[rjm1cc]

I think this is a problem in a lot of communities. Some communities have buses but you still have to get to and from the bus. Hopefully the self drive cars are going to arrive or you have a good neighbor who will help you out.
What I would like to see is the use of school buses when they are not being used to transport students. This could provide full time jobs and the costs to ride should be reasonable.

[hotrodgirl]

My town here in IL, as most towns in the suburbs, offers a taxi service for seniors. You must register and receive an ID card, and then you are able to travel within your own town or those that directly abut your town for 5 dollars. It is subsidized by the villages themselves and I believe the county. There are also some shuttle buses to shopping areas. I wonder if something like this could work in our area in TV?

[ApplePir2]

What a great idea! My parents live in TV, are in their late 80's to early 90's, still play golf and live independently. Recently, however, driving has become an issue and they would welcome inexpensive medical and shopping transportation.

[mulligan]

Nice idea, but most of the inexpensive options I have seen are subsidized by the government with taxpayer dollars. Who is willing to pay ??

[graciegirl]

I don't know if I want strangers coming through our villages on a bus and being able to disembark anywhere

I like being able to see who is driving the carts and cars.

I don't want New York City. No thanks.

[ilovetv]

How about some 6-8 seat golf car "busses" running continuously on specified routes to major shopping areas and squares, and a person could buy a weekly or monthly pass for a few bucks?

The hospital uses them to shuttle people between parking lot and hospital and I think they're nice and easy.

[Ceafolks]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

How about some 6-8 seat golf car "busses" running continuously on specified routes to major shopping areas and squares, and a person could buy a weekly or monthly pass for a few bucks?

The hospital uses them to shuttle people between parking lot and hospital and I think they're nice and easy.

Now this is a great idea..worth looking into.

[Bizdoc]

Originally Posted by BarryRX

A very serious situation. I was 63 years old when I moved here and received my Florida drivers license. I won't have to renew that license until I am 73 years old. If the past 10 years are any indication, I can expect some significant changes in my eyesight, reflexes, and most importantly the ability to make quick decisions about complicated traffic patterns such as traffic circles and multilane intersections. Of course, if I was 83 years old, I wouldn't have to test again until I was 93. Perhaps, as we age, we should be required to test more often. I may get "flamed" for suggesting this. One can only imagine the loss of independence that comes with the loss of driving privileges, especially in a setting as spread out as The Villages.

My late FIL went in at age 90 to renew his Maryland DL. My wife went with him as he had fairly advanced Alzheimer's. Every question that the examiner asked, he turned to Betsy and asked her what he should say. Betsy would tell him and he would repeat it. They renewed his license.

Betsy took him in because he was obsessing about renewing it. Of course, Betsy kept misplacing his keys... Car stayed in the driveway.

That having been said, one of the saddest days that I've had was moving my parents into assisted living in VA. At one point in dealing with all of the paperwork, my (still mentally alert) dad finally cracked and raged about "you too away my house, you took away my car, you took away all of my pills and now you tell me that I can't decide when I'm going to eat breakfast!"

We're all going to get older (hopefully) here. All I can say is that we moved here because we saw lots of happy laughing people. I always figured that I could probably deal with driving a golf cart at 20 mph a lot longer than I will be able to drive a car at 70 mph...

[Bizdoc]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

How about some 6-8 seat golf car "busses" running continuously on specified routes to major shopping areas and squares, and a person could buy a weekly or monthly pass for a few bucks?

The hospital uses them to shuttle people between parking lot and hospital and I think they're nice and easy.

Where's the young guy that was looking for ideas for a business here in TV a few months ago. Kitty, didn't you know him?

[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Nice idea, but most of the inexpensive options I have seen are subsidized by the government with taxpayer dollars. Who is willing to pay ??

I would be OVERJOYED to have as large a portion of my tax dollars as necessary go to a viable public transportation system ... in TV ... in N. Centro Fla ... in the entire state ... in the SE and in the entire USofA !!!!

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by LndLocked

I would be OVERJOYED to have as large a portion of my tax dollars as necessary go to a viable public transportation system ... in TV ... in N. Centro Fla ... in the entire state ... in the SE and in the entire USofA !!!!

In most cases,,,as desirable as it might be for many senior citizens...that would be a very inefficient use of tax dollars.

[ilovetv]

Originally Posted by Bizdoc

Where's the young guy that was looking for ideas for a business here in TV a few months ago. Kitty, didn't you know him?

Getting insurance would be a big deal. TV could handle it.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Patty55

Since I moved here I've used car services a few times, it's not that I can't drive, I just can't find anything "off-campus". The one time I dropped someone off at the airport they were back in NY and had dinner before I found my way home.

You need to get a GPS. They're really easy to operate.

[graciegirl]

I think....... that some of you who do not yet live here are worrying about changing things that may not need to be changed.

Driving 20 mph in a golf cart is pretty safe if you are careful.

[BobAllen1290]

Just starting up a bus service is not exactly the easiest thing to be done. Your state DOT and the Federal DOT have a say over whether you can or cannot start a transportation business. I don't know about Florida, but in NYS virtually any previously-operating transportation business can fight the establishment of a new offering based on their operating "rights". There are large insurance coverages to be kept and paid for. Again, I do not know about Florida, but in NYS, every single bus must be up to NYS-DOT inspection every 6 months, and everywhere in the USA a bus driver needs a CDL license and must past a proper physical. So you don't just "start up" a new bus service.

At the face of it, The Villages organization (developer) would be in the best condition to handle the start-up, although there are a number of charter bus companies operating locally who might be interested.