Supervisors Hoping to Give West Valley Seniors a Lift

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN JOSE – The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to pursue a pilot program to bring on-demand transportation to seniors in the West Valley. The Board unanimously approved the motion, authored by Supervisors Joe Simitian and Mike Wasserman, to develop a partnership to find new ways for seniors to travel throughout their communities.

Simitian and Wasserman are proposing a partnership that could include the cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Cupertino, and Saratoga, as well as the Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) and the nonprofit West Valley Community Services (WVCS).

“Sometimes we have to find creative solutions to challenges in our community,” said Simitian. “This program will help folks get around in areas where, frankly, they haven’t had many options.”

“Without some new options, too many seniors will be stuck at home without access to the services and sociability they need,” said Wasserman.

As envisioned by the authors, funding for the pilot, which is estimated to cost $250,000, would come from the County, VTA, and each of the five cities, in proportion to their senior population.

The program would allow seniors to connect with on-demand transportation services, such as volunteer drivers at nonprofits or local senior centers, or established ridesharing services.

“I’m hopeful that this will be the start of a larger effort throughout the County,” said Simitian. “We can take the lessons we learn here and use them to bring these same sorts of services to the folks who need them in other areas.”

If local partners agree, West Valley Community Services and other non-profit partners, such as senior centers, will develop and host the pilot, provide staff to dispatch rides, collect client payments, and distribute client subsidies as appropriate.

Similar programs are either in development or in operation in East San Jose and Palo Alto. In Palo Alto, a combination of volunteer drivers and commercial transportation providers serve clients at slightly below cost, while those unable to afford rides are able to access subsidized rides.

The Board directed administration to bring back a specific plan for approval by May of 2017.

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