Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

This 1981 paper provides an overview of the operations and financing arrangements for Vera's Easyride project from June 1976 when the pilot phase began through the end of the first year of operation, June 1, 1977. Easyride was "a transportation service for the elderly and people with physical disabilities. In addition to its core service, Easyride provided jobs for ex-offenders: they were the drivers and dispatchers of the specially designed vans that would pick up passengers living on the West and Lower East side of Manhattan, deliver them to their destination, and then transport them home. The success of the Easyride demonstration led to new state legislation, which in turn led New York State to create Access-A-Ride, a citywide transportation service for the same population." - From Vera's thirty-five year report