TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES FOR SENIORS: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Although seniors, like most Americans, prefer the mobility that driving one's automobile provides, the reality is that as they age they drive less and less. Typically, the decision to limit one's driving is a result of physical and mental limitations brought on by old age, and not by the need or desire to remain mobile. Moreover, when seniors no longer drive, many hope that families and friends and public and paratransit options will be available to meet their needs; that is often not the reality. The reality is that it can be difficult, if not impossible, for seniors to get where they need to go. For these reasons, transportation increasingly is identified as one of the major problems and top priorities of organizations that work with seniors. This paper discusses the transportation options that are available, the reason that seniors need alternatives to the automobile, the difficulties they experience in trying to use many of the traditional alternatives that are available, and some innovative transportation programs that are being developed throughout the country. It also describes a unique partnership between the Beverly Foundation and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to enhance and expand the availability of Supplemental Transportation Programs for seniors (STPs).