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An EZ Ryde4Life dispatcher (top left). A passenger approaches her ride (above right).
Images courtesy Lifelong Montclair and EZ Ryde4Life
The Challenge: “A person can live in a great city, great town, beautiful place, but if they don't have transportation to get anywhere, they’re stuck," observes Judy Hurley, director of Senior Services/Lifelong Montclair, an aging-in-place initiative housed in the township’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Montclair joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in 2016. A New York City suburb, the community is served by New Jersey Transit trains and buses that take commuters to and from Manhattan. But within the township itself, there is no public transit.
Lifelong Montclair set out to fill that gap with a free, on-demand, door-to-door ride-hailing program.
The Response: EZ Ryde4Life is a New Jersey-based discount ride program that enables older adults and people with disabilities to schedule a ride and do so in real time rather than requiring an advanced reservation.
Essex County and the Lifelong Montclair initiative contracted with EZRyde4Life in 2022. Qualifying residents receive 20 free Uber or Lyft rides a month anywhere in the township. In a game changing enhancement for many residents, the boundary extends to the entire county for medical appointments or rides to work, so long as the trip begins or ends in Montclair.
April, 67, uses the program to commute to her job at a childcare center. Jerry, 62, says that before EZRyde4Life, he couldn’t afford transportation to his doctor. He credits the ride service for enabling him to keep his medical appointments and, ultimately, no longer needing diabetes medication.
From its inception through August 2025, EZ Ryde4Life provided more than 30,000 free rides, with more than 1,000 seniors using the service. “As an age-friendly community, we have a commitment to provide transportation services for seniors,” says Hurley, who adds that she intends to age-in-place in Montclair herself.
Lessons Learned and Advice
To address local transportation needs, Judy Hurley, director of Senior Services/Lifelong Montclair, advises that communities:
Allocate the Funding: Montclair spends $175,000 a year providing older residents with up to 20 free rides per month.
Stay Flexible: Piloting a program before implementing it full-throttle enables organizers to evaluate and improve it. Once fully implemented, the program will continue to evolve.
Collect Data: “Data has helped us make better decisions,” says Hurley. “For example, by now requiring proof of residency, we now know that our riders truly reside in the township."
Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner | Page published October 2025
Lessons Learned and Advice
To address local transportation needs, Judy Hurley, director of Senior Services/Lifelong Montclair, advises that communities:
Allocate the Funding: Montclair spends $175,000 a year providing older residents with up to 20 free rides per month.
Stay Flexible: Piloting a program before implementing it full-throttle enables organizers to evaluate and improve it. Once fully implemented, the program will continue to evolve.
Collect Data: “Data has helped us make better decisions,” says Hurley. “For example, by now requiring proof of residency, we now know that our riders truly reside in the township."
Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner | Page published October 2025
Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner | Page published October 2025
