From MetroWest Regional Transit Authority/Town of Wellesley on a project that’s been in discussions for the past few years:

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) in partnership with the Town of Wellesley has received a competitive $400,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to provide fixed route bus service in Wellesley.

The grant will support new fixed route bus service linking Wellesley to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) green line with connections to other bus routes in the MetroWest region. The funding is provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s Jobs Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The grant program recognizes Wellesley as a business enterprise center and the need to provide public transit access to businesses and other places of employment in Wellesley and the Metrowest area.

The service is also designed to provide the general public with transit access within Wellesley. The bus service will feature the same “Charlie Card” fare collection equipment as on all MWRTA, MBTA subway, trolley and bus lines to streamline fare payment between the two systems. Cash fares will also be accepted. The vehicles used will accommodate disabled as well as bike riders, providing improved alternate mode access to the town’s commercial areas, municipal locations and educational institutions.

“The new Wellesley service will build connections between the Boston and the MetroWest region allowing people to live, work and play seamlessly across the area without the use of a car” said Ed Carr, Administrator of the MWRTA.

While a date for the new service to begin is not yet determined, Wellesley anticipates that service will begin in the Fall of 2013. Plans are underway for the dissemination of more detailed information and opportunities for public input before service is initiated.