Announcement:

Please complete the survey on the Alameda Loop Shuttle and the Discount Taxi Program by Friday, December 21.

The City of Alameda offers a variety of transportation services beyond AC Transit, BART, San Francisco Bay ferry and East Bay Paratransit (EBP), for those who are eligible, and is sponsored by the City's Transportation Planning Division and the Mastick Senior Center. 

A Rider Guide is available to download, or in hard copy from the Mastick Senior Center, that describes all of the transit options available in Alameda for seniors and people with disabilities. It provides further details about the four below programs offered by the City of Alameda. And, it has brief overviews of programs offered by other agencies and organizations that are available to people living in Alameda.

Alameda Loop Shuttle

Starting on Tuesday, October 31, 2017, two new accessible shuttle buses are serving community members to meet the growing transportation needs within Alameda. With two buses in service, riders need not wait more than 30 minutes for a shuttle at each designated shuttle stop. The service has been renamed the Alameda Loop Shuttle – formerly the Alameda Paratransit Shuttle – and both buses are equipped with bike racks and wheelchair lifts.

The two buses run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. There are three shuttle routes that provide access to major shopping destinations and medical facilities, including:

• Tuesdays: West Loop (between Alameda Landing and downtown Alameda), leaving the Anne B. Diament Senior Plaza at 920 Park Street and the Target Store on the hour and half past the hour
• Wednesdays: East Loop (between Bay Farm Island, downtown Alameda and Mastick Senior Center), leaving the Waters Edge Lodge at 801 Island Drive on the hour and half past the hour
• Thursdays: Central Loop (between downtown Alameda, Shore Line Drive and Bridgeside Center), leaving the Anne B. Diament Senior Plaza at 920 Park Street on the hour and half past the hour

While each day’s route covers a different area of Alameda, all routes stop at these common destinations: Alameda Hospital, Alameda Main Library, Alameda Theater, Kaiser Permanente, Mastick Senior Center, and South Shore Center at Trader Joe’s / Safeway.

The service is open to all, and provides preferential seating for seniors and people with disabilities. Riders are encouraged to board the shuttles at the designated shuttle stops and to explore Alameda. Shuttle drivers can assist riders with boarding and exiting the shuttle, securing wheelchairs, and carrying up to five bags of groceries or a folding shopping cart.

These shuttle services are funded by Measures B and BB transportation sales tax dollars, which are administered by the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

Contact: For more information, call the Mastick Senior Center at (510) 747-7513 or email vwilliams@alamedaca.gov.

Schedules:

West Loop (Tuesdays): Click to download Shuttle Schedule

East Loop (Wednesdays): Click to download Shuttle Schedule

Central Loop (Thursdays): Click to download Shuttle Schedule

Medical Return Trip Improvement Program (MRTIP)

MRTIP provides subsidized taxi trips for individuals returning home from medical appointments, thereby eliminating the uncertainty of coordinating return trips with East Bay Paratransit.  Since it is often difficult to predict when a medical appointment might end, MRTIP offers the option of calling the City of Alameda’s transportation provider (currently First American Transit - formerly named Welcome Transport) for a taxi trip home at the time you need it.  Participants are eligible to receive ten MRTIP vouchers per month.  Vouchers must be purchased in advance for $2.50 each, and expire after one year.  The voucher covers the cost of transportation within Alameda County.

Eligibility Requirements: Alameda residents who are East Bay Paratransit-certified.
Cost: MRTIP Travel Vouchers are $2.50 each, and expire after one year.
Service Hours: Monday to Friday - 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.;  Saturday and Sunday - 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Contact: For more information, call the Mastick Senior Center at (510) 747-7513 or email vwilliams@alamedaca.gov.

Premium Taxi Service

Premium Taxi Service provides a 70 percent discount for taxi rides with the City of Alameda transportation provider (currently First American Transit - formerly named Welcome Transport). The service is not limited to medical trips. Eligible riders must purchase the required discount coupons in advance. Nevertheless, to make the program fair to all users, you may purchase a maximum number of 30 coupons per quarter (every 3 months).

Group Trips

The City of Alameda Paratransit program supports transportation for recreation programs run through Mastick Senior Center and Alameda Recreation and Park Department.  The City of Alameda uses its Measure B/BB Paratransit funds to support the following additional transportation programs for seniors and people with disabilities:

Mastick Monthly Trips
The City of Alameda provides financial assistance with transportation expenses for the Mastick Senior Center monthly trip program and Cultural Events class. Travel destinations may include various Bay Area locations (i.e. San Francisco, Livermore, etc.). Sign up is on a first come, first served basis.

Eligibility requirements: Must be 50 years of age or older.

Cost: Trip fees range from $45 to $75, depending on trip amenities or class registration fees.
Contact: Please contact Mastick Senior Center at (510) 747-7506 for more information.

Leisure Club
The City of Alameda provides a van to pick up and return members of the Alameda Recreation & Park Department Leisure Club, a social recreation program offered twice a month for adults, 18 years or older, with special needs.

Eligibility requirements: Must be 18 years or older, with special needs.
Cost: Free.
Contact: Please contact the Alameda Recreation & Park Department at (510) 747-7529 for more information.

Crown Memorial Beach
The City of Alameda subsidizes a portion of the transportation expense to Crown Memorial Beach for the Annual Nursing Home Picnic.

Eligibility requirements: Must be a resident of a nursing home.
Cost: Free.
Contact: Please contact your nursing home for more information.

Scholarship Program

Taxi Trip Subsidies: The City of Alameda, through Measure B/BB monies, offers limited matching funds through the Transportation Scholarship Fund to assist individuals with Premium Taxi Service expenses. To be eligible, you must be an Alameda resident, be certified for the Premium Taxi Service and meet the very-low income requirements. A limit of $50 in matching funds per family is available each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) as long as funding is available. Proof of income is required (e.g., SSA/SSI award letter, paychecks stubs, etc.). Income verification cannot be older than 60 days.

Alameda Point Collaborative bus passes: Starting in March 2017, the City's Paratransit program provides subsidized AC Transit bus passes for Alameda Point Collaborative residents who are seniors or individuals with disabilities.

Contact: To register for the taxi subsidy program, complete the paper registration form and return it to Mastick Senior Center (1155 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501). For more information, please contact Mastick Senior Center at (510) 747-7513 or vwilliams@alamedaca.gov.  For more information on the Alameda Point Collaborative program, please contact them at 510-749-0301. 

The City of Alameda Paratransit Program is funded by Measure B and Measure BB, which are the sales taxes for transportation approved by Alameda County voters in November 2000 and November 2014.