By Patrick Adrian Staff Writer
CLAREMONT — An overnight theft of catalytic converters at Sullivan County Transportation has temporarily disabled community bus operations and sent the nonprofit’s staff and volunteers scrambling to assist county residents with urgent transportation needs.
Sullivan County Transportation, a community bus and ride service for residents with mobility needs, reported on Tuesday that seven of their eight buses are currently inoperable following an overnight theft of catalytic converters from the bus fleet, which were stationed in Claremont at the organization’s headquarters at 6 Kinney Place.
The only bus spared was parked at VIP Tires & Services, where it was being serviced, said Teri Palmer, transportation director of Southwestern Community Services, which operates the bus program.
“VIP is really good to us and put it inside at night,” Palmer said.
Catalytic converter theft has been on the rise of late, regionally and nationally. A catalytic converter is an emissions control device attached to a vehicle’s exhaust system that filters toxins from your car’s gas emissions. Inside a catalytic converter are precious metals including platinum, palladium and rhodium that help neutralize some of the toxins in the car exhaust.
These precious metals are also very valuable, attracting thieves who aspire to sell the metals to scrap yards or recyclers and making a catalytic converter very expensive to replace. The average cost of a catalytic converter replacement, including parts and services, is roughly between $1,000 to $2,500, though if stolen the vehicle could have suffered additional damages underneath.
Palmer said that all seven busses are currently at local service stations in Claremont — VIP, Granite State Automotive, and Morningside Service Station — awaiting parts and servicing. Palmer is hopeful to have several busses back in operation by the end of the week.
But for county residents with transportation needs, including the elderly and disabled, three to four days without the busses is a major concern.
“This just really impacted the riders,” Palmer told The Eagle Times. “So many people rely on us to get back and forth to work, to get their groceries, their medical appointments or just rides in general . . . That’s what really bothered us the most this morning, the people calling in wanting to know how they are going to get places.”
The organization’s volunteer drivers, who use their personal vehicles, are still giving individuals rides to their medical appointments and local cab companies are also helping to fill the need, Palmer said.
But even with the volunteers going above and beyond, many county residents will still face the burden, Palmer said. The volunteer program or cab companies lack the equipment like the busses have to accommodate riders in wheelchairs, for example.
Additionally the busses are the only inter-municipal public transit system available, providing travel between Claremont, Newport and Charlestown. The bus shutdown also includes Sullivan County Transportation’s newest route, an inter-county commuter service connecting Claremont to Lebanon, enabling Sullivan County residents to access employment opportunities, medical services at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Coach.
Sullivan County Transportation is always looking for volunteer drivers, individuals who provide rides to appointments outside the regular bus routes, Palmer said. While that process, which includes a background check and driver record check, may not help with this week, the program would benefit greatly long-term. Volunteers receive training, professional development and mileage reimbursement and volunteers may set their own schedule and decide which rides to provide.
For more information about becoming a volunteer driver, contact Terri Curtis, Volunteer Driver Program Coordinator at (603) 542-9609 or by email at [email protected].
County residents could offer to provide a ride to a neighbor or another resident in need over the next few days, Palmer said.
The Claremont Police Department, in a press release on Tuesday, asked that anyone with information relating to these thefts contact Officer D.J. O’Sullivan at (603) 542-9538 or [email protected]. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous should call the Claremont Police tip line at (603) 542-7026.
As for preventing future catalytic converter thefts, Palmer said the organization is discussing short-term solutions. Arguably the best protection against these thefts is securing vehicles inside a garage or similar containment.
Sullivan County Transportation is still proceeding with a plan to open a multi-purpose transportation facility within the next couple of years, depending on funding and construction timelines. This facility, among its many functions, would also provide a secured shelter for the department’s vehicle fleet to discourage future theft.
For now the organization is exploring options to garage the busses elsewhere, though several logistics would need to be figured out, Palmer said.
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