Low population density, long distances between key travel destinations and a small tax base in the rural areas throughout southwest New Hampshire makes it difficult to establish cost-efficient public transportation services. Existing services fall far short of meeting the needs of our communities and those who live, work, learn and play in them. 

Public transit (e.g., bus service) is limited to Keene and parts of Hinsdale and Walpole. Public transportation access in Peterborough and the rest of the region is limited to volunteer driver services, which cannot meet the demand due to an insufficient number of volunteers.

Lack of public transportation in the region creates significant unmet need. As mobility manager for the Monadnock Regional Coordinating Council for Community Transportation, I receive requests for transportation that usually cannot be met. Older adults, people with disabilities, low-income households, youth and veterans are particularly challenged to get to medical appointments, grocery stores, jobs and other essential destinations.

I have seven years of data from regional transportation providers indicating that thousands of ride requests were not fulfilled due to a lack of capacity and lack of funding to build capacity. Input gathered from the public, municipal officials, institutions and employers by my organization, Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC), reveal an awareness that enhanced public transportation will:

-- increase access to jobs, leading to better employee dependability, job retention and a more-sustainable economy.

-- improve access to healthcare services and healthy food, leading to better health outcomes.

-- address the needs of the region’s aging population, including their ability to age at home and retain their independence.

-- free up or lessen the financial burden on households’ transportation budgets, especially for low-income families and younger workers seeking financial stability.

A 2022 SWRPC transit study produced a roadmap to expand transit services to more areas and people in the region. The transit study spawned the “Next Generation” transit system project, which aims to make expanded services a reality.

The first phase would establish a greater Keene on-demand microtransit service in the urbanized areas of Keene, Swanzey and Marlborough. Think of an Uber or Lyft-like service where trips can be requested in real time with a smartphone or by phoning a call center. The densely populated greater Keene area includes the highest concentration of jobs and high transit need areas in the region.

A second phase would target establishing a microtransit zone serving Peterborough and other eastern Hillsborough and western Cheshire County communities.

My colleagues and I are currently reaching out to prospective transit providers to identify an agency with the qualifications, experience and capacity to operate the “Next Generation” system. Our goal is to select a provider and launch the system in 2028. The system would be financed with already-identified federal funds, but those funds will need to be supplemented with local match funds.

We are reaching out to municipalities, anchor institutions, employers and other organizations with a vested interest in more-robust public transportation services to secure the necessary local funds. Local partners willing to pay a fair share based on the demand from their constituents, patients, customers and employees is a critical pathway to making the “Next Generation” transit system a reality. A healthier, more prosperous region will be the likely result.

Terry Johnson is mobility manager for the Southwest Region Planning Commission.