By Mike Wood

Staff writer

 

 

Monday, June 17 (11:00 a.m.): Thanks to a $1 million grant, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority is working toward development of an accessibility app that would give real-time assistance to seniors and those with disabilities seeking transportation options.

The initiative was lauded May 31 near the Pleasant Hill BART station by a handful of elected officials, public agency leaders and persons with disabilities who utilize paratransit.

This SMART (Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation) grant was awarded to CCTA by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Already in the early stages of development with research engineers at UC Berkeley, it’s hoped that the app can become operational sometime in 2025, Lindy Johnson of CCTA told the News.

The concept is for an app that would function as a centralized call center, accessed by phone call, website or through a smartphone app, to provide individuals with real-time service options to best suit their needs, Johnson noted.

This project does not call for broadening of fixed routes. For Rossmoorians, their nearest pickup point is Rossmoor Shopping Center.

Former Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich, currently chair of CCTA’s board of directors, spoke of how 20 years ago, his mother, who lived in Modesto, became wheelchair bound.

“I was just thinking about how life changed for her, living in a community that had no disability access, no transportation,” he said, noting how he often made long daily drives to get her from place to place. He remarked how proud he is to say how much the world has changed for the better.

U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, said inclusive efforts go toward ensuring that those with disabilities and seniors are not isolated.

DeSaulnier said after the event that this should send “a very strong message that they’re not forgotten, that they’re respected by the community, and that we are adapting to their needs, using new technology, and helping them make sure that they’re accessing it, understanding it, and using it, so that their quality of life will be extended and will be better.”

Some improvement in paratransit services have already resulted from Measure X, the 20-year half-cent countywide tax passed in 2020.

Antioch resident Pello Smith, who uses a wheelchair, said the paratransit service that day brought him from his home to the event in 22 minutes, instead of close to an hour.

“It’s getting better,” Smith said afterward. “They have taken monumental steps in the last two years. The thing I like about it is they are working hard and they’re listening more to the riders on the (Paratransit Coordinating Council). We’re getting more of their ear.”

CCTA representatives will be in Rossmoor on Wednesday, June 12, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Fireside Room for a town hall on the Presto autonomous shuttle pilot program.

The CCTA’s accessibility web page has details on services for seniors and those with disabilities. By visiting https://ccta.net/accessibility one can find information about One Seat Regional Ride, Mobility Matters and the Low Income Fare Equity (LIFE) program that offers 10 free one-way trip tickets per month for local or regional rides for low-income paratransit riders. For more about the LIFE program, call County Connection LINK at 1-925-938-7433(RIDE).