More Orange County seniors might have a difficult time accessing low cost rides to community centers, grocery stores and doctor visits as local officials increasingly cut down on senior transportation services.
It comes as county transportation officials note the Orange County Transportation Authority hasn’t reduced funding for the programs, but the demand has surged in recent years as OC’s residents get older.
Now, Mission Viejo City Council members are dialing back the city’s senior mobility program, limiting how many rides seniors are allowed to take per month and removing certain destination options located outside the city.
Residents ages 60 and older have been able to take advantage of $5 rides anywhere in town and some neighboring cities through Mission Viejo’s senior dial-a-taxi program that’s been offered since 2006. The program also offers free rides to city facilities.
Seniors will have fewer destination options and will be limited to 10 rides per month after Mission Viejo staff members said they needed to cut down offerings in order to stay within budget allowances.
It comes after officials in San Clemente and Fullerton rolled back their own senior mobility programs, also citing concerns of cost.
[Read: It’s About to Get Tougher For Seniors to Get Rides in Two OC Cities]
Officials are cutting senior transportation services as Orange County leaders struggle to address what is being called a “silver tsunami” — an expected demographic change in a couple of decades when one third of OC residents will be older adults.
[Read: Is Orange County Prepared to Get Old?]
Officials in Mission Viejo voted unanimously to approve a series of cuts to its dial-a-taxi program in order to cut down on cost.
Seniors will be limited to 10 trips per month instead of having access to unlimited rides. The program will continue to offer free rides to city facilities as funding allows, according to Melanie McGrane, community services supervisor in Mission Viejo.
“We’re asking council to make some modifications to the current program offerings so we’re able to fit within our means,” McGrane said at the council’s meeting on Feb. 24. “We reached out to other cities and many of them are facing the same challenges that we are.”
Rates will remain $5 for other rides, but certain trips to satellite locations will no longer be offered.
That includes John Wayne Airport; previously, seniors were able to get a $20 ride to the airport with up to two guests. That service will no longer be available.
McGrane said the city is losing about $90,000 each year just by providing cheap trips to the airport since the service is very popular.
Some council members expressed disappointment in losing cheap access to the airport for seniors.
“I’m kind of bummed about losing that Orange County airport ride,” Councilmember Brian Goodell said at the meeting. “That’s the best deal in Mission Viejo — $20 either way from John Wayne is incredible.”
While the program will no longer offer rides to their airport or some other satellite locations, the council voted to add the San Clemente DMV as an additional destination for a $10 fee after the Laguna Hills DMV shut down in late 2024.
[Read: South OC Loses Laguna Hills DMV]
McGrane said the senior mobility program has exploded in popularity over the past several years.
In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the program completed about 3,500 rides for seniors. That number dipped during the pandemic when seniors were staying home, but in 2023, the senior transportation program completed 5,000 rides.
There were nearly 10,000 rides in 2024 and nearly 15,000 rides in 2025.
The city’s contracted taxi service is funded in part through the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Measure M2 program. The measure funds senior transportation programs in 32 Orange County cities.
Eric Carpenter, spokesperson for the county transportation agency, said funding for cities from Measure M has steadily grown over the past five years.
But the program’s popularity has also grown as Orange County residents age.
“Generally speaking, we have heard from some cities that their programs are facing cost increases as well as increasing demand for their services, which is a factor of an aging population,” Carpenter wrote in an email to Voice of OC.
“OCTA has not reduced the funding dedicated to the Senior Mobility Program,” Carpenter wrote. “Cities continue to receive their allocations bi-monthly, and decisions about service levels, fares, ride limits and destinations are made locally.”
He said the transportation agency recently held their annual senior mobility program roundtable to gather feedback from cities about the program.
“Because each city handles its individual program in a different way, we got a wide range of feedback and will use that as we continue to evaluate the Senior Mobility Program.”
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
