Oxford Seniors uses grant for new vehicles
“We prioritize medical transportation, but we also do tons of trips every day.”
Guests of Oxford Seniors will now have two new vehicles to travel in, following the release of this year’s federal transportation grant funds.
The vehicles – one modified van with a rear entry ramp and one fully-accessible Ford Transit van with an electric lift – were delivered on July 31.
Emily Liechty, executive director for Oxford Seniors, said the organization had been waiting on the grant funds to be released since they were notified of the award in 2024. She said Oxford Seniors had applied for the grant six months before it was awarded.
The grant was a 5310 federal transportation grant administered by the OKI Regional Council of Governments and amounted to $114,570, which partially covered the costs of the vehicles. Liechty said the unusually long delay in funds was likely due in part to government shutdowns since the application was turned in.
Oxford Seniors paid $55,000 to cover the additional costs of the vehicles. Liechty said Oxford Seniors receives support for its transportation program from the McCullough-Hyde Foundation, the City of Oxford, the Oxford Masonic Lodge and the Kiwanis Club of Oxford.
Liechty said the organization is also a contracted provider with the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, meaning it receives some Butler County levy funds to support transportation, as well as Older Americans Act federal transportation funds and funding from several different insurance agencies.
The two vehicles replaced others in Oxford Seniors’ fleet from 2012 and 2015 that are no longer functional. Liechty said the drivers often need to make several short trips in succession, which wear out vehicles more quickly.
Oxford Seniors receive a delivery of a new modified van with a rear entry ramp and a Ford Transit van with an electric lift, paid for in part with federal grant dollars, on July 31, 2026. Photo by Katelyn Aluise.
The vehicles are used for medical transportation and trips for guests, including to and from the Oxford Seniors Adult Day Service, bringing them in from Hamilton and Somerville, and taking them out to lunch and other day trips. She said the transportation is provided to anyone over the age of 60, as well as adults with short- or long-term disabilities.
“We prioritize medical transportation, but we also do tons of trips every day,” Liechty said. “Grocery stores, to the library, to hair appointments – as you know, those are all important, too. Seniors, older adults, need that deep, rich diversity of life, and so that’s part of it.”
Liechty said having transportation services available also helps to assure adults who may be taking care of their senior family members that their loved ones can reach their appointments on time without them needing to take time off from work.
Christine Quimby, lead driving instructor for Oxford Seniors, said the new vehicles are “amazing,” noting the transit van has an extra-wide lift to accommodate bariatric wheelchairs, which the other vehicles don’t have.
“It’s very much needed in Oxford,” Quimby said of the transportation services offered through Oxford Seniors. “We’re a pretty high commodity. … We love what we stand for and what we do for the community.”
