For more than 20 years, the USOAC Travel Training program has outreached countywide throughout the older adult communities in Alameda County about the benefits of the USOAC Senior Public Transportation Training and Education Program. For the first time since the Pandemic, USOAC is pleased to report that the older adult community is getting more and more comfortable in going out and participating in programs like the USOAC Travel Training program.
Our program provides instruction to older adults on how to utilize public transit in the real world, assisting older adults and people with disabilities to master devices like scooters, wheelchairs, canes, etc while using public transportation. Pedestrian Safety and advocacy are a priority of the Travel Training program.
What is Senior Travel Training?
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Training older adults (55+ years of age) and people with disabilities in Alameda County.
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Teaching skills, trip planning, how to read maps and schedules, dual tag using your Clipper or RTC Card, filing complaint and/or commendations, safety, what to do when you are lost etc.
Types of Travel Trainings
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Mini Travel Trainings
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Group Trips
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One on One
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2-day course
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Day One Orientation,
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AC Transit, BART, Trolley, Ferry
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Day Two Field Trip
511.org is a free phone and web source for up-to-the-minute Bay Area transit information. Learn how to use Online Apps like 511. Org and NextBus.
NextBus is a website that displays real-time transit arrival times for each specific transit agency and route.
Benefits of Travel Training
Environmental: In California, the transportation sector accounts for about 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road is critical to achieving climate change goals and clean air standards.
Everyone knows that taking transit is good for the environment. Be part of the solution—a typical trip on public transit emits 55% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than driving alone. Personal Wellness: Taking transit is linked to higher levels of physical activity. Studies have shown that people who use public transportation for any reason were less likely to be sedentary, taking 30% more steps and walking 8.3 more minutes per day than people who mostly drove. Just walking to and from transit stops can add up to the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day, reducing health care costs.
Since the inception of the USOAC Travel Training Program, service dogs have been welcome. If you have a service animal, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows your animal to accompany you to any public place from restaurants and hotels to (you guessed it) buses and trains.
