In this wonderful site, I have not found the answer to this question. Transportation.

Uber, Lyft, Taxi or use a county bus program, if there is one available.

Keeping up, I know what you mean!

I cared for my in-laws for years and transportation was a challenge. The in-laws had so many appointments and I took them to almost all of them (30+ a year). When I complained about how much time it took, others would suggest having their friends take them or use Dial-a-Ride.

Of course, they weren't thinking that their friends are elderly also and couldn't handle getting the wheelchair in and out of the car. They had one male friend who could handle it but, understandably, my MIL wasn't comfortable with him helping her in the bathroom. He did take my FIL occasionally which was wonderful.

They also weren't aware that Dial-a-Ride can't accommodate a scooter and only drops the passenger at the curb. With lung cancer and emphysema, my FIL couldn't handle moving the wheelchair on his own.

Then, we also needed a family member at the appointment to know what the doctor said or, with some, to interpret his heavy accent. My MIL was terrible about only telling us what she wanted us to know. She had diabetes for 10 years before she told her family!

We did get to the point that my MIL qualified to have home health care come to the house to draw blood. That saved some time and effort for us.

The only suggestion I have is to post a flyer on the community board at local coffee houses, libraries, etc. Maybe post one at colleges, especially one that does health care classes. Perhaps, someone studying for a CNA certification would be interested in some side jobs. Of course, social media could be another resource.

I hope others have some better suggestions. Good luck!

I hired a private aide at $15 an hour and she was willing to take my father to appointments. The downside was that she was hired for a specific day and time so appointments had to be made during her working hours with us. My father refused to hire her for another day but then expected her to be at his beck and call when he needed her. Could you hire a college student for one or two mornings a week and try to keep appointments to that time? If there were no appointments they could run errands or help with small chores.

The home care people for my mom did drive her to appointments when I couldn't. They always used my car. In my city there are also little buses that take the elderly places, but that doesn't work with dementia people. Even Uber and Lift wouldn't work in those cases. Someone has to be with the person during the appointment. Now the assisted living place will sometimes take a couple of ladies along on outings to the library or store, which is great, but always I make my mom's appointments when I can take her. This is a very good question you raise. What about volunteer services or have your friends call the senior center in your area for information.

There are some Volunteer groups that will provide transportation.
I am a volunteer for a Hospice and they often have requests for a volunteer to drive someone to the store or to a doctor appointment, even to a vet or groomer.
If you are a member of a church or other religious group they may have a volunteer group that will do this.
There are medical transports that will also provide transportation.
I can understand why some people may not want to do this just because of liability, an unpleasant passenger is one thing the thought of an accident or someone getting hurt is another.

Keeping up, did you use the search function?   If not, here are some hits that you can read to get more information:

https://www.agingcare.com/search?term=transporttion+for+elders

Public transportation in my experience is more reliable, whether contracted directly or used through Senior Centers.    I used Lyft one and would not use it again.  I think the driver was either an ex-race driver or was practicing to be one.   I wasn't sure I would make it to the appointment w/o her causing an accident.

Public transportation agencies require their employees to meet certain standards.  Allegedly Lyft and Uber do, but I certainly didn't see it.

There are options for simple transportation but finding someone who will wait through an appointment and provide assistance beyond dropping someone at the door are hard to come by. Years ago my mom tried a local service with "volunteer" drivers, but because they were compensated for mileage and there were no volunteers were in her neighbourhood it wasn't inexpensive. The degree that the volunteer was willing to assist beyond a simple ride also varied depending on the individual, my mom was visually impaired so she needed assurance that someone would get her in the building and to the waiting room. My solution was to book all her apts on my days off, other than that I think you would have to have deep enough pockets to pay for the extra service.

This is not possible for everyone, but I have recommended to neighbors:
Keep your car as your abilities to drive decline, and hire a caregiver or neighbor to drive you.
A neighbor is more willing if they can take your car.
Many caregivers are not allowed to drive you in their own car.

The overall expense vs. NO RIDES! has not been calculated. But a paid for, good running older vehicle with low insurance premiums could work out.

Keep trying. Transportation is always going to be a challenge. Even in assisted living, promises of a transportation bus services were drastically reduced, and they would just drop you off.

Apply an unusual perspective to having the benefit of someone to drive for you.
Keeping the ability to be independent with a good driver is worth a whole lot, so reward a good driver accordingly. Expect changes to happen. People now hire limousine drivers for events, and it is more expensive. Call around, maybe a one time ride could be worth it.

Please do not shoot the messenger.

I hate to be the "wet blanket" here in regard to Send's comments, but if I did hire someone to drive my car, I'd be sure to add that person as an additional insured to my auto policy, so that if there were any accidents, coverage would apply.

Laugh. After that check Insurance