By Lauren Otis / Staff Writer
Borough Council members urged the director of the Princeton Senior Resource Center, and others in the Princeton community, to offer their thoughts on how the FreeB shuttle can be better utilized, at their meeting on Tuesday evening.
While presenting the PSRC annual report before council, Director Susan Hoskins offered her “wish list,” which included having the free jitney serve the PSRC during the day.
”I would love, love to see the jitney run during the day but right now it doesn’t run when we are open,” Ms. Hoskins said.
The elderly in Princeton love the community, and want to “age in place,” Ms. Hoskins said. “Transportation is a really key component” of their ability to do so, she said.
Councilman David Goldfarb noted that the borough is about to take delivery from NJ Transit on its own vehicle for the FreeB (the current vehicle is being provided by A-1 Limousine), and other than operating the free jitney in the morning and evening rush hours in connection with the Dinky, the borough can do with the jitney what it wishes during the day.
Mr. Goldfarb urged Ms. Hoskins to be in direct contact with borough officials on how she might like the FreeB to be employed during the day.
With current ridership levels too low to justify the continued operation of the FreeB, Mr. Goldfarb said the borough should formally reach out to the community to solicit input on use of the shuttle during the day, perhaps through a formal hearing. “I’m not sure there has been an effort to get community input,” he said.
In August, the borough announced that FreeB ridership for July was 400, up from 300 riders recorded in June and 150 in May. This month the borough intends to inaugurate an ad campaign for the FreeB to improve knowledge of the shuttle service and increase ridership. The free shuttle currently runs in a loop around Princeton, originating and returning to the Dinky station, on weekdays from 5:30 to 9 in the morning and evening. It is operated by the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association with initial expenses underwritten by a $60,000 commitment from Princeton University.
Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman said the issue could perhaps be addressed at a roundtable discussion in the future. She said she had received letters from a number of parties about expanding the FreeB’s time of operation and its distance covered. In July, Ms. Hoskins and the heads of the Princeton Public Library, Arts Council of Princeton, YWCA Princeton and Princeton Family YMCA jointly sent Mayor Trotman a letter requesting that the FreeB service be extended to the middle of the day.
Expanded service may be worthwhile, “but it’s going to take money, money we may not have,” Mayor Trotman cautioned.
Mr. Goldfarb said, as elected officials, council members had pledged to find ways to enable elderly Princeton residents on fixed incomes to continue to live in town. Free transportation around town was a real need for this population, said Mr. Goldfarb, adding “this is our first real opportunity to meet that unmet need.”

