Commission researches transportation options—ride‑hail services, NEMT and a van tax exemption

Commission members spent a substantive part of the meeting reviewing local transportation options for older residents and people with disabilities and agreed to collect concrete eligibility and contact information for inclusion in the commission’s resource guide.

Speaker 4 said they are compiling a spreadsheet comparing potential providers and described GoGoGrandparents — a ride‑hail service designed to work with or for older adults and caregivers — noting limits in vehicle accessibility: "They could take you if you're in a wheelchair if you can transfer out of your chair by yourself," Speaker 4 said, and flagged that some power‑chair users would not be covered.

Speaker 2 and others discussed Connecticut’s nonemergency medical transportation program (NEMT), administered by the state Department of Social Services, emphasizing that NEMT is Medicaid‑based and therefore not universally available. "This is for Medicaid...I don't think that would really do much for everyone," Speaker 4 said, but members observed it could still serve some residents in housing authority units.

Separately, Speaker 3 reported discovering a local property‑tax exemption process for vans fitted to transport wheelchairs and said the assessor’s office was unfamiliar with the procedure until shown the information; the speaker plans to retrieve the appropriate form and publish instructions if confirmed.

The group agreed to catalogue each option with clear eligibility notes (Medicaid requirement, vehicle accessibility limits, costs) so the resource guide will guide callers and partner organizations to the right service.