The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) chose a transit provider that’s based two counties away over a homegrown nonprofit to provide transport for senior citizens. But the public and county leaders are conflicted by the decision.
“I live in a community that is majority seniors that heavily utilize these services,” Morro Bay Mayor and SLOCOG board member Carla Wixom said. “Ride-On is offering four trips, not two, and that’s a huge difference. VTS [Ventura Transit System] made a lot of promises also. … I just feel that the level of service, that kind of reduction will hurt my community immensely.”
Wixom’s comments at the Feb. 5 SLOCOG meeting aligned with those of fellow board members 3rd District SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Paso Robles Councilmember Fred Strong. The three cast dissenting votes in the 9-3 decision approving a 16-month contract between SLOCOG and Ventura Transit System for an amount that must not exceed $371,200. The agreement allows Ventura Transit System to provide seniors and wheelchair users with transport services through SLOCOG’s Senior Go! program.
Nonprofit Ride-On, which has been providing a door-to-door senior shuttle service since 2006, was also a contract contender.
When SLOCOG put Senior Go! out to bid, Ride-On submitted a proposal that offered four rides a month per passenger. Its proposal was $384,000—$13,000 over the ceiling set by SLOCOG.
Ride-On Executive Director Mark Shaffer told New Times that the proposal went over the required budget because the nonprofit handles around 14 other contracts and services, some of which are under-subsidized or not supported by SLOCOG at all.
“They don’t want to give Ride-On any money that will build up the social service transportation part, because they want to use that money for other services,” he said.
On the other hand, Ventura Transit System submitted two proposals. The first showed that if it maintained the current rate of four rides a month per passenger, the annual cost would skyrocket to $678,400. The alternative winning proposal suggested two rides a month per passenger at an annual cost of $371,000.
The transit system is also a brokerage, meaning any rides they’re unable to provide within SLO County are transferred to Ride-On. If Ride-On can’t take those passengers, they’re referred to Lyft.
“What kind of training do Lyft drivers get, and who’s doing the maintenance on their vehicles?” Shaffer said. “The seniors don’t like it because the car shows up and it’s not marked like a Ride-On bus. They don’t know who this person is that’s picking them up. It’s really not a good system.”
He added that the transit system, which has held the Senior Go! contract since 2018, transferred 70 percent of its rides in December 2024 to Ride-On because it didn’t have the capacity to provide ample vehicles and drivers from Ventura County.
Public comment from senior citizens who use Senior Go! favored Ride-On, too. Betty Rusty Zane, 77, told SLOCOG directors that she uses Senior Go! to attend Weight Watchers in Arroyo Grande.
“For the past year, I’ve managed to lose 50 pounds by going every week thanks to Senior Go!” she said. “The people are wonderful, they take good care of us, the drivers are very polite. … I just really enjoy my one day out a week to go to AG, … and I’d be really sad if I couldn’t go.”
SLOCOG Executive Director Peter Rodgers told New Times that while SLOCOG prefers Ventura Transit System’s proposal, he’s disappointed that the number of rides will be halved.
“We don’t have resources to sustain four round trips unless we want to take money from something else,” he said. “Eighty percent of the users only take Senior Go! two roundtrips per month. We recognize that this is hurtful to 20 percent of the existing riders, and we would like to be able to grow the senior volunteer programs that pay a mileage for volunteer drivers. We also need more revenue.”
Rodgers told the SLOCOG board at the Feb. 5 meeting that $750,000 has already been spent on such services, and the expenditure cap rests at $800,000.
However, 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding informed his fellow board members that choosing the proposal with fewer rides could be detrimental to SLO County’s Master Plan on Aging where participants highlighted transportation issues.
“I think it’s a very difficult decision,” Paulding said. “My personal take is that I don’t like open-ended statements and promises. … If Ride-On is saying, ‘We can do the four rides,’ but then they run out of money, that doesn’t help us.”
The majority of the SLOCOG board agreed to Rodgers’ suggestion of deferring the two-ride limit through March. The board will return in April to discuss funding options outside of Local Transportation Funds to sustain more rides. Δ
This article appears in Feb 6-16, 2025.