At Northside Youth and Senior Service Center, stewardship is more than careful budgeting. It is the practice of making thoughtful decisions today that strengthen services, protect public resources, and create long-term benefits for the community.
Several years ago, Northside made one of those forward-thinking decisions by becoming a partner in the St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors program, better known as SiLVERS.
The SiLVERS project was created to explore how electric vehicles could help social service agencies reduce transportation-related operating costs while expanding access to clean transportation in historically underserved communities. The program provided electric vehicles and charging stations to community-based senior service organizations, including Northside Youth and Senior Service Center, to support non-emergency transportation for seniors and adults with disabilities.
A Practical Innovation That Made Sense
For Northside, the early impact of the program was clear.
Our transportation program often provides rides for seniors and adults with disabilities to medical appointments, grocery stores, congregate meals, social activities, and other essential destinations. Many of these trips involve only one or two passengers.
Before the electric vehicles were added to the fleet, some of these smaller trips may have required the use of a larger bus or passenger van. Through the SiLVERS pilot, Northside was able to use smaller electric vehicles for smaller passenger trips, allowing the agency to better match the vehicle to the need.
That shift created an important efficiency.
Using a subcompact electric vehicle for a one- or two-passenger trip helps reduce fuel costs, limits wear and tear on larger vehicles, and allows buses and vans to be reserved for trips that require more seating or accessibility features. In day-to-day operations, those kinds of decisions matter.
Stewardship of Public Funds
The value of Northside’s early adoption of electric vehicle technology has become even more apparent during a period of rising fuel costs.
Every dollar saved on fuel and maintenance is a dollar that can be redirected toward mission-critical services. For Northside, that means more resources available for senior transportation, meal delivery, wellness checks, youth programming, and other community supports.
This is what responsible stewardship looks like in practice.
Northside’s participation in SiLVERS was not about adopting technology for technology’s sake. It was about testing a smarter, more efficient way to deliver services. It was about asking how innovation could help a community-based agency stretch limited public, philanthropic, and charitable dollars further.
The City of St. Louis described the pilot as a way to show that electric vehicle fleets can save social service agencies money, improve service, expand access to charging equipment, and support cleaner air.
Benefits Beyond the Agency
The benefits of the SiLVERS program extended beyond Northside’s transportation program.
As part of the pilot, Northside received access to electric vehicles and dual-port charging stations. When the charging stations were not being used by the program, they could also be made available for community use. This helped bring electric vehicle infrastructure into North St. Louis neighborhoods where residents are too often left out of early investments in clean technology.
That matters.
Clean transportation should not be limited to higher-income communities or commercial corridors. Programs like SiLVERS help demonstrate that environmentally responsible technology can and should benefit seniors, adults with disabilities, nonprofit service providers, employees, and neighborhood residents.
The Natural Resources Defense Council described SiLVERS as an equity-minded program designed to serve senior and disabled residents in underserved communities. The program launched with five Chevy Bolt electric vehicles and ten charging stations, with three vehicles used by Northside to provide rides in North St. Louis.
A Cleaner Fleet and a Healthier Community
Electric vehicles also provide environmental benefits.
Vehicle emissions contribute to poor air quality and climate change. The City of St. Louis noted that electric vehicles produce fewer pollutants that contribute to poor air quality and fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.
For communities serving seniors, children, and residents with chronic health conditions, cleaner air is not just an environmental issue. It is a public health issue.
Northside’s use of electric vehicles supports a healthier environment while helping the agency continue delivering essential transportation services.
A Pilot That Became a Lasting Investment
Following the conclusion of the grant-supported pilot, Northside was able—with generous support from local grant makers—to purchase the three electric vehicles and retain ownership of the charging stations.
That means the value of the program did not end when the pilot ended.
The vehicles continue to support Northside’s transportation services. The charging stations continue to serve as a community asset. And the decision to participate in SiLVERS continues to demonstrate the importance of innovation, planning, and stewardship.
Forward Thinking in Motion
Northside’s experience with SiLVERS shows how community-based organizations can use technology to improve service delivery, reduce operating costs, and create broader community benefits.
It also shows why stewardship matters.
When public funds, grants, and charitable contributions are invested wisely, they can produce long-term value. Northside’s early adoption of electric vehicles has helped the agency save money, operate more efficiently, reduce environmental impact, and bring clean transportation infrastructure into the community.
In a time when community needs are growing and funding is increasingly competitive, decisions like these are essential.
Northside’s electric vehicle fleet is more than a transportation tool. It is a symbol of what is possible when innovation, equity, and responsible stewardship move together.
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Further Reading, Video & Photos
Learn more about the SiLVERS program:
The Forth Mobility SiLVERS project page provides background on the St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors initiative and its goals. Forth Mobility
Read the City of St. Louis announcement about the pilot:
The City’s 2020 announcement explains how SiLVERS was designed to reduce transportation costs for social service agencies while advancing equitable clean transportation. stlouis-mo.gov
Read about the launch of the SiLVERS shuttle program:
The City’s 2021 launch announcement highlights how Northside and City Seniors used electric vehicles to provide non-emergency rides and food distribution support. stlouis-mo.gov
Read NRDC’s feature on SiLVERS:
NRDC’s article describes the program as an equity-minded EV shuttle service for seniors and adults with disabilities in underserved communities. NRDC
Watch the SiLVERS launch video:
The City of St. Louis video provides a visual overview of the SiLVERS electric vehicle shuttle program. YouTube
View the Northside SiLVERS photo gallery:
Photo gallery: https://nsyssc.smugmug.com/Archives/SiLVERS