Buz-A-Bus ride service helps older, disabled people get to bank, doctor, grocery
The COVID-19 pandemic has made life more difficult and dangerous for almost all of us.
Now imagine being an older or disabled person who is unable to drive or doesn’t have a car.
That’s why Collat Jewish Family Services on Montclair Road offers its affordable, wheelchair-accessible Buz-A-Bus ride service.
Buz-A-Bus is a door-to-door transportation program designed to help those who are disabled and/or 60 years of age or older to maintain their independence.
Service was suspended in mid-March due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 but resumed Sept. 1 under strict safety protocols, said Elaine Witt, CJFS’s fund development and outreach director.
The service is currently available only for essential trips, including health care, grocery shopping and banking.
Face coverings and social distancing are strictly enforced for Buz-A-Bus passengers and drivers.
Using a 14-passenger bus with a wheelchair lift, Buz-A-Bus operates on Southside, Forest Park, East Lake, Woodlawn and most of downtown, as well as in Mountain Brook and parts of Homewood.
This includes the medical campuses at UAB, St. Vincent’s Hospital and Brookwood Baptist Medical Center.
The return of Buz-A-Bus came none too soon for some of its users, Witt said.
“Concerns about COVID-19 had prompted many older and disabled individuals to delay visiting their doctors and other health care providers,” she said. “Now, months into the pandemic, many of our riders are finding they can no longer delay these visits. They are grateful to have Buz-A-Bus as an affordable transportation option with appropriate preventive measures in place related to COVID-19.”
Before the pandemic, users could also use Buz-A-Bus to access beauty and barber shops, fitness centers, religious institutions, friends’ homes, social activities and more.
Each one-way ride is $5, though fees may be adjusted for those unable to pay the full fee.
The $30 annual membership fee for 2020 will be waived for new members, Witt said. Annual fee charges will resume for all members beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
Buz-A-Bus operates Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Riders must be enrolled as members of the program prior to riding the bus. Call Buz-A-Bus and a social worker will return your call to set up an eligibility screening and enrollment.
To learn more, call 205-879-3438 or go to cjfsbham.org/transportation.