Over the past several years, the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) has made an all-out effort to identify the transportation needs of the county’s most disadvantaged residents — seniors, disabled and low-income individuals — and come up with solutions.
STA collaborated with more than 50 committee members representing social service agencies, medical providers, Solano Community College, transit operators, non-profits, the Senior Coalition of Solano County and the Area Agency on Aging to develop and implement significant transportation assistance programs.
The programs include a mobility call center that provides information on all county transportation options and resources, and a website at SolanoMobility.org that provides one-stop transportation information for seniors and disabled persons. Key features of the site include a “Find Your Ride” tool that taps into all transportation services in Solano County and surrounding areas, and a section devoted to senior safe driving, with links to online tutorials.
A countywide, in-person ADA eligibility program provides a simplified process that allows residents to apply for paratransit services at assessment centers in their own cities.
STA partners with organizations to provide training for persons with physical and cognitive disabilities on how to ride public transit. STA also partners with a volunteer driver program to provide transportation for seniors. And it manages the county’s intercity Taxi Scrip Program for curb-to-curb, same-day transportation for qualified ADA paratransit riders.
According to Liz Niedziela, Transit Program manager for STA, “For seniors, low-income residents and people with disabilities, mobility means more than going shopping, or to a medical appointment. It is an opportunity to engage in the community and continue to provide value.”
