Senior transportation not available to me

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
A few months ago, the mayor excitedly informed me that Flex Pass would be available (free local transportation for seniors). Apparently you need something call an "app" to use it which requites a cell phone. I contacted her and asked if there was some other way I could use it. She said,"Sorry, I can't help you there."

I also learned she is not running for mayor again. She used to be in charge of the monthly seniors club which I though would start up again after the COVID panic died down, but it didn't. When I asked her about it, she said in effect; It may start again, but I won't be in charge. Seems like she's dropping everything.
 

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Never pin your hopes on a politician.

Aside from that, both Uber and Lyft give special rates for seniors, and medical groups offer medi-vans. Medicare and most insurances cover the rides.

Oh, crap. I think you have to have an app for Uber and Lyft.

Maybe a neighbor or someone in your church would be willing to download it on their phone for you.
 
Murrmurr said:
Never pin your hopes on a politician.

Aside from that, both Uber and Lyft give special rates for seniors, and medical groups offer medi-vans. Medicare and most insurances cover the rides.

Oh, crap. I think you have to have an app for Uber and Lyft.

Maybe a neighbor or someone in your church would be willing to download it on their phone for you.
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I was just going to say the same thing.

Deb an app is just like a website.. nothing mysterious about it, except it has to be downloaded.. it's because it goes on a cellphone.. rather than your computer.. so any friend with a phone can just download the app ..it only needs downloading once and it's free .. and they can book the ride for you..
 

debodun said:
Apparently you need something call an "app" to use it which requites a cell phone.
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Do you not want a cell phone? I think there are decent inexpensive ones (I usually get a refurbished one off Amazon) and there are really inexpensive phone plans (I pay $11 a month and have apparently unlimited text and talk, tho only 1 gb of data per month unless a person pays 5 or 10 dollars more a month).
 
I have a tracphone and you pay for mins or if you wanna use it you can an if not just shut it off and they have 19.99 plans for 3 months of service for triple mins. customer service is not so great but you can refill on line. I am still thinking of going to consumer cellular they have a cheap plan too And USA customer service. It may be in your best interest to get a cheap plan to get free transportation.
 
I have found that I can do most things from the computer. I have never used doordash for food but I know I can do it from the computer. I can load my grocery coupons for stores from my computer. When needed I can shop Walmart or other grocery stores when I set up an account with them. Even the customer pick up programs from many stores.

I do have the walmart plus program for deliveries if I am sick and unable to get out. I can have it delivered to the house. I do pay a tip for my delivery driver. I also have amazon prime, can get a lot of things delivered to my home without extra charges for delivery. Yes I know they may try to add extra cost to the product so it is important to research if the cost is higher.

I have not researched it but there must be uber or lyft that you can book online from your computer. There is pretty much anything available for an online purchase or booking. Of course, I do use a credit card for setting up all these things but I have never had a problem with someone committing to a fraudulent charge. Credit cards are the safe thing to use, if there is an unauthorized charge you only need to and file a complaint. It will be researched and credited.

I have only had this happen with doctors or hospitals. Sometimes they will try to charge you when you have already paid for the service but they have not waited for the insurance to pay their portion.

I do not use a cell phone, I own one but turned off the service as I did not see it as an expense that was necessary. Having a credit card is necessary to live the life I want.
 
i have a tracfone. have ha same phone for probably 5 years. it initially cost me $9.99 for the phone. a YEARS worthof service is only about $10/month. now i don't sit arond all day with my face glued to that small screen. have never and will never watch a movie on my phone.

the company that takes care of laundry equipment in my apartment complex recently installed all new washers/dryers. instead of using a card to operate machines, it's all thru an APP. i went to the complex office and kinda shanghai'd someone to get me set up.

a little OT but still related to the original thread. imnsho, i think internet and cell phones should be FREE! start with seniors first.:cool:

i think someone could make a fortune by starting a company that assists people in getting rid of cable TV.
 
Georgiagranny said:
@debodun It's long past time when you need to stop resisting and join the 21st century. Your life will become much simpler.

You can use your debit card on Amazon and also on Uber and Lyft.
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I'm with debodun on this.

I do not like downloading stuff on my phone.

I do not want to rely on my phone.

And I don't mind the "inconvenience" of not using a phone to access all the downloads that the 21st century says I can rely on.
 
I did start using a credit card again a year or two ago, due to them being much safer than debit cards that give access directly to bank accounts, plus the credit card has turned out to be easier and more convenient to use.

However I don't use a cell phone and don't plan to use one ever, especially not with the dystopian requirements to download aps in order to use certain websites or services. I did get one for $27 off Ebay a couple of years ago, solely to use with an exercise machine, but it didn't work too well. Then the battery failed and would be too expensive and complicated to replace, so that was the end of it.

Many places that want people to download aps do have alternatives for people who prefer not using a cell phone.
 
Murrmurr said:
Never pin your hopes on a politician.

Aside from that, both Uber and Lyft give special rates for seniors, and medical groups offer medi-vans. Medicare and most insurances cover the rides.

Oh, crap. I think you have to have an app for Uber and Lyft.

Maybe a neighbor or someone in your church would be willing to download it on their phone for you.
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I don't know how it works there but here we have Uber. They used to be app only but now there's a browser page you can order an Uber from on any computer.
 
debodun said:
A few months ago, the mayor excitedly informed me that Flex Pass would be available (free local transportation for seniors). Apparently you need something call an "app" to use it which requites a cell phone. I contacted her and asked if there was some other way I could use it. She said,"Sorry, I can't help you there."

I also learned she is not running for mayor again. She used to be in charge of the monthly seniors club which I though would start up again after the COVID panic died down, but it didn't. When I asked her about it, she said in effect; It may start again, but I won't be in charge. Seems like she's dropping everything.
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Sadly, Cell Phones are pretty much mandatory these days. Trying to get by without one is getting increasingly difficult. I need one to do internet banking, to deal with my doctors, and even paying via VISA online sometimes requires it now. If you don't want one for calls, just go out and get a cheap one. As long as it has a screen, wi fi, and of course some kind of contract - it'll work. Contracts can be pay-as-you-go if you prefer.
 
credit cards are much safer than debit cards. I can understand not having a cellphone and CC if you are poor which you are not.

Sometimes a driver will have trouble finding you and will call you. That won’t work if a friend does it on their phone. Plus you would be inconveniencing a friend for your convenience. I truly don’t understand people that won’t do things to make their life easier.
 
People keep telling me I need to get a credit card. Well, about 10 years ago, I went to my bank and they declined to issue one to me. Why? Because I didn't have a credit rating. Go figure. You need good credit to get credit???? I have no debts and pay my bills either through ACH or a prompt check.
 
debodun said:
People keep telling me I need to get a credit card. Well, about 10 years ago, I went to my bank and they declined to issue one to me. Why? Because I didn't have a credit rating. Go figure. You need good credit to get credit???? I have no debts and pay my bills either through ACH or a prompt check.
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But you can ask the person who's doing the transaction to use your debit card as a credit card.

Well, does your debit card have a Visa or Mastercard logo on it somewhere? Might be small, but it's probably there somewhere. If it is, then you can ask Uber or Lyft to run it as credit. Then the money transfers from your checking acct in 3 or 4 days instead of instantly.

If you're booking a ride online, just put your debit card numbers in and see if it goes through. I'll bet it does.
 
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debodun said:
People keep telling me I need to get a credit card. Well, about 10 years ago, I went to my bank and they declined to issue one to me. Why? Because I didn't have a credit rating. Go figure. You need good credit to get credit???? I have no debts and pay my bills either through ACH or a prompt check.
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I'm sure you could get a secured credit card. Ask your bank. Another option is a pay as you go credit card, Walmart sells them as I'm sure many other stores. Refilling it would probably require some sort of direct payment from a bank account, but you could have an entirely separate bank account used only for that and that limits your liability. A debit card with a completely separate account would also work. Using a debit card is riskier than using a credit card.
 
I wouldn't want to give my credit card (or worse -- debit card) info to a friend to put on his/her phone. Yikes.

Also, if you charge the Uber/Lyft ride from your home computer, what do you do when you want to go back home? Seems like that could make for some weird timing issues. Especially if they couldn't find you, and you didn't have a phone with you so they could call.

Seriously, Deb, it would be far easier to opt for one of the solutions posted above.
 

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