It’s never too late to learn how to ride the bus.
That’s the philosophy behind St. Albert Transit’s Learn To Ride program, which teaches seniors the ins and outs of the local transit system.
“Many seniors are intimidated by it because they’ve never taken public transit,” said Dawn Fedorvich, co-ordinator of customer service for St. Albert Transit. She also sits on St. Albert’s seniors’ working group.
“Our priority is to make sure that seniors have transportation options available to them that are affordable,” she said.
Public transit can meet the needs of those seniors who are able to get to and from their bus stop, she said.
Fedorvich took the Learn To Ride program to two seniors’ facilities last week as part of seniors’ week. The program started in 2009 and taught 100 seniors last year, she said. Her session covers the basics: the cost, routes, schedules, trip planning.
“You can call us any time. We’ll plan the route for you,” Fedorvich assured about half a dozen residents at the River Ridge Seniors’ Community. “Once you’ve done it a couple times, you’re set.”
Distance to bus stops and understanding the schedule are two of the biggest barriers that seniors face, she said. The most common question she gets: how do I get to West Edmonton Mall?
Once in a while Fedorvich gets a call from a senior who conquers her fears by making a successful outing. Like last year when she heard from a lady in her eighties who travelled from Citadel Care Centre to The Bay to have her hearing aid fixed.
“She told her family after the fact that she did it. They were shocked … ‘Why didn’t you tell us, we could have taken you down,’” Fedorvich recalled. “She said, ‘No, I wanted to do it on my own and I was able to do it on my own.’”
In 2008, six per cent of riders were over 60. That had risen to seven per cent by 2011.
About 30 per cent of participants start taking the bus after taking her course, Fedorvich estimated.
“It increases independence and allows them to make the social connections that are so important,” she said.
It’s hard to lose your independence, said River Ridge resident Joyce Manners, 89.
“You feel a bit like you’re in a prison,” she said. Even so, she won’t be converting to transit.
“Not while my kids are [around],” she said. “I figure they owe their mother something.”
Therese Riopel, 85, plans to start taking the bus because her failing vision is causing her to wean herself off driving. (She expects she may lose her licence this fall when her next test is scheduled.)
“It’s really hard but I have to get ready for it,” she said. “I’ll learn a little bit at a time. I’ll get used to it.”
She’d like to visit her sister on Jasper Avenue in Edmonton and would like to visit West Edmonton Mall with a fellow resident.
“I said we should use the bus but we have to learn how to use it,” she said.
After her session with Fedorvich, Riopel understands that her first trip will be the A8 to St. Albert Centre. From there, several buses can take her to different points in Edmonton.
“Maybe if I’m brave enough I’ll go to the city,” she said. “I’ll watch very carefully where I get off so I know exactly where to go to take the bus. I think that shouldn’t be too bad.”
