On Wednesday evening, Newton City Council’s Programs and Services Committee discussed the progress and problems of the city’s new GoGo Newton transportation service.
Newton launched the program last July, replacing a previous service called Newton in Motion, or NewMo. The committee said it requested the discussion with GoGo Newton to better understand the new program’s features, policies, cost implications, and budgetary requirements.
Nicole Freedman, Newton’s transportation planning coordinator, explained that GoGo provides rides within Newton and the surrounding towns for elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. It uses the Uber and Lyft networks to locate drivers and connect them with users.
“They basically created a phone system … so a senior or older adult can call in,” Freedman said. “GoGo is vetting the driver. They’re making sure these drivers can work with older adults.”
The previous NewMo system utilized four city-owned vehicles and only provided rides within the city limits during limited hours. Freedman explained how GoGo was designed to be more financially viable while addressing service gaps.
“You don’t have to pay for four vehicles floating at really slow times,” Freedman said. “We could now do it 24/7/365. We could expand the service beyond Newton, and we did.”
The improved program, however, comes at a cost. Both NewMo and GoGo charge a flat fee per ride, based on income level. Under NewMo, a very low-income resident would pay $1 per ride, but since the introduction of GoGo, the flat fee has increased to $4.
“We subsidized [NewMo] more heavily,” Freedman said. “The riders are now paying more, which makes it more sustainable. Regardless of which operations partner we use, we would have changed that financial model.”
The change to the fare structure was justified as a necessary step if the city wanted to keep the service.
“[We had] a three-year grant from the state,” Freedman said. “But it was a start-up grant only. So we were going to have a lot less funding going forward.”
So far, GoGo Newton has received mostly positive reviews from its users. Mignonne Murray, director of older adult services for Newton, explained the new system’s greater capabilities.
“Incorporating some of the feedback that we hear, there [are] huge positives,” Murray said. “They don’t have to use [GoGo] just to get to a medical appointment or the grocery store, so it kind of gives that agency of choice.”
Ward 1 Councilor-at-Large John Oliver introduced a motion to hold the matter for future discussion, which passed unanimously.
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