Hingham Board Backs Microtransit Pilot, Moves to Sell Short Street Building

HINGHAM — September 16, 2025 — Hingham Select Board unanimously backs regional electric microtransit pilot and moves to sell historic town building. The board voted September 16 to authorize Chair Bill Ramsey to sign a letter of support for the South Shore EV Microtransit Pilot, a proposed two-year on-demand electric vehicle service linking downtown Hingham, the Shipyard, and the Houghs Neck Cove ferry terminal with similar zones in Cohasset and Hull, presented by Max Hendricks of Circuit, the company operating a comparable seasonal service in Plymouth. The program carries a total project budget of approximately $1.25 million, with up to $1 million potentially covered by a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center grant; the maximum municipal cost-share would be roughly $41,000 per town annually, though Hendricks said fare revenue and vehicle advertising could eliminate that obligation. In a separate unanimous vote, the board extended the lease on town-owned 8 Short Street through December 31, 2025, over the tenant's request for two years, with Ramsey stating plainly that the historic building should be prepared for sale and brought before Town Meeting this spring — a move that failed at the 2024 Town Meeting. Town Administrator Tom Mayo also disclosed that all bids for a pool at the South Shore Country Club exceeded the town's appropriation and were rejected, and that newly hired Assistant Town Administrator for Finance Britney Apon has resigned for personal reasons, remaining through November.