Riding the Concord Free Bus

And then, like many others, I found out about the Concord Bus for the first time this past fall, when issues involving the safety inspection of the vehicle were one of the Special Town Meeting's articles. Despite this brief limelight, I still didn't know enough, so I thought I'd take a little ride and find out first hand.

The Facts
It is possible the information below will change drastically (or not a whit) after this April's Town Meeting. But there is value to knowing more about what is currently offered so that residents can be better informed for that meeting. Article 23 involved funding for a replacement vehicle for this service.

Also called the Concord Community Bus, it is free for use by both residents and visitors. Its budget is supported by the town and has historically had close ties to the Council on Aging. Many of its riders are senior citizens, but it is available for all ages. Schedules change over time as the needs of the community change, and they can be found posted at the library and town house. The Council will send one via snail mail if requested (phone is 978 369-6330). As their routes, bus availability and ridership are somewhat in flux, do call if you are planning on using it to let them know.

At this time, the service only uses the smaller vans because it doesn't have a driver qualified to drive the larger vehicle, Jenkins said. The regular van has a luggage rack, which is convenient for stowing shopping bags. At this time, according to Jenkins the bus is running on the smaller vans due to a lack of a properly certified driver for the larger ones.

Currently, the bus runs a fixed route in-town through Concord and West Concord on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. In addition, trips are made on Monday and Wednesday to the Acton Stop & Shop and Roche Brothers in Acton on Fridays. The bus may be flagged down at any location it passes, though she asks that safety and consideration for other vehicles on the road be taken into account.

Riders get off the bus as stops they wish to make are reached, getting on again as the bus comes around again on its route. On return from shopping, riders are dropped off at home, regardless of where they live in Concord in relation to the route.

About 40-60 riders a week use the bus. It is difficult to say how many individuals this represents, as each rider is counted whenever they board the bus, so each person may be counted multiple times if they make more than one stop in a morning.

"This is a wonderful service provided by the town...quite unique, really," says Jenkins. "We are looking at how to help everyone who doesn't drive. Taxi service in town is really inadequate, and we want to provide more options." Parenthetically, she is also looking for drivers (either paid or volunteer) who will take non-drivers to medical appointments outside of Concord. She would also love to hear readers' suggestions about this service; she can be reached at bjenkins@concordnet.org. (Our suggestions appear at right.)

The Ride
My ride on a Monday morning from the Concord Post Office to Stop & Shop in Acton and back again was just delightful. It was marked with acts of kindness, consideration, and care from beginning to end.

The bus picked me up right on time. The driver, Bob, was extremely attentive, and the other 10 passengers were welcoming, displaying the easy banter of people who have known each other over time. All the riders this day were women save one, and most appeared to be senior citizens. Though the bus was equipped with seat belts, I seemed to be the only rider using one.

On our way past Elm Street on Main (just short of the South Bridge), we pulled up to a woman walking along side the road. Our driver said, "This is a free bus...do you need a ride somewhere?" This act of kindness to what turned out to be an out-of-town stranger touched me, and I think it is all too rare out here in the 'burbs.

Pick-ups were made at some regular stops along the way as well as at some private homes just a hair off the preset route (riders are generally expected to pick up the bus along its route unless otherwise arranged). It was determined that we were too many to comfortably fit on our way back with all our packages (I'm afraid I was the one who tipped the balance...they would have scheduled a second bus if they had known I was coming, so do call ahead if you plan to go), and arrangements were made to take the West Concord passengers home first, then to fetch the Concord riders after our hour of shopping was over.

On the way home, the driver made sure no one was left behind with a little rollcall, and then dropped passengers off at their door, often helping with packages.

Important Service for Riders

For these riders, the bus certainly is a convenient and economical way to get around; for riders on a fixed income, this is also so. And for the older riders who no longer drive, it is important to their independence. The socializing that goes on is also important beyond the obvious fun of it: the senior population is at risk for isolation and depression and the bus is one way of keeping these individuals visible and connected to the community.

A Change of Pace...Literally
This trip was not an efficient use of my time. It took significantly longer to do my shopping this way than if I drove myself. However, I think for this very reason I will do it again. As contrary as that sounds, I think this was for me one of the great hidden benefits of the trip. Like most people, I have a nearly infinite amount of "stuff" to do: work, chores, errands, etc. I can keep going from morning and through the night without pause, as unhealthy as that might be. For those of us who -- for sanity's sake as well as for the simple pleasure of it -- need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses (or, in this case, a slight amount of van exhaust) every once and a while, this was perfect. I was free to look out the window, read, chat, or just wait quietly. People who commute by train or bus often report a similar de-stressing.

It was a vacation's pace without going very far from home. It gave me a chance to connect with members of my community I had never met, get away from my computer (I really am here more often than not) and to let someone else battle the traffic instead.