Commuter shuttle comes to Hartwell business district

Town of Lexington and the 128 business council were awarded a federal transportation grant, known as the Jobs Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) grant, to pilot a commuter shuttle that will provide direct service to the Hartwell business district from the Alewife Red Line Station. The town's economic development office and the 128 business council jointly applied for the JARC grant in an effort to increase transportation options and access to jobs in the Hartwell business district. The grant will cover 80% of the shuttle's operational costs for the first year and possibly the second year as well. The remaining 20% of the cost was pledged by the area's most prominent private property owners: official commitments were made by Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Boston Properties, King Street Properties, and Normandy Real Estate Partners. The pilot shuttle will be equipped with Wi-Fi and offers employees a direct connection from the Alewife Red Line Station to the businesses along Hartwell and Wiggins Aves. The shuttle will run Monday through Friday with three trips in the morning and three return trips in the evening. The total annual cost is $161,000. The shuttle will be operated by the 128 business council, an organization with an excellent record of operating successful shuttle services and is a leader in transportation policy development. The town's economic development Director, Melisa Tintocalis, expressed the importance of creating transportation options for the area's economic success, "This grant enables a new transportation option for employees that is critical for connecting them to the employers in the Hartwell area. The shuttle will offer a refreshing alternative to commuting alone in a car and will serve as a great recruitment tool for employers drawing from the Cambridge-area workforce."