Get Affordable Transportation Options for Older Adults

Your independence is an important part of your overall health. Having transportation is essential for staying connected with family and friends and enjoying everyday activities. Reliable transportation is vital to run errands, visit the doctor and get your prescriptions. Not being able to get to the doctor can make it hard to get the check-ups and preventative care you need to remain healthy.

Lack of transportation can make you miss social events, which isolates you from your community and increases your risk of depression, anxiety and cognitive decline. During a study where 150 older adults had free rides for three months, 90% of participants reported a better quality of life, while 66% saw a boost in their social lives.

According to AARP, 77% of older adults want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. Having the ability to get around is key to being able to do that and continue to live an independent lifestyle. As people get older, they might realize it’s time to give up driving and find other transportation options.

Luckily, there is a variety of services and programs to help seniors who no longer drive. Let’s dive into how to find transportation options in your area.

Explore your local public transportation

Many areas have public transportation options, where special accommodations can be made for seniors or people with disabilities.

• Reduced public transportation fees: Your area might have public bus, train or light-rail options; check your local transportation listings to find the schedules. Most public transportation offers older adults a discount when they ride.
• Paratransit options: Thanks to the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act, areas that have public transportation must also have paratransit rides for individuals with disabilities who can't use regular buses or trains. With paratransit, they'll pick you up and drop you off right at the curb. You can also bring a personal care attendant if you need one. While it’s not free, the fare can’t be more than twice the cost of a regular transit fare.
• Contact your local transportation department: Check online to find contact information for your local transportation department to explore other options in your region. Even if your area doesn’t have a scheduled bus or rail system, your local transportation department could set you up with other alternatives.

Find services in your area

There are several national services that can help you find free or low-cost transportation programs in your area.

• Call 2-1-1: Dial 2-1-1 on your phone or visit the 211 website to find local resources and services in your community. 211 provides resources including help paying bills, caregiver resources, food programs, mental and substance-use help and more, including free or low-cost transportation services for older adults.
• Use the Eldercare locator: Visit Eldercare and enter your ZIP code to get a list of transportation options. Or call 1-800-677-1116 to speak with a specialist who can help you find local options in your area.
• Explore Rides in Sight: Rides in Sight^TM is another great information and referral service that helps older and visually impaired adults find local transportation programs. Visit Rides in Sight to search by ZIP code, state or county to discover services in your area.
• Benefits Checkup: This is another online tool that connects older adults and people with disabilities to benefit programs for healthcare, medicine, food, utilities and transportation assistance. Go to BenefitsCheckup and enter your ZIP code to find services around you.

Discover local volunteer programs

Your neighborhood may have volunteer programs you don’t know about. Check in with local churches to see if congregation members can help with running errands or visiting the doctor. Contact senior centers to see if they can direct you to transportation services.

Finally, you can check out this Google Maps guide to find free rides through the Volunteer Driver Programs in your state.

Ask around your community

Sometimes the easiest way to find transportation options is to ask. Check in with your family, friends and neighbors to see if there is anyone available to help. Maybe your neighbor would be happy to take you grocery shopping next time they go. Or a friend is already going to the same social event you are.

Ask around to see if a high schooler or a college student would like to make some extra money by helping you run errands. You might discover a great match by talking to people in your community.

Use discounts on rideshares

Your area might have Uber or Lyft, where people download an app on their phone to schedule rides through the app. But you don’t need a smartphone to be able to access these services.

Uber: Now people can call 1 (833) USE-UBER to order an Uber ride with a landline. With Uber Health, seniors can get discounted or free rides to doctor’s appointments.

Lyft: Through Best Buy Health, Lyft users can get a Lively Jitterbug phone, which offers an operator-assisted way to book a Lyft ride. Through Lyft’s LyftUp program, seniors can get discounted rides to the grocery store. Lyft also has free or discounted rides through the previously mentioned 211 information line.

Through Gogograndparent, you can call 1 (855) 464-6872 to order a ride through Uber or Lyft. You can also use it to arrange deliveries, including medications, groceries or food delivery. Gogograndparent offers different membership plans for these services.

Ilumed benefits includes transportation to the doctor

As part of ilumed’s patient-centered care, we offer a variety of services to make it easy to get the help you need. We provide social workers, case managers and member outreach specialists to help you get personalized support. Our member outreach specialists will set you up with free transportation to and from the doctor or rides to the pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions if you need them.

Check out what some of our ilumed members have to say about the ilumed transportation benefits.

“They (the ilumed team) were wonderful. It was a godsend. ilumed helped me a lot. It's nice to know I can depend on rides when I need it. Milka (my member outreach specialist) was wonderful, just wonderful. She treated me fairly and like we knew each other already.”

-Angelita, ilumed beneficiary

She (my ilumed case manager) checked on me a couple times right after I got out of the hospital. She checked on my medication and told me it was ready to pick up at the pharmacy and asked if I needed transportation. I’m lucky enough that I don’t, but it’s great that you offer it for people who don’t have transportation.” 

-Joseph, ilumed beneficiary 

Discover how ilumed can help you

Helping you get to the doctor or travel to pick up your medications is just one way ilumed is helping our members live better lives. Contact us today to discover all the ways ilumed provides you with holistic healthcare.