Metro News Release
For immediate release: June 4, 2003
Reminder: GrandDriver Program and Metro help older Americans learn more about alternate transportation
Forty residents from Fairfax and Prince Georges counties will participate in a June 5th event called the GrandDriver Options, part of the GrandDriver Program that exposes local residents to transportation options available in the Washington metropolitan area.
During the four-hour program, which begins at 10 a.m. on June 5th aboard a Metrobus, which will pick up participants from Fairfax and Prince George’s counties and end with a ride aboard a Metrorail train, older adults will learn about the importance of planning ahead for alternatives to driving and get first-hand experience using Metrobus and Metrorail.
The GrandDriver Program, an education and awareness initiative of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro), are partnering to provide a hands-on learning experiences for the area’s older adults.
"Metrorail opens doors to safe, convenient, and reliable service for more than 650,000 customers on average each weekday," stated Richard A. White, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of Metro. " We are proud to provide this valuable transportation service to regional residents and customers from across the nation and from around the world, no matter their age or condition of mobility. We encourage senior citizens to learn more about riding Metrobus, Metrorail, and MetroAccess through the forward-looking GrandDriver Program." "Our driving abilities can be affected by the aging process," says Linda Lewis, President and CEO of AAMVA, a sponsor of the GrandDriver program. "So it is important that we plan for other means of getting around when driving is no longer an option. But retiring from driving doesn’t mean that we should retire from life."
As a partner in this initiative, Metro is running GrandDriver public service announcements on its Metrobuses and Metrorail trains. Metro provides services to older Americans that make travel easier. Riders over the age of 65 are eligible for reduced fares; those with disabilities, who are certified to use the service, can obtain curb-to-curb transportation from their homes to their destination using MetroAccess.
GrandDriver, an education and awareness campaign of AAMVA, educates the public about the effects of age on driving ability and encourages the public to plan ahead for safe transportation options before they reach their later years.
The campaign, focused on the greater Washington metropolitan area, is a combined effort of AAMVA; the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia motor vehicle agencies; the Maryland Highway Safety Office; and the D.C. Department of Transportation in association with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services" U.S. Administration on Aging, the AARP Driver Safety Program, and AAA.
News release issued on June 4, 2003.