HANCOCK COUNTY — Hancock County Senior Services is ready to roll.
The nonprofit agency recently purchased four new vans to add to its fleet of vehicles that transport clients all over the county.
The four new 2019 Dodge Grand Caravans are parked in the agency’s garage and awaiting remodel work. Once modified with wheelchair ramps, they cost roughly $37,000 apiece.
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The agency also purchased four similar vans in 2019.
“That is going to give us eight wheelchair compatible vans that are all 2 years old or less, so we’re pretty excited about that,” said Bob Long, executive director at HCSS.
The vans make up two-thirds of the nonprofit’s fleet, which consists of a dozen vehicles, Long said.
The agency provides non-emergency transportation to various destinations for county residents age 60 and older. Under the same umbrella, Hancock Area Rural Transit offers transportation to residents under 60. Rides are available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rides must be scheduled in advance.
Having predominantly newer vehicles will be great for improving the transit service’s safety, reliability and maintenance costs, Long said. The agency has worked over the past two years to replace its older vehicles, some of which were over 10 years old.
The vehicles tend to age pretty quickly due to the amount of stop-and-go driving they do, he said. “We’re hard on brakes, we’re hard on tires, because we do predominantly city driving.”
The agency budgeted for the purchases to bring its fleet up to date. Eighty percent of the funds came from the Indiana Department of Transportation, while Senior Services came up with the rest.
“We had gotten a little off the mark the last couple years with vehicle replacement, so this is going to allow us to get back on more of a consistent vehicle replacement schedule,” Long said. “That should position us well for the next couple years; then we can get one or two in subsequent years depending on what the need is.”
There’s no big rush to get them on the road, he said. Service calls are yet to return to full capacity due to COVID-19.
“The demand has not quite caught up to what it was pre-COVID. People are still taking precautions, thinking twice about where they want to go and how they want to go,” he said.
The agency suspended transit services on March 20 and resumed trips on May 18.
Right now, drivers are providing about half as many rides as they did before the pandemic hit: 35 to 40 rides daily, compared to 75 rides daily pre-COVID.
Riders must answer a series of screening questions when booking a trip and before entering a vehicle to assure they’re not sick, and they must wear a mask while riding. Drivers, dispatchers, home care providers and office personnel have their temperatures taken twice a day, Long said.
He said it will take time to get back to full capacity as an increasing number of seniors — the main bulk of riders — feel comfortable leaving the house again.
When riders are ready, the fleet will be ready too, Long said.
Only five vehicles are in use right now, but the director is hopeful that ride requests pick up enough to necessitate having all 12 vehicles on the road.
“Right now, we’re just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping everybody stays healthy, and that we’re able to start transporting a lot more people in the near future,” he said.
While ride services resumed May 18, the agency’s homemaker and respite care services didn’t resume until May 26. The services are now being offered in single-family residences, but not yet in apartments or multi-unit dwellings.
The homemaker service provides housekeeping assistance to seniors and the disabled who need part-time help with household tasks like laundry, meal preparation and light household tasks. The fee is income-based.
Respite and assisted care services are available to give caregivers a break by providing non-medical, in-home supervision to frail seniors or people with disabilities. The fee for this service is also income-based.
The two-month break from these revenue-generating services, in addition to a number of missed fundraising opportunities due to COVID-19, has made funding a challenge this year, Long said.
He encourages businesses to consider becoming sponsors and putting their information on the side of the agency’s bright white vans.
Long said one major company, a non-profit, several small businesses and even some individuals have already signed on to become sponsors.
“If you’d like your name to appear on one of these vans, which travels to the far corners of the county on a consistent basis, give me a call,” he said.
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Hancock County Senior Services is accepting sponsorships for its fleet of transit vehicles. Entities or individuals who contribute can have their name and/or logo placed on the side of the new vans, which travel to all parts of the county and which can log 100 miles or more a day. In 2019, the service made more than 18,000 runs.
More information is available by calling Bob Long, executive director at Senior Services, at 317-462-3758.
More information about the agency’s transit service is available by calling 317-462-1103.
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