Needham Seniors on the ‘GoGo’

March 14, 2025
• State grant funding extended the senior center’s ride-hailing services, taking older residents to medical appointments outside of Needham.

With a fleet of four passenger vans, the Council on Aging takes seniors to the grocery store, the bank, convenience stores and other destinations across town.

The vans, however, stop at the town limits. That left seniors with medical appointments — many of whom don’t drive and aren’t always technologically savvy — without reliable transportation.

Recognizing a need, the Council on Aging introduced a taxi service and, in the interest of lowering costs, recently launched a partnership with GoGo, a concierge ride service that connects passengers with Lyft and Uber cars to drive them into Boston-area hospitals.

The council received a $10,000 grant from the state this month as part of a larger effort to fund mobility for seniors, low-income residents and people with disabilities. That money will fully fund the council’s GoGo rides, which started in January. The service is open to Needham residents 60 years and older.

GoGo can take passengers up to 10.5 miles outside of Needham on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Locals can schedule a ride — with details of their appointment, up to 30 days in advance — by calling the CATH at 781-343-1258 during business hours. Those interested must sign a service agreement at the Center at the Heights before scheduling a ride and are restricted to two trips per week, or one roundtrip.

Unlike standard ride-share cars, GoGo contracts with vehicles with specific accessibility features, including chair lifts, said Jessica Moss, the council’s assistant director of counseling and volunteers. The program empowers participants to get to their destination, she added.

“We found that what people really needed was to get to Boston,” Moss said. “There’s really nothing local that does that.”

Locals have so far taken about 120 total rides through the GoGo-council partnership, Program Coordinator Stephan Grably said. Community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, he said, and it helps that “there is always a vehicle that is 10 minutes away,” unlike the taxi service no longer in use.

“It allows them to go to their appointments without too much stress,” Grably said. “I had a client calling me last week and saying that it was fantastic, because it was a ride back at 7 p.m. from the hospital. If it’s a regular taxi service, they close by then.”

During the pandemic, the council couldn’t run their vans, but a grant through Mass Development funded a taxi service, helping transport residents for errands and to and from vaccine appointments, Moss said. Grant funding sustained their taxi partnership, which Moss deemed a success, but the costs quickly soared — one ride into Boston cost a passenger nearly $300 roundtrip, she said.

Connecting passengers with their taxis also became “kind of a nightmare,” Moss said. In speaking with other senior centers, as well as the Needham Community Council, they learned about the successes of ride-hailing services.

Riders don’t need a smartphone to pick up a car, just a cell phone — for outbound trips back to Needham, GoGo will call them about the details of their car.

“It takes the sole reliance of it off us, but they’re still able to get more on-demand rides,” Moss said.

Residents in the system can also call a car through GoGo during off hours and the weekend, at their own cost, Grably said. “There is always a need for something,” he said, it’s just a matter of filling it.

There are, however, certain limitations. Vaccinations, eye appointments and pharmacy trips can be simply scheduled with GoGo, but for other appointments, hospitals sometimes require a release form mandating patients to have a family member or friend help them on their return home, Grably said. An Uber or Lyft driver cannot fill that roll, he said, but they could be asked to provide “an elbow assist” to the car in other situations.

But with any new service comes a learning curve, and ride-share programs can be confusing.

“When you spot a taxi, you know it’s yours, you know what to look for,” Moss said. “I think we’ve had to do some education around the car… You might just be getting into a Toyota Camry, and if you’re not used to that, that can be a little jarring.”

The program, however, “is moving in the right direction,” she added. It bolsters their ongoing van rides, which also deliver free lunch to around 45 people every day — and up to 100 at peak times — Moss said.

Through the council, locals also take outside trips to museums, outdoor venues and shopping centers, as well as twice-monthly stops at Market Basket, Grably said. They plan outings to Duxbury and other beach locales in the summer, he said.

An added benefit of any shared transportation service is the socialization it provides for its passengers.

“I think it builds community,” Moss said of their rides. “It’s helping neighbors connect to neighbors and take care of each other.”