A larger footprint of New Rochelle is now joining ‘the circuit’ as the City of New Rochelle announced today that its free, on-demand electric shuttle service Circuit NR will double its service area to make it even more accessible for residents and visitors.
The City is utilizing a portion of funding it received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which is intended to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19, to facilitate the service expansion, with transportation being an essential need in connecting to testing and vaccination sites, pharmacies, grocery stores along with additional small businesses throughout the City. Riders simply request a ride through the Circuit app.
As part of the expansion which remains free to all riders and operates daily, the number of vehicles in service will increase from three to six, creating additional capacity while maintaining the same level of frequency. Full hours of operation can be found here.
The service area will now extend to the Stop & Shop located on Palmer Avenue, via Stephenson Blvd, to the East, Union/Washington Avenue & 1st Street to the West (includes Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital), Pelham Road & Meadow Lane to the South and the Wykagyl area to the North.
"By expanding this highly-popular service, we enable more New Rochelle residents to take advantage of a convenient, sustainable transportation option, while also providing more equitable access to vaccination sites and medical care, which is especially critical to our region’s recovery,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson.
Circuit NR, which recently received the Clean Air NY Champions Award from the New York State Department of Transportation for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create more sustainable, livable cities, will phase in its expansion over the next few weeks with the service doubling in size by Memorial Day.
All vehicles have partitions between rows, are thoroughly cleaned three times per day, have open air options and individual doors for every rider. All drivers wear appropriate PPE’s and are tested regularly.
"Our team at Circuit couldn't be more excited about expanding the program in New Rochelle, a community that has embraced the service and shown strong demand since the get-go. It's been amazing to see the team and community adapt to the current environment and since we've limited the number of passengers per trip due to Covid. Now with demand picking back up, the timing couldn't be better. With more cars, we can offer more rides and shorter wait times for everyone," said Alexander Esposito, Co-Founder of Circuit.
Since launching almost two years ago, Circuit NR has been providing the service in downtown New Rochelle, which is in the middle of a game-changing redevelopment with over 30 construction projects across 12 million square feet of prime downtown real estate. Over 60,000 vehicle miles have been saved through its 50,000+ trips to date, and no gasoline has been used. In addition to reducing emissions, Circuit trips lead to less idling and additional convenience.
During the height of the pandemic, Circuit also worked with the City, 511NYRideshare and Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital to develop a shuttle service with an expanded coverage area to carry visiting healthcare workers between the hospital and their hotel before and after their shifts, highlighting the adaptability of the service at the height of the pandemic.
For more information on Circuit NR and the City of New Rochelle, visit www.newrochelleny.com & www.ideallynewrochelle.com.