Senior citizens welcome Dial-A-Ride

City officials in Agoura Hills, California confirmed that the community would benefit from a new fleet of Dial-A-Ride vans with easier accessibility for senior citizens. The Dial-A-Ride service operates somewhat like a chauffeured car rental but costs the same as public transportation.

Ellen Wohl, a member of the city’s Senior Advisory Committee, was one of the lucky residents who rode in the first official ride of the vans around the streets of the city.

“It was very easy to get up the ramp and into a seat,” said Wohl, who uses a walker. “The ride was very smooth, took the speed bumps much better than my car.”

The city presented the new vans at an open house event held on Monday. The vans won’t officially go on the job until next week.

The city will operate the shared-ride, door to door service with help from drivers provided from First Transit Inc, a company based in Ohio.

According to city officials, a grant from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority made the program financially feasible, reducing a purchase which would have been $170,589 to just $47,647. City Manager Greg Ramirez called it a “real bargain.”

Residents can call ahead to schedule a pickup and book their drop-off time at the same time. Capable of transporting six or seven passengers per van and accommodating wheelchairs, residents of Agoura Hills will be charged just $1 per ride on the service.