Independent Living Ridesharing Made Senior-Friendly! 12/31/2019 | By Terri L. Jones While you could sometimes use a ride after dark or to unfamiliar parts of town, you may never have even thought of the possibility of ridesharing. Services like Uber and Lyft are for the younger generations, right? Not necessarily. A plethora of services have sprung up to make ridesharing a more viable option for seniors. No Tech Needed When a young man offered to help his grandmother (who was a bit intimidated by technology) order rides from Lyft and Uber, her friends heard about it. From there, his favor to Grandma quickly snowballed into the business, Go Go Grandparent. With this service, you simply call an automated phone line; operators behind the scenes schedule your Uber or Lyft ride quickly and reliably for you. Learn more at GoGoGrandparent.com. More Attention and Greater Coverage Looking for a ride from those less densely populated areas where you’ll find fewer Uber and Lyft drivers? There are many volunteer driver programs around the country that venture beyond the city limits. These programs also offer a higher level of attention to riders: among them, someone to walk you to the door or wait for you at an appointment. Locate volunteer driver program in your area at The National Volunteer Transportation Center, an organization that provides resources to these programs. Accommodating Disabilities Uber is piloting several programs to accommodate those with disabilities; Lyft has added settings in its app for riders to request wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Some mass-appeal services are trying to do a better job of meeting the needs of disabled riders. Likewise, a couple of new apps are specifically targeting this niche market. SAFETRIP, which currently operates only in Georgia, allows users to book non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) and emergency medical transport (EMT) in cars, vans, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and ambulances. When SCOOT (Stronger Communities Through Open and Organized Transportation) launches, it will not only have vehicles to accommodate those with disabilities but also drivers who are trained to assist them. And we have even more transportation options here, when, similarly, driving is simply no longer an option. Take advantage of ridesharing services for a safer way to travel in 2020! Read More Terri L. Jones Terri L. Jones has been writing educational and informative topics for the senior industry for over 10 years, and is a frequent and longtime contributor to Seniors Guide.