The Swampscott Senior Center is hitting the road in electric style.

The center has received a new van that seats four seniors, a driver, and accommodates two people in wheelchairs. The van is part of Swampscott’s initiative to go green and was 80% funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Swampscott’s share of the cost will be around $20,000, according to Hedi Whear, the town’s director of aging services.

“It was really something that we wanted to make sure we got,” Whear said. “We’re so excited about it.”

Whear noted that Senior Center decals will be added to the van soon.

|| Monica Sager

The Senior Center, located next to Swampscott High School, also has access to electric vehicle charging stations.

“It’s so convenient,” Whear said. 

The Senior Center currently operates three other vans. One of them, marked with the decal “Seniors on the Go,” will be sold to the high school for $1, Whear said. Another van has been converted to a 14-passenger vehicle.

“I’m hoping that anytime we have less than five people going grocery shopping, we just use this (electric vehicle) one,” Whear said. 

Simon Mwangi, the Senior Center’s driver for the past three months, said he’s also excited about the new van.

“I really enjoy it. They teach me a lot,” Mwangi said. “I like them.”

Residents are also invited to help name the new van. Anyone with a clever idea can enter the naming contest. The winner will receive a gift card to Periwinkles Food Shoppe, located at 540 Loring Ave. in Salem.