Statement on “NewMo” Program Change, from Terry Altherr, Progressive Newton Steering Committee

On August 17, Mayor Fuller unexpectedly announced a significant rollback of the Newton in Motion “NewMo” demand-responsive, shared ride service. After previously being opened to virtually anyone for ridership, the service is being reduced to “core residents” defined as “older adults, individuals with disabilities, lower income residents, and a limited number of students with high needs in select NPS programs.” This decision was made because much of the funding had been coming from state and federal grants and the City was unwilling to provide additional local investment to subsidize this vital transportation system run by the Senior Services Department.

NewMo was made available to all Newton residents two years ago, and it has since played a critical transportation role for wide range of residents beyond seniors, from commuters who would otherwise have to wait ages for connecting buses or trains (or walk the last mile from transit to work) to teens too young to order Ubers or Lyfts. NewMo has provided a real alternative for daytime riders who would have otherwise had to use cars. Although NewMo does have its limitations, it resulted in fewer miles traveled by cars, enabled parents to get their kids to activities across town without having to skip afternoon work hours, and made it easier to travel around Newton in areas under-served by public transit. It also showed how committed Newton was to transit justice.

But the program’s expansion to offer rides to all residents was not just a convenience for those residents but also vital to the program remaining viable for the “core residents” it was originally intended to serve. The whole reason it was opened to a wider population in the first place was to justify the costs of expanding the number of vehicles available to seniors and people with disabilities, so that they could realistically expect to be picked up anywhere in the city in a reasonable amount of time. The peak travel times by non-core rider populations helped offset the costs associated with serving the core population and made the entire program more feasible. Without these additional fleet vehicles, now numbering 10 in active service at the time of the announcement, the program is likely to fall apart for core riders, too.

The recent announcement to revert NewMo for use among a limited consumer base couldn’t come at a worse time. Newton Public Schools has continued to cut after-school bus service and the MBTA still hasn’t restored service in Newton to pre-pandemic levels. Restricting NewMo’s ridership will further exacerbate vehicle congestion, and it is putting jobs at risk for individuals who are unable to drive and/or afford a car. By limiting the consumer base, the reduction in rides and vehicle availability will hurt NewMo’s sustainability and viability for core riders in the long run.

NewMo has been a game changer for all Newton residents and the Mayor’s proposal would make life in Newton more isolated than ever for many residents, eventually including the core ridership.

We urge everyone (especially NewMo riders) to contact their elected City Councilors (citycouncil@newtonma.gov) and Mayor Fuller (rfuller@newtonma.gov) to ask that they reverse this change and to make the case that this decision is actually fiscally worse for the program and worse for its core riders. Bottom line: Restoring service to non-core riders would be one great use of recently announced one-time city funds, replacing the temporary grant funding that has supported the program until now. This will buy time to continue institutionalizing the program in the community, which will make it stronger, and to find long-term funding to maintain the service. We have to continue supporting our seniors, students, and workers. A widely available NewMo is a more stable service for the people it was most intended to serve and it was making our city a better place to live and work.