There was a lot of back and forth as the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) decided how to best serve seniors needing rides throughout the county.
People like San Luis Obispo resident Betty Rusty Zane rely on SLOCOG’s Senior Go program to get around for their health.
“We need to take care of our seniors because nobody else will," she explained.
Rusty Zane is just one of many that use the service. SLOCOG estimates that 9,293 people will use the service throughout the county this year.
The Senior Go contract was up for bid at a meeting on Wednesday.
The money available from SLOCOG to fund the program for a 16-month contract is $391,000.
The first bid for $371,000 was from Ventura Transit Systems, which has had the Senior Go contract since 2018.
The company explained it could provide each eligible Senior Go rider with two rides a month compared to the four previously offered. This is because of the lack of available funds from SLOCOG.
“We are still in discussions with SLOCOG as to how to best maximize the service being that we are a broker and a provider," VTS Director of Business Development Sarah Pontecchi explained. "We are able to broker out these services to the drivers looking for the least expensive mode of transportation for what is offered to us.”
“Looking at the data brokerage method and they've been very successful,” SLOCOG Board Member and Pismo Beach Mayor Ed Waage said.
Meanwhile, Ride-On Transportation had a rivaling bid of $384,000, claiming it could offer each senior four rides per month — only $13,000 more for double the rides.
“In representing my constituents, I would have to say that I would favor that contract," Board Member Fred Strong stated.
But the question was how would Ride On be able to pull it off? SLOCOG staff noted that VTS had a full cost breakdown in its proposal while Ride On did not explain how it would be able to pull off that number, leaving many board members to believe it was too good to be true.
“One proposal is a little bit more ambiguous in terms of whether it will come back and ask for more money,” Supervisor Jimmy Paulding stated.
In a 9-3 vote, VTS was awarded the contract. But despite the smaller number of rides for Senior Go users, SLOCOG Executive Director Peter Rodgers explained that they will explore additional funding sources to get it back up to three rides per month for every user.
Some of the funds that could help make a dent are the remaining $20,000 left in SLOCOG funds. Rodgers also explained they will also explore other forms of funding.
“This is going to come at a cost of other transit vehicles or other transit services. We're really at a zero-sum game,” he explained.
Because VTS brokers its Senior Go services, Ride-On Transportation still fields plenty of Senior Go rides, meaning the two will still be at the forefront of trying to bring full service to the Senior Go program at the lowest available cost.
“Obviously, we want to make sure that every senior gets every possible ride that they can get," Pontecchi said. "We just, we want to see the service not only continue but ultimately expand in this community.”
The next SLOCOG meeting is slated for April 2 where additional funding options will be explored to fill the potential gaps in service for seniors in the county.
