NorCo, LANTA Team Offer Seniors Free Rides To and From Vaccine Appointments

Northampton County and LANTA have teamed up to offer senior citizens free rides to and from vaccine appointments. Seniors are persons who are at least 65years old. Bus service along fixed routes are already free to those with a LANtaBus Senior Citizen ID Card.

LANtaVan already offers a door-to-door, shared ride (or paratransit) service, available to riders in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

LANTA Executive Director Owen O'Neil explained in a February 16 news conference that the transit company is simply using a service already in place. He noted that 8,800 seniors are already signed up for the shared ride for other services. They pay a reduced fare, but rides to and from vaccine appointments will be free.

Seniors who would like to register for this shared ride service can do so may do so by calling LANTA at 1-888-253-8333, Monday through Sunday from 8:00AM – 4:30PM. O'Neil explained that no system is yet in place for online registration.

PennDOT is picking up 85% of the cost of this service, with the remainder coming from Northampton County's Area Agency on Aging. 

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure explained that that he has no control over the small number of vaccine doses that have thus far been distributed to Pennsylvania, but wants to do everything he can to remove obstacles between people and their vaccine.

O'Neil predicted that Lehigh County will likely wish to participate in this program as well.  

He added that everyone using LANTA services must be masked. 

.