stromsten, director of programs at BDCC. “This microtransit pilot is an investment in the region’s economy, and the working people who power that economy.”
Stromsten said BDCC and the Moover surveyed several major employers and found hundreds of jobs and job openings.
“The catch was that many shifts start or end outside the hours of fixed route bus service.”
“This means 537 Brattleboro households rely on public transportation, by choice or necessity. In this era of high housing costs, we have to connect people with services and opportunities so they can attain economic mobility and self-sufficiency without forcing them to choose between putting gas in their car or food on the dinner table.”
“The Moover is so fortunate to have the support of the BDCC, the town of Brattleboro, and our riders,” said Randy Schoonmaker, CEO of SEVT. “We look forward to the launch and we are already working on additional funding sources to continue this program, which has the potential to positively impact the quality of life in Brattleboro.”
Brattleboro’s hoped-for average is 50 rides per day.
The BDCC is funding 100 percent of the cost with a grant from the Northern Borders Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Dislocated Worker National Reserve Demonstration program.
That funding is expected to last through December 2024. SEVT has applied for additional funding from the town of Brattleboro Human Services Program and hopes to apply for funds through the state to continue the bus system.
Public meetings on how to use the system and the app will be held before April 15 at times and places to be announced.
For more information go to https://www.moover.com/brattleboro-microtransit.
