Working Toward an 'Ecosystem' of Transportation Solutions

SilverRide believes strongly that a vibrant “ecosystem” of transportation solutions must be developed to service the variety and quantity of needs of the growing and more active senior population who are entering their “driving retirement.”

As such, SilverRide participates in the communities in which they operate to help foster the growth of and knowledge about transportation services and activities for seniors, and it works with numerous nonprofits, government agencies, and organizations to address the issues of isolation and loneliness.

For instance, SilverRide donates rides to various agencies for their volunteer driving programs and strives to get new programs started. Additionally, SilverRide executives sit on the boards of several nonprofit agencies to help promote the development of volunteer driving and activities programs for seniors.

Founders Saal and Maltz established SilverRide in 2006, after personally witnessing, through their volunteer work and experiences with their own family members, the transportation difficulties and resulting isolation and loneliness seniors face. Today the service has hundreds of clients and has provided more than 30,000 rides.

“We both watched our parents struggle to manage the transportation needs of our grandparents, while making sure that they had the social interaction necessary to maintain a high quality of life,” they said in accepting their ASA award. “When we hear from our clients that SilverRide has solved a real problem for them and has dramatically improved their lives, it is a reward in and of itself!"

“The importance of initiatives like SilverRide cannot be overstated,” said Jed Johnson, director of the National Center for Senior Transportation in Washington, D.C. He cited statistics of the American Public Transportation Association, which found that when older adults stop driving, they make 15% fewer trips to the doctor and 65% fewer trips for social, family, and religious activities.

“In these challenging times for funding, SilverRide is an example of a private sector approach to identifying a burgeoning community need and meeting it in creative ways through a successful business model,” Johnson said.

Click SilverRide to learn more.