White Plains, NY —  The Westchester County Board of Legislators has approved financing for the acquisition of at least 10 and perhaps as much as 15 new, high tech small buses for the County's ParaTransit fleet.

The new vehicles – which provide rides to seniors and residents with disabilities that prevent them from using public transportation -- will allow each to carry more passengers per ride and will be up to 50% more fuel efficient than the vehicles that they will replace.

Legislator Vedat Gashi (D - Yorktown, New Castle, Somers), chair of the Board's Public Works and Transportation Committee said, "Our ParaTransit fleet provides a lifeline to thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in Westchester annually. As we replace vehicle that already have 150,000 miles on them, investing in improved technology and passenger capacity means we can serve more people, more efficiently, with a lower impact on the environment."

Legislator Jose Alvarado (D- Yonkers), chair of the Board's Committee on Seniors, Youth & Intergenerational Services, said, "Especially with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not waiver in our commitment to provide essential services for seniors and people with disabilities.  With this new investment we’re showing that we can honor that commitment in ways that are increasingly financially and environmentally sound."

David Tubiolo (D- Yonkers, Mount Vernon), former chair of the committee, said, “We’ve been investing in our ParaTransit fleet in recent years, but these new vehicles will offer a dramatic improvement in functionality and operational costs savings.  We must always invest in our seniors and people with disabilities, but it’s especially smart to do it now when interest rates are historically low.”
Evan Latainer, Director of the Westchester County Office for People with Disabilities, said, "Westchester County through County Executive George Latimer, the Board of Legislators, and the Department of Public Works & Transportation continues to maintain the ParaTransit fleet to ensure that it is in excellent condition providing service to our ridership. Westchester County continues to provide excellent ParaTransit service to our disabled community during these difficult times we are in."

On November 9, the Board unanimously authorized bond financing of $1.6 million for the vehicle replacement program which is set to run through 2022.