Buz-A-Bus ride service helps older, disabled people get to bank, doctor, grocery
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made life more difficult and dangerous for almost all of us.
Now imagine being an older or disabled person who is unable to drive or does not have a car.
That’s why Collat Jewish Family Services in Mountain Brook offers its affordable, reliable, friendly and wheelchair-accessible Buz-A-Bus ride service.
Buz-A-Bus is a door-to-door transportation program designed to help those who are disabled and/or 60 years of age or older to take care of their personal business and maintain their independence.
Service was suspended in mid-March due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, but resumed Sept. 1 under protocols developed to prevent spread of the coronavirus, said Elaine Witt, CJFS fund development and outreach director.
The service is currently available only for essential trips, including health care, grocery shopping and banking.
Face coverings and social distancing are strictly enforced for Buz-A-Bus passengers and drivers.
Using a 14-passenger bus with a wheelchair lift, Buz-A-Bus goes everywhere in a five-mile radius of the CJFS offices on Montclair Road.
It operates in Mountain Brook and parts of Homewood, as well Southside, Forest Park, East Lake, Woodlawn and most of downtown.
This includes the medical campuses at UAB, St. Vincent’s Hospital and Brookwood Baptist Medical Center.
The return of Buz-A-Bus came none too soon for some of its users, Witt said.
“Concerns about COVID-19 had prompted many older and disabled individuals to delay visiting their doctors and other health care providers,” she said. “Now, months into the pandemic, many of our riders are finding they can no longer delay these visits. They are grateful to have Buz-A-Bus as an affordable transportation option with appropriate preventive measures in place related to COVID-19.”
Before the pandemic, users could also use Buz-A-Bus to access beauty and barber shops, fitness centers, religious institutions, friends’ homes, social activities and more.
Each one-way ride is $5, though fees maybe adjusted for those unable to pay the full fee.
The $30 annual membership fee for 2020 will be waived for new members, Witt said. Annual fee charges will resume for all members beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
Buz-A-Bus operates Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Riders must be enrolled as members of the program prior to riding the bus. Call Buz-A-Bus and a social worker will return your call to set up an eligibility screening and enrollment.
To learn more, call 205-879-3438 or go to cjfsbham.org/transportation.
COUNSELING SERVICES
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced CJFS to suspend face-to-face counseling, the organization turned to the use of telephone and videoconference to continue the service.
Some regular counseling clients who were at first reluctant to meet virtually have found that they like the convenience, CJFS counselor Cyndi Bryant said.
“For a virtual or phone meeting, no one has to travel, and for some people, that is a real plus,” she said on the CJFS website.
In addition, the isolation of the past few months has taken an emotional toll on some of her clients, making regular counseling sessions even more important for clients, counselor Gail Schuster said.
“Connecting with a trusted therapist, even by phone, can significantly increase their overall sense of well-being and connectedness,” Schuster said.
For more information, contact Clinical Director Marcy Morgenbesser at 205-879-3438 or marcy@cjfsbham.org.