A low-cost transportation program for older residents will receive over $900,00 this year from San Mateo County, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Daly City to support its continued services.
The program is called “Got Wheels!” and is run by San Mateo nonprofit Peninsula Family Service. It is available around-the-clock, for a cost of $5, to help older adults who may have mobility issues, especially recent immigrants, and those who can’t drive due to not having a driver’s license, lack of driving skills or not owning a car.
The service, which can be used up to six times a month (six one-way trips or three roundtrips), is available to residents 70 years and above in the following areas: Daly City, Colma, Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, Half Moon Bay, Moss Beach, El Granada and Montara.
“Mobility and transportation issues are key to help our older adults connect and to get out of the house, where many are often isolated and dealing with loneliness,” San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa told this news organization Friday.
“As a member of the Measure K subcommittee, we have prioritized expanding the Got Wheels! program and brought forth $600,000 in funding to ensure this very important lifeline for older adults continues to thrive,” Canepa said. “Additionally, in my role as MTC Commissioner, we were able to secure $300,000 in funding, as well.”
Daly City also committed $24,0000 in funds.
Canepa has been spearheading the county’s anti-loneliness campaign, following a report by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year, which compared the physical effects of loneliness to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
San Mateo County was the first in the nation to declare loneliness a public health emergency. While Got Wheels! pre-dates the county’s declaration, Canepa said it aligns with the campaign’s goals of reducing social isolation and loneliness in the county.
“Getting out of the house is an incredible way to connect with your community and break free from social isolation and loneliness,” Canepa said.
The transportation program began in 2019, and celebrated its five-year anniversary earlier this month, recognizing the program’s most loyal riders.
Among them is Perla Ibarrientos, an immigrant from the Philippines and 46-year resident of Daly City. She frequently uses the service to pick up her medications and to volunteer at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, a local nonprofit that supports the Filipino American and immigrant community.
Due to health issues, Ibarrientos is unable to drive.
“I have osteoporosis, so my bones are brittle, so I need to be careful,” Ibarrientos said. “I use it for my volunteer work, groceries, to pick up medicine and things like that.”
She said the service usually arrives within 10 or 15 minutes of calling.
“It’s been really helpful to me. My husband used to drive me around, then he had a stroke… I feel safer riding with a program like this,” she said.
Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo said making the city “age friendly” has been a priority since 2020.
“Daly City was the first in north San Mateo County to offer the program. When the city of Daly City was designated an ‘age-friendly’ city, a primary focus of it was transportation,” Manalo said. She said that new funding may increase “if there is higher demand.”
Aside from funds for the transportation program, the county approved $1 million in funding to implement anti-loneliness programs earlier this year, which include peer counseling services for youth and older adults.
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