Then she heard about ITN Central Connecticut, a volunteer driving service that charges less than taxis. The service requires passengers to pay in advance through individual accounts so that no money changes hands during rides.
Volunteer drivers would pick Leonard up at 5:30 in the afternoon for her class once a week scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and bring her home from the Trinity College campus by 9:30 at night. The cost was $13 roundtrip compared with $22 for a cab. “And you can’t count on the cab.” Leonard says. ITN Central Connecticut “took a real interest in what I was doing,” she says. They “added so much to the experience.” Over time, Leonard became friends with her driver, retired lawyer John Lemega and his wife, Jill.
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ITN Central Connecticut, part of ITN America, Independent Transportation Network of America, also charges a membership fee of $40 per year for an individual person and $65 for a family.
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The ease in finding and employing drivers, whether to drive your vehicle or their own, depends on your location. The cost “varies so widely from state to state, city to city,” Eckford says.
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The Village to Village Network has 250 members, and the website provides a map of villages in the U.S. by ZIP Code.
Transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping and routine errands is the most requested service. Village members are those who prefer to stay in their own homes rather than move to an active adult community, continuing care retirement community or independent living.
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Other resources include Rides in Sight, the National Volunteer Transportation Center (Community Transportation (ctaa.org)) and Walkscore.
No license, no problem — check out these options for seniors who no longer drive