Proponents say increased use of $1 a ride, door-to-door, bus will ensure its future for seniors who truly need it

LACONIA — For more than 25 years, the Rural Transportation Program has been available for local residents aged 60 and older, who can arrange to have a bus pick them up at their residence and take them to an appointment or to do some shopping. More than just a ride, though, the program's administrators see it as a tool that allows older residents to remain living at their home. As the state's percentage of residents older than 60 is projected to rise significantly in the near future, services such as this program are expected to be an important part of the network that copes with the demographic shift.

The Rural Transportation Program, as well as the senior centers out of which the buses are dispatched, are organized under the umbrella of the Community Action Program's Elder Services. There are six senior centers in Belknap and Merrimack counties that offer a bus service, including the ones in Belmont and Laconia, both of which also service surrounding communities. In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the transportation service collectively provided 20,246 rides to 464 seniors.

The transportation service is paid for using a patchwork of revenue sources, including contributions from municipalities, counties and state and federal sources. Riders are asked to contribute a voluntary $1 donation per ride.

For people such as Marie Carignan, who's been a rider since 1992, the benefit of the bus service well exceeds the cost of the donation. By calling a day ahead, she can arrange to have the bus pick her up at the door of her Laconia home, take her to the doctor's office, or to go grocery shopping. The driver, a woman named Karen — "She's so good to me," Carignan said — helps her carry her bags to her front door. "I'm 97 years old, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere [without the bus]. It means everything to me."

Flo Mancuso, a Gilford resident, has been using the bus for five years, since her now-deceased husband fell ill and could no longer drive her. Now, she takes the bus five days a week. She said the bus is a clean, dependable way for someone like her to get around. "If I didn't have the bus, I'd have to take a cab, which would be quite an expense," she said.

More than a cost-effective alternative to a livery service, though, Mancuso has learned that becoming one of the regular bus riders has brought her into a new social circle. "When you get on the bus, you meet quite a few friends," she said.

According to the program's administrators, Mancuso's experience is not unusual.

"It's not just a ride, it's a mobile community of friends and connections," said Kris Bregler, assistant director of Elder Services for the Community Action Program. In New Hampshire, there are many seniors without adult children living nearby. For them, losing the ability to drive or walk long distances can present a crisis. The transportation service helps enable those seniors to remain independent, living on their own and within their chosen communities and, said Bregler, "thwarts the premature placement in an institutional setting."

Paul Weston, director of the Laconia Senior Center, said the bus "is not just from point A to point B," but is rather a bridge between seniors and the outside world, a world from which they might become isolated from without the service. Indeed, he reported that more than half of those who visit the center for a meal, social outlet or informational presentation arrive via the bus.

Terri Paige, mobility coordinator for the Elder Services program, said, "We want people to be connected to their community, to be safe and healthy." However, she's noticed an initial resistance many seniors have to the concept. She would like to see more seniors take advantage of it. It's available to any residents 60 or older, regardless of income levels or the ability to drive one self. For those on a fixed income, taking the bus could represent a significant savings over the costs associated with operating an automobile.

Paige urged those who qualify to consider using the service. Rather than taking up a public resource, she said seniors should consider their ridership as "enriching the experience" of those around them and helping to ensure that the service will remain available for those who truly need it. After all, the increasingly-competitive grants that fund the program are secured with the help of strong ridership figures. In other words, the program is more likely to keep its funding if more people take the bus.

A ride on the bus can be arranged by calling one of the six senior centers that offer the program. Laconia's number is 527-7689.

As Weston noted, the 250,000 or so seniors living in New Hampshire represents about a fifth of the state's overall population. That number is expected to rise dramatically as the "baby boomer" generation matures, while the other end of the age spectrum — school age children — is shrinking, at least locally. As the near future approaches, services that allow seniors to stay independent and in their homes will become critical.

"Think of the bus," he urged, "give us a try."