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Millis officials propose pilot transit service using MBTA assessment funds
Summary
Town presenters told the Select Board the town already pays a $57,097 MBTA assessment but receives no direct MBTA service; they proposed piloting service through the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority to serve seniors and adults with disabilities and asked the board to invite MWRTA to present details.
Bob Weiss and Anne Marie Gagnon presented research showing Millis pays a $57,097 annual MBTA assessment but gets no MBTA services in return and proposed using that assessment to fund a pilot with the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA).
They said MWRTA service aligns with destinations residents named in a town survey — Route 9 towns, Framingham/Framingham–Natick areas and the Longwood Medical Area — and would supplement, not replace, the Council on Aging’s existing rides. Presenters said the town’s current Council on Aging service (for people 60+) would continue and the MWRTA pilot could expand service to disabled residents 18 and over and offer earlier and later runs.
Presenters said preliminary conversations indicate $57,097 is a strong starting point for a pilot rather than a full program, that MWRTA and other regional transit authorities welcomed outreach, and that costs beyond the assessment could be charged per ride. Resident Maria Melchionda urged the board to pursue a possible $20,000–$25,000 state earmark and noted a February window for that funding. The board agreed to have staff invite an MWRTA representative to a future meeting and to explore earmark opportunities with state representatives.
The board did not take a formal vote on a contract or pilot launch; next steps are scheduling a presentation by MWRTA and assessing grant/earmark possibilities in January and February.
