| Getting
Around Not Always Easy for Elderly, Disabled |
By Bill Wohlfeld
Observer Staff Writer |
| Attention all readers who want to be a millionaire. Senior
Focus has just broken Regis Philbin's secret code and can
reveal that the next million-dollar question will be: "True
or False: The shortest distance between two points is a straight
line?" |
| Before you give your final answer, be forewarned this is
a trick question. For senior citizens and disabled persons
dependent on public transportation, the correct answer is
"Sometimes," "It depends" or "Are
you kidding?" |
| To understand such a nebulous response, it's helpful to
know what it means to be totally dependent on public transportation.
Imagine yourself housebound and unable to drive or get to
a bus to go to the grocery store, your doctor, or the innumerable
other places most of us usually take for granted as easily
accessible. |
| The problem of providing public transportation services
for the elderly and disabled was the subject of a recent meeting
in Reston attended by officials of three Fairfax area agencies
responsible for such services. |
| They reported that the county offers various options to
help persons access existing systems or paratransit alternatives.
Each option's major elements are summarized below. Because
each differs in services provided and eligibility requirements,
they should be contacted for more details or clarification
to find what best meets individual needs. |
| MetroAccess. This is a public transportation service sponsored
by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Curb-to-curb service is provided but the driver cannot assist
riders to or from the vehicle. Rides are shared, so allow
extra time for pick-up and arrival. Reservations are required
and eligibility must be certified in advance. The fare is
$2.20 per trip. Call 301-562-5360 or 800-523-7009. |
| Fastran. Fairfax County provides paratransit service through
a private contractor. It's restricted to county residents
who aren't able to drive or use Metrorail or Metrobus to reach
medical or social service agency appointments, essential shopping
needs, and county senior centers. Transportation isn't provided
to work or school. Drivers assist riders boarding and leaving.
Most riders aren't charged a fare. Phone: 703-222-9764. |
| Metrorail and Metrobus. Both of these are accessible to
the elderly and disabled who are able to get to Metrorail
stations or a Metrobus stop. Metrorail stations have elevators
and, if needed, Metrobus will dispatch a bus with a special
lift. The regular fair is reduced 50 percent for seniors (age
65 and over and for certified disabled persons). Seniors can
get a discount card at the public library but the disabled
card is available only at the Metro offices at 600 Fifth St.,
N.W., D.C. Phone 202-962-1825 for full details. |
| Fairfax Connector. Provides bus service in the Dulles Corridor
to connect to Metrorail and Metrobus. Most buses have wheelchair
lifts. Fares are discounted 50 percent for qualified seniors
and disabled who have a WMATA ID or Medicare Card. Phone:
703-339-7200. |
| RIBS. Reston Internal Bus System is our hometown transit
service. It crisscrosses all of Reston and downtown Herndon,
stopping at assisted living facilities, shopping centers,
and Reston Hospital, and connects to express bus service to
Metrorail in Falls Church. Its buses have wheelchair lifts.
The fare is 25 cents for qualified seniors and disabled. For
info, phone 703-339-7200. |
| LINK. If all these options get overwhelming, not to worry.
LINK can help you figure out the best way to get where you
have to go in the greater Reston-Herndon area. On almost any
day, you can spot Karl Ingerbritsen, Reston pioneer and founder
and CEO of LINK, distributing bus schedules at the Reston
library and at all super markets. All services are free. Just
phone 703-435-5465. |
| In assessing the efficiency of Fairfax County paratransit
programs, participants at the Reston meeting admitted limitations
exist due to budget restrictions, problems of traffic congestion
and because some are shared rides. All of these factors contribute
to delays or cancellations in scheduled pick- ups and arrivals. |
| A first-hand account of these problems was given by J. Neel
Ellis, a Reston resident and wheelchair user of the services.
He related his personal frustrations in long waits and missed
appointments, especially when trying to use MetroAccess. But
this problem isn't limited only to Fairfax County. |
| The Washington Post recently printed a poignant letter from
a Maryland mother whose adult daughter suffers from neurological
disabilities and had to wait more than an hour and a half
in the rain for a ride that never showed up. Another reader
reported marathon rides because contract drivers are frequently
unfamiliar with the area or because they had to take circuitous
routes in order to pick up and drop off other riders. |
| The county is making commendable efforts to meet the needs
of the elderly and disabled who must rely on paratransit.
But much more must be done to improve the quality of their
lives. Officials at the Reston meeting were optimistic that
transportation will improve with expected Metrorail service
to Tysons Corner by 2006 and to Dulles-Loudoun County by 2010.
|
| They didn't explain, however, how extended rail lines would
help the elderly and disabled if they're unable to get to
the Metrorail stations or Metrobus stops. |
| In this era of suburban-exurban sprawl, one doesn't have
to be a Regis quiz-whiz in search of a million-dollar prize
to understand why the shortest distance between two points
isn't always a straight line for the elderly and disabled. |
