SamTrans Partnering With Local Veterans’ Organization

SamTrans has launched a new program to help more veterans use the local public transportation network.

Through its Senior Mobility Initiative, SamTrans partners with a broad coalition of organizations to provide resources and assistance to older residents and people with disabilities. The volunteer Mobility Ambassador Program helps them understand their options, and teaches them to independently use fixed-route bus networks like SamTrans, which provides additional mobility options to the services provided by paratransit vehicles.

Recently, SamTrans expanded upon that effort to partner with the Veterans Resource Center at the Menlo Park campus of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to develop a new program, called the Veterans Mobility Corps (VMC).  The VMC was designed to address the transportation challenges faced by veterans who have disabilities brought about by aging or injuries sustained during their service.

“We truly appreciate the efforts led by SamTrans to help get veterans acclimated and comfortable with the local public transportation system,” said Ingrid Trejo, MPH, regional site director for the Veterans Resource Center of America. “The number of disabled, injured, and aging veterans is rapidly growing. It’s very important that they receive these mobility resources for independent transportation options.”

The San Mateo County Veterans Services Office and staff members of the VA Mental Health Outpatient Clinics in Menlo Park and San Bruno have contributed to the program’s development. The Veterans Mobility Corps will now focus on recruiting volunteer veterans who will be trained to instruct other veterans on how to use the fixed-route transportation systems on the Peninsula.

Along with providing resources and instructions on how to use SamTrans, the program will also help veterans understand their options for travelling on Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses and light rail, BART, Muni, and Caltrain. All of the travel training services of the Veterans Mobility Corps will be free of charge.

Representatives from the SamTrans’ Mobility Initiative will provide an update on the VMC program at the bus agency’s regularly-scheduled Board of Directors meeting.

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