Transportation Meeting Discusses Options for Seniors

By DAYNA DRUM | Reporter

Palisades Charter High School’s Gilbert Hall was filled with senior-aged Palisadians on Tuesday, March 1 to hear about transportation options that are available to them.

The meeting was organized by the Palisades Alliance for Seniors, a group that just formed a few months ago. Iris Kaphan started the meeting by explaining the purpose of the Alliance for Seniors group is “to make sure the Palisades remains welcoming as its residents age.”

Next Steve Lantz, one of the founders of the group, introduced a six-person panel, which took turns presenting various travel options for seniors in Pacific Palisades. Customer relations representative from the Big Blue Bus, William Mondragon, gave a short training session on how to use the Route 9 bus that services the Palisades and how to apply for a Senior TAP card.

As an alternative to the city buses, a representative from Access Services gave an overview of the services the company offers. To utilize the ride program, riders must be deemed eligible. Services are offered anywhere within three-quarters of a mile from an operating bus route. This, however, excludes some of the Palisades from service, requiring participants to travel to an area inside the service zone.

A representative from Luxe Home Care explained that their company is the only transportation option located directly in the Palisades. The service is one-on-one and drives to as far as Westwood.

Lilly Ortiz from LA Metro presented more options with public transit. Ortiz is the program coordinator for the On the Move Riders Club, a club for seniors to teach other seniors about using the Metro and to go on outings together. There are 33 active clubs around Los Angeles, with two in Santa Monica, Ortiz said.

Lantz then gave a brief summary of other options including Uber and Lyft, since representatives from the companies could not attend. A representative from HopSkipDrive was also in attendance, to promote their newly added senior service. The company has so far been specifically for children, but has recently moved into the senior market.

The meeting ended with comments and questions from the audience about improvements that could be made for senior travel in the Palisades. Potential solutions to some of the voiced concerns will be presented at the next meeting on March 23, also at Pali High.