MOOver & BDCC BRING MICROTRANSIT TO BRATTLEBORO

Release Date: March 12, 2024

  BRATTLEBORO:  Southeast Vermont Transit (SEVT aka The MOOver) and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) announce the start of a new microtransit service in Brattleboro on April 15, 2024.

            Microtransit is a system like Uber with a van. The service is nicknamed The MicroMOO2 because the original MicroMOO service is operated in Windsor. The service will operate 5:00-11:30 pm Monday-Friday excluding holidays and is free of charge and open to everyone. Trips must start and end within the Town of Brattleboro limits and must be booked in advance and cannot be hailed along the street. The vehicle is a seven-seat, lift-equipped, all-wheel drive Ford Transit with the distinctive Holstein graphics. An app and a PC-based portal called QRyde will be used to book rides, or riders can call the SEVT Office until 4:45 pm Monday-Friday to arrange a trip or multiple future trips.

            The service is designed to complement Brattleboro’s existing three-fixed-route bus system which enjoys very high ridership. Those routes end 5:00-5:45 pm, so the MicroMOO2 service is designed to pick up where the fixed routes left off. It is hoped that riders will use the system for medical appointments, shopping, employment (particularly for second and third-shift staff), after school activities, and municipal or social events.

            SEVT’s other microtransit service – The MicroMOO – has been operating 6:00 am-6:00 pm midweek since January 23, 2023. Ridership for the first 12 months was 6,693 and is averaging 29 rides a day. Brattleboro’s hoped-for average is 50 rides per day. Windsor is one of five pilot microtransit pilots funded by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans).

The BDCC is funding 100% of the cost with a grant from the Northern Borders WIOA Dislocated Worker National Reserve Demonstration program. That funding is projected to last until December 2024. SEVT has applied for additional funding from the Town of Brattleboro Human Services Program and SEVT will apply for funds from VTrans this spring in the effort to continue the program past the end of this year. If no other funds become available, the program will cease operations.

            “The MOOver is so fortunate to have the support of the BDCC, The Town of Brattleboro, and our riders.” Said Randy Schoonmaker, SEVT CEO. “We look forward to the launch and we are already working on additional funding sources to continue this program which has the potential to impact the quality of life in Brattleboro.”

            Public meetings on how to use the system and the app will be held April 9th at 11 and 4 pm at the Brattleboro Municipal Center. For more information go to www.moover.com .

            The MicroMOO2 is supported by Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, under a sub-awardee agreement, from funding under WORC 5 – NBRC via the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) as part of an award totaling $1,038,681 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, and 100% financed with governmental sources.  The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by BDCC, DOL, or the U.S. Government.  For more information, please contact BDCC at ExecutiveDirector@brattleborodevelopment.com.