Everyone Needs Transportation
by Amy Spiegel
Having transportation in the United States is usually taken for granted whether that transportation is a car or mass transit options. For rural people, seniors who can no longer drive and some people with disabilities, having a car or using mass transit may not be affordable or accessible options.
With the price of the car being but the first cost, owning a car has become very expensive. The sales tax (in applicable states), registration, mandatory insurance, basic maintenance and, of course, gas. If the car is an older used car then the maintenance costs may be higher, the resale value lower and the cost of a break down can be beyond the owner’s means to fix it, so the car becomes side-lined and the owner stranded.
Social service agencies, senior services and transition and/or workfare agencies often make appointments or referrals. Yet, the transportation to get to the new offices is not considered until the day before the appointment. For those who don’t drive and have difficulty walking distances, even using public transportation to get to an appointment can be difficult-providing that appointment is even close to a route.
Some argue that as long as one has two functional legs, that person has transportation. Walking with groceries,though, or laundry any great distance is difficult even for a young person with strong legs . For a senior or a person with a disability who has poor leg muscles or problems with the summer heat, carrying even light groceries can be so difficult that the person would rather not leave the house.
For those who do not have access to transportation-especially seniors who live alone with no family members nearby-isolation is very a real dilemma. Isolation can occur in urban as well as rural areas. Working in your community to prevent isolation of community members by increasing transportation options helps everyone in that community.
Let us know what you are doing to increase transportation options in your community!
