Home » News & Events » Aging Well: Spotlight on Transportation
Keeping Older Adults Connected to Their Communities
JCA’s 10 drivers and nine buses are busy, traveling five days a week to and from Montgomery County senior recreation centers. They also transport residents from several area assisted living facilities on shopping trips.
Together, JCA buses traveled the equivalent of almost seven times around the equator during our Fiscal Year 2024-2025. The buses traveled 167,160 miles, making a total of 70,642 passenger trips. For many of the riders, JCA’s buses are a lifeline, allowing them to stave off isolation by getting together with others for exercise, talks, games, and socialization.
Marlan McEachin rides the bus to Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring five days a week. “Without this bus, I would have to pay Uber or Metro Access. That’s more money,” she said.
“It helps seniors. Keeps us motivated. Keeps us going,” she said. And she should know. Marlan spends her day exercising, dancing, creating ceramics and other artwork, eating lunch with friends, and looking forward to trips. “As long as you are active, you don’t get stuck just wasting away,” she said.
Seven or eight people ride on this bus most days. “It’s like a big family,” she said. On a recent trip, Marlan used her walker, along with some assistance from bus driver Betty Wouldyes, to get on board and take her regular seat in the second row. She called out greetings as each rider entered.
“I love it very much,” said fellow rider Nalini Shretha. She used to walk to the center, but it has become too painful. She said it’s important for her to keep going for the exercise classes.
John Johnson has a regular routine. As soon as he enters the bus, he gazes at his fellow riders and declares, “I see we all woke up above ground this morning.” Everyone laughs and then small conversations began. John has been taking the bus four days a week for about six years. He had been walking a few blocks to Georgia Avenue to catch a public bus. “I used to be able to get around more,” he admits. Johnson works in the center’s kitchen, helping set up. “This is part of the day for me.”
The riders have much in common, including their appreciation for their bus driver. Betty has been driving with JCA for four years. “I like to communicate with seniors. They have life experience and wisdom.”
“We talk,” she said, adding,” If they want quiet, I respect that.” Betty understates her role, noting she helps her passengers get in and out of the bus if they need assistance. But it’s clear she is more than helpful. She bounds out of the bus as soon as she gets to someone’s home or apartment complex, ensuring she is there if they need to climb down a few steps or walk across a driveway. “I like to help,” she said. She knows who needs help carrying their belongings and who wants her to be nearby, just in case.
She starts her daily trip at 7:45 a.m., delivering riders to the center by 9 a.m. Later in the afternoon, she returns to the center to drive them all home again.
“She’s the best. She helps us with everything. She won’t let us do nothing,” Marlan said. “We hate when she goes on vacation, but we know she has to go on vacation. But when she does, we miss her. We just love Miss Betty. She’s helpful and kind.” Marlan added that Betty helps her down steps and holds an umbrella over her in bad weather.
Nalini calls Betty “an excellent driver. She is very good every day.”
Besides Schweinhaut, JCA’s buses transport riders to five senior centers, including Damascus, Holiday Park, Long Branch, North Potomac, and White Oak – at no cost.
Since January 2014, JCA has been offering this service to seniors who live within a five-mile radius of a senior center. Like the program, the oldest of the 11 buses still in use is 11 years. There are also two backup buses.
JCA also has a contract with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation to provide bus service to and from Tobytown, a historic African-American community near Potomac. The route began in November of 2016, connecting residents with places such as Shady Grove Hospital, Wootton High School, and the Rockville Metro.
“It makes me proud when the County chooses us to serve people of all faiths and from all walks of life,” said Moti Galil, who has been a cornerstone of the JCA Rose & Harold Kramer Center on Transportation since 1981. He directs the buses as if he were conducting an orchestra, supported by transportation coordinator Evelyn Kittrell. “We drive precious cargo every day,” said Moti. “We connect older people to senior centers. We connect older people to the community they cherish.”
