SOLANA BEACH — The City Council agreed to move forward with a free transportation program for seniors in the city of Solana Beach on Wednesday, and will be applying for additional funding from SANDAG with the goal of expanding the program in the future.
Nonprofit Jewish Family Service of San Diego will operate the program, offering free rides to local seniors ages 65 and older to places like the grocery store, pharmacy, doctor’s office, dentist, library, beach, and senior center.
The six-month pilot program will begin in June and operate two days per week — Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Solana Beach has been planning a program of this kind for several years as part of its Age Friendly Action Plan, which focuses on mobility with dignity. Residents 65 and older make up nearly 27% of Solana Beach’s population, outnumbering the amount of children in the community, according to U.S. Census Data.
“This is something we’ve been talking about for a long time, so it’s pretty exciting that it’s before us at this time,” City Councilmember Jewel Edson said.
The program is demand-responsive but is not considered on-demand, city staff said, and rides can be booked via a call center up to five days in advance. Rides will be provided by a combination of volunteers and JFS staff drivers as well as Uber Health and Lyft Healthcare subcontractors.
Solana Beach will pay $82,538 to JFS for the six-month pilot, and will apply for additional funding to continue the program through SANDAG’s Flexible Fleets grant.
Flexible Fleets can provide funds for enhanced pilot programs, defined as a continuation and modification of a service that is currently operating.
Solana Beach plans to launch the pilot program and then apply for up to $500,000 in Flexible Fleets funding to expand it further, possibly opening it to more people beyond seniors, expanding the number of days or service area, or introducing low fares to make it more financially sustainable.
“We believe that the six-month pilot with JFS, if approved by the council, will set the city up for success in applying for this enhanced pilot,” said city Sustainability Manager Nicole Grucky.
The city conducted online and in-person outreach with local seniors, who the city refers to as mature adults, to gather feedback about their local transit needs and to help shape the program.
Grucky said the majority of respondents ages 55 and older rely on a personal car for transportation and rarely use public transit. There are public transportation options running north to south along the coast, but fewer that go east to west.
While people can get around the city with ride share apps like Uber and Lyft, some older adults surveyed said they don’t own smartphones or don’t feel comfortable navigating apps for booking rides.
Many respondents also said they would like to have a service where the driver is comfortable carrying their groceries to the car and into the house for them.
Over the next month, JFS will begin sharing information about the senior transportation program throughout the community to prepare for its launch.
County resident Cesar Javier, who speaks frequently at municipal meetings throughout the county, said timely and efficient transportation for older adults is important, and encouraged the council to support the program.
“We are now in our twilight years,” Javier said. “The builders of our city, Solana, are brave and patriotic, many of them soldiers, civilian workers, farmworkers, business workers. They built the city and now they are aging. It is just, moral justification to provide the maximum, the adequate, timely, efficient, effective, mobility transportation.”
City staff said JFS was the top choice to operate the program out of five respondents to the city’s request for proposals, due to their years of experience providing senior transportation in the county.
“They have been providing transportation to older adults in San Diego County, including contracts with jurisdictions, for over two decades and come with very positive references,” Grucky said. “They also have an existing call center and dispatch platform that Solana Beach will be able to utilize. This addresses the concerns from members about not having to rely on an app and a smartphone to book a service.”
Those with a mobility device such as a wheelchair or walker can advise JFS when they request a ride, to ensure the vehicle is equipped to meet their needs.
Councilmember Jill MacDonald has been supporting this initiative both in her council role and as a director with local senior-serving organization Solana Beach Community Connections. She said she was pleased to make the motion to approve the pilot program.
