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City of Chula Vista Development Services with Age-Friendly Communities Initiative (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Public or private transit access
└ Public or private transit access
The City of Chula Vista wanted to increase older adults' familiarity with public transit options. Partnering with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, they held Travel Training 101 courses with more than forty older residents. Instructors provided trainees with information on how to read transit schedules, plan trips and purchase fares. Then they held field trips, using transit to visit a community festival and the Norman Park Senior Center. Additionally, participants received a 30-day senior transit pass. Following the training, participants said they felt more comfortable using transit, with 83 percent planning to renew their passes. One said she realized that the 20-minute bus ride between their home and the Senior Center saved her 62 a month. Previously she paid 40 round trip by taxi at least twice monthly.
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See More Projects Like This One
Washington County, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: An iconic bus shelter known to Mad River Valley locals as The Snail sat unused and had fallen into disrepair. The Yestermorrow Design/Build School stepped in to rescue the structure, replacing rotting siding and roofing, upgrading structural elements and adding accessibility features, such as handrails. After clearing a space on School grounds, volunteers then moved The Snail four miles down the road. They also planted native vegetation around The Snail. Following these improvements, the spiral-shaped bus shelter is now back in use at a public bus stop.
Louisville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: To provide a safe, comfortable space for older residents who are waiting for transportation, ElderServe set out to install a bus stop shelter near a popular Senior Center. Work involved pouring a new concrete slab for the shelter to level out the site.
Westport, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: Westport Council on Aging launched a fixed-route shopping service to address the lack of public transit in this rural community. Using wheelchair-accessible vans, the program provided rides for errands and shopping, helping older adults regain independence and social connection. Outreach sessions and newsletters promoted the service, and signage on vans increased visibility. One rider said, "This program is a Godsend... I am so grateful," underscoring how reliable transportation reduces isolation and restores autonomy for older adults who no longer drive.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Chula Vista, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Description: To honor community elders and bring awareness to the value of older adults in the community, the City of Chula Vista invited older residents to submit photographs and stories of their lives. They then selected several to adorn banners, which the City displayed on light posts along major streets. Additionally, the banners included the URL for a website where residents can read the featured stories and find age-friendly resources. "This program ensures that the older adults in our lives know that they are appreciated for the important role they have in our community," Mayor Mary Casillas Salas said.
Imperial Beach, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: This project will conduct four bike audits along the Bayshore Bikeway trail and major avenues, and hold four community meetings in English and Spanish.
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