On Senior Transportation, Destination Unclear

As Test of Scaled-Down Program Meets Mixed Reviews, County Officials Hold Off on Next Step

Getting to the Prince William Senior Center at Woodbridge for his daily dose of bridge and Texas hold 'em has become a bit more of a challenge for 76-year-old Douglas Burnett.

The free bus the county provided to senior citizens has disappeared because of budget cuts, forcing Burnett to dig into his pockets and turn to cabs for the five- to six-mile journey if he wants to get in his card games.

"Before, the bus picked me up right from my house; it was very convenient, and I liked that a lot better," Burnett said. "But I go by cab now because I like the senior center and the ladies there always look for me to come."

During the fiscal 2010 budget process, the county cut its contribution to the senior citizen transportation program from $250,000 to $100,000, forcing the Prince William Area Agency on Aging to eliminate four positions and a small fleet of vans it had to take people to senior centers and adult day care.

The agency has since tried to reinvent the program and kicked off a pilot program in July meant to help keep part of the region's aging population mobile while officials came up with a more permanent solution.

On Tuesday, agency Director Courtney Tierney briefed the board on the program, and although there was a motion by Supervisor Frank J. Principi (D-Woodbridge) to move $210,000 from the county's contingency fund to transportation services, the board decided not to take action until after its Oct. 27 budget retreat.

"Senior transportation is an ongoing expense, and he proposed solving the problem with one-time funds," said board Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large). "We just started this new program, and we realize there are some problems, but we need time to work it out."

The pilot program provides participating seniors with either daily Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission bus passes or $1 to $5 vouchers to be used with Manassas Cab or Yellow Cab. But it is up to participants to arrange cab services or get to a bus stop.

In fiscal 2009, Tierney said, 158 people used the senior center transportation at a cost of $968 per year per client. The buses picked people up at their homes and transferred them only to and from the centers in Woodbridge and Manassas and the agency's adult day care. The pilot program, however, gives its 49 participants free rein as to where they want to go.

Tierney said she selected clients for the pilot program from a pool of people who had recently used the agency's transportation service. To participate, clients had to be 55 or older and unable to drive and have an income of less than $30,000 if single or less than $40,000 for couples. Assets were not evaluated, she said.

"The cab companies, which are licensed through you, have been excellent with which to work," Tierney told the board. "PRTC has also been responsive and helpful. The board invests heavily in PRTC and provides due diligence on taxicab service, so this seems like a good partnership."

Some seniors, however, told the board Tuesday that they are not happy with the change. Seniors said the free bus was something they could count on daily to get them out of the house and socializing with others. Drivers were friendly and patient, they said -- something that is not always the case with public transit.

"It is absolutely absurd for seniors to use a cab or stand on a corner to catch the PRTC bus," Brentsville resident Mary Loren said. Drivers "don't have the time or patience for riders with walkers . . . and bad hips."

Because seniors only get part of the fare in vouchers, Burnett said he has paid nearly $200 out of pocket since July for him and his 77-year-old brother to get to the senior center. The PRTC bus would be cheaper, he said, but he can't walk to the stop, which is about a mile from his home.

Tierney said the pilot program is meant only to be a "short-term fix," while a committee of transportation officials, representatives from the senior community and others hash out a new plan with the help of a $200,000 grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and $50,000 in local money and in-kind contributions.

Principi said his main concern now is to get residents to and from the senior centers for the rest of the fiscal year, not necessarily around town to shop or run errands. The committee will plan out a long-term solution and come up with creative ways to move people under tight budgets, he said.

"I think it is a little short-sighted to just terminate the bus system," he said. "Now we need to reconsider not whether to restore the system but how best to do it."