Plymouth CAL: state funds released for expanded GATRA Express; free rides for CAL members 60+ and July 21 ribbon cutting set

Cheryl Jones, director of the Plymouth Center for Active Living (CAL), told the Advisory Board on May 14 that state funds for an expanded GATRA Express program have been released and that GATRA has indicated the service is live. "Any Plymouth resident who is a member of CAL and over 60 will be able to ride for free anywhere in Plymouth," Jones said, and an announcement with clear instructions to CAL patrons will be published soon. The board was also told a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Marketing Committee and a newly formed GATRA 2.0 subcommittee are coordinating the rollout. Committee members said the CAL will own the event while GATRA will serve as the vendor; that team has prepared a memorandum of understanding and draft marketing materials for review. The subcommittee's action items include staff and member testing of the ride app, reviewing and editing marketing materials, and exploring a "train the trainer" model to help new users become comfortable with the service. Kathy Castagna, committee lead on the GATRA 2.0 effort, reported she had downloaded the DIAL-A-Ride app and registered; another member described multiple calls to GATRA during registration, suggesting the sign-up process may be difficult for some older users.

Cheryl Jones said a $25,000 earmark for the soft launch has been received and that there is a $50,000 earmark from Senator Fernandes for fiscal year 2027 to support the initiative. CAL staff plan to use digital communications for pre- and post-launch outreach and will print updated materials later in the year once messaging is finalized. The board discussed pairing new users with experienced riders and using community sites to assist with registration.