Transit Provides Free Rides on Elders Day

Elders Day is Friday, December 9, and Comanche Nation Transit is going to be celebrating with two free destination rides for all Comanche elders, according to Comanche Nation Transit’s Safety Coordinator Rebecca Tahchawwickah.

“Basically, what they would do is they're going to call us, like for any other ride, and then what we will do is we'll set them up for that day,” she said. “We're going to have our drivers who are going to be out. We're going to have a limited number, but there will be enough for any elder who wants to utilize a ride. Let's say they want to go to Elders Day, enjoy the festivities, have their meal, and then when they're done, the driver will get in contact with them, or they can get in contact with the driver. They generally coordinate something together to where to meet, and when they do, after that, they can tell the driver, ‘Well, I want to go ahead, and I want to go to Walmart for a little bit, and then can you come pick me up,’ or ‘Can you stop real quick by discount?’ You know, whatever the stop is that they want to do, they can do that, and they'll coordinate that with the driver.”

Tahchawwickah said there are some places the transit system will stop by.

“But most of the elders, they tend to want to go get dropped off at the casino, or again Walmart, discount foods or places like that,” she said. “They know what they want.”

Tahchawwickah said Transit began Elders Day rides in 2014.

“I mean, we encourage all the elders to get in touch with us, and you know try to book a ride with us, and we could go ahead and take them where they want to go. Our drivers, they tend to like to do Elders Day,” she said. “We all like to get involved with Elders Day because it is so much fun seeing the elders and everybody getting together, and then, of course, the drivers, they have a little more free reign with what they can do in the day versus the strict schedule that they have to stay by. Elders Day gives them a little more time to spend on their client, and that's what they like to do.”

Elders Day is important to Tahchawwickah.

“Well, I have a very special place in my heart for Elders Day. I used to sing Elders Day back when it was at the Elder Center years ago. I was about six, seven years old, so every year I would sing for Elders Day up until a couple years ago, and then COVID obviously happened as well, so that put a damper on things,” she said. “Overall, I always went with my grandparents. It was an overall fun experience to see them, seeing their family and friends that they hadn't seen all year, getting to go and shop, and just it's great. The employees like doing it, our employees basically, because they do get to sit and take care of the elders that they usually wait on and don't have time to, you know, give that attention to. So, for us, it's a fun overall day. Obviously, everyone feels a little light-hearted about it because it is an elders special day, and it's just a great, great thing all around.”

The department will be closed to the public on December 9, but elders will be able to utilize the program for as long as they need. App users can also track their rides.

Those interested in a ride can contact Comanche Nation Transit at 580-492-3389 to schedule their pick-up.

There aren’t any upcoming events, but Transit will be closed for Christmas.