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Transportation Needs
- Translink Notice: South Vancouver Bus Route Changes as of June 27th. More here
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House has partnered with Better at Home providing Transportation Services for seniors in South Vancouver. Please click here to our Better at Home page for more information on how to access services.
Better at Home is a program designed to help seniors live independently in their homes by providing simple, non-medical support services, such as light housekeeping and transportation to seniors living in the South Vancouver area.
Services are charged on a sliding scale based on income. The program is delivered through a partnership between the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH), Progressive
Intercultural Community Services (PICS), funding by the Government of BC and managed by the United Way of the Lower Mainland.
Below info is a history of the Seniors Hub work related to seniors' transportation issues in South Vancouver, BC.
Thank You to all...
Click to Enlarge Image
who attended our recent celebration, Exploring Seniors Transportation Solutions Through Digital Stories by Seniors last Sat, April 20th at Sunset Community Centre - a great time was had by all! (See slideshow below)
The 15 digital stories (DVD) presented accounted very honest and moving personal stories about the many diverse transportation challenges experienced by South Van Seniors. We have now uploaded and posted the videos:
• Exploring Seniors Transportation Solutions Through Digital Stories - DVD Video page
We will also post an update about our work on the Transportation issues affecting seniors in South Vancouver soon.
The 15 digital stories (DVD) presented accounted very honest and moving personal stories about the many diverse transportation challenges experienced by South Van Seniors. We have now uploaded and posted the videos:
• Exploring Seniors Transportation Solutions Through Digital Stories - DVD Video page
We will also post an update about our work on the Transportation issues affecting seniors in South Vancouver soon.
Many thanks to...
Click to visit site
A Slideshow of Our Celebration...
Exploring Seniors Transportation Solutions Through Digital Stories by Seniors, Saturday, April 20, 2013 at Sunset Community Centre
- photos by carol weaver creative
- photos by carol weaver creative
Watch this digital stories video 'From Here to There - Seniors' Transportation Issues in South Vancouver about Mohinder's story - she shares her own (and her friend's) ongoing challenges with how difficult it is to navigate around the city as an older adult. "The bus ride is not long but the wait is long." - Mohinder
Transportation Needs for Seniors of Southeast Vancouver
The Seniors Hub Transportation Solutions for Seniors
Providing Seniors with Alternative Transportation Assistance in South Vancouver by David Wu
Our ability to move freely is integral to our fundamental right to liberty. However, the lack of adequate transportation has placed a serious constraint on the ability of the estimated 16,000 seniors in the South Vancouver area to move from point A to point B in the community.
The advocacy group Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) has estimated that adults 65+ in South Vancouver need over 13 million rides in a year, and almost 8 million of those rides are being unmet by current services. With the population aging rapidly, these needs are set to double in the next 15 years – with over 25 million rides a year needed by 2027, and 14.5 million of those rides being unmet.
The need for better transportation services for seniors in Southeast Vancouver is urgent.
This article explores how two other communities have taken it upon themselves to tackle their unmet demand for transportation, and compares these models with what is being pursued in South Vancouver.
Just north of the South Vancouver area, the Community Action for Seniors’ Independence (CASI) operates a shuttle bus service out of Renfrew-Collingwood Neighbourhood House. The shuttle is run 3 times a day, going right to the door to seniors who have booked a ride. Seniors make donations of $1-2 for each ride and the shuttle bus is a rented Dodge Caravan from the carsharing co-op Modo.
Costs are low since CASI does not have to buy the vehicle, the insurance, or gas. As it does not run a regular route and it does not collect fares, the shuttle is not legally considered an “independent transit service”, thus avoiding the potentially prohibitive act of obtaining Translink’s permission to operate pursuant to the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Act. While this is a good model for the Renfrew-Collingwood community, it may not be a good fit for South Vancouver.
A minivan has a low capacity and it is also not wheelchair accessible. South Vancouver is roughly three times the size of Renfrew-Collingwood, and the CASI shuttle system may simply operate at too small a scale for South Vancouver’s needs.
One senior transit model that services an area closer to the size of South Vancouver is the North Shore Seniors Go Bus operating out of Silver Harbour Seniors Activity Centre. This is a similar model to the CASI shuttle (in fact, the CASI shuttle was modeled after the Go Bus), running 3 days a week with door-to-door service. The major difference is that the Go Bus operates a 16-seater, wheel-chair accessible bus, allowing them to serve about 45 riders per day.
Of course, one of the drawbacks of operating a large bus is the high cost, and in August 2010, the Go Bus was in danger of shutting down due to lack of funding. However, the response for the Go Bus had been so positive that seniors were outraged and protested for more funding, garnering enough local media and publicity to save the shuttle.
The South Vancouver Seniors Hub is continuing the work of the Seniors Council who have held consultations with seniors over the years. Seniors clearly cite transportation as a barrier to participation in local activities, getting groceries and attending appointments. HandyDART, with its 2-3 day advance request, is not appropriate for emergency trips and appointments. Seniors’ feedback suggested that a community shuttle bus would work and three shuttle routes were developed with their consultation.
The three proposed routes are:
1) Originating in the Fraserlands and forming a loop around Kerr Street, 54th Ave. and Champlain Crescent. This route would go to Champlain Heights Community Centre up to Champlain Mall, Killarney Community Center on 49th Ave, and over to South Vancouver Neighbourhood House.
2) Originating in the Fraserlands and forming a loop around Victoria Dr., 54th Ave., Elliot Street, and Marine Drive. This route would serve the Harrison bus loop, the Boys and Girls Club, and Douglas School.
3) Originating at South Vancouver Neighborhood House, and forming a loop to Holy Family Hospital on Argyle, to Sunset Community Centre on Main and 53rd Ave., down to the Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre and Marine Drive, then back north on Elliot Street.
On November 7, 2012, the Seniors Hub piloted the potential routes with over 25 seniors to determine if there would be sufficient ridership to run a shuttle service. The biggest challenges to implementing this shuttle service may be securing the adequate funding to maintain the service, and potential hiccups with Translink if the shuttle is deemed an “independent transit service”. Seniors in the South Vancouver area will no doubt be eager for any updates regarding this new service.
It is hoped that we will have sufficient information in early 2013 to identify the most appropriate transportation solution for seniors. (continued below photo...)
For further updates, please come back to this page and to participate in our Transportation survey, please fill out at bottom of this page.
Above: On November 7, 2012, The Seniors
Hub piloted the proposed shuttle service.
No matter how the South Vancouver seniors shuttle turns out, advocacy for better senior’s transportation should not cease.
The shuttle service will only be able to provide for a fraction of the millions of unmet rides that seniors need. Continued pressure on TransLink needs to be applied to increase their bus routes in the area (the lack of East-West routes except the 49) and to improve schedules of existing routes and services like the HandyDART.
Alternative transportation services will also need to be developed. Ideas like a regional shuttle network between senior centers and community centers in the area may not only help seniors get around, but may also increase connectedness within the community.
This is not just an ethical question of having the moral obligation to alleviate constraints on one’s right to mobility, it is also a social question of health and safety. The seniors having unmet demands for rides are the ones becoming increasingly isolated, leading to negative mental and physical health outcomes. The inability to get around is detrimental to a person’s ability to engage with the community, and ultimately detrimental to their quality of life.
For further updates, please come back to this page and to participate in our survey, please fill out below: (scroll right hand blue bar for full survey of 10 questions and when complete, please click the 'Next" button at end.) Thank You!
Transportation Needs Survey
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Thank you!
New Horizons - Government of Canada
- This project was funded by the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors.
