The Orange Council on Aging has voted unanimously to suspend its van service, citing insufficient demand and the lack of a driver. The town had expressed excitement about receiving the van. The van, which once ferried seniors from their homes to appointments, events and voting polls, will now be declared surplus and could end up at auction if no local buyer steps forward.
Denise Andrews, a Council on Aging member, addressed the Selectboard remotely on October 21 to explain the decision, as reported by the Greenfield Recorder. Andrews said van usage simply wasn't enough to justify the ongoing costs, which included gas, a driver's salary and maintenance. The van had operated on a demand-based schedule rather than a fixed route, but that flexibility apparently wasn't enough to keep it running.
The Council on Aging acquired the van earlier this year with a $25,000 grant from the Massachusetts Councils on Aging, paired with a $20,000 bequest from longtime Orange resident Thalma A. Wright, who died in 2013 and left the money to the agency in her will. The vehicle was designed to pick clients up at their actual homes rather than a bus stop, widening access for seniors who couldn't easily get to a fixed pickup point.
A Short-Lived Run for the New Service
The Selectboard had set fares at $1.50 for a one-way trip and $3 round-trip, a structure meant to help offset expenses rather than turn a profit. Joanne “Jodi” Walker was hired as the van driver around March, but she no longer works in that role; the service was suspended for lack of a driver. Council on Aging liaison to the Selectboard Kelli Gervais said every effort was made to make the van service successful, while Selectboard member Julie Davis said she was disappointed by the suspension.
Despite the shutdown of regular service, the Council on Aging isn't abandoning transportation for seniors entirely. Three planned trips remain on the calendar: a visit to the Harvest Festival at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, carrying a $5 fee, and two outings to Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield, a 3-mile holiday drive-through light display, scheduled for December 2 and December 15. Those Bright Nights trips carry a $15 fee on top of the display's own $2 event charge. Anyone interested can call the Orange Council on Aging at 978-544-3481 for more information.
How Other Towns Keep Seniors Moving
Other Massachusetts communities have transportation programs for seniors. In Westfield, the Council on Aging launched a program called NobleLink in August, backed by a $66,000 federal operating reimbursement grant through the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority's Beyond ADA Transit Program, according to MassLive. That service charges $1 each way to the Westfield Senior Center, $2 for other in-city trips and $3 for rides outside city limits, running weekdays from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. with curb-to-curb and, on request, door-to-door pickup.
Elsewhere in the region, adults over 60 can register for shared rides at senior centers in Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner, Lancaster, Lunenburg and Westminster, per a regional resource guide from Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts. The Montachusett Regional Transit Authority also runs Boston and Worcester shuttle routes that stop at the Fitchburg Intermodal Center and Leominster Senior Center, charging riders 60 and older $2.50 each way to Worcester and $10 each way to Boston. Statewide, the Community Transit Grant Program handed out nearly $5.5 million in fiscal year 2026 for 47 operating and mobility-management projects across 40 entities, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, underscoring how many communities lean on outside funding to keep senior rides on the road.
A Senior Center Still on the Horizon
The van's suspension comes as Orange officials continue weighing a bigger, longer-term fix for senior services in town. Andrews also updated the Selectboard on the possibility of building an Orange senior center by 2030, with the former Butterfield School identified as the leading potential site. That building closed in 2015 due to declining enrollment and the town's financial troubles.
Andrews estimated the project would cost at least $1 million and floated a second option: a regional model that would expand the Athol Senior Center at 82 Freedom St. The idea of a regional senior center isn't new — it was first broached 10 to 15 years ago but never gained traction. Orange seniors currently make up about 25% of the town's population and travel to Athol and Erving for senior programming, a gap officials hope a dedicated center could eventually close.
A public information meeting on the proposed senior center is scheduled for November 6 from 10 to 11 a.m. at St. Mary's Parish Hall. The Friends of the Orange Council on Aging, currently just two members strong, will need to fundraise for matching grants the town receives if the project moves forward — a reminder that, much like the now-suspended van, big plans for Orange's seniors will depend heavily on community support.
