Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (QVCDC) received a Synergy Initiative Implementation Year 1 grant of $425,000 in 2022 for the Quaboag Connector project.  Developed through a Design Thinking process that elicited authentic community involvement, this project reflects community members’ need for a rural transportation system, both fixed-route (shuttle) and demand-response options, for travel to destinations for social determinants of health activities such as healthcare and employment.  The project builds on the existing Quaboag Connector, a demand-response service.  For the first year of implementation, the Quaboag Connector plans to launch a smartphone app which will enable riders to book their own rides and track vehicles, expand the demand-response and fixed-route shuttle services with new vehicles, and advocate for sustained support through public sources and contributions from large employers and health care institutions in the region.

2022 – Implementation, Year 1	$425,000
2021 – Pilot Grant	$425,000
2020 – Planning Grant	$203,763
Total	$1,053,763

Quaboag Connector Logic Model

News
◊ Route 9 Shuttle service bridges rural transportation gap
Ware River News, June 23, 2022
◊ Saturday Shuttle Launches in Quaboag Valley
MassMobility Newsletter, March 2022
◊ Health foundation awards prestigious grant to rural transportation initiative
MassMobility Newsletter, MA Executive Office of Health & Human Services, February 2020