Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia and local cab companies partner to make voting accesible for southside seniors

NORFOLK, Va. – (Oct. 14, 2020) – Transportation to the polls on election day can sometimes be a challenge for those individuals with a disability or simply a lack of access to a vehicle or public transportation. For older adults, the obstacles may be more problematic.

That is why Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia and local taxi companies Coastal Ride, have come together to ensure that a ride to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3 is just a phone call away for Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach residents who are 60 years of age and older.

“Our agency works hard all year long to ensure that older adults stay active, healthy and engaged in their communities,” says Senior Services’ CEO Steve Zollos. “That includes having the ability to exercise your right to vote. We greatly appreciate our partnership with Coastal Ride.

“Coastal Ride is proud to offer this service to  seniors in our community again this year,” says Coastal Ride CEO Judy Swystun. “We know how transportation can be a challenge for them and we want everyone to have the oppotunity to vote. Also, during the Covid pandemic, we have taken many safety precautions to keep everyone safe, including sneeze shields installed between the front and rear seats in all vehicles. Plus, all drivers and passengers are required to wear masks.”

Senior adults wanting to arrange for a ride on election day will need to make a reservation in advance by calling Senior Services at 757-963-9218 no later than noon on Friday, Oct. 30.

Individuals requesting a ride must provide a phone number, pickup address, registered voting location and a preferred pickup time.  Rides are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If the demand is high, the pickup time may change somewhat, but will be confirmed ahead of election day. Dependent on the voting place, drive-up voting may be available for those who are concerned about their health and safety due to the pandemic. Senior Services advises you to check your voting place to see if that option is available.

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 About Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia: Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia advocates for older adults residing in South Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater. For almost half a century, the organization has improved the lives of tens of thousands of our region’s seniors by providing easy access to high-quality programs and services designed to help individuals age in place. To learn more about Senior Services call 757-461-9481, connect with us on Facebook or Twitter, or visit ssseva.org.

 About Coastal Ride: Several taxicab services in Hampton Roads rebranded themselves to Coastal Ride. All companies with the new brand have a state of the art dispatch system, app, driver training and quality vehicle maintenance program. Coastal Ride furnishes service from Virginia Beach to Newport News providing 10’s of thousands of passengers transportation every month. Coastal Ride strives to be the Transportation you can Trust. To learn more about Coastal Ride, please visit coastalride.com.