NEW SCOTLAND – Voorheesville school buses, usually reserved for children, will be picking up elderly residents at their homes to transport them to social functions, starting this month.

The town of New Scotland was awarded a $5,000 Health, Maintenance, Socialization, and Recreation Grant in December from Albany County, said Susan Kidder, the senior liaison for the town, who applied for the grant.

Kidder said that she, along with a group of volunteers, called around to the churches, the American Legion, the historical society, fire companies, the village, and the Boy Scouts in New Scotland in order to put together a list of upcoming events.
Hundreds of things are on the list, Kidder said. "We tried to do events only in the town of New Scotland," she said.

The town will use the grant money to rent buses and drivers from the Voorheesville School District, which was approved by the school board at its December meeting. The bus rental fee is $1.06 per mile, and $22.50 per hour for the driver, Kidder told The Enterprise.
Kidder is referring to the program as "The Yellow Bus," and she says it is a great chance for seniors to get to community events without having to drive themselves, or find a driver.

The $5,000, Kidder said, is about a third of what the town applied for. To compensate, she cut back on some of the services. She had originally hoped to offer one trip to a grocery store and three to four social events per month, but is now offering one or two social events per month, she said.
"We will accept donations," she added.

The events are based on the needs and requests of the seniors, Kidder said, adding that the interest in the grocery trip was minimal.
"I’m truly hoping people will utilize this," she said. "We have a lot of seniors calling and asking for transportation."
The town simply can’t afford a transportation department. "We have no money for that type of thing," she said.
"We do need some sort of transportation for our seniors," Kidder explained, adding that the agreement with the school district is a great start.
"The buses won’t sit idle," she said.

Seniors interested in learning more about the program, or an event being offered, can call Kidder at town hall at 439-9038, she said. She is asking interested seniors to leave a message including the names, addresses, and phone numbers of those interested, what event they are interested in, the number of people interested, and if someone is needed to help them to and from the bus.

Upcoming events in February include the Voorheesville American Legion Post Steak Roast on Feb. 18, at a cost of $15 per person; and a fish fry at the New Salem firehouse on Feb. 23, at a cost of $7 per person. And, on March 24, the bus will transport interested seniors to the Capital District Garden and Flower Show at Hudson Valley Community College, which will cost $7 per person.

In April, there will be another fish fry at the New Salem firehouse on April 6, at a cost of $7 per person; and the Clarkesville Community Reformed Church roast beef supper will be held on April 7, the cost has not yet been determined. The Jerusalem Reformed Church in Feura Bush will have a ham dinner on May 5, at a cost of $8.50 per person; and the Memorial Parade in Voorheesville will be held on May 26. The last scheduled event will be held on June 26, it will be a farmers market at the First United Methodist Church in Delmar.

Billboards publicizing the program have been made through donations from local businesses and Voorheesville students and will be posted in each of the town’s five hamlets, Kidder said.

Kidder said the yellow bus program will be a great opportunity for New Scotland seniors to show the need for a transportation system within the town.