Older Persons Transportation (OPT)

Older Persons Transportation (OPT) is a shared-ride service sponsored by the DHS Area Agency on Aging (AAA). ACCESS Transportation Systems, Inc. provides OPT service through contracts with local transportation companies.

OPT offers transportation for specific medical and non-medical purposes at a minimal cost to Allegheny County residents who are 60 years of age or older and not living in a nursing home.

As a shared-ride service, OPT riders travel with others going in the same direction at the same time. OPT provides door-to-door service, including help getting on and off vehicles, and up and down as many as four steps.

Service Hours

Service hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Types of Trips

You may ride on OPT for the following purposes:

• Adult Day Care
• Chemotherapy/Radiation
• Medical Appointments
• Grocery Shopping
• Kidney Dialysis
• Physical Therapy
• Senior Center Activities
• Senior Center & Nutrition
• Senior Companions

Trip Limitations

Older adults, age 65 years and older, may take two round-trips per month for medical appointments. Individuals who receive dialysis, chemo/radiation therapies, or physical therapy may be authorized for more monthly trips for those treatments. Older adults, age 60 to 64 years, require prior approval from the DHS Area Agency on Aging for all medical trips.

Riders may use OPT for grocery shopping once a week in areas where shopping groups with a minimum of four riders are organized.

OPT is not available to persons who receive Medical Assistance for medical trips. Medical Assistance recipeints must use the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) for medical trips. Call 1-888-547-6287 to determine eligibility for MATP. OPT is still available for non-medical trips, such as grocery shopping, senior center visits and senior center activities.

Registration

You may register for OPT at any DHS Area Agency on Aging neighborhood senior center. Please call AAA at 412-350-5460 for the location and phone number of the nearest senior center. If you are physically unable to register in person, please call your senior center to make other arrangements.

You must present one of the following proofs of age when you register for OPT. In addition, you must present a medical insurance card, so that eligibility for other transportation programs can be explored.

• Driver’s License
• Birth or Baptismal Certificate
• PACE Card
• Passport
• Military Discharge Papers
• Resident Alien Card
• Access 65 Card
• Immigration/Naturalization
• Social Security Letter (For a Social Security age verification letter,
  please call 1-800-772-1213.)

More Information

To learn more about Older Persons Transportation and other services for older adults,
please call AAA at 412-350-5460.