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Transport Central raises funds, outlines six-stop Plymouth route with summer startup targeted
Summary
Transport Central told the Select Board it raised $55,000 toward a one-week $92,000 fundraising target and described a six-stop loop through downtown, Boulder Point, the hospital and two subsidized housing areas, with startup tentatively scheduled for July or August pending final agreements and vehicle/driver arrangements.
Bill Bolton, representing the nonprofit Transport Central, told the Select Board that the group was asked to raise $92,000 to launch a first-year local bus route and that he had raised $55,000 within the short fundraising window. “We were given one week to raise $92,000,” Bolton said; “I did raise $55,000.”
Bolton described the proposed service as a loop intended to connect downtown Plymouth with Boulder Point (one stop covering the Walmart/retail area), Hatch Plaza/Market Basket, the hospital, and two subsidized housing neighborhoods, plus a downtown stop to be located (to be determined) near town hall or another downtown loading zone. He said the plan allows for six stops and would run roughly 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., six days a week, with scheduling flexibility to accommodate short deviations for riders with mobility needs.
The nonprofit is working with Tri-County CAP as an operating partner — Tri-County would hire a driver and provide a 16-passenger vehicle — and Transport Central would contribute its 10-passenger vehicle to the service. Bolton said conversations with Plymouth State University facilities and other local stakeholders are underway to identify parking, staging, and fuel arrangements.
Local donors have already contributed toward the startup. Bolton said the Plymouth Rotary and Habitat for Humanity made early gifts after the appeal, helping to bridge the fundraising gap.
Why it matters: organizers said the route is designed to improve access to work, healthcare and retail for residents in peripheral neighborhoods and subsidized housing, and to provide weekend service. The board did not vote on funding or a contract; Bolton asked the board and town staff to continue coordinating with Tri-County CAP and to help finalize parking and route details.
Next steps: Transport Central and Tri-County CAP are to hold follow-up calls with town staff to finalize stop locations, vehicle staging, driver arrangements and a startup timeframe that Bolton said could be as early as July or August if funding and logistics are resolved.
