Find a Ride
One of the reasons many older drivers continue to drive
is because they feel they have no other options to get them to the
places they need and want to go. To help access these community
transportation resources
click on your county in the map below to
view the transportation options that are currently available in your community made available through
the
Florida Senior Safety Resource Center (FSSRC) database.
If you are looking for available transportation
services in a city and don't know the county name, use
the following link on the Florida League of
Cities website before clicking on the map
above:
http://www.floridaleagueofcities.com/Directory.aspx
Florida Association of Area Agencies on Aging
includes information on the Area Agencies on Aging in
Florida which offer a wide range of services designed to
address the needs of their senior constituencies
including transportation. A listing of the agencies is
available at this link:
http://www.agingresourcecentersofflorida.org or through the
Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) at this link:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/english/arc.php
The Florida Commission for the Transportation
Disadvantaged is an independent commission within
the FDOT that ensures availability of efficient,
cost-effective, and quality transportation services for
transportation disadvantaged persons. Included on the
website is a listing of Community Transportation
Coordinators (CTC) in each county. Access their website
to find the CTC in your area:
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ctd/contacts/ctcsbycounty.htm
Information on transit agencies in Florida is
available from FDOT’s Public Transit Office and it that
can be accessed at this link:
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/transit/Pages/transitagenciesinflorida.shtm.
The American Public Transportation Association
maintains a list of transit lines available in Florida
and it can be accessed at this
link:
http://www.apta.com/resources/links/unitedstates/Pages/FloridaTransitLinks.aspx.
The Federal Transit Administration’s National Transit
Database can be accessed at this link:
http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/cs?action=showRegionAgencies®ion=4
The Taxicab, Limousine, and Paratransit
Association enables users to search available
transportation services in their state. Access their web
site at this link:
http://tlpa.org
United We Ride is sponsored by the
Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM). The
purpose of CCAM is to promote interagency cooperation at
the federal level so that transportation-disadvantaged
persons have access to more transportation services.
Member agencies include the Departments of Health and
Human Services, Education, Interior, Labor, Justice,
Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and
Agriculture; the Social Security Administration; and the
National Council on Disability. Access their website at
this link:
http://www.unitedweride.gov/1_ENG_HTML.htm
Included on the website is a link to public
transit systems in each state and a specific listing of
public transportation options in each county at this
link:
http://www.publictransportation.org/systems
The
Federal Transit Administration's "Attracting Senior Drivers to
Public Transportation: Issues and Concerns can be accessed at
this link:
http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/
TRANSPO_Attracting_Seniors_Public_Transportation_Final_Report.pdf
The Florida Senior Safety Resource Center (FSSRC),
a resource developed by the University of Florida's National Older Driver Research
and Training Center with funding by the Florida Department of
Transportation contains a database that allows users access to a listing
of the currently available alternative transportation services within
their counties.
As of September 30, 2011 the database contains a combined listing of
over 800 transportation services. To view the transportation services
that are available in your county, either click on your county in the
the map above
or access the
database directly through the FSSRC website at this link:
http://fssrc.phhp.ufl.edu/
The Florida Alliance for Information and Referral
Services sponsors the Florida 2-1-1 Network, a
cooperative effort with the United Way of Florida that
provides access to help lines and other information in a
majority of Florida counties. Access their website at
this link:
http://www.flairs.org/index.htm and the 2-1-1
Network at this link:
http://www.flairs.org/florida211networkplan.htm
Elder Help Line is the Florida Information and
Referral service for elders. It includes county by
county information and phone numbers. To find the
contact number for your county, access their website at this link:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/english/elderhelpline.php
Elder Services Directory is a database which
is searchable by county or by city. It includes a
glossary of terms. Access their website at this link:
http://www.floridaresource.com
Veteran benefit information can be
accessed at this link:
http://www.floridavets.org
Getting Around: Alternatives for Seniors Who No
Longer Drive at this link:
http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/GettingAroundReport.pdf
Liberty Mutual offers information and resources for senior
drivers and their website can be accessed at this link:
http://www.libertymutual.com/omapps/ContentServer?cid=1138359149084&pagename=PersonalMarket/Page/pmktContentCustModules&c=Page
Miami-Dade
County residents 65 and older can ride the public
transportation for "free" with a Golden Passport.
Information on how to obtain a Golden Passport can be found at this
link:
http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/fares_golden.asp
ITNAmerica® (Independent Transportation
Network) is a volunteer transportation service
designed to replicate the comfort and convenience of
private automobile ownership. Seniors who use the
service become dues-paying members of the organization
at a nominal fee and open personal transportation
accounts to pay for their rides. ITN® keeps fares
reasonable by asking members to pay roughly half the
true cost of providing the rides. Access their website at this link:
http://www.itnamerica.org or view their
fact sheet:
Currently there are two ITN® programs
in Florida,
ITNOrlandoTM and ITNSarasota. While planning began in
early 2005 had its' first ride
on October 26, 2006 and recently celebrated its' 5,000th
ride. Access their web site at this link:
http://itnorlando.org
ITNSarasota has been approved as an
affiliate community to provide rides anywhere in
Sarasota County. Currently recruiting volunteer drivers
and member-riders, ITNSarasota plans to begin
rides in mid-April 2009. For volunteer opportunities,
ride rates and membership applications, go to
http://www.itnsarasota.org
The Florida Senior Safety Resource Center website, developed by the University of Florida National
Older Driver Research and Training Center, is designed
to provide information and resources on alternative
forms of transportation, driving knowledge and skills,
and links to national organizations that address
transportation issues. Access their website at this link:
http://fssrc.phhp.ufl.edu
Transportation Guidebooks
for Putnam and St. Johns Counties
As part of the
United We Guide Mobility Manager Program, the
team developed Transportation Guidebooks for both Putnam
and St. Johns counties. These guidebooks were based on a
template from the National Center on Senior
Transportation and the Beverly Foundation but tailored
to resources available within these pilot counties. The
guidebooks provide elder
residents living in Putnam and St. Johns counties with information on available state and local
transportation safety and mobility resources to meet
their specific needs. Hard copies are available to
residents of Putnam and St. Johns counties by contacting
their local mobility manager (Putnam - (386) 325-9999
or St. Johns - (904) 315-6505).
An electronic version of the Putnam County Transportation Guidebook can be accessed at
this link:
http://www.safeandmobileseniors.org/pdfs/PutnamUWGTransportationGuidebook.pdf
An electronic version of the St. Johns County Transportation Guidebook can be accessed
at this link:
http://www.safeandmobileseniors.org/pdfs/UWG_St_Johns_Transportation_Guidebook.pdf
Travel training is typically a one-on-one individualized instructional
intervention to train someone who needs assistance learning to travel
safely and independently on public transportation.
This need may arise from acute or chronic medical conditions, driving
cessation, loss of a spouse who was the transportation provider, moving
to a new community, and/or from never having had the need to learn the
system.
Participants learn travel skills for following a specific route to
common destinations, such as a job site, shopping center, or friend’s
house.
Potential benefits from
successfully completing a travel training program include:
1)
More travel mode choices,
flexibility of routes, and destinations;
2) Greater confidence, independence, and self-esteem;
3) Better access to employment, medical services, and opportunities for
socialization;
4) Significant cost savings.
Travel training is typically provided by both public and paratransit
transportation providers or non-profit organizations, including human
service providers, independent living centers, schools, and senior
service organizations.
Here
are
some general resources about travel training:
Association of Travel Instruction:
http://www.travelinstruction.org/index.html
Easter Seals:
http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_travel_training
Florida International University with support from the
National Center on Senior Transportation, recently
collected information from providers of travel training to determine
best practices for working with older adults. The 16-page summary report
entitled Current Practices Used
by Travel Trainers for Seniors highlights the efforts of travel
trainers to provide customized, individualized services for older adults
and can be accessed at:.
https://secure2.convio.net/es/site/Ecommerce?VIEW_PRODUCT=true
&product_id=7203&store_id=6563&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=0wgo4vn621.app228a
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