Town of Wallkill Supervisor George Serrano transferred the title of a 10-year-old shuttle bus to the City of Middletown for $1 in front of the town highway department garage on Sept. 28.
The bus will be added to the city’s senior transportation fleet, according to Mulberry House Senior Center Director Julisa Sierra, who represented Middletown in receiving the title.
“Whenever we need to have a bus out for repairs or maintenance, we could always use an additional as a spare,” Ms. Sierra told The Epoch Times.
Currently, about 200 seniors (older than 60) use the city’s transportation service regularly to get to doctors’ appointments, grocery stores, and Mulberry Senior Center.
The shuttles run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday mornings for church trips; a $1 donation each way is suggested for riders.
“We want to encourage seniors to get out in the community and stay healthy,” Ms. Sierra said.
About 70 percent of the service costs are funded by grants through the Orange County government, with the rest paid for by the city, according to Ms. Sierra.
The Town of Wallkill gave the bus to Middletown following the addition of two new vehicles to its municipal transportation system, with most purchase costs covered by grants.
“We are all in this together, and we all work together,” Mr. Serrano told The Epoch Times.
The bus had been taken off-road for a year before the donation.
Two transportation services are provided in the Town of Wallkill: a flexible “Dial A Ride” service that takes riders to individual destinations and a shuttle service that runs fixed routes at pre-set times. Mr. Serrano said the town was considering expanding both services.
A fare of $3 is charged per ride, with reduced fees for seniors and disabled people.
Last year, the town transportation system served about 2,200 riders.
