Come On And Take A Free Ride

A card from a 94-year-old woman named Fanny sits on David Mohebbi's desk, thanking him for all the free rides he has given her.

Without his generosity, she would have missed doctors appointments, trips to the grocery store, and more.

But Fanny and Mohebbi have never met.

Mohebbi is the President of Regency Taxi, Inc., which is headquartered in the Gaithersburg area just off of Snouffer School Road, and for the past three years his company has been offering free taxi rides to seniors citizens.

So how does a senior get a free ride? All they have to do is ask.

As Mohebbi explained, starting the program just felt like the right thing to do.

"It was back in 2008 as the holiday season was approaching," he said. The economy was in free-fall and senior citizens on fixed incomes were struggling. So he decided to offer free rides to those who needed them.

He called it the Senior Citizen Transportation Bailout, and he was overwhelmed by the response.

"We were getting about 70 calls per week," he said. "The number of calls was overwhelming."

He decided he had to put some limits on the programs and capped the number of rides at 100 per month, and within a 10 mile radius.

But the driver would wait for the senior, so they wouldn't be stranded, he said.

After the 2008 holiday season, Mohebbi met with the Regency Taxi board of directors and urged them to expand the program, making it year-round.

He got an extension into 2009, then 2010, and now through 2011. Most likely, he said, it would continue into 2012 as well.

"We get a lot of the same people calling for rides," said Cindy Crown, a call taker. "They love keeping that sense of independence."

"This program is truly a success story," said Ron Stoddard, a driver. "The need out there is so great."

The program, although wildly successful, doesn't come free.

"It costs us a lot of money," Mohebbi said. "We pay our drivers their full fare."

And even though there is a limit of 100 free rides given out per month, Mohabi said they regularly exceed that figure by 20 or 30.

"Sometimes they call us and they're practically begging," he said.

Cindy, the call taker, heads back to her desk after being interviewed by Patch.

"I've got to call Fanny back," she said over her shoulder. "She needs a ride."