An effort is underway to save BrentwoodGO, an all-electric, on-demand ride service that is at risk of shutting down unless new funding is secured.

The service supports thousands of commuters traveling from the Long Island Rail Road station in Brentwood, providing a last-mile connection to the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge. Advocates say it is also widely used by Brentwood residents who work at the industrial park but lack reliable transportation. Passengers also depend on the service to reach Suffolk County Community College (SCCC), as well as grocery stores, social services and medical appointments, including nearby Central Islip.

But with funding set to expire on March 30, BrentwoodGO, and Rockaway Rides in Far Rockaway, are at risk of shutting down.

The service is operated by Circuit, a company that started in East Hampton with offices in New York, California and Florida. The company received a $7 million award funded by the Long Island Power Authority, as a winner in the Electric Mobility Challenge category of the $85 million New York Clean Transportation Prizes, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

There were delays launching the program, said Alex Esposito, the company’s CEO and co-founder.  Ramping up included hiring W-2 workers, installing electric vehicle chargers, securing insurance and leasing space. By December 2023 and October 2024, Rockaway Rides and BrentwoodGO, respectively, were up and running. To date Circuit has used a “little over $4 million,” with just under $3 million not yet spent, Esposito said.

Esposito said he had learned that there were questions “between the different parties” about whether the program would run through the date initially discussed or if this was until the set-aside funding was completely spent.

“As recently as a couple of weeks ago, it felt like there could be some continuation,” Esposito said. “We need to continue trying to get other long-term support, which we have been doing. We thought we had another nine months to do it.”

Since its inception, BrentwoodGo has served more than 48,000 passengers, at least 5,000 of them connecting to the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, according to HIA-LI.

“We think its an example that could be replicated across the Island, and hopefully that means the traffic isn’t so bad on the LIE,” Exposito said.

“BrentwoodGO is more than a transportation program—it is a vital connector between people and opportunity, supporting both our workforce and the businesses that drive Long Island’s economy,” said Terri Alessi-Miceli, president and CEO of HIA-LI.

“As a fully electric, forward-looking service, it also reflects the kind of sustainable investment that keeps the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge accessible, competitive and growing,” she said.

The service would also be missed at SCCC.

“The loss of BrentwoodGO would significantly affect Suffolk County Community College and its students,” Donna Ciampa, interim executive dean of SCCC’s Michael J. Grant Campus, said.

“The program provides reliable transportation that helps students get to campus, attend classes and remain on track to complete their degrees,” Ciampa said. “Without it, many students would face additional barriers that could impact attendance and academic progress. Suffolk County Community College supports the continuation of the program, citing its effectiveness as an innovative approach to community mobility and its importance to student success.”

But as of Thursday, the NYSERDA support is set to end March 30.

“Circuit’s contract was awarded by NYSERDA through the New York Clean Transportation Prizes program in 2021 for a defined term ending March 30, 2026,” a NYSERDA spokesperson said. “The project was launched as a ratepayer-subsidized demonstration effort, not as a perpetual funding commitment, with the expectation that projects would work toward a sustainable long-term operating model beyond the initial award period. The contract is concluding on the original award timeline.”

Now, Circuit and community partners are urging the public to contact local and state leaders to act immediately to preserve these programs.

“Ideally, we’d love the next year to work with the utilities to help continue the program through the end of the year, or get this into the state budget,” Esposito said.

“A lot of our services in other areas are funded in other ways,” Esposito said, referring to support from state and local government but also business improvement districts, downtown development associations and the private sector.