By Gary M. Kaye
Editor, Tech50+ (www.tech50plus.com)
For many elders, driving becomes increasingly problematic. In some cases, it’s a matter of slowing reflexes. In other cases, it’s a matter of poor night vision. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of confidence. But giving up a car has long meant giving up freedom and mobility. In more and more communities that’s becoming less of an issue as ride sharing services, primarily Uber and Lyft expand their reach into retirement communities.
These 70, 80 and 90-plus year old seniors are embracing smartphone apps, especially when it comes to their new-found freedom of transportation, due to services like Lyft, etc. While the active retirement community offers transportation services, some residents want greater control and ability to decide when and where they want to go on their own schedule. Popular among residents is Uber and Lyft; along with assistance from the telephone service GoGoGrandparent that bridges the gap between the senior customer and the app service.
Embracing rideshare technology
The concierge at Palace Coral Gables (in Coral Gables, FL) will help a resident set up an app. For those who don’t have or are not comfortable with smartphones, GoGoGrandparent is a telephone service that can be set up by an adult child or caretaker. The service will inform the responsible party about the name of the driver, the arrival time, and any answer any questions along the way. The account can be set up so the touch of a button on a landline phone can send the car to the senior’s home. For the return trip, dialing that service number and hitting “2” will send a car to what had been the drop-off location.
Residents at Palace Coral Gables are using Uber and Lyft for grocery shopping, doctors’ appointments, and almost anything that they would have normally used it for with their own cars. It’s an affordable option and helps contribute to their independence. And it means they don’t have to rely on family, friends or the community’s transportation.
According to the management at Palace, the more they use these apps, the more comfortable they become. Other benefits include the Fare Estimation app so they’ll know in advance the cost of each trip. They don’t have to worry about a driver taking a circuitous route to raise the cost of a fare. There is also the Split Fare option, so they can take advantage of lower fares if they choose to share the ride and cost with a friend.
The Palace staff helped 80-year-old Hugo Carvajal set up the Uber App and because he is a former engineer, he got the hang of it easily. Usually, he uses Uber services once a week to visit his sister and friends, or for a doctor’s visit. He may go to an evening concert using Uber as well, which offers him the freedom to attend evening events since he is unable to drive at night. He’s been using the service for about six months and said, “This gives me the freedom to go anywhere and it’s so great. I have as much freedom as using a car. I’ve had no problems and used it to go as far as West Palm Beach and west Broward County. The drivers are very nice and the price is economical. I feel very peaceful using the service and it helps me from getting lost or fighting traffic. No cash is involved which is helpful.”
Carvajal said he still owns a car, but is looking to sell it. As for self-driving cars, he says it’s something he’d consider.
“I’d give it a try and as a retired engineer who worked in the automobile industry; I think I would love to try it,” Carvajal said.
He said he most commonly uses the service about t once a week to visit the doctor and go out to dinner or to a show.
“I also use the Uber service when I invite people to visit me at The Palace,” he added.
96 year-old Harriet Gerson, got help from her granddaughter to set up the Lyft App for her, and now she uses it four to five times a week for doctor’s appointments and to visit friends who no longer drive. She’s been using Lyft for about eight months. She said the drivers are very helpful and since she needs to use a walker, the drivers always make sure to drop her off right at the front door. She still relies on The Palace’s transportation to take her shopping to Dadeland, Merrick Park and other shopping venues.
And Next, The Self-Driving Car
Just around the bend are Uber and Lyft’s efforts to create the self-driving car. There’s plenty at stake. When they get it right, you’ll be able to order a car to your door to take you on the same errands that Uber and Lyft will perform today. Eventually Uber and Lyft know that will save them the costs of the drivers. But don’t expect this to all happen next month or even next year. Both companies have trials underway to test out the concept. And even though the experimental cars are doing the driving, there’s still someone along to make sure everything goes as planned.
Malcom Glenn is director of strategic partnerships for Uber. He said the first self-driving Ubers would be using pre-planned routes. That way the programmers can learn traffic patterns, potential obstacles, even construction patterns and potholes. In other words, the route would be specifically planned to avoid bumps in the road. Glenn said this would be the first step towards self-driving cars. Only after that technology is proven out will we see the next step: routes that can be planned on an as-needed basis
To be honest there are still a lot of impediments to making Uber and Lyft a ubiquitous solution for elder mobility, and some of those may not be solved by self-driving cars. Accessibility is a big one. Neither Uber nor Lyft is well equipped with enough accessible vehicle to accommodate the needs of seniors with disabilities, whether it be a wheelchair, or low vision, or even poor hearing. In order for these services to really take off, they’re going to need the ability to get folks out the door, or in the door at their destination. In the short run that may be a lot more of a practical problem than the advent of self-driving cars.
Gary Kaye is the creator of Tech50+ (www.tech50plus.com), the leading website covering technology from the Baby Boomer perspective. Kaye has been covering high tech for more than 30 years with outlets including NBC, ABC, CNN and Fox Business. He is a regular contributor to AARP and other websites on issues regarding the nexus of technology, seniors and baby boomers.
