The Shelter Island Chamber of Commerce seeks the use of a Town bus to test a free service shuttling Islanders and tourists alike along regular routes.
The 20-passenger Silver Streak bus was a gift from the Senior Citizens Foundation of Shelter Island to the Town so that Island seniors could ride in comfort, safety, and style while making trips together.
Don D’Amato, a member of the foundation’s board, told the Town Board the group endorsed the Chamber’s proposal so long as the senior program’s needs were prioritized.
The Silver Streak arrived during the first pandemic summer, and D’Amato said it hadn’t gotten as much use as the Town’s smaller buses, which don’t require a commercial driver’s license to operate.
Chamber President Linda Eklund pitched the idea at the Town Board’s Tuesday work session. Initially, Eklund hoped to engage the services of the Hamptons Hopper to run a shuttle route around the Island. But the company required a longer lead time to implement a program.
The shuttle bus may be eligible for grant funding, Eklund said. And Chamber members could be tapped to cover expenses, such as the pay for drivers and the costs of running and maintaining the vehicle, including any additional insurance that may be required.
Passengers would be permitted to hop on and off at designated stops — locations to be worked out with the Shelter Island police and highway departments. Moreover, the bus service could make minor detours to pick up seniors at their homes if needed.
Eklund told the board she hoped to put together a two-week pilot program in August to test whether the system is worth trying over a longer stretch next summer. A goal for the Chamber is to see whether such subsidized busing would increase the number of people visiting stores and businesses.
Town Supervisor Gerry Siller said he’d arrange a meeting with Eklund, the town attorney, and others to iron out details.
