CATA offers grocery shoppers access away from Gloucester
Gloucester Daily Times, October 25, 2005, Page one
By Richard Gaines, Staff writer

The Gloucester-dominated regional transportation authority yesterday announced Saturday shuttle service to a Danvers supermarket to give low-income shoppers access to what it says are lower grocery prices.

The initiative was conceived by the board of Action Inc., the regional nonprofit anti-poverty agency, and adopted by the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.

The idea is to help stretch tight budgets and pressure local supermarkets — the two Shaw's stores and one Stop & Shop — to become competitive, according to Kay Nordstrom, president of the nonprofit Cape Ann Transportation Operating Co.

"Its sends a message back to these grocery stores," Nordstrom said. "They set the prices — good or bad."

Beginning Saturday, she said, a bus will load at 12:35 p.m. at the commuter rail station and five minutes later at the Veterans Way Community Center, then drop shoppers at DeMoulas Market Basket in Danvers at 1:05 p.m. At 2:17 p.m., a CATA bus will pick up for the return trip to the Gloucester stops.

Round-trip fares will be $2.50 for adults and $1 for children — half the cost of CATA's trips to the Northshore Mall. Nordstrom said she was convinced the shuttle service would be effective in helping drive down local supermarket prices.

Action's executive director, William Rochford, said he became interested about two months ago, when a member of his board reported spending $49 for groceries at Market Basket. Through cross-checking, the member discovered the same purchases would have cost $69 at the Shaw's on Railroad Avenue, he said.

Nordstrom said Rochford told her about six weeks ago, "We need to get people to DeMoulas in Danvers."

Shaw's spokeswoman Judy Chong said the chain would have no comment.

"We don't talk about our pricing strategies and don't comment on what our competitors are doing," she said.

But she added that Shaw's offers customers many different ways to save on store bills, such as coupons mailed to homes and weekly specials.

Stop & Shop and DeMoulas didn't respond to calls yesterday. Paul Talbot, CATA executive director, could not be reached.

Gloucester is the largest of the five communities served by CATA and is its largest contributor.

Nordstrom said CATA buses will allow low-income residents the same choices available to people with transportation of their own.

Reuben James, a resident of Riverdale Park with no car, said he spends $5.40 each week on taxis to and from Shaw's Railroad Avenue store to buy groceries for his son and himself.

Action board member Loretta Peres, who also lives in Riverdale Park, rebutted the notion the program would hurt the local economy by diverting revenue outside the city.

Instead, she contended, the Gloucester residents who take their grocery shopping to Danvers would return with disposable income they otherwise wouldn't have.

"Money saved (in Danvers) will be spent right here on Cape Ann," she said.

Sara Young, economic development director of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, seemed less certain. She called the Action/CATA initiative "interesting." She said CATA hadn't conferred with the chamber. Her initial reaction was local businesses will not be happy.

"We're always interested in keeping business local," Young said.

CATA eliminated a handful of local trips from its service last year, citing low ridership and federal and state funding decreases.