New Royall St. shuttle service set to go live in Sept.

A new commuter shuttle bus service, in the planning stages pre-COVID, is finally coming to fruition and is expected to kick off September 13 in the Royall Street area, connecting several major Canton employers with nearby public transit stations.

The shuttle will operate on weekdays and primarily serve employees of Boston Mutual Life Insurance Co., Dunkin’ Brands, Goodbaby International and Tufts Health Plan/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care on Royall Street. The routes would travel between those locations and the Rte. 128 Commuter Rail/Amtrak Station in Westwood and MBTA Red Line stations at Quincy Adams, Mattapan and Ashmont.

Plans tentatively call for the shuttle to run twice in the morning and afternoon.

The program is funded by a combination of public and private sources, including a $209,000 state Workforce Transportation Grant, a Community Connections grant, and contributions from participating businesses. The town of Canton also voted to use the nearly $10,000 it received in TNC funds — generated through a state assessment on ride sharing companies — towards the project in its first year.

Town Planner Laura Smead, who spearheaded the project in partnership with the Neponset Valley Transportation Management Association (NV-TMA), said the shuttle will be subsidized with grant funding for the first four years, but it is expected that it will become 100 percent self-sustaining as real estate development and expansion continues over the next few years. She noted that interest among area businesses has been strong and she expects more partners to be added.

The shuttle will be free for employees of participating companies and will also be open to the public for a tentative cash fee of $1 or $2 each way.

The program was in the planning stages for a few years, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home measures slowed its progress. Smead noted that a previous commuter shuttle operated in the area in the early to mid 2010s, but the service was discontinued after the Reebok headquarters was vacated. There are several other commuter shuttle programs operating around the state.

In writing the grant application, Smead and Karen Dumaine, director of the NV-TMA, wrote that Royall Street has very limited access to public transportation and these shuttles would significantly open up more commuting opportunities for employers and residents of Canton. It is estimated that nearly 2,000 workers are currently employed along Royall Street, with thousands more due to be added this fall with the opening of the new Tufts Health Plan/Harvard Pilgrim headquarters at the former Reebok site.

More detailed plans about the shuttle service will be made available as the start date nears. The vendor, TransAction Associates, is putting together a marketing plan.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=76113

Posted by Mike Berger on Aug 13 2021. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.