Let Them Ride Scooters

by Sheila D'Amico

When my dad retired, he came for a two-week visit with me in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco. But before his trip was half over, he'd seen enough to figure out that he'd better make the visit permanent. Muscular dystrophy made his left arm unusable, so he didn't drive. Shortness of breath due to heart disease, along with lameness because of the loss of gangrenous toes, made it difficult for him to walk. But in San Francisco, he could make the short walk to just about any corner, ride the bus for a nickel, transfer for free, spend the day at North Beach or at the Zoo, or go to a doctor appointment or grocery shopping and, for another nickel, make the return trip home. I thought about him when, following up on a recent article and letter to the editor about bus-service cuts, Peter Bond (of Onions and Orchids) and I decided to find out just what public transportation options were available for senior citizens in the Metro readership area. Not much. If a rider can get to public transport and that, of course, is the big "if" buses and BART offer senior citizens discounts and are elderly- and handicapped-accessible. Buses have lift stairs and senior seating up front. Some buses and BART also have wheelchair spaces if needed. The BART "Access Guide" also boasts of accessible elevators at all stations, but elevators seem to be out of order enough that if I had to rely on them, I would call ahead to be sure the particular station's elevators were operating. But what if you can't get to a bus stop or the BART what options do you have? Oakland Paratransit for the Elderly and Disabled (OPED) does not have its own transportation, but provides Taxi Scrip, ten-dollar coupon books that riders can purchase for three dollars and use for taxi rides with five different cab companies. Wheelchair users can buy Van Vouchers for use with van companies under contract with OPED. To participate, a rider must be 70 years of age or older (or be 18-69 with a disability), and must fill out a form to register with OPED. Jeff Weiss, OPED Senior Services Supervisor, told Peter, "We have approximately 1,950 registered in the program for both taxi and van. In the MacArthur Metro region (94601, 94602, 94605, 94619), we have approximately 400 registered users." Once registered, the rider is eligible for the coupons and makes arrangement for private transportation. Currently, 170 persons are on the waiting list. Oakland Paratransit requires all who apply also to apply for services from East Bay Paratransit Consortium. The latter provides transportation to individuals, regardless of age, who are eligible because of a disability or disabling health condition under the ADA, but people do not automatically qualify just because they are over 70. For those who do qualify, EB Paratransit has its own vans and will pick riders up at home. But a rider has to register, wait about 21 days to be determined eligible, and, once determined eligible, must reserve by 5 p.m. the day before any ride is needed. Lucy Bullard from United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County notes, "Individuals using the East Bay Paratransit Services must be within 3/4 of a mile of a bus line or a BART station." This seems like a Catch 22, especially since some bus lines are being eliminated or shortened. According to Bullard, "This will have an effect on 77 people who have used Paratransit services and will be out of the bus-route 3/4-mile range." This kind of service would not have given my father the independence he had some 25 years ago, when SF Muni had those nickel rides. There's not much independence, when, even if you can walk to a bus stop, there no longer is a bus, or if you have to take a van, you have to reserve a day in advance not much spontaneity there. It's one of those things we probably better think about and plan for in this city that, in the 2000 census, counted just under 42,000 citizens over age 65.