An evaluation of Councils on Aging dial-a-ride systems in Massachusetts

In many cities and towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Councils on Aging are running dial-a-ride services for elderly residents. A survey of these organizations was made to determine the service characteristics of their transportation systems. While the Council on Aging dial-a-rides do not achieve productivities as high as those achieved by public transit dial-a-rides, lower operating costs are achieved on a per hour basis. Thus the costs per passenger trip are very close to those for the public transit systems. The major advantage of the Council on Aging systems is their ability to employ volunteer or inexpensive labor. These systems are thus very attractive in areas with unused volunteer resources.