ORLANDO, Fla. — Seniors living in downtown Orlando apartment towers who had spent weeks worried about losing their bus service to grocery and retail stores every week received good news on Friday: those trips will continue.
Orlando, in partnership with Mears, will launch a new bus service beginning November 4 to replace the Seniors First buses, which were eliminated by federal budget cuts.
The city signed a three-month, $29,000 contract with the company to provide the service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with each of the 11 apartment buildings assigned a specific day and time.
Mears will provide senior transportation services to the following facilities:
o Kinneret Apartments
o Orlando Cloisters
o William Booth Towers and Catherine Booth Towers
o Villas at Carver Park
o Jackson Court Apartments
o Hillcrest Hampton House
o The Roberts
o Westminster Plaza
o Magnolia Towers
o Orlando Lutheran Towers
o Westminster Towers
The buses will stop at places such as iFresh Market, ALDI, Target, Publix, Dollar Tree, Freshfields Farm, and Walmart Neighborhood Market.
“The primary focus up to this point has been to ensure continuity of service with no interruptions,” Orlando spokeswoman Andrea Otero wrote. “Now that an agreement is in place safeguarding against any lapses, the City… proceeding to secure a long-term contract.”
The Community Redevelopment Agency is financing the new service.
“You don’t know how happy we are,” Surma Redondo, a resident at The Roberts, said as she got off the final Seniors First bus Friday. “That’s all we need, one bus. So I want to thank you so much.”
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