By Margaret Reist
Lincoln Journal Star, Neb.
LINCOLN, Neb. — The city plans to create a program to help older adults and those with limited English learn how to use public transportation, thanks to a $20,000 grant from AARP.
The How to Ride Project will offer six in-person educational training sessions for up to 90 participants at senior centers, cultural centers and Lincoln Literacy on how to use StarTran and BikeLNK.
The program will provide up to 700 transit passes for post-session bus and bicycle use. Some of those passes will also be shared with Aging Partners to give to its patrons, said Liz Elliott, Lincoln Transportation and Utilities director.
The city also will translate instructional videos on StarTran’s website — now offered in English and Spanish — into Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, Kurdish and Karen, the most-spoken languages of StarTran users.
The videos will cover topics such as planning a ride, boarding, exiting, fare payment and paratransit services. They’ll be available on the StarTran website by the end of the year, Elliott said.
LTU also will update multilingual documents with tips on riding StarTran buses and using the BikeLNK bike-share program, including translations in Kurdish, French and Nuer.
City Councilwoman Sändra Washington said the program not only helps older Lincolnites, it supports Lincoln’s status as a welcoming community where nationality or language does not determine how far community members can go or what they can achieve.
“By translating educational materials about public transit into multiple languages, the city of Lincoln provides a key entry point for older adults and newer Americans to boost their mobility and quality of life,” she said.
The city based the grant — and the resulting program — on a survey conducted by Aging Partners, one of the agency’s first goals after AARP designated Lincoln as an age-friendly community last year.
The designation is, essentially, a commitment by city leaders to make Lincoln a better, more inclusive place for older people to live.
Aging Partners Director Randy Jones said of 850 respondents, 47% said accessibility and convenience of public transportation were important.
“We held five listening sessions and the feedback was clear,” he said. “Our community wants access to affordable and free bus passes, more accessible information on how to ride the bus and greater public awareness on how to use the bus system.”
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the city listened and learned.
“With support from AARP, will deliver the priority services our seniors want and need,” she said. “This new funding will make life better for Lincoln’s older adults by making it easier to get to where they need to go — whether that’s a doctor’s appointment, the grocery store, or a family gathering.”
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