York’s free senior transportation service saved after briefly shutting down
Beth Dupere talks to senior housing residents Jane Kimball and Barbara Moquin, center, at their senior housing facility in York. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
York’s free transportation service for older adults, Heart to Heart, is being recreated after a month in which passengers, volunteers and families wondered if that was possible.
On Thursday, the York Community Service Association posted a message in bold black letters on a billboard outside its office that read, “YCSA Ride coming soon.” It was an informal announcement that the nonprofit, which helps York residents in need, will be launching its own transportation service using Heart to Heart as a model.
For more than five years, Heart to Heart served older residents of York and surrounding towns who needed an accessible ride. Founder Jud Knox and his trusty rotation of nearly 35 volunteers would take them anywhere, from medical appointments to grocery store runs.
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In June, Knox announced he’d be stepping down to spend more time with his family. Operations ceased on July 15 with no one to take over. His volunteer drivers didn’t know if they’d still be able to help their community, and their passengers worried they wouldn’t be able to find accessible rides.
Janalee Moquin said the service restored a sense of independence in her mother, Barbara. Before convincing her to use Heart to Heart, Janalee drove her mom everywhere. She did it happily, but the idea of not having extra help was daunting.
“It’s huge for her to not have to rely on me for every single thing,” Janalee Moquin said. “But it wasn’t just helping me. It was helping her in a way to not feel like she was putting somebody out, because, well, (Heart to Heart) is a service.”
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Volunteers and advocates had begun trying to find a way to save Heart to Heart after Knox announced his departure. Moquin reached out to several town agencies for help but found no luck.
York Community Service Association’s announcement came a couple weeks after Heart to Heart ceased operations. Knox was among the first to hear the news when YCSA made a final decision at a meeting July 24. He was a little surprised — but excited.
The nonprofit’s commitment to serving the community makes it a great candidate to run a similar service, Knox said. YSCA Ride may have a new name, but it will be using Heart to Heart as a guideline.
“I think we’ve got a good reputation, people really trust us and people are really excited that it’s not gonna be gone for good,” YCSA Executive Director Michelle Surdoval said.
Jud Knox talks to Jane Kimball and Barbara Moquin, right, at their senior housing facility in York. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
Knox initially reached out to Surdoval to ask if YCSA could step in about a month ago. At the time, the organization didn’t have the resources to make it happen, Surdoval said.
Every logistical piece of Heart to Heart had been sorted out by Knox alone, and YCSA wasn’t sure how to recreate it. Surdoval was concerned that about a lack of personnel, and that there wasn’t an efficient enough way to schedule and track rides.
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Then, a call from Jean Saunders, the executive director at Saco’s Age Friendly — which provides a similar service to Heart to Heart — prompted Surdoval to change her mind.
“She called and said, ‘Look, we’ll help you. We have all the database information, we have a very large group of volunteers, we have all the documentation that you need. You don’t need to create the wheel,’” Surdoval said.
YCSA Ride will be a communitywide effort. The team at YCSA will enlist a few of its own volunteers to create a dispatch system, and the organization will use one of its vehicles to transport passengers. Volunteers will lend their vehicles too, and York’s Center for Active Living might occasionally lend a small bus, Surdoval said.
The out-of-pocket cost it takes to run the service will come from fundraising and community donations, just as it did for Heart to Heart.
Knox said YCSA’s decision makes him smile.
“They have a very dedicated and strong cohort of volunteers, which has been the real core of Heart to Heart,” Knox said. “I’m glad to know that the service for older adults hasn’t just disappeared into the sunset.”
The newly formed YCSA Ride team is still ironing out some details, like a phone number, but has already received lots of interest since its announcement. Surdoval said she hopes to get the service up and running within the next few weeks, with more information to come on how to become a volunteer driver or a passenger.
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Tagged: senior care, senior citizens, senior living, transportation, york county, york county Maine
Isabelle Oss is a community reporter covering Kittery, Berwick, North Berwick, South Berwick, York and Ogunquit. Born and raised in Colorado, she moved to Maine in April 2026. Isabelle holds a master’s. More by Isabelle Oss
