Va. program turns to seniors to solve traffic problems

WASHINGTON -- The population is aging. The roads are more and more crowded. Transportation is fast becoming a big problem. Who can you turn to? The Northern Virginia Transportation commission has found one answer—senior citizens.

About eight percent of the region's population is over 75. But less than half of them ride mass transit. The commission has been experimenting with special training for senior citizens, and discovered the patterns can change with a little help.

Executive Director Rick Taube says they were able to double mass transit use for those who received the training over six months. The seniors were briefed on things like reading schedules, routes, bus transfers, safety and fares.

The program also involved "one on one trips with the trainer and the individual trainee going to a place that the trainee chose," according to Taube.

Taube says the program was most effective for seniors who lived in urban communities or town centers. A major stumbling block remains for seniors in the suburbs, who experience considerable problems just getting to the mass transit stops.

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