Newsday.com
By Erin Geismar
The Village of Islandia will soon begin a free service to shuttle senior citizens “curb to curb” for doctors visits and shopping trips, said Islandia Mayor Allan Dorman.
“It’s mainly for people who can’t get that ride,” said Dorman, who unveiled Monday a new bus that will be used for the service. “We’ve got seniors that are well into their 70s and some of them are alone. We want to help them out, make life a little easier, and why not?”
The service, which begins on Oct. 18, is for village residents only, he said. The bus will shuttle passengers from their houses to doctors’ offices and other locations outside of Islandia, including the nearby King Kullen, Stop & Shop, Wal-Mart and ShopRite stores. He anticipates a large demand for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
Dorman said he hopes to expand the program in the future to include special Wednesday trips to the Smithaven Mall.
The village purchased the bus for about $56,000 and is currently interviewing to hire a part-time driver.
Starting today, senior citizens can call Village Hall to schedule a pick up — preferably between 10 a.m. and noon. The service is available to village residents on Mondays and Fridays.
The bus can hold 20 people and is wheelchair accessible.
Dorman said the village mailed information about the new program to its senior citizens and had been fielding phone calls about the program for weeks.
He said he anticipated scheduling a ride by the end of the day.
“I think it’s a great looking bus,” Dorman said. “If we can’t deliver, we won’t promise it. But in this case, we delivered and we’re happy with it.”
Village officials, including Dorman, have received licenses to operate the bus.
