The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce the awarding of passenger vans to 18 municipalities in Union County in support of Chairman Bruce H. Bergen’s “Seniors in Motion” initiative for 2016.
The vans are expected to arrive in November. The initiative, which was last implemented in 2001, will provide municipalities that requested it, with a passenger van (purchased by the County) for senior transport.
“We recognize seniors as an integral part of our community,” said Freeholder Chairman Bergen. “The ‘Seniors in Motion’ initiative has been successful in the past and we are happy to see it continue to enhance the lives of seniors throughout the county.”
Eight municipalities received the requested 12-passenger van and ten received the 15-passenger van. Union County funded $495,000 for the initiative. Each van will provide transportation for the seniors in their town.
The communities will keep the vehicle for its lifetime and will be responsible for insurance, maintenance, and the provision of qualified drivers who have a Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) for the 15-passenger van. Some municipalities that participated in the 2001 initiative, had maintained their aging vehicles, and contacted the County about renewing the initiative this year.
The towns receiving a van are: Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden, Mountainside, New Providence, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union, and Winfield Park.
Bergen declared 2016 as “the Year of the Senior,” announcing several programs offering various services for seniors.
Additionally, Union County’s existing Paratransit system will continue to provide rides, at minimal cost, for transportation to medical treatments and other related activities. The Paratransit fleet can accommodate those in wheelchairs and walkers and makes regularly scheduled trips to the Lyons VA Medical Center and the East Orange VA Medical Center.