Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant wants to make it easier for employees and residents in the city to make it to the nearest MBTA commuter rail station in Southborough.
Vigeant has requested $200,000 from the city’s economic development account to pay for and manage a new shuttle program.
The proposed shuttle service would begin with a 12-passenger handicap-accessible van, which would run 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The shuttle would initially make three full runs each morning and each evening from points across the city to the Southborough station, and provide transportation for seniors from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. There will be no cost to the riders during a one-year trial period.
The program is a response, Vigeant said, to concerns from residents and companies about a lack of transportation options for those commuting in and out of Marlborough.
“It is our goal to create a more functional use of the region’s public transportation system, in order to resolve the last mile conflict, help our local employers attract and retain talent, and provide our residents with an alternative option for their commute,” Vigeant said in a statement released Friday by the Marlborough Economic Development Corp.
Marlborough center is a six-mile ride to the Southborough station, with a roughly 13-mile ride from the Solomon Pond Mall and more than eight-mile drive from Boston Scientific’s headquarters.
