A “new” handicap-accessible shuttle bus for Little Compton's senior residents will soon be hitting the streets, after more than two years of waiting.

The 12-passenger 2011 Ford Econoline E-350 was recently purchased for town use from Tiverton Motor Sales, town administrator Tony Teixeira said. It arrived recently in Little Compton and in total, Teixeira said the cost to the town is about $12,000 to $13,000, which falls within the approximate price at which the town sold its previous senior bus more than two years ago. That old bus was unreliable and needed new parts and maintenance, primarily to the air conditioning and heating systems. Town officials sold it prior to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and due to supply chain issues and other factors, the process to purchase a “new” bus was delayed.

Before the pandemic and the sale of the old bus, Stay at Home, a local organization, had provided a bus driver. But Little Compton Community Center director Amy Mooney has offered to take oversight of the bus, to generate a list of drivers, and to supervise a potential schedule for trips.

Currently, the bus is being outfitted with new tires and is awaiting inspection, insurance and registration requirements.

“Everything else is ready,” Teixeira said. “Best case scenario, we could have it up and running by the middle of next week.”