The Community Needs Van Service operated by the Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association is scheduled to park its vehicles for good on Dec. 31 because the funding is drying up. The service has given some 900 low-cost rides a month to elderly and disabled people in the area.
“I know money is hard now and everything needs funding, but can't you take a little out of here and a little of there to help the seniors?” said Betty Bennett, who has used CNVS for five years.
The federal money, the state learned earlier this year, is intended for rural areas, which no longer include places like Missoula.
This isn't the first time the commissioners have heard feedback on the phasing-out of the program. Commissioner Jean Curtiss said local officials have contacted the state and various parties involved, but take comfort knowing that the seniors' transportation needs will be met - if even through a different means.
“We have a level of confidence that the level of services will be met,” Curtiss said. “Change is always hard and I think there's some misinformation about what Mountain Line is providing.”
Beginning in July, Mountain Line, the lead urban transportation agency in Missoula, kicked off Senior Van, a program aims to provide a similar service to those eventually stranded by CNVS. It's a dial-up senior transportation service on a first-come, first-served basis.
It's in addition to Mountain Line's American Disabilities Act Paratransit, which serves people who meet strict ADA criteria and medical requirements. The hours of operation are firm and the service is required by law.
For an extra cost, customers can receive the same level of service that was offered with CNVS, such as door-to-door pickup and help carrying packages and groceries. It's an additional 50-cent one-way charge to use Mountain Line's services above CNVS.
Some seniors argue that even the smallest fee increase is difficult to absorb for those living on a fixed income. They also say Mountain Line is not the same.
“The (CNVS) vans are so much better equipped,” said Bennett, who went on in more detail about the difficulty of accessing the lifts on Mountain Line's vehicles. The 83-year-old asked if any of the three county commissioners' family members used CNVS. None did.
Mountain Line General Manager Steve Earle said he has done his best to provide a service for seniors. Earle helped start the CNVS program years ago, and would have liked to have seen it continue. With the economy and fuel prices the way they are, it's a difficult time to be adding services, he said.
“We weren't looking for more to do,” he said, turning to the seniors in the room. “Give it a try.”
Mountain Line has asked the county for additional funding this year to help pay for the Senior Van and Paratransit services. The request of $3,950 above the previous year won't cover all of the additional expenses, he said, but it will help defray the cost of meeting a growing transportation need in Missoula.
The commissioners said they will keep an eye on how the Mountain Line services are working for the seniors.
“It's a huge concern for all of us,” Curtiss said.
Reporter Chelsi Moy can be reached at 523-5260 or at chelsi.moy@missoulian.com.
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