You’ve Quit Driving - Now What?
Image Source: IMDB
You could be like Miss Daisy in “Driving Miss Daisy” and have a wise chauffeur, but that is probably not in the cards for most of us! In my first article, “Hanging up the Car Keys”, I reported a representative cost to own a car - about $1,000/month or $12,000/year. I imagine most of us had not calculated these costs. We might be hesitant to spend $50 for a taxi ride or Ride Share for ourselves, but for the same $1,000 we could pay someone for 20 rides/month at $50 per ride. It would equal 20 trips per month or about 5 trips per week!
You might actually save money by not owning and driving your own car. Now to explore some options. It depends on whether you live in a city, in a small town, or out in the country and what services are available in your locale. Information about transportation specific to your location can be obtained (in the US) from:
National Aging and Transportation Center (NADTC), contact them at contact@nadtc.org or
Phone 1-866-983-3222
Eldercare Locator Website (https://eldercare.acl.gov) or phone 1-800-677-1116 who can direct you to your local Area Agency on Aging.
Check to see if your County has a Department of Aging. They can be very helpful.
Your choices can be grouped broadly into 5 categories:
Public transportation - buses, local trains, trolleys, subways, etc.
Specialized transport (paratransit) - that will accommodate powered mobility devices.
Volunteer transportation - some have specific purposes such as transportation for veterans, for cancer treatment, etc. many require an advance reservation for trips.
Transport with assistance - which adds assistance to the rider at pick up and at the destination (stowing a wheelchair or walker, walking with the rider into and out a building
Private pay transportation - from a specially licensed vendor to an informal arrangement with a friend or family member or a private company.
The list below is not complete and may include options that may be available only in certain cities or certain states, but it can be a starting point as you look at options either for yourself or your aging/disabled family members.
Public Transit--some public transit authorities have a travel training course for persons who have not used public transportation in the past or need extra assistance to be comfortable/safe using this service.
Paratransit services –usually managed by a regional transit authority. Require completion of a form by a healthcare provider and some kind of in-person evaluation prior to use. Usually require advance scheduling for trips. May allow similar travel benefits in other cities when visiting locations other than your home city.
Taxi companies and Ride Share companies such as Uber and Lyft. Taxis and Ride Share companies may or may not have vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs other than manual wheelchairs (for persons able to transfer into and out of a standard car seat). Uber has just announced a new service called Uber Caregiver that allows a caregiver to arrange an unaccompanied ride for the person they are caring for and get updates along the route. Uber and Lyft require the rider have a smartphone and register an account in advance. In many instances, it can be used for delivery of various goods.
GoGoGrandparent (gogograndparent.com or phone 1-855-464-6872 ext.16) is a service that arranges on-demand rides with Uber or Lyft that arrive in 15 minutes or less or can be scheduled in advance. They have been in business since 2016.
Their service can be ordered with a phone call, and a smart phone is not required.
In addition to rides, this service can be used for delivery of groceries, prescriptions, and food from restaurants.
Hop, Skip, Drive (https://www.hopskipdrive.com) began as service to ferry unaccompanied children to school and other events but now also provides transportation services to seniors. They have their own vetted drivers.
It does require use of internet to set up your account and schedule rides.
They provide real time info to family via smartphone.
Some senior centers, especially in rural communities that do not have access to taxi or Ride Share services, have a bus that seniors and those with disabilities can use for a small fee for certain transportation needs.
Some cities have a van or mini-bus that can be used for a small fee for tasks such as grocery shopping, doctor’s appointments. They run on certain days and times for shopping and require advance scheduling for appointments.
I hope this gives you some ideas and some hope that, even if you have had to give up your keys, you can still live an active life out in the community. If you don’t use these ideas for yourself, I hope they may be of assistance as you help loved ones or friends who have to give up their keys!
Primary Care Perspective