Hilltown Easy Ride

Hilltown Easy Ride, van services designed for the convenience of seniors over 60 and veterans residing in Blandford, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Plainfield, Russell, and Worthington are here to provide user-friendly transportation to accommodate your needs. Our primary goal is to provide transportation in rural areas lacking other transportation options.

In addition to regularly scheduled shopping trips to Northampton, riders may also get rides to medical appointments and attend social trips through the local Councils on Aging (COAs).

Interested riders must be pre-approved for eligibility using this FRTA form. You can print and send it directly to FRTA or our Transportation Coordinator at P.O. Box 17, Chesterfield, MA, 01012.

Our dispatcher, Ed Pelletier, is part-time but checks messages daily. Feel free to call him at 413-296-4232. Please leave a detailed message with your name, date, time, and purpose of your request. We will check the schedule and get back to you quickly. General transportation questions can be sent to email ride@hilltowncdc.org

Hilltown Easy Ride is a Demand Response service of the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA). To use this service, riders must call our dispatcher at least 48 hours in advance. The dispatcher will let you know if the van and driver are available. It is not a taxi service; trips are sometimes shared with others as schedules permit.

Van Schedule

This is an outline of our week so that those who rely on the van for shopping have a routine they can count on. Call us if you need a medical ride and we will do our best to accommodate your need. Please call ahead to provide plenty of time to schedule.

FARES

$1.25 - one-way trip within the same town.
$1.75 - a one-way trip to adjacent towns.
$2.25 - one-way trip beyond adjacent towns. 

All trips to Senior Centers are half fare.

Fares are paid in cash, and the driver cannot make change.

Punch cards in $5 and $10 increments are conveniently available to prepay for multiple trips.

For questions, please call (413) 296 - 4232

COA Outings

We are pleased to be able to offer the use of the Easy Ride Van to area Councils on Aging for Group Outings. Cost is based on the number of hours for the trip, and an 8 person minimum is required.

$3 per person for a three-hour trip
$4 per person for a four-hour trip 
$5 per person for a five-hour trip

These low rates are made possible through a Highland Valley Elder Services grant.

Hilltown Driver Pool

Hilltown CDC also has grant funding to supplement the van for occasional medical rides for appointments outside of the van service area or when there is a scheduling conflict with the van. The Hilltown Driver Pool is a group of approved drivers in the community who can take riders in their personal vehicles to fill this occasional need. Hilltown CDC coordinates these rides and reimburses the driver. All rides must be booked through dispatch, and the number of rides is limited by grant funding availability.

HCDC will make every attempt to make reasonable modifications to its policies, practices, and procedures to avoid discrimination and ensure programs and services are accessible to all individuals with disabilities. The modification may require advance notice, but when feasible, HCDC will maintain flexibility in handling requests on the spot. To make a reasonable modification request, please contact Ed Pelletier at 413-296-4232.

HCDC's public information and communications are available in alternate accessible formats, such as Braille or large-print, upon request  

Not 60+? Join NuRide – it’s free! Sign up to the statewide database for ridesharing and save money and gas. Share a ride with fellow Hilltown residents – make your commute a green commute. Plus- earn incentive points for discounts, coupons and raffle entries.

Rural Transportation Coordinating Council

The Hilltown Transportation Committee acts as the Regional Coordinating Council for transportation issues and services in our area.  The highest identified need in our 2016 Transportation Study was for transportation services for non-driving seniors -  in particular increasing ease of use and availability of bus service to access shopping, medical appointments and for social/recreational opportunities. In addition, we are working on advocating for fixed route services in Hilltowns and promoting ridesharing programs as ‘green commute’ options for our residents.

Our Transportation Partners

• Cooley Dickinson Hospital

• Highland Valley Elder Services

• Hilltown Community Health Center

• MassDOT

• Hilltown Council on Aging Consortium and the COAs of each town

• Mass Mobility

• Franklin Regional Transit Authority

For more information on HCDC's policies and procedures regarding ADA and Title VI compliance, including the procedures to file a complaint based on ADA (disability) or Title VI (race, color, national origin) discrimination and procedures to make reasonable modification requests of HCDC's practices, please click here. 

To file an ADA or Title VI complaint, please use this form.