Culpeper, VA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: To inform older adults in rural Virginia about regional transportation options, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission launched its Trusted Community Partner campaign. The initiative awards a gold seal designation to vetted transportation service providers in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock Counties. Organizers then worked to educate the community about the seal's significance. To reach residents, the Commission distributed fliers describing the program, created a website and installed benches with advertising. Organizers also presented at nearly 150 community meetings. Additionally, they displayed information about the TCP seal on passenger vans, which they drove through the community. Ultimately, the Commission hopes the seal inspires trust among older adults looking for transportation options. Every provider displaying the TCP gold seal must use drivers that are screened, trained and insured.

Corydon, IN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: Rural residents in Southern Indiana, especially older adults and people with disabilities, lacked reliable transportation to health care and other essentials. Blue River Services expanded its transit system into Floyd County, hired additional drivers and launched public awareness campaigns. The service now offers door-to-door rides with wheelchair-accessible vehicles and trained staff. This expansion closed a critical gap and secured funding for a new vehicle to sustain service. One rider shared, "I am so very thankful that I now have reliable transportation to and from Baptist Hospital for treatment each week... I would not be able to go places without them!"

Chillicothe, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: A planning study revealed a lack of accessibility throughout the Chillicothe Transit System, with some riders to sit on the ground while they wait for the bus. To address this, the City stepped in the make bus stops more accommodating for riders of all ages and abilities. First, project organizers identified areas of town with high numbers of older adult transit riders and passengers with mobility challenges. Then they installed benches -- as well as swing sets -- at several bus stops. They also added bus shelters at two stops and erected new signage at more than 60 others. In the future, project organizers plan to add a mural to the pavement at the local library's bus stop. Organizers say the improvements make waiting for the bus more comfortable, which may lead to increased ridership.