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Transit for seniors, disabled gets lift photo by Bob Pennell Valley Lift driver Mark Jones helps Walter Johnson, 82, into a minivan at The Crossing Heritage assisted living center Friday. Valley Lift, which uses Yellow Cab vans and is administrated by Rogue Valley Transportation District, could get a lift through more state funds. Kitzhaber wants to spend more, obtain grants By Peter Wong SALEM -- Rogue Valley Transportation District and other providers would be able to supply more rides for a growing number of elderly and disabled passengers if the Oregon Legislature approves more money for alternative transportation. Gov. John Kitzhaber's budget proposes $10 million from the tax-supported general fund to obtain another $10 million in federal grants available for special transportation for seniors and disabled people. "When it comes down to us, it may not be a lot of money," said Sherrin Coleman, RVTD's general manager. "But any amount will be helpful and can make a difference." Barbara Sinclair, an 81-year-old Medford woman, uses RVTD's Valley Lift service, a dial-a-ride service that operates on demand. She only calls it once or twice a month but would use it more if its hours expanded. "If it ran later, or on weekends, I could go out more often," she said. "But it works fine." Sinclair uses the service to go to the country club or shop, but she'd like to do more. "I sure would like to go out more, like going to a restaurant once in a while," she said. Coleman said the district gets between $200,000 and $300,000 annually for special transportation, most of it from an earmarked 1-cent increase in cigarette taxes that the Legislature approved in 1985. She said that amount has been static for several years, so the money buys less each year. Coleman said if the Legislature approves the full amount Kitzhaber has requested, RVTD's allocation could increase by up to 50 percent. Valley Lift provided 78,131 rides in the 1997-98 budget year. Other providers supplied 11,922 rides; they include Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Upper Rogue Community Center, and Cascade Cab through a coupon book. The state money is distributed according to population generally, not the proportion of elderly and disabled people within an area. Jackson County's older population is higher than the state average. Coleman also said that more money would enable RVTD to improve access by seniors and disabled people to its fixed bus routes. The House Transportation Committee heard from Coleman and others about senior and disabled transportation needs last week. Two years ago, the House passed but the Senate shelved a financing package that would have imposed a tax on telephone lines to pay for those needs. This year Kitzhaber proposed the money from the general fund, which relies largely on income taxes. Kitzhaber also has asked for $14 million from the general fund for a bus network to connect Southern Oregon and other outlying areas with a high-speed rail line between Portland and Eugene. Advocates of more money for senior and disabled transportation got a boost last week from a study by the Northwest Research Group of Bellevue, Wash., for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The study concluded that the number of elderly and disabled people who need help with transportation is more than double previous estimates, but current help is less than half of what it should be. It said that $25 million more annually would be required to meet their needs. The governor's request would cover about 40 percent. Eight percent of the households surveyed had at least one person with an impairment in mobility who was either elderly or disabled. "That was nearly three times higher than previously estimated," said Martin Loring, ODOT's public transit manager. Most trips are for grocery shopping and medical visits. "The bottom line is that there are so few options for people who do not have a vehicle," said Don Bruland, director of senior and disabled services for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. "Without mobility, they become socially isolated, which is a major factor in their loss of physical and mental health." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA