CARIBOU, Maine — Area seniors could lose access to transportation services if a new Caribou ride service is unable to expand into outlying towns.
Last October, the Caribou-based nonprofit Center for the Advancement of Rural Living launched Caribou Area Ride Service, which pairs volunteer drivers with senior citizens who need lifts to medical appointments, stores, social outings and other errands.
The program has since been renamed County Area Ride Service in an effort to broaden its reach beyond Caribou. But for that to happen, more people will need to step up as volunteer drivers for people who live further away.
“We’ve gotten requests for rides from people in Fort Kent, Presque Isle, Fort Fairfield, Van Buren and Westfield,” said Sharon Berz, project coordinator for County Area Ride Service. “A lot of elderly people live alone and don’t drive anymore. Some have family and friends but if they’re busy, we become an option for them.”
County Area Ride Service, known locally as CARS, wants to fill a widening gap for senior transportation services in Aroostook. Though Aroostook Regional Transportation System offers bus rides in Caribou weekly, the route schedules vary every day. Presque Isle launched a citywide bus loop for all residents in 2019 and hoped to expand, but the pandemic quickly shuttered that service in 2020.
That leaves few options for the 24 percent of Aroostook senior citizens who rely on family or friends because they cannot afford cab fares, according to a 2019 study from the University of Southern Maine’s School of Public Service. Sixty-five percent of seniors in that study said their communities do not have reliable transportation services.
More senior citizens have become aware of the program in recent months due to more word of mouth and increased local outreach, Berz said. If more drivers signed up, County Area Ride Service could easily fulfill more requests they receive for rides.
“We gave seven rides in August and then 38 in September,” Berz said. “It would be great to have at least 30 drivers [total] to serve other towns.”
Drivers’ ages have ranged from 40 to 85 while riders’ ages have ranged from 56 to 100, Berz said.
Thirteen Caribou residents currently serve as volunteer drivers to 13 Caribou seniors, while two Limestone drivers provide rides to two Limestone residents. The ride service recently gained one driver from New Sweden and another from Woodland who have given rides to people from Woodland, New Sweden and Stockholm.
The program also needs a more consistent funding source. Last year, the Center for the Advancement of Rural Living operated rides through a pilot program, funded with a $36,181 Community Development Block Grant, that ended in July.
Right now, the ride service relies solely on the $4 round-trip fees that riders pay for drivers’ mileage compensation. Earlier this year, S.W. Collins donated $340 to cover ride fees for anyone who could not afford them. Around $200 of that donated money still remains for that purpose, said Bill Flagg, board member for Center for the Advancement of Rural Living.
Berz has applied for several grants that she said would help sustain the program long term and provide more financial relief to seniors. She also encourages other businesses to donate toward the riders’ fees.
“A lot of seniors have said they can’t afford the round-trip fee even though it’s $4,” Berz said.
Keeping the County Area Ride Service going will be crucial for seniors like Barry Jaye, a Caribou resident who moved to town last February.
Jaye, 80, is a U.S. Army veteran and prefers not to drive due to mobility issues. Volunteers like Elmer Morin of Limestone and Gala Boutot of Caribou have helped him travel to Presque Isle for specialty medical appointments and services at the Veteran’s Administration clinic.
“People here are friendly and kind. Having such a concerned group of people who want to help means a lot,” Jaye said.
Boutot has given regular rides to five local residents and recently helped out Jaye when Morin was unavailable. Without local volunteers, Boutot said, many seniors would be left waiting for taxi cabs, which are expensive and sometimes take an hour to arrive. Many seniors who live alone also have fewer options in the winter.
“There’s a couple in Westfield who want a driver because they don’t like to drive in the winter,” Boutot said. “We could do a lot more for people if we had drivers in places like that.”
County Area Ride Service is holding a new drivers’ training Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. at the Par & Grill Restaurant in Caribou. In the meantime, anyone interested in becoming a driver or receiving rides can contact Berz at (207) 551-5672 or berzsharon@gmail.com.
