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Prime Times Senior Shopper Express Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Driver Debbie Cameron gives Marge Smith a lift to the store as part of the Senior Shopper Express, a new program by the Rogue Valley Transportation District that provides front-door service to grocery and department stores for people over 60 and the disabled. By John Darling If you�re over 60 or disabled and live in the Rogue Valley, the bus will now come to your front door, drive you to any of about 10 big stores in your area, pick you up later, help load your packages and take you back home � all for $1 each way. With a $125,334 grant from the state, Rogue Valley Transportation District began the new Senior Shopper Express (SSX) to serve seniors from Ashland to Central Point, from Jacksonville and White City. All you do is call 779-7586 the day before and schedule your ride. SHOPPER EXPRESS SCHEDULES Here are the bus schedules for the Senior Shopper Express. Call 779-7586 the day before to schedule your ride. Zone 1: Central Point/White City. Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays. Stops: Ray�s Food Place, and Albertson�s, Central Point; Shop-n-Kart and Foodland, White City; and Safeway, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Rogue Valley Mall, Food 4 Less and Target, north Medford. Zone 2: Jacksonville/West Medford. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays. Stops: Jacksonville Market; Albertson�s, Thunderbird Market and Bi-Mart, west Medford; and Safeway, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Rogue Valley Mall, Food 4 Less and Target, north Medford. Zone 3: North and south Medford. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, noon to 5 p.m. Fridays. Stops: Fred Meyer, south Medford; Albertson�s, Safeway and Rite Aid, East Medford; and Safeway, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Rogue Valley Mall, Food 4 Less and Target, north Medford. Zone 4: Ashland/Talent/Phoenix. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays. Stops: Shop-n-Kart, Albertson�s, Bi-Mart, Rite Aid and Safeway, Ashland; Wal-Mart and Tark�s Market, Talent; and Pear Tree and Ray�s Food Place, Phoenix. "It�s real handy," said Marge Smith, 75, Medford, who suffers from hip problems. "It stops where you want to go, not a block down the road so you have to walk back. I�d normally have to call my daughter, who works, or ask friends for rides and often they can�t do it, so I might end up sitting in my apartment, not going anyplace." Smith emerged from the 13-passenger mini-bus smack at the entrance of Wal-Mart in Medford, where the bus was scheduled to pick her up in two hours. SSX serves Rogue Valley Mall and all the larger stores, including Fred Meyer, Albertson�s Target, Food 4 Less, Safeway and Shop-n-Kart. Other stores may be added on request. Riders may travel only to stores in their zones and only in weekday hours specified. All mini-buses are equipped with lifts for those in wheelchairs. "So far we�ve had a lot of compliments," said driver Debbie Cameron. "It�s a real benefit to people who have ailments like arthritis and aren�t able to walk to the bus. One lady told me she thought she�d died and gone to heaven." Word about the new service is just starting to spread, said RVTD manager Sherrin Coleman, so buses are making trips with just one or two passengers. "It�s starting to really change people�s lives," she said. "It�s a new way to go shopping. One lady told me her husband has Alzheimer�s and she�s hardly able to get away. On the regular bus, she has to walk a block and a half with big bags of groceries. This has really helped her." Public input gained at RVTD Transportation Forums last year showed that many seniors resist buses because of fear of strangers, complexity of schedules and difficulty with packages, she said. To counter this, seniors and disabled people will be able to use "bus buddies" � volunteers specially trained to help riders gain experience and confidence using buses and to provide physical help with mobility and packages. People wishing to volunteer as bus buddies may call Connie Skillman, Community Partnership Team, 776-6164. The 1.5-year grant is part of Gov. John Kitzhaber�s Oregon Livability Initiative. It includes $19 million for the Oregon Transportation Network to fund transportation improvements for seniors and the disabled around the state. All maps, schedules and SSX store lists are on RVTD�s Web site, www.rvtd.org. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA