Seniors who are contemplating no longer driving and their family members should be aware that federal law under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees a basic level of transportation service for many older citizens. The ADA says that a city or town providing a public transportation service to the community at large also must provide a complementary or paratransit service for persons with disabilities and, under the practical definition of disability, many senior citizens will find themselves eligible for this system. Since the goal of the ADA is to guarantee disabled citizens the same rights as the general public, the paratransit system must be comparable to the regular public transportation system in response time and days and hours of service. The local community generally serves as the watchdog for the locality to make sure it operates a paratransit system. If you are investigating alternative means of transportation and find that your community has a public bus or rail system, but does not have an alternative system to assist less mobile citizens, speak up! It's the law, and it's your right!
Another important law that will help you in your search for the best senior transportation options is the Older Americans Act (OAA). The OAA allocates funds to state and territorial units to ensure that each supports an Area Agency on Aging. These agencies serve as invaluable resources to elderly persons looking for alternative means of transportation. Your Area Agency on Aging is required by law to provide access to support systems such as nutritional services. Many times, the agencies will meet this requirement by providing transportation to seniors as a means of granting them access to such services. In addition, the agencies must provide referrals for their elderly clients to other transportation agencies. The government allocates funds to the area agencies for use in matters benefiting elderly citizens and most agencies make transportation one of their priorities. Every state has one of these agencies, so make sure to give your local agency a call.