By Chandelle Martel / GWB School of Social Work - Washington University - Transportation options in the St. Louis region may soon become very challenging for older adults and others who depend on Metro transit. These new challenges are due to the failure of Proposition M, the recent Metro Transit half cent sales tax expansion initiative. According to Metro Board of Commissioners Strategic Planning committee, drastic changes in the city’s Metrolink and Call-A-Ride programs must be made to address a $50 million predicted deficit in the operating budget of FY 2010.

The committee is recommending service cutbacks of between 11-26% in the Call-A-Ride program, with no routes outside of the I-270 boundary. By applying these proposed cutbacks to FY 2007 data, this would represent a loss of between 73,000 to 172,600 rides. A loss of this magnitude would cause substantial hardship for many seniors who cannot access other public services for their transportation needs. Many older adults cannot access transportation services, such as Metrolink or the Bi State bus, due to physical limitations that prevent them from getting to a stop, waiting at a stop or boarding/unboarding public transportation vehicles. According to the 2001 National Household Transportation survey, 90% of all trips taken by older adults occur with door-to-door transportation. Only 1.3 of daily trips taken by seniors are on fixed route transit services such as Metrolink or BiState due to physical limitations, and the need by older adults to travel to medical appointments and other necessary trips at off peak times. Additionally, other projected overall cutbacks to Bi-State and Metrolink will increase the demand for Call-A-Ride services by riders who have not traditionally relied on Call-A-Ride.

Call-A-Ride is one of the few options available to older adults for recreational transportation and shopping. Many seniors in the area rely on church or grant-funded transportation services for their medically necessary travel. These programs will also be affected due to a national climate of cutbacks in services. Social service agencies and private charities will most likely not be able to absorb the increasing need for older adult transportation.

This inability of area providers to serve the transportation needs of seniors will increase isolation for millions in the area. Lack of transportation is cited as the number one reason for isolation in the older adult population. Research has linked isolation to decreased quality of life, increased health concerns, increased health service usage, increased institutionalization and even increased mortality rates of seniors.

While Metro has held, and will continue to hold, public forums to allow riders to express feedback concerning the proposed cutbacks, many older adults are unable to attend these meetings due to lack of transportation or health conditions. The existing transportation disparity will only increase unless there is adequate representation of older adult voices at these meetings. Social service agencies must continue to educate their clients concerning this issue. Social service agencies, family caregivers and older adults must ban together to safeguard crucial Call-A-Ride services and maintain some transportation choice for area seniors.