Quote:
Originally Posted by Minoletti
Someone mentioned a monorail in jest i think, but how about using those sale trollys as a form of villager transportation running during peak hours to various rec centers and squares?
I am sure some seniors would use them as a shuttle frequently, along with their visitors.
Also a way to "enjoy" multiple beverages without putting the key in the vehicle.
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It’s an interesting idea, but there are problems. When I go to a rec center, I need to be there at a specific time. I don’t want to get there an hour early or late. The trolleys are big, use a lot of gas, and they aren’t efficient ways of getting one or two people to a place and doing an at-home pickup and drop off. (We’ve all seen the complaints about shuttle services here.) Many people live a mile from their postal station, so they won’t walk there for a pickup. Driving there for a pickup defeats the purpose, as those who need this can’t drive.
Uber and Lyft are thoughts in the right direction, but those drivers make a living by having lots of fares or long fares. I’ve only taken a few Uber rides, to and from Denver airport to my dad’s house. That’s about a 45 minute ride. The fare ranged, according to time of day and availability, from $50 to $75. That’s more than lots of villagers can afford.
What we need is something like a combination of Meals-on-Wheels and the Community Watch people. That is, something that might be coordinated by a church group or by The Villages. The drivers would all be villagers. The people using it would all be villagers. The destinations would be close to The Villages or to doctors’ offices and hospitals as far away as Ocala. (No airport runs.) The drivers could use their own cars, but they would be electric vehicles, and the driving would pay for them. The cost would be by time rather than by distance, and it would be a max of, say, $15 per hour (including the cost of the driver’s return home after drop-off. There would be a dispatcher to assign cars. Reservations could be made weeks in advance for people who need to go to medical appointments. Drivers could wait indefinitely and accept the responsibility of taking people home after, say, a colonoscopy or other day surgery. This would be a huge benefit for a lot of people here who can’t drive.
It’s possible that there might be county agencies that could help support this. The Villages could own the vehicles, and the drivers could pick them up and return them daily. The people who would need this service would mostly be people unable to play golf or pickleball or even go to clubs in rec centers. Just as all those people pay amenities fees that cover those costs, perhaps we could all help subsidize a service like this, say by covering the cost of the cars and a dispatcher, that would help those who don’t use many other amenities.