Princeton mayors give new shuttle a whirl

Transport network set up to help elderly and adults unable to drive

By: Hilary Parker
   Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman needed a ride to Borough Hall on Wednesday morning, as she’s still recovering from Aug. 22 spinal cord decompression surgery and can’t drive for at least another month.
   Enter Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand, who picked Mayor Trotman up at her Witherspoon Street house and safely delivered her to her destination a few short minutes later.
   The ride was part of "First Ride Day" to kick off a new transportation service provided by ITNGreaterMercer, an independent transportation network sponsored by the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association. Other rides took place throughout Mercer County, including one driven by East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov for an East Windsor resident.
   "The new ITN service will certainly be a great addition to the other local transportation options in Mercer County as some of the others are restricted in hours or destination," Mayor Mironov said. "I hope that seniors will find the ITN to greatly improve their opportunities within the area."
   Designed to offer transportation to senior citizens and other adults who are unable to drive for a variety of reasons, ITNGreaterMercer is one of five national affiliates of an ITNAmerica public-private partnership established to provide "dignified transportation for seniors."
   The first ITN program in Portland, Maine, has served as a model for the local affiliate, along with three others in Charleston/Trident, S.C., Orlando, Fla., and Santa Monica, Calif.
   "There’s so much going on and the way people stay young is to be active," Mayor Marchand said as she carefully backed out of Mayor Trotman’s driveway.
   Mayor Trotman agreed, adding that a new transportation opportunity will be useful to people who need rides "for any number of reasons," including spinal surgery. While the borough mayor has been able to rely on family members for needed transportation during her own recovery period, she said many Princeton residents would not have this option, and ITNGreaterMercer will provide a less expensive alternative to taxi service in town.
   Locally, the program will provide transportation to and from locations within a 10-mile radius of Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence. Organizers hope that rides will ultimately be available every day round the clock to Mercer County residents 65 years of age or older and visually impaired adults, said ITNGreaterMercer Project Director Samirah Abdul-Fattah, though it could take some time to build up to 24/7 availability.
   "We are actively recruiting volunteers," she said, noting that around 15 people have already signed up to offer their services. "It’s the only way that we’ll be able to sustain the service."
   While volunteers will provide most of the rides, she said three paid drivers are available to handle requests above and beyond what volunteers are able to offer.
   In addition to the inaugural ride by the mayors, on Wednesday two of the network’s more than 200 registered members used the service, and additional rides throughout the remainder of the week and beyond were already scheduled as of First Ride Day.
   To become an ITNGreaterMercer member, those eligible for the service must pay a $35 individual annual fee, or a $50 family fee. Using a debit system, members deposit money into a transportation account to eliminate the need for any money transfer between riders to drivers.
   For rides requested prior to 6 p.m. on the day preceding the ride, members will be subject to a $3 pick-up fee, with an additional $1-per-mile charge. The per-mile charge will increase to $2 for same-day ride requests. Though the pick-up fee for rides between midnight and 5 a.m. increases to $7, the normal $1 mileage fee remains in place for early morning rides. Members traveling together will be charged only for one pick-up fee and mileage charge, discounted 15 percent.
   Interested volunteers and riders are encouraged to contact Greater Mercer TMA for more information about ITNGreaterMercer at (609) 452-1491.