Servies for Senior Citizens in College Park

There are a variety of important services offered for local seniors by Prince George's County and the City of College Park, but they aren't always promoted as well as they could be. A few of us on the College Park City Council have been trying to increase promotion of these services and hopefully this partial list of services offered and how to access them will be helpful to some of you Patch readers out there:

1.) Seniors (60 & better) Ride Prince George’s County Buses FREE:

Seniors (60+) and disabled customers can now ride TheBus FREE-of-charge during normal operational hours from 6 AM – 7 PM, Monday - Friday. To take advantage of this new program, riders just have to present one form of proper identification - driver’s license, Metro Senior/Metro Disabled/MetroAccess card, or similar ID – to the bus driver. In addition, disabled customers with a MetroAccess ID may bring one personal companion with them on board TheBus at no charge For more information about our local Route 1 Ride bus in College Park: http://www.route1ride.org/about-route-1-ride/ 

2.) Free Gym Membership at the College Park Community Center (60 & better):

Did you know seniors ages 60 & better who are residents of Prince George’s or Montgomery Counties can work out at any M-NCPPC community center fitness room for FREE with an M-NCPPC Community Center/Fitness ID Card? Just bring verification of residency and age to the center to obtain your FREE senior membership card. Once you obtain your membership card you can work out at ANY community center, not just the one in College Park. Since the College Park Community Center is the closest, here is some information on it: 5051 Pierce AvenueCollege Park, MD 20740301-441-2647; TTY 301-445-4512 Hours of OperationMondays-Thursdays: 9 am-10 pmFridays: 9 am-7 pm; Xtreme Teens only: 7-10 pmSaturdays: 9 am-5 pm; Xtreme Teens only: 7-10 pmSundays: 12 noon-5 pm 

3.) Free Local Transportation from the City of College Park (62 and better):

Transportation is provided to City of College Park seniors to medical appointments in College Park; Greenbelt; Beltsville; parts of Lanham, Riverdale, Adelphi and Hyattsville, not to exceed a 7 mile distance. The city transports to Doctor’s Hospital, Prince George’s Hospital, Washington Adventist Hospital and Laurel Hospital for medical treatment.   Grocery shopping is scheduled by appointment on Tuesday or Wednesday, giving priority to medical appointments.  Stores for the free bus transportation may include Beltway Plaza, Greenway Center and Shoppers. The city asks for appointments one week in advance or longer.  Appointments requested less than a week are sometimes scheduled if there’s availability. Bus pick-ups occur between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.  Seniors may request transportation by contacting 301-345-8100. 

4.) Senior Day Trips (62 and better):

The city of College Park hosts eight day trips for seniors in College Park per calendar year with transportation being provided. The list of trips is mailed out in March to persons on the day trip mailing list. Seniors requesting placement on the mailing list or more information about a trip can call 301-345-8100.