The Orlando City Council approved a contract Monday with Mears Transportation Group to ensure the residents of 11 downtown senior housing complexes will continue to have a free shuttle service to area stores.
The program known as SeniorTran had been around for 25 years through Seniors First. But the nonprofit's arrangement with the city and the Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency ended last fall when Seniors First stepped away.
The CRA worked on a pilot program with Mears, an 86-year-old, Orlando-based transportation company with hundreds of taxis, luxury vehicles, vans, shuttles and buses. It has been providing fixed routes three days a week since November.
"That pilot has gone very well," CRA Executive Director David Barilla told the City Council. "We've received a lot of positive feedback from both the seniors as well as the senior communities."
The new contract pays $68,000 through September and includes four, one-year extensions for about $117,000 a year. The price could increase next year.
The city covers 42% of the cost and the CRA picks up the rest.
According to the agreement, the program "is designed to enhance mobility, improve access to essential goods and services, and foster independence and social connection among downtown Orlando’s senior population."
The service includes two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant vans operating eight hours a day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, excluding holidays.
The routes serve 11 housing complexes:
- Magnolia Towers,
- Kinneret Apartments,
- Orlando Cloisters,
- Westminster Plaza,
- The Roberts,
- Hillcrest Hampton House,
- William Booth Towers,
- Westminster Towers,
- Orlando Lutheran Towers,
- Jackson Court Apartments, and
- Villas at Carver Park.
A downtown/Colonial Drive route has stops at an iFresh Market, Aldi, Target and Publix. A SoDo route includes a Publix, Dollar Tree, Freshfields Farm and Walmart Neighborhood Market.
