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Rapp Connect’s free ride service catches on

by | Sep 1, 2024

“We are pleased and surprised with the amount of repeat clients,” said Kristin Lam Peraza, mobility manager for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission.
“We are pleased and surprised with the amount of repeat clients,” said Kristin Lam Peraza, mobility manager for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission.
A Rapp Connect minivan.
A Rapp Connect minivan.

300 rides for residents, most for medical appointments

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“We are pleased and surprised with the amount of repeat clients,” said Kristin Lam Peraza, mobility manager for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission.

Through its first six months, Rapp Connect, the free transportation service for older adults in the county, has provided more than 300 rides for local residents, according to Kristin Lam Peraza, mobility manager for the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission. 

About 55% of the rides have been to medical appointments, with three-fourths involving trips to dialysis treatments. The other 27% of the medical rides have been for general health care (14%) or dental appointments (13%). 

Rappahannock residents have also used the service for “critical needs” (42%), such as grocery shopping or pharmacy visits, and for social events (3%).

“We are pleased and surprised with the amount of repeat clients,” said Peraza. “It is wonderful that individuals are happy with the service once they try it.”

So far, Rapp Connect has had 20 different riders. One client has used it for 67 rides, another for 57. 

Peraza estimated the service could handle 70 to 80 rides a month, about 50% more than it is providing. But she acknowledged that with only one Rapp Connect vehicle, the service’s “first-come first-serve” policy can limit the number of riders on a given day. 

Rides can be booked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. They can’t, however, be scheduled for the same day the reservation is made. Also, trips cannot exceed two hours one way.

“Maybe in the future, a fixed route service will be a better option,” said Peraza. “Right now we are exploring solutions and making adjustments to find the right fit for individual needs.” 

Rapp Connect is available to county residents 65 years and older, and for individuals with disabilities. Rides can be scheduled by calling 540-829-5300. 

Randy Rieland is a reporter for Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County.

About Rapp Connect

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A Rapp Connect minivan.

• 54% of the trips have been to locations in Culpeper County, 25% in Rappahannock County and 12% in Fauquier County

• The longest one-way trip so far was between 20 and 30 miles 

• The average trip lasts 30 to 45 minutes

• The service’s busiest seven-day period was the week of July 28 when it provided 19 rides.

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By Randy Rieland

Read more articles by Randy Rieland
Randy Rieland was a newspaper reporter and magazine editor for more than 20 years, starting with stints at the Pittsburgh Press and Baltimore Sun, and moving on to become editor of Pittsburgh Magazine and a senior editor at Washingtonian magazine. He made the switch to digital media in 1995 as part of the team that launched Discovery.com, the website for the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and other Discovery Communications Networks. He ultimately was promoted to senior vice president of Discovery Channel Digital Media. After his return to print journalism, Randy has written for Smithsonian and Johns Hopkins Magazine. He is a longtime, regular contributor to Foothills Forum. His stories, appearing in the Rappahannock News, have won numerous Virginia Press Association awards for excellence. When he’s not reporting, Randy is a volunteer with the National Park Service at Arlington House, above Arlington National Cemetery. He and his wife, Carol Ryder, have owned a house off Tiger Valley Road since 2005. Reach Randy at [email protected]