An East Side Neighborhood Services transportation shuttle in 2020. (Provided)
A program which helped Northeast residents find rides for the past three decades has ended.
The Eastside Neighborhood Services Transportation Program was terminated at the end of July because Eastside Neighborhood Services (ESNS) could no longer afford it.
“It was not an easy decision. We know this will have a big impact on the older adults in our community as well as ESNS staff,” the agency said in a news release.
The program was started when the Quarry shopping area said it would provide $50,000 a year to ESNS if the agency would provide rides twice a week for underprivileged older residents to the shopping center, ESNS Director Mary Ostapenko Anstett told the Northeaster.
This proved problematic, however. About five years ago, there was a property management change at the Quarry; the new management no longer provides the $50,000.
ESNS continued to provide rides to the Quarry and other locations, but the capital loss meant the program began running in a deficit. Other sources of funding were sought, but not enough was donated to keep the transportation program afloat.
The program provided more than 50 rides a week to neighborhood residents, often to doctor appointments or other activities.
ESNS cited “significant” financial losses in the program for the past five years, and efforts to reshape the program and obtain financial grants have not been successful. Fuel costs, wait times and maintenance needs have also contributed to the loss of the program.
The agency paid tribute to the staff members who have provided the program for many years.
Ostapenko Anstett said cutting the program was very difficult because a major goal of ESNS is to prevent isolation of older people. She urged neighbors to call ESNS, at 612-781-6011, to find out about other programs such as their food shelf, job training, classes and a variety of activities.
There are other means of transportation for older folks in the neighborhood, including commercial services such as Uber or Lyft.
A program called Help at Your Door provides rides at $12. Help at Your Door’s phone number is 651-642-1892.
John Schadl, communications representative for the Metropolitan Council, suggested three programs the Met Council provides that might help seniors get from one place to another.
Metro Mobility provides transportation for those with disabilities or health problems. Users must fill out a form to become eligible. Users must pay for the ride, just like riding a Metro Transit bus. For more information go to the Metro Council website, https://www.met
rocouncil.org, and click on “Transportation” and “Services.” Or go directly to Metro Mobility at https://metrocouncil.org/Transporta
tion/Services/Metro-Mobility-Home.aspx..
Metro Mobility also has a “Premium On-Demand” service where users can ride taxis to their destination. Metro Mobility covers most of the fare on a sliding scale. For instance, Metro Mobility will provide $15 for a $20 fare.
There’s also the bus. Route 10 follows Central and University avenues from downtown to Northtown.
For the future, the Metropolitan Council is planning a new bus rapid transit system route. “Metro F” will speed up the bus trip using bus lanes, priority signals and fewer stops. New bus stations will be built; they will provide real-time arrival and departure information as well as heat, lighting, bike parking and trash bins.
The new bus rapid transit system will not be in place until 2028 because it is being coordinated with MnDOT’s pending changes to University and Central avenues. For more information, go to https://www.metrotransit.org/route/10. Over 4,000 riders use Route 10 every day.