WINCHENDON — Beginning on Saturday, January 11, 2025, the Town of Winchendon is offering a free shuttle bus service dubbed the “Toy Town Trolley” that will transport residents from downtown Winchendon to a shopping center in Rindge, New Hampshire. The service includes stops along the way at the Wendell P. Clark Memorial YMCA , Walmart, Hannaford Supermarket, and the the Glen Wood II 55-Plus Community.
The Toy Town Trolley service operates on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is an extension of a transportation pilot program the town launched in partnership with the Winchendon CAC. According to Miranda Jennings, director of the Winchendon Council on Aging, the service is supported by a $500,000 Regional Transit Innovation grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The grant funding was designated for hiring drivers, repairing vehicles, developing a rider app, and upgrading equipment at the senior center’s dispatch center.
“The project was initially the Winchendon Community Connection and Access Project, aiming to enhance residents’ access to essential services such as grocery shopping, employment opportunities, and recreational activities,” said Jennings to The Gardner News.
The Toy Town Trolley will operate in a loop that includes stops at Pearl Drive, Hyde Park, Beals Memorial Library and Town Hall, the Winchendon Shopping Plaza, the Wendell P. Clark Memorial YMCA and Post Office, CVS and Not Just Produced (a grocery store on Central Street), the Winchendon Fire Department bus stop, Ipswich Drive, Ready Drive, Goodrich Drive, the Glen Wood II 55-Plus Community, AutoZone, Marshall’s, Walmart, and Hannaford Supermarket. Notably, advance reservations are not required for the trolley, facilitating easy access for all residents.
The shuttle service builds upon the senior center’s existing transportation offerings, including a popular Saturday grocery trip exclusively for seniors.
All other rides are made via phone reservation or booked online here.
For more information, email winchendoncoa@gmail.com or call (978) 297-3155.
