on the cover

In the midst of a growing
transportation crisis, a new
option revs up for seniors.

tiwctiowwwoomfrooto*

SEPH OHL

lo p

1

JFS CEO Perry Ohren,

Transportation and

Translation Services

Director Alex Goldberg

and Department Director

of Older Adult Services

Yuliya Gaydayenko.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

with loved ones and seeing movies with
friends. But, about two years ago, she
made the difficult decision to give up her
car keys and stop driving because she has
macular degeneration, which impairs her
vision.
"I wasn't seeing
clearly enough, and I
didn't want to have an
accident:' Applebaum
says. "It's frustrating —
I was very independent
— I could go places by
myself without anybody,
Louise
if I just felt like going to
Applebaum
the mall or the Detroit
Institute of Arts or even
the movies. Now I have to wait for a ride
from somebody or ask somebody. That's
the most frustrating thing in the world."
Applebaum takes advantage of the
senior transportation services offered by
the city of Farmington Hills. She often
rides on a handicapped-accessible shuttle
that operates Monday-Friday from 8:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m. (for a suggested dona-
tion of $2 each way) and arranges to be
picked up at her door for things like gro-
cery shopping and doctor appointments.

Beyond that, she says she's blessed with
good friends and family members who
take her where she needs or wants to go.
"If I had to take the bus, I wouldn't even
know where to catch the bus. I'd probably
have to walk two miles to Maple Avenue
she says. "When I was young and I worked
downtown, they had buses and streetcars
all lined up; you never had to worry about
having a car. Now people wait two hours to
get a bus because they don't run on sched-
ule. They're cutting funding for this, that
and the other thing. But, the powers that
be don't understand this is the bread and
butter for people who need public trans-
portation. Our system stinks!"

Bus Cuts Coming
With roughly half the city of Detroit's fleet
of buses currently broken down and in the
shop, urban riders have been crying out
for help. Detroit leaders are in the midst of
addressing complaints about overcrowded
buses and buses that never come. Now,
suburban bus service is also taking a hit.
In mid-October, SMART announced it's
cutting service by 22 percent and laying
off 123 drivers, mechanics, dispatchers
and other workers. Some routes will be
eliminated; others will have less frequent

stops. Service hours will also be reduced
as of Dec. 12. SMART's ridership averages
about 40,000 daily, but revenue is down
and so is state and federal funding.
"For months, we've been negotiating
with the unions, and we've been unable to
reach concession agreements with them:'
SMART spokesperson Beth Gibbons told
local TV news stations. "Unfortunately, we
had to make this decision. We can't con-
tinue to pay money we don't have."
Southeast Michigan's growing transit
crisis is a major concern for the local
Jewish community. Among Detroit's aging
Jewish population of 65,000, some 30 per-
cent of residents are currently 60 or older.
"The numbers of
people over 65 in Metro
Detroit are going to
increase dramatically
in the next 10-20 years:'
says Robert Tell, presi-
dent of ITNMetroDetroit
(short for Independent
Robert Tell
Transportation Network).
The new nonprofit orga-
nization is working on a plan to provide
dignified, affordable rides to older adults
and the visually impaired for any purpose
24 hours a day.

"Even now, it's insufficient," he says.
"There just isn't enough transportation in
Oakland County."
Tell, 74, of Farmington Hills is the driv-
ing force behind ITNMetroDetroit. For
the last seven years, the retired hospital
administrator has been researching and
cobbling together a private transportation
solution out of fear that he might someday
end up feeling isolated.
"What if I want to go to the opera?
What if I want to go to a ballgame? What
if I want to play golf?" he says. "How am I
going to get around if I can't drive?"

In The Works
ITNMetroDetroit will be an affiliate of
ITNAmerica, a national network that start-
ed in Maine and now operates in 22 cities
across the country. They provide a fleet
of private, unmarked vehicles available to
give seniors rides around the clock, seven
days a week. "Somebody buys a member-
ship for $40 a year',' Tell explains. "They
set up a personal transportation account.
Money never changes hands. People can
donate their cars and get thousands of
dollars worth of credits, or they can buy
credits or earn credits in other ways. Then,
whatever rides they use during the month

Independence on page 14

12

November 10 • 2011