Miami, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: Residents of Miami's Little Havana neighborhood wanted to improve the transit experience for the area's older adults. To do this, Urban Health Partnerships installed a dozen single and double-seat benches under shade trees near high-ridership bus and trolley stops. Little Havana residents use public transit at three times the rate of Miami-Dade County's general populace. Organizers say the new benches provide a welcome place to rest as they walk through the community or wait for transit.

Orange County, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: Many bus stops in rural Orange County lacked shelters or a place to sit. To address this, the Orange County Department on Aging worked with the county's public transportation department to install new seats at 15 bus stops. Designed to maximize space at stops without enough room for a transit shelter, the seats accommodate two people and are attached to the bus stop sign. Project organizers say the seats increase accessibility in rural parts of the county, where no bus stop sign was in place. Following installation of the seats, the public transportation department committed to building permanent bus shelters in high-traffic, rural areas.

Casper, WY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: The Casper Area Transportation Coalition, the former transit provider for the region, aimed to provide better and safer service to bus riders traveling to and from the Hilltop Center. The bus stop serving those riders -- one of the most heavily-used in Casper -- consisted of nothing but an unprotected bench. To solve this, the Coalition erected a five-foot-by-10-foot shelter at the stop. The project also added a second bench to accommodate more riders. To cover unexpected costs, the coalition obtained a second grant from another organization to take the project over the finish line. In 2021, the City of Casper took over operation of the local bus service.