Real Seniors Take School Buses To Buy Fresh Food

CityRoom has a nice story about how some city school buses, empty during the day with kids in school, are being used to ferry senior citizens to supermarkets: "The elderly often have a difficult time finding fresh produce and healthful foods because of their limited mobility." The program also doesn't cost anything, since the school buses and drivers are there anyway; the city's Department of Aging said, "The fuel costs are in their contract, so there is no increase or decrease whether we used the buses or not."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 14, 2009 10:33 AM

Comments [rss]

Spirit of 76

It's good and it's bad. Aside from letting them buy fresh produce, it lets them get out instead of being confined all day. But I wouldn't say there's absolutely no cost. I'm sure the extra diesel burned will be figured into the next round of contract bids. And there's always the pollution and carbon emissions. But on balance, I guess it comes out a positive.

schizofriendly

This is excellent. Viva Pronoia!

Wza

Love it!

crosby

Ditto! The story made me really happy (so rare for city room!).

Jen Chung

I know! It's so obvious yet so brilliant!

PTG in nyc

Wow, an efficient use of resources to do something good and proper.

Usually these stories are marred by "but the bus drivers union demanded that they get to keep their 4 hour lunch break, thus ending the program to help seniors."

Finally