Supplemental Transportation Programs for Seniors (STPs)

Communities that strive to help older adults remain mobile once they limit or stop driving benefit Communities thrive when they take action to help older adults who limit or stop driving stay mobile and connected to the families, friends and activities that bring meaning to their lives. Supplemental Transportation Programs for Seniors (STPs) are typically set up by local grassroots organizations or regional agencies to provide seniors with alternative transportation. Most are not affiliated with government and function independently, often staffed by volunteers and funded through grants and donations. The need for such community-based transportation programs to supplement existing public transportation is critical. Transitioning from the driver's seat to the passenger seat is not easy---for older drivers nor their families---but navigating this major life change is easier when available transportation options keep older adults in control.

"Best Practice" Programs & Resources

Independent Transportation Network® is a transportation service for older people that is designed to replicate the comfort and convenience of private automobile ownership. Profiled in the PBS documentary "Getting Around", ITN uses both paid and volunteer drivers to provide door-to -door service 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Volunteers carry packages, open doors, and offer a helping hand. Older people who use the service open personal transportation accounts and receive a statement, detailing their rides, once a month. Seniors who use the service may even trade their no longer used automobiles for rides. ITN is an affordable service supplementing reasonable fares with innovative payment programs that involve local merchants, volunteers, healthcare providers, and family. The original ITN® has operated in Portland, Maine, since 1995.

ITNAmerica is the non-profit organization created to help communities across the country replicate the successful ITN model in Maine. Twenty communities in three countries are now in the process of working on ITN replications. In the United States, ITN replications are starting in Santa Monica, California; Orlando, Florida; and Mercer County, New Jersey. For more information about how to start an ITN in your community, or to receive the free ITNAmerica newsletter, visit the website at http://www.itnamerica.org

TRIP, short for the Transportation Reimbursement and Information Project, is an award-winning transportation program that complements rail, fixed route and special public transportation services in Riverside County, Ca., by reimbursing volunteers to transport individuals where no transit service exists, or when the individual is too frail, ill, or unable to use public transportation for other reasons. http://www.livingpartnership.org/Transportation.htm

The Beverly Foundation uses its resources to expand and support transportation options for seniors and their caregivers so they can remain independent. Offers fact sheets, educational presentations and comprehensive reports. Topics include: The 5 A's of Senior Friendly Transportation, Transportation Alternatives for Seniors: High Cost Problems and Low Cost Solutions, Supplemental Transportation Programs for Seniors, and The Volunteer Friends Model. http://www.beverlyfoundation.org/faq.cfm

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, in partnership with the Beverly Foundation, offers a database of more than 400 supplemental transportation programs for seniors in the United States. Download the 92-page report: http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=STPII

Contact information on more than 300 STPs, listed by state and city: http://www.seniordrivers.org/STPs/profiles.cfm

Start an STP in your community! Find conceptual and practical methods to create useful transportation programs for seniors where you live. http://www.seniordrivers.org/STPs/

Transportation Solutions for Caregivers (TSC), an initiative spearheaded by Easters Seals and funded through the Administration on Aging's National Family Caregiver Support Program.TSC offers tools and resources to improve delivery of transportation services for older adults and their caregivers. TSC provides support in three key areas known to reduce the transportation burden on caregivers:safety, community-based alternatives, and education on accessing existing resources and services.http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_trans_care