I may not be able to walk as far or as fast as I used to, but it will be a sad day if I lose the ability to drive my car. I do not have a spouse, my kids live one tunnel and two bridges away, and I covet my independence.
For seniors living south of the Fraser River who have to rely on our transit system, attending an appointment in the city is like planning a trek to outer Mongolia. A 15-minute doctor’s appointment downtown can take four to six hours return, often waiting for buses in bad weather.
My wish is for TransLink to bring back the South Delta 601 express bus to Vancouver, and in North Delta, a community shuttle to connect seniors and others directly to the Scott Road SkyTrain station.
Isobel MacKenzie, the BC Seniors Advocate, just released her latest report titled Seniors Transportation - Affordable, Appropriate and Available. The report lists 15 recommendations to improve existing systems and services, all of which can be found on the advocate’s website.
Recommendation number 15 is a new idea that takes a page from the Uber/Lyft model and integrates it into our current home support services. It reads: “The government work with the health authorities and the affected unions to establish a community drives program that will be administered through the home support program in all areas of British Columbia. The principles of access and equity that are enshrined in the home and community care program should be applied.”
In other words, expand the home support program to include drivers who will be paid for their time and mileage. These could include current support workers who want to work more hours than their split shifts between mornings and evenings. Drivers would be vetted for criminal records, driving abstracts, vehicles and insurance. They would also get basic training in transferring frail clients to and from their destinations.
The current Taxi-Saver program, which the provincial government subsidizes, saves lower-income seniors 50 per cent if they are registered with HandyDART. A one-hour taxi ride is about $100. A one-hour publicly funded home support worker can cost less than $38. It’s a win-win.
Taxi drivers don’t have to accept the 50 per cent off coupons and many don’t like picking up the frail elderly because of the time it takes to complete their rides. Having trained drivers dedicated to this demographic is a good idea, from an economic standpoint and for the safety, security and socialization of our most vulnerable citizens.
Other benefits to having home support drivers matched to clients are the relationships that develop. A driver might be booked for two or three hours a week to take their client to appointments, shopping or visiting a friend. For many isolated seniors with mobility problems, this weekly outing would be a highlight. It also assists friends and family who may not be able to volunteer much time. But those volunteers should get a tax break for mileage costs.
If we are serious about supporting seniors to stay longer in their homes, services need to be available for all income levels. In the meantime, let’s get bathrooms into SkyTrain stations and transit exchanges, and please bring back the 601 express bus to downtown. Commuters and seniors would love that.
ML Burke retired from the health sector to work on issues such as affordable housing. She sits on the Delta Seniors Planning Team and the B.C. Seniors Advocate’s Advisory Council.
