Seabury Connector: Senior Transportation Options in Washington DC

Your parent stopped driving, but their medical appointments, grocery runs, and Sunday church visits didn't stop needing to happen. You can't be the chauffeur for every single one of them, and rideshare apps get expensive fast when you're using them three times a week.

Washington DC actually runs several senior transportation programs, and most families have only heard of one — if any. Here's what's available, who qualifies, and which one fits your parent's situation.

Seabury Connector

Seabury Connector is a group transportation program run by Seabury Resources for Aging for DC residents aged 60 and older. It's built around routine, recurring trips rather than one-off rides: wellness center visits, grocery shopping, church, and medical appointments.

Because it's a group service, seats are shared with other seniors on similar routes, which keeps costs down. Trips are free or offered at subsidized rates. To use it, your parent needs to register with Seabury Resources for Aging directly by calling (202) 715-7649. Seabury also serves as the lead aging agency for Wards 5 and 6, so if your parent lives in that part of the District, Seabury is likely already a familiar name from other senior services.

Senior MedExpress

If your parent's transportation need is specifically medical, Senior MedExpress is a better fit than Seabury Connector. It's run through DACL and provides free, round-trip transportation to essential medical appointments — dialysis, chemotherapy, and similar ongoing treatments — as well as trips to public benefits offices.

Eligibility requires DC residency, being 60 or older, and having a certified chronic medical condition. The service is managed through DC Yellow Cab, but you don't book directly with the cab company — you start by calling DACL at (202) 724-5626 to get your parent's medical condition certified for the program.

ConnectorCard Program

For seniors who want more independence than a scheduled group ride offers, DACL's ConnectorCard Program provides a debit card your parent can use for transportation of their own choosing — rideshare, taxi, or other ground transportation.

It's a cost-share program, meaning the subsidy amount is on a sliding scale based on income rather than fully free. You can apply through the DACL program portal or at connector-card.com. This option works well for parents who are still cognitively sharp and comfortable managing their own trips, but who no longer feel safe behind the wheel.

MetroAccess

MetroAccess is the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's ADA paratransit service, and it's a different category from the DACL and Seabury programs above — eligibility is based on disability status under the Americans with Disabilities Act, not age alone. It provides shared-ride, door-to-door service within three-quarters of a mile of existing transit routes.

Fares run twice the equivalent standard transit fare, capped at $4.50 per trip. Registration isn't automatic — it requires an in-person assessment at WMATA's Transit Access Center. Call (202) 962-2700 to start that process. Because the eligibility bar is disability-based rather than age-based, this is the right option if your parent has a mobility impairment or other ADA-qualifying condition regardless of exactly how old they are.

Transport DC

Transport DC is a companion service for people who are already registered MetroAccess customers. It offers curb-to-curb taxi rides for a flat $5 fare, which is often more convenient than waiting for a shared MetroAccess vehicle. There's a structure to how it can be used within a registration cycle: the first 15 days allow trips for any purpose, and the remaining days are restricted to medical or work-related trips.

To register, call (202) 645-7300 or email [email protected]. Since it builds on MetroAccess eligibility, you'll need that registration in place first.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Ward-Based Lead Agencies Coordinate More Than Transportation

Seabury Resources for Aging isn't only a transportation provider — it's also DC's designated lead aging agency for Wards 5 and 6, which means it coordinates home-delivered meals, case management, and caregiver support for seniors in that part of the District alongside the Connector service. The other Ward-based lead agencies follow the same pattern: TERRIFIC, Inc. covers Wards 1, 2, and 4; IONA Senior Services covers Ward 3; and the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative covers Wards 7 and 8.

This matters practically because once you've identified your parent's Ward lead agency for transportation, you've usually found the same organization that can help with nutrition programs, wellness center access, and referrals to other DACL services — one relationship instead of five separate ones.

Which Program Fits Your Parent

If your parent has a set weekly routine — the same wellness center, the same grocery store, the same church — Seabury Connector's group model is the simplest and cheapest option. If the need is purely medical and recurring, Senior MedExpress skips the group-ride wait time entirely. If your parent wants to run their own errands on their own schedule, the ConnectorCard gives them that flexibility. And if your parent has a qualifying disability rather than just being older, MetroAccess (and Transport DC as a companion service) opens up door-to-door options the age-based programs don't offer.

Most families end up using more than one of these depending on the trip. A parent might use Seabury Connector for the weekly grocery run and Senior MedExpress for dialysis three times a week.

If you're not sure where to start, DACL's Information and Referral/Assistance line at (202) 724-5626 is the single number that can point you toward the right program for your parent's specific ward and situation — many of these programs are coordinated through the same Ward-based lead agencies that handle meal delivery and case management. The DC Aging in Place Guide maps out these local programs alongside DC's Medicaid-funded home care options, so you're not tracking down five different phone numbers on your own.

See more District of Columbia guides →