Dignified Transportation For Seniors
In 1988, Kathy Freund was the mother of a 3-year-old boy living in Portland when she experienced an event that would be horrifying and unimaginable to any parent—her son was run over by a car driven by an 84-year-old man who did not realize that he had hit a child. The accident left the young boy critically injured and in a coma, causing unthinkable pain and heartache to everyone involved in this tragic situation.
Remarkably, this story has a happy ending.
Kathy’s son eventually emerged from his coma, recovered from his injuries, grew up, and attended college. But through it all, Kathy learned that what happened to her son is the result of a growing crisis in our nation: Americans are living longer, and while their ability to drive safely diminishes in their older years, they often have no choice but to continue to drive to reach destinations that are necessary for their everyday living.
This problem is particularly acute in states such as Maine , which have a high proportion of elderly citizens living in rural communities with little or no public transportation systems.
Rather than dwell in the anger and sadness that resulted from the accident that nearly took the life of her young son, Kathy instead recognized the dire need for older Americans to have better access to alternative transportation so they can maintain their independence and reach destinations that are crucial for daily living. She turned a negative situation into a positive one by founding the “Independent Transportation Network,” which has proven to be an extraordinary success in Portland . Now the idea is taking hold in other communities across the nation. Kathy’s vision was always to make ITN a national model. Her dream was realized last year when ITNAmerica was launched.
The concept behind ITN and ITNAmerica is simple but innovative. It operates like a taxi service for senior citizens, which riders can use 24 hours a day to reach any local destination they chose. The rides cost about $7.50, but the cost is even lower if riders schedule trips in advance or share rides with others. Riders can also obtain credit toward future rides by donating their cars that they no longer use. The program is operated by volunteers, some of who are family members of those who rely on the service, and by paid staff.
But the program does so much more than help seniors get to the grocery story, pharmacy, or to a doctor’s appointment, it helps them to maintain an independent lifestyle where they are not completely dependent upon loved ones, friends, and neighbors for transportation. In addition, the program allows its participants to stay active in their communities.
There are about 1,000 individuals in the Portland area who regularly use the program, including June Snowe of Falmouth . June has been using ITN since 1996. She drove her car for many years while using ITN to supplement her driving. But she eventually traded her car for rides when she realized that continuing to drive could jeopardize her safety and that of others. She is a well-respected and active volunteer in her community, and ITN has enabled her to continue her work that is so beneficial to her community.
ITN has been such a success that other communities around the nation are taking notice. This year, pilot ITNAmerica programs are being launched in California, Florida, South Carolina, and New Jersey . I share Kathy’s vision that this program should be used as a model for even more communities.
In 2003, I secured $300,000 for ITNAmerica, and this year I plan to introduce legislation to enable communities throughout the U.S. to launch similar programs. My legislation, the “Older Americans Sustainable Mobility Act,” would build upon the successful model created by Kathy Freund. It would provide seed money for the development and expansion of private and non-profit senior transportation systems and would provide additional benefits for programs that are sustained through user fares and voluntary local community support.
More specifically, it would create a $25 million, five-year grant program to match locally raised funds to support the development of sustainable transportation systems for seniors, based on the ITNAmerica model. It would also provide for a one-time tax deduction for seniors who donate their automobiles to a qualified transportation provider, and it would support a study to identify transportation alternatives for senior citizens. In addition, my legislation would provide grant dollars to be used by communities to create more user-friendly transportation systems that integrate both public and private transportation alternatives.
This legislation is among my legislative priorities this year, and I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to educate them about this innovative and valuable program.
A car is not just a mode of transportation for individuals to get to their jobs, the store, church or the doctor’s office, or to visit friends and family. It is a symbol of independence, especially for older Americans.
I am so proud of Kathy Freund, who in a spirit so common among Mainers, took a crisis in her own life and turned it into an idea that is making the lives of many seniors and their families much better.
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(Editor’s Note: For more information on ITNAmerica, call (207) 857-9001)
