A low-cost taxi service for seniors and people who are visually impaired began serving Jamaica Plain with a soft launch in recent weeks.
There was “no breaking a Champagne bottle over the hood of a car,” but the program is under way, said Dale Mitchell, a board member of ITNGreaterBoston, the new nonprofit offering the service.
The car service uses both volunteer and professional drivers in unmarked cars. The drivers escort the riders to and from the door of their pick-up and drop-off spots. Drivers are screened for criminal records. Riders pay an annual membership fee and a per-ride fee.
While ITNGreaterBoston aims to eventually cover the entire area, it is starting in western Boston and suburbs along Route 9 out to Framingham. It will have two branch offices: one in Brighton and one in Framingham. For now, it is serving JP, Roxbury and Roslindale, Mitchell said.
For more information, see itngreaterboston.org.