MWRTA Providing Paratransit Service to Dover and Wellesley
At AACT’s meeting on May 25, Ed Carr, Administrator of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA), discussed the process for transferring responsibility over the local paratransit services in Wellesley, Weston, and Dover from the MBTA to the MWRTA. As of July 1, MWRTA has assumed direct responsibility for providing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-required paratransit service to the towns of Dover and Wellesley. The Town of Weston subsequently elected to continue receiving paratransit service from the MBTA for the time being. The MBTA will be working with Weston over the next few weeks to develop a plan for maintaining transportation options to and from Weston locations and its bordering communities, while also moving the MBTA RIDE service toward a sustainable business model.
Innovation Helps Visually Impaired Navigate Bus System
At AACT’s meeting on June 22, Luiza Aguiar, Director of Products for Perkins Solutions at the Perkins School for the Blind, discussed a groundbreaking project that could change the way people who are blind or visually impaired access public transportation. The project proposes using a new mobile-phone application with a micro-navigation tool to help the visually impaired precisely locate bus stops. Boston is the first city in the testing phase of this new technology, which is funded by a grant from Google.org. Anyone who would like to be a tester and give feedback should contact the Perkins School for the Blind at www.perkins.org/bus/#notifyme.