BART helps seniors get to appointments, recreation, shopping
Senior citizens who do not drive need not become isolated from society, thanks to BART.
The Butler Area Rural Transit vehicles that can be seen traveling around the county provide rides to those aged 65 and older as well as to residents with physical or intellectual disabilities.
Amber Davis, senior director of operations and service development at the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources, which operates the BART shared-ride program, said 65 percent of the program's riders are senior citizens.
Davis said seniors use the BART vehicles to access dialysis treatments, doctor's appointments, medical testing, senior center functions, lunch and shopping with friends or adult day services.
She said BART's vehicles, which run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, are a combination of raised-roof vans and minibuses.
The buses can accommodate a total of 10 to 12 passengers, including two or four wheelchairs.
The vans can carry six passengers, including two wheelchairs, Davis said.
The routes of the 250 daily trips taken by the BART vehicles are planned according to demand, she said.
“We don't do taxi service,” Davis said. “Everything is planned.”
She said BART personnel look at the places where riders want to go and plan a sensible route to drop them off and pick them up again.
For example, the bus or van might stop at the dialysis clinic, senior center and Lifesteps and return later to pick the riders up.
“We encourage our riders to schedule two weeks in advance,” Davis said. “The second they get that doctor's appointment or make plans to have lunch with their girlfriends, they need to calls us,” she said.BART also offers subscriptions for seniors who have regular appointments each week.“Lots of people go to the senior center on the same days each week, so they have a subscription,” Davis said.She said the statewide program Community Health Choices, which was implemented last year, also offers rides to seniors.“So we are seeing a little bit of decline,” Davis said.She said the BART ridership numbers also may be due to the fact that seniors are driving much longer today.“In years past, people might stop driving at 65,” Davis said. “Sixty-five is a lot younger now.”One important function BART pursues is stopping at the county Housing Authority's senior high-rise apartments that are situated throughout the county.Riders at the senior apartments decide in advance what grocery store they want to use, and are taken there and returned by BART vehicles.BART vans are free to those who qualify, and a fare is charged to others.Davis said BART provides more than just a ride to seniors in the county.“Without shared rides, it would be a barrier for people to live an everyday life,” Davis said. “It allows them to go into the community and be independent.”
Those interested in becoming a Butler Area Rural Transit rider can call 724-282-6060 to request an application.More information on riding a BART vehicle is available at www.anrtransportation.org.
