need a pick-me-up?

Finding a ride in Florida just got easier.

For many people, getting their first car or first bus pass is a lifechanging event. They’re able to make new friends, explore new places and expand their options for education and income. But there are deeper benefits to having access to transportation, as well—and potentially dire consequences for losing that access.

According to the National Caregivers Library, there are a number of psychological side e ects that accompany transportation access. These e ects might include feeling more independent, capable and self-su cient. Some experience a feeling of elevated social status. Others can begin to explore the more spontaneous aspects of their personalities.

In other words, when someone loses the ability to get around on their own, they lose more than what might be immediately apparent. These observations begged a huge question to a group of people here in Florida: If access to transportation is so important, how could they help Florida’s growing, aging population maintain their mobility, regardless of their needs or where they live?

Researchers believe they’ve developed part of the answer in a new, free website called FindaRideFlorida.org, which was created via a collaboration between the University of Florida’s I-MAP program and the Florida Department of Transportation. The site allows people and/or their caregivers

›

By Sean Trapani

to quickly locate transportation resources near them, giving them the ability to keep doctor’s appointments, go food shopping or simply, as the project lead says, buy an ice cream cone.

To use the service, one simply logs on to FindaRideFlorida.org on a desktop or mobile device. Once there, users type in their current location and where they want to go. Then, after the user hits the “find a ride” button, the site reveals a list of transportation sources. These options might include traditional taxi companies, public transportation, nonprofits and ride-hailing services. But the benefits of the site go farther than connecting people with rides.

“Find a Ride data enables public transportation agencies and decision-makers to respond to transportation gaps more e ectively,” says Sherrilene Classen, Ph.D., M.P.H., OTR/L, director of I-MAP and a professor and chair of the UF department of occupational therapy, “…leading to better, more equitable public transportation service planning and delivery to benefit the most vulnerable populations in Florida.”

FindaRideFlorida.org is a free service developed by UF and the Florida DOT’s Safe Mobility for Life program. The site, which includes accommodations for low-vision users, is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for people in all 67 Florida counties.