Imagine riding in a van so old that it shakes when it reaches a speed of 50 mph. That’s the experience of seniors and disabled Harvard residents who rely on the van supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) to get to a grocery store or a medical appointment. Frustrated by MART’s multiple refusals to supply a new van to Harvard, Council on Aging Director Debbie Thompson proposed at the selectmen’s Oct. 18 meeting that the town buy a 14-passenger, wheelchair-accessible van for an estimated $65,000.
Thompson’s proposal included selling the new van to MART for a nominal fee, with the agreement that MART would assign the van to Harvard and continue to provide van maintenance, driver training and salaries, and dispatcher salaries, as it does now. The selectmen voted unanimously to recommend adding $65,000 for a COA van to the town’s capital plan and to have Town Administrator Tim Bragan draft a letter to MART asking to meet with its advisory board to discuss the proposal.
The current van assigned to the town has more than 182,000 miles on it, breaks down frequently, and is so uncomfortable to ride in that drivers complain and many seniors refuse to use it. The COA, Bragan, and even state Sen. Jamie Eldridge have requested a new MART van for Harvard over the past few years, but those requests have been refused.
Bragan said that although MART has never done anything like the proposed idea, the Lowell Regional Transit Authority has similar agreements that could serve as a model for MART.
