Harwich COA races to fill van-driver vacancy, weighs CCRTA app and subsidies to cover gaps
June 17, 2026 | Northwest Harwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
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The Harwich Council on Aging (COA) reported June 17 that a van driver resigned on June 12 and the program may lose service one or two days a week until a replacement is hired.
“I have three applicants and I’m meeting with all of them this week,” the Director said, adding a target start date of July 1 if applicants are ready. The director warned that while interviews are under way, “until the new driver is onboarded, we are going to not be able to have transportation service one sometimes two days a week.”
Board members and staff discussed alternatives available through the regional transit authority. The director described CCRTA’s smartDart app-based service, noting, “The trips are $3 one way,” but that smartDart currently requires trips to begin and end inside a single town. She also detailed CCRTA’s DART door-to-door service — “wheelchair accessible” and operating by appointment — and a flex route that can deviate up to three-quarters of a mile from fixed stops. The board noted the flex route is reported as free under current CCRTA policy.
Members discussed short-term measures to reduce service interruptions: asking existing part-time drivers to fill gaps, using volunteers for occasional rides, and creating a town account or a small subsidy program to cover smartDart fares for residents who can’t afford them. One board member urged the COA to notify the select board so town officials know the COA is actively addressing transportation concerns.
The COA confirmed its standing rule limiting members to two rides per month but said it has made exceptions for time-limited medical needs. “Folks are limited to two rides a month,” the director said; the board asked staff to collect data on any refused requests that were denied only because they exceeded that limit before considering a policy change at the next meeting.
Volunteer recruitment was discussed as a longer-term solution. The director reported roughly seven active drivers and two additional on-call drivers; members set a recruitment goal to add about three new medical drivers and emphasized training and preventing volunteer burnout.
The board agreed to publicize the available regional options, the COA’s rules, and any subsidy plans in the newsletter and on the COA website so residents and the select board understand both the limits and the alternatives.
The meeting concluded with no formal motion on creating a subsidy; board members asked staff to return with data and a possible agenda item next month if policy change is warranted.
“I have three applicants and I’m meeting with all of them this week,” the Director said, adding a target start date of July 1 if applicants are ready. The director warned that while interviews are under way, “until the new driver is onboarded, we are going to not be able to have transportation service one sometimes two days a week.”
Board members and staff discussed alternatives available through the regional transit authority. The director described CCRTA’s smartDart app-based service, noting, “The trips are $3 one way,” but that smartDart currently requires trips to begin and end inside a single town. She also detailed CCRTA’s DART door-to-door service — “wheelchair accessible” and operating by appointment — and a flex route that can deviate up to three-quarters of a mile from fixed stops. The board noted the flex route is reported as free under current CCRTA policy.
Members discussed short-term measures to reduce service interruptions: asking existing part-time drivers to fill gaps, using volunteers for occasional rides, and creating a town account or a small subsidy program to cover smartDart fares for residents who can’t afford them. One board member urged the COA to notify the select board so town officials know the COA is actively addressing transportation concerns.
The COA confirmed its standing rule limiting members to two rides per month but said it has made exceptions for time-limited medical needs. “Folks are limited to two rides a month,” the director said; the board asked staff to collect data on any refused requests that were denied only because they exceeded that limit before considering a policy change at the next meeting.
Volunteer recruitment was discussed as a longer-term solution. The director reported roughly seven active drivers and two additional on-call drivers; members set a recruitment goal to add about three new medical drivers and emphasized training and preventing volunteer burnout.
The board agreed to publicize the available regional options, the COA’s rules, and any subsidy plans in the newsletter and on the COA website so residents and the select board understand both the limits and the alternatives.
The meeting concluded with no formal motion on creating a subsidy; board members asked staff to return with data and a possible agenda item next month if policy change is warranted.
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