Queens seniors to receive free rides for medical visits
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A free transportation option
for Queens seniors is set
to return.
City Councilmen Paul Vallone
and Peter Koo joined
together in Bayside Dec. 5 to
announce the return and expansion
of the popular transportation
program, which will
be provided by Selfhelp Community
Services and Four
Twos Private Car Service. The
program is slated to begin Monday,
Dec. 10, and will be focused
on providing seniors rides to
their medical appointments.
Vallone and City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson allocated
a total of $130,000 to fund
the program. The councilman
allocated $80,000 for seniors
living in his northeast Queens
district while Johnson secured
another $50,00 at the request of
the City Council’s Queens Delegation
to provide expanded
services to seniors across the
entire borough of Queens.
“Seniors in our city, many
of who live on fixed incomes,
are already faced with enough
hardships such as rising property
City Councilman Paul Vallone sepaks at a Dec. 5 press conference in Bayside.
taxes, costs of living and
stagnant funding for critical
services. The last thing they
should have to worry about is
how they’re going to get to the
doctor,” said Vallone. “This
program has proven to provide
our seniors with an alternative
transportation option they
need and deserve.”
Vallone said that when the
program was first launched
three years ago, he hoped that
services would be expanded for
all of Queens.
“We must never take for
Courtesy of Vallone’s offi ce
granted how complicated it
can be for senior citizens to get
around the city. Simple trips to
the doctor can become day-long
excursions requiring precise
planning and hours of waiting,”
said Koo. “Expanding the
Free Transportation Program
throughout Queens is a simple
transportation improvement
that will go a long way toward
improving the quality of life of
our seniors.”
Those who use the service
will need to fill out a basic application
with demographic information
and an emergency contact.
To make an appointment,
seniors can call the Clearview
Senior Center at (718) 224-7888
between the hours of 9 a.m. and
12 p.m. to schedule their nextday
rides.
Service users must provide
their name, address, phone
number, time of pick up and
their destination. When ready
for pickup, the senior will call
for their return trip.
Queens seniors who were
at the press conference, including
Bayside resident Ida
Joseph, expressed appreciation
for the alternative
transportation service.
“It’s wonderful that Council
Member Vallone is thinking of
the seniors. We may be living
longer but it is not easy for us to
get around,” said Joseph. “I and
the rest of the seniors really appreciate
this program.”
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TIMESLEDGER,20 DEC. 14-20, 2018 TIMESLEDGER.COM