The Cooperative Alliance for Regional Transportation CART, is a regional public transportation agency established by act of the NH state legislature. CART provides public, demand-response transportation to residents of nine member communities in the Greater Derry-Salem region of Southern New Hampshire including the towns of Chester, Danville, Derry, Hampstead, Londonderry, Plaistow, Salem, Sandown and Windham.
CART was formed as the result of a critical need for transportation in the Derry-Salem area, as identified by a regional transit study funded by the NH Department of Transportation in 2001-2003 and began operations in October 2006.
CART is a shared-ride service that is available to any resident of the nine service towns including seniors and others in the community who need transportation. Wheelchair lift-equipped vehicles are available to accommodate the needs of the individuals with disabilities. The fare of $2.00 per one-way trip allows travel anywhere within the nine (9) community service area and to the established out-of-service area destinations to medical facilities.
Scheduling a ride is done through a call center by calling (603) 434-3569, at least 24 hours in advance of travel. Since this is a new pilot system, with no defined travel patterns, transportation service is limited to weekdays during the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00pm. CART does not operate on weekends or holidays.
CART Service Summary
In June 2007 CART expanded its service to provide rides to seven out of the region medical facilities on the following days of the week:
Mondays – Haverhill to Pentucket Medical Center and Merrimack Valley Hospital;
Tuesdays & Thursdays – Manchester to Catholic Medical Center, Elliot Hospital and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center;
Fridays - Methuen to Holy Family Hospital; Lawrence to Lawrence General Hospital.
Ridership growth
System wide: 145%
Start: January ’07 723 riders and ending December ’07 723
Plaistow: 566%
Start: January ’07 3 riders and ending December ’07 20
Trips Provided
System wide: 12,914
Plaistow: 153
Plaistow as a percent of total: 1.2%
Trip Purpose
System: Medical 7,070 (55%); Work 2,071 (16%); Social 1505 (12%); Shopping 1304 (10%); Other 900 (7%)
Plaistow: Medical 94 (61%), Social 30 (20%), Shopping 23 (15%), Other 6 (4%
Service Miles - 197,674 service miles
On-time performance rating of 96%.
In addition to providing outbound and around-town travel for Plaistoe residents, CART also brings travelers and consumers into the community to work and shop. In 2007, 300 trips were provided to passengers with Plaistow as part of the leg of their journey.
Funding for CART is through a combination of federal, municipal and private sector dollars. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants cover approximately 50% of CART’s operating expenses. Non-federal matching funds come from a combination of municipal contributions; grant funding from the Endowment for Health, the Charles H. Cummings Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, and Heritage United Way; and other transportation provider agencies participating in the coordinated system.
CART has received a grant from the Endowment for Health covering a substantial part of the non-federal portion of the service in its first two, with the intent of allowing municipalities to participate in the system with a relatively limited initial investment and phase in funding over a three year period if they are satisfied with the service.
Moving forward CART will be looking toward establishing a firm foundation for growth through improved service, increased ridership, and better communication with the towns it serves.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Maloney
Executive Director
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