Senior Mobility Project: Improving Transportation Access for Seniors in the City of San Leandro, California - WeAccel, Automicle, NL, and Beckn Protocol

Every year, the U.S. medical industry and its users lose over $150 billion due to missed medical appointments. For seniors, the lack of affordable, timely, and accessible transportation is a major barrier to receiving critical care. The Senior Mobility Project will work to address this issue by developing a transparent, easy-to-use system for seniors to access reliable, affordable transit options in and around San Leandro.

Many seniors struggle to navigate current transit services, which can be confusing, require lengthy applications, and lack visibility. Existing resources like 211.org often fail to help anyone - not just seniors - find the right transportation provider when they need it most. This can lead to unsafe driving or painful dependence on adult caregivers to make appointments - or just go grocery shopping.

The Senior Mobility Project will work with key stakeholders—including the City of San Leandro, the County of Alameda, healthcare providers, transit operators, and residents—to identify core challenges and propose a proof-of-concept (POC) solution that uses low-overhead technology to streamline transportation access.

Our Proof of Concept project is under development through a partnership with Automicle, a mobility tech company built on Beckn, located in Amsterdam, NL; and Beckn Protocol’s team of developers and community leaders, whose U.S. efforts are being led by co-founder Sujith Nair. The POC will begin with the most accessible form of public transit for San Leandro’s seniors: paratransit and medical transport services. It’s painfully clear that the independent operators hired by the City and County often drive through San Leandro with empty vehicles for most of the day. Why aren’t these services—offered for free to San Leandro seniors—being used?

Foundational Problem: Seniors and paratransit service providers have difficulty discovering each other. Government agencies are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax funds to provide transit services for seniors that are largely not used.

As our project gains successful outcomes and funding, the WeAccel/Automicle/Beckn partnership will assess the current public and private transportation options available to seniors across the region, including services from BART, AC Transit, and the 9-County Metropolitan Transportation Commission. By improving coordination between transit providers and healthcare services, the project seeks to reduce missed appointments and help seniors - and the general public - travel safely and confidently.

By engaging local leaders and securing funding through grants and public-private partnerships, the Senior Mobility Project partners intend a lasting impact on senior mobility and healthcare access in San Leandro and beyond.

Developing the Senior Mobility Project

Here’s a “How It Works” section for the Senior Mobility Project to clarify the process in a concise and engaging way:

How the Senior Mobility Project Works

The Senior Mobility Project is a collaborative, community-driven initiative that leverages innovative technology to improve transportation access for seniors. Here’s how the process unfolds:

  1. Identify the Challenges
    We start by engaging local seniors, healthcare providers, and transit operators to understand the key barriers seniors face when trying to access transportation. This includes evaluating existing transit services like BART, AC Transit, and paratransit providers to pinpoint gaps in service.

  2. Design a Proof-of-Concept Solution
    Using insights gathered from the community, we propose a first step, proof-of-concept (POC) project focused on creating a seamless, transparent system for paratransit and other medical transport providers that connects seniors to relevant, affordable transit options. The solution is designed to make transportation easy for San Leandro seniors to find, book, and manage, especially for medical appointments.

  3. Leverage Beckn Protocol Technology
    With Automicle’s existing mobile application built on Beckn Protocol, we will create an open-source, interoperable, trusted, easy-to-use connection between seniors and local transit providers through familiar tools like WhatsApp, voice calls, or existing apps. This eliminates the need for seniors to learn new, complicated platforms.

  4. Simplify Access for Seniors
    Our system prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. Seniors can quickly find the right transit provider based on their specific needs—such as physical or language requirements, schedules, and availability. This helps reduce missed medical appointments and improves overall mobility.

  5. Build Trust and Transparency
    The project focuses on building trust within the community by providing clear, accessible transit information and streamlining communication between seniors, transit operators, and healthcare providers. This transparency ensures seniors know what services are available and how to access them.

  6. Secure Funding and Scale
    We work to secure funding from local, regional, and national sources to support the POC and ensure the project’s long-term sustainability. Once the concept is proven, the project can be scaled to serve additional communities and address broader mobility challenges beyond healthcare.