Ocean County Providing Free Rides for Seniors, Disabled to Receive Covid-19 Vaccination

First Lady Tammy Murphy visits the Henry J. Austin Health Center vaccination site in Trenton on January 7, 2020. (Edwin J. Torres for the NJ Governor’s Office)

Ocean County officials said this week that they were beginning a new program to provide door-to-door rides for senior citizens to receive coronavirus vaccination shots. The free transportation is being provided by Ocean Ride, the county’s bus service, to anyone who is disabled or age 60 or over.

“Many of our seniors and individuals with disabilities are already familiar with Ocean Ride, using it to get to health care and other appointments,” said Ocean County Commissioner Gary Quinn, who serves as liaison to the transportation system. “We want to make getting a vaccine as convenient as possible and if a lack of transportation is what stands between our seniors and the disabled from getting that important shot, we want to remedy that.”

The free transportation is provided through the Ocean Ride “reserve-a-ride” system.

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“Once you have made an appointment to get your vaccine, contact Ocean Ride and we can set up the door to door transportation for you,” Quinn said.

Seniors over 60 and residents with disabilities can call 732-736-8989, ext. 1 to reserve their ride between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The rides are available to any vaccination site in the county.

Officials said Ocean Ride follows all Center for Disease Control guidelines in operating its buses and reserve-a-ride system, and riders must wear masks while on board.