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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2016 25 Senior Transportation Assistance Interest Group The T Now (Riverside Transportation Agency) yearly luncheon for all the Riverside County Now Groups was held on Jan.14, and was hosted at The University of California at Riverside Campus. A bus was provided by Pass Transit, City of Beaumont for those attending the luncheon. Riding a bus in California was a first for me. Riding a scooter made it an even more unique experience. The driver, who seemed to make me a priority for getting on and off the bus, was very reassuring when backing off the lift, she guaranteed she would not let me fall. Beaumont has a program for teaching how to get on and off the bus with wheel chairs, scooters, crutches and for those who are ambulatory. What is really great about this program is they will send someone with you to your destination and back for as long as you feel insecure about going yourself. For further information on this program call Beaumont City Hall at (951) 769-8520. On Jan. 28 we had a meeting for our Senior Transportation group at the Four Seasons Lodge. We met with former Beaumont City Mayor Brenda Knight, who is now Chairman of T Now; Mario Janesin, Vice Chair of T Now; Elizabeth Gibbs, City Manager; Pat Foster, Transit Operations Manager; Nancy Carol, City Treasurer who was there because she represents the Solera community. We accomplished how to proceed with distributing 5,000 questionnaires. In the course of our discussions we found out the only taxi licensed to serve the city of Beaumont is Bumble Bee Taxi's as they are the only one carrying insurance. We called Bumble Bee and they confirmed that they do carry insurance. It seems to me California drivers consider driving their own cars their security blanket, and the idea that at some point they might need public transportation is something that will never happen to them. I can go on and on itemizing the things that happen, from a one-time occurrence to a permanent need for public transportation. If you can't visualize your own need please consider your neighbors, friends and your families by filling out our transportation questionnaires. Taxis are the closest thing to driving yourself. It will give you access to middle of the night emergency transportation. We want to get safe and efficient taxis for seniors at reduced rates. We can't do this without your show of hands by filling out our questioners. To fill out these questionnaires please go to the Lodge or go on line to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/passtransitseniors. ~ Brenda and Richard Teeman

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