Following an absence of 16 months due to a variety of factors, Cherry Hill’s senior bus service resumed on July 6, with two vehicles up and running and drivers Tom and Marie returning to their posts.
First stalled by COVID in March of 2020, the service was expected to resume in spring, but both senior buses, as well as other municipal vehicles, had their catalytic converters stolen.
“It took a while for the buses to be repaired before we got up and running again,” said Gaye Pino, township senior services program coordinator. “I’m thrilled that we were able to work out a program where we are finally able to do this.”
Per current state requirements regarding public transportation, all riders must wear a mask while on the bus, Free service is offered to residents 62 and up, and runs Monday through Friday. Anyone who needs a lift should call for an appointment, as the service is not like typical transit system busing that has set locations for pickup and dropoff.
“What we want is for people to make a phone call and make arrangements with the particular bus driver. We haven’t determined an exact schedule yet since we’re planning this first week,” Pino added.
Pino said the buses’ daily routines are up to drivers, whoever calls on which day, and what those schedule requests are. The process is as follows: Residents place a call for a time and day to be picked up. The drivers head into the office early in the morning, take all the messages received, call the residents back to confirm the appointments and then operate based on that information.
Service will be restored with both buses running through the township, one on the west side and one on the east. One of the two is already wheelchair accessible, while the second one is expected to follow suit sometime in the future.
“Handicapped persons will be accommodated no matter what,” Pino said.
She added that even though it might take a while, the township’s goal is to get things back to where they were before the service was interrupted. According to Chris Summerhayes, the township’s director of planning, policy and programs, the busses served 6,680 riders.
“We’re going to be winging it for the first couple days, but we’re confident this great service will continue,” Pino noted.
In order to get ridership up to prepandemic levels, Pino revealed there will be multiple attempts made to contact all housing organizations in the township, in order to reach as many residents as possible to get the message out that service has resumed. Pino anticipates increased ridership as notifications increase throughout the summer.
“It’s a really good benefit for seniors who live here or who might relocate and don’t know where things are,” Pino said. “When they find out they can be picked up at their home, take them to wherever they need to go, and then dropped back off at home, how cool is that?”
For additional information about the senior bus service, call (856) 661-4711 (Cherry Hill Bus East) or (856) 661-4802 (Cherry Hill Bus West).
