Senior citizens are in need of transportation throughout San Luis Obispo County but which service will be picking them up?
Rides for ages 65 and up are a part of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, or SLOCOG’s, Senior Go program that provides door-to-door transportation within the county.
Since 2018, the contract for delivering that program through taxpayer grants has gone to Ventura Transportation Services, a decision that SLOCOG Executive Director Pete Rogers says has worked out the last six years.
“We went with a vendor who had a brokerage intake, did have other service providers that could provide the service," Rogers explained. "So we have a lot of confidence in VTS. We've worked with them for six years. We also work with Ride-On Transportation.”
The contract for the Senior Go program is up for bid once again.
Ride-On Transportation has been operating in the county for 35 years and Executive Director Mark Shaffer says that with their 56 vehicles and current presence with the county, they can offer four rides per month at a more discounted rate. However, in its bid, VTS also proposed cutting service in half to rides per month.
“We really believes it's the best, most cost-effective way to provide rides for seniors in San Luis Obispo County.”
However, SLOCOG staff is recommending awarding the Senior Go contract to VTS for half the service.
Rogers says it’s not only about the money when it comes to awarding the bid.
“Ride-On didn't provide a specific breakdown on how they would reduce costs and so this one vendor, VTS, that we're choosing did do that and they followed the directions of a request for proposals," Rogers expalined.
Ride-On Transportation is still funded in other ways by SLOCOG and it takes the excess rides that VTS can’t execute. According to Shaffer, in December of 2024, despite not having the contract for Senior Go, they provided 565 Senior Go rides.
“It's all about getting them where they need to go,” Shaffer said.
The decision for the bid takes place Wednesday, Feb. 5. If you'd like to weigh in on the service you'd like to see utilized in your area, you are encouraged to reach out to the SLOCOG community representative ahead of the meeting.
