NY: Transportation for older adults to expand

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday, Aug. 29 that New York’s partnership with the transportation service GoGoGrandparent is expanding.

A news release stated that the state’s GoGo partnership would be adding 24,000 rides. The state Office for the Aging and its local offices for the aging administer the program in counties throughout the state. Starting in 2022, the GoGo partnership has provided 24,000 additional rides for older individuals through local offices.

According to its website, “GoGoGrandparent is the first on-demand ride, delivery and care service designed to help aging adults continue to live independently.” Through its NYSOFA partnership, 32 county-based offices for the aging have begun implementing the program at different stages. Most trips are local, with a 2.86 mile median, the news release stated.

“Our unique and innovative transportation models will build on our commitment to ensuring that every New Yorker — regardless of age or mobility — can live with independence, dignity, and connection,” Hochul said in a statement. “By expanding our partnership with GoGoGrandparent, we are delivering real solutions that break down barriers, reduce isolation, and empower older adults to stay active in their communities.”

Heather Collier, the director of the Chenango County Area Agency on Aging, said Chenango County began utilizing the program last year. GoGo often uses Uber services, she said, and the county does not have a lot of them available. Collier said about $10,000 was allocated for the county originally.

The agency had to look for vendors, like a local taxis or other providers, to connect with GoGo. The funding, Collier added, went directly from the state Office of the Aging to GoGo, but was “earmarked for our county.”

“On average, we get several calls a day from older adults trying to figure out transportation needs,” Collier said. “Some don’t drive anymore, but (there is) also the need for transportation, the lack of access. We were looking for ways to help assist with transportation in our community for our older adults.”

Partnering with a few local transportation providers to participate in the GoGo partnership, Collier said the agency has been working with Mobile Life Transport — a Sherburne-based transportation service — some Uber drivers and some individuals in the county who expressed interest in driving through GoGo.

With little available public transportation in the county, Collier added that the agency uses a lot of the funding it has received through GoGo. The majority of the older individuals looking for rides are under Medicare, not Medicaid, so they cannot use Medicaid service rides, she said.

Much of GoGo’s mission, Collier said, is to provide rides for older adults, making strides to counter social isolation and transport them to medical appointments, pharmacies and grocery stores, among other places. Since the agency began using the program, it has given about 500 rides to our older adults in the community through GoGo.

It can be difficult to afford certain modes of transportation on a fixed income, Collier said. The program is free for adults aged 60 or older who register with their local office for the aging.

GoGo’s mission is to “help people age and thrive independently and confidently at hom,” its website stated. Drivers are screened in advance to ensure vehicle accessibility.

“Hopefully we will be able to increase the number of rides that can be provided,” Collier said. “Transportation is a significant barrier for our older adults for independence in our community. By having GoGoGrandparent available, it helps address that issue. It gives safe and reliable rides.”

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