Governor Healey recently announced four awards totaling $4.4 million through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Microtransit and Last-Mile Transit Grant Program. The funding will help Regional Transit Authorities and municipalities in expand flexible transportation options that connect residents to jobs, schools, health care, public transit and other essential services across Massachusetts.

Among the awardees is the Salem Skipper, a local microtransit service that originated from the city’s age-friendly initiative, called Salem for All Ages. The service began as a pilot funded by Point32Health Foundation, which, at the time of the pilot program, was Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

The grants will support microtransit and on-demand shared-ride services that help fill gaps in traditional public transportation, particularly in communities where fixed-route service may not reach every neighborhood or destination. Funding will support expanded service in communities across the state, including connections between transit hubs, colleges, health care facilities and employment centers.

This is the second round of awards through the Microtransit and Last-Mile Transit Grant Program. The funding is made possible by $4.4 million in Fair Share funding included in the Fiscal Year 2026 supplemental budget.

The following communities and organizations will receive funding in 2026:

• City of Salem received $1,000,000 to continue funding the Salem Skipper microtransit service serving Salem.
• City of Woburn received $1,000,000 in funding to pilot a new regional microtransit service in partnership with Burlington, Wakefield, and Reading.
• Fourteen Regional Transit Authorities of Massachusetts received $2,222,237 through a joint application to support and expand microtransit services across select communities.
• Montachusett Regional Transit Authority received $177,763 to pilot a microtransit service connecting community college campuses with healthcare and employment centers.

For more information on the Microtransit and Last-Mile Transit Grant Program and the full list of grant recipients, please visit the program website.