Rides for seniors in North County

Solana Beach's free senior rides end October 31 (25 days left) unless the City extends the pilot. Book now: (858) 923-1344, at least five days ahead.

Don't drive, or don't want to anymore? Here is every ride option on the coast for older adults: who it's for, what it costs, how far ahead to book, and the limits. Check the town and the need; the options that fit move to the top.

Solana Beach pilot and Del Mar Community Connections: free. NCTD senior fares since October 1, 2026. RideFACT: under 10 miles. LIFT: disability-based.

• Solana Beach Senior Transportation Program (City pilot, run by JFS) · free
  For adults 65+. Rides must begin or end in Solana Beach and stay within 25 miles. Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm; book at least five days ahead at (858) 923-1344. Program dates: May 1 to October 31, 2026. Drivers can't lift riders, and rides after appointments with sedation or anesthesia can't be scheduled.
• JFS On the Go: Rides & Smiles · donation-based (County guide)
  For 60+ in ZIP codes including 92007 (Cardiff), 92014 (Del Mar), 92024 (Encinitas), 92075 (Solana Beach), 92067 and 92130; not Carlsbad or Oceanside. Up to 10 rides a month, reserved at least 5 days ahead. Enroll: (858) 637-3210; request a ride: (858) 637-7320.
• JFS On the Go: Navigator (Uber or Lyft, watched by JFS) · the ride fare plus a $6 service fee
  With as little as 30 minutes' notice, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. JFS On the Go: (858) 637-3210.
• Del Mar Community Connections: Essential Transportation · free
  For 60+ (or with accessibility needs) who can't drive, in the 92014 area. Volunteer drivers to medical, dental, personal care and legal appointments within 10 miles, weekdays 8:30am to 4:30pm, booked at least 7 days ahead (not to urgent care or the ER). A Wednesday grocery van and a wheelchair van. (858) 792-7565.
• Encinitas Senior Center lunch van · a small suggested donation
  For Encinitas residents 60+ in 92024 or 92007 without a driver's license, to and from lunch at the Senior Center only. Call the lunch line by noon the day before: (760) 943-2258.
• Carlsbad Senior Center: lunch shuttle and medical rides · $4 suggested for lunch; $5 to $10 round trip for medical
  For Carlsbad residents 60+ who can't drive (no wheelchairs). Lunch shuttle weekdays, book a day ahead at 760-613-8042. Medical and pharmacy rides within Carlsbad on select weekdays, two business days ahead, a maximum of two trips a month: 760-859-9352.
• Go Oceanside (City) · no cost, per the County's 2026 ride guide
  For Oceanside residents 65+, by online application. The County guide lists booking one week to two months ahead and four rides a month. 760-435-5155.
• RideFACT (the County's ride coordinator) · $5 under 10 miles, $10 to 20 miles, $20 beyond; exact cash
  For 60+ or people with disabilities without other transportation, all 18 cities. Request 3 to 7 days ahead; rides Monday to Friday, 7am to 8pm, not guaranteed. (888) 924-3228.
• RideFACT NOW (wheelchair-accessible vans, same day) · $10 to $20 one way
  For people who use mobility devices and need a wheelchair-accessible van. (888) 924-3228.
• NCTD BREEZE and COASTER, senior fare · BREEZE $1.50, COASTER $3.25, day pass $3.50, month $28
  At 65+ (or with a disability or a Medicare card and photo ID), since October 1, 2026. BREEZE 101 runs the coast. Switch a PRONTO card to the reduced fare: (619) 595-5636. All NCTD rides are free on Wednesday, October 7, except LIFT.
• NCTD LIFT (paratransit) · $6 one way
  Based on disability, not age: NCTD says eligibility is not based on "age, economic condition, or inability to drive." Within 3/4 mile of a BREEZE route or SPRINTER station; book 1 to 7 days ahead, 8am to 5pm. Certification can take up to 21 days, and the LIFT card also rides BREEZE, SPRINTER and COASTER free. Reservations (760) 726-1111; eligibility (760) 966-6645.
• Medi-Cal rides to appointments · covered for people who qualify
  The Medi-Cal plan arranges non-medical rides for members with no other way to get to an appointment (tell the plan so), and wheelchair or litter vans with a prescription. DHCS says plans may reimburse family or friends who drove the member.
• Medicare · ambulance only
  Medicare Part B covers a ground ambulance only "when traveling in any other vehicle could endanger your health." Everyday rides to the doctor aren't on Medicare's coverage list.

• Weekdays, daytime. Every senior program here runs Monday to Friday during the day. LIFT, for riders already certified, is the one that runs every day.
• Book days ahead. Five days (JFS, Solana Beach), seven (Del Mar), three to seven (RideFACT, not guaranteed). Same day: JFS Navigator, RideFACT NOW for wheelchair users, or LIFT.
• Nobody waits or carries in. Drivers don't lift riders, Solana Beach's program can't schedule rides after sedation, and Del Mar's volunteers don't help in the home after an appointment.
• Town lines. Encinitas' only city ride is the lunch van, Carlsbad caps medical rides at two a month, and ElderHelp's ride program doesn't serve the coastal ZIP codes.

Start with the free rides. PJ gets your parent set up: the JFS enrollment, the LIFT application and its doctor form, the senior PRONTO card, and booking the rides five to seven days out. For the in-between, he runs the errands himself: the pharmacy, the groceries carried in and put away, the returns, the mail. Plans start as low as $25.

Text PJ Make a fix plan

More: the care ladder · snowbird in North County · senior benefits checkup. The County's full list: the Ride Well to Age Well guide (Aging & Independence Services, 800-339-4661).

Sources: City of Solana Beach, senior transportation and senior services; Jewish Family Service, On the Go; Del Mar Community Connections; City of Encinitas; City of Carlsbad; City of Oceanside; FACT, RideFACT and RideFACT NOW; NCTD, fares, LIFT, LIFT eligibility, Free Ride Day; DHCS, Medi-Cal transportation; Medicare.gov, ambulance services. Checked October 6, 2026.

Need a human?

This page is built every morning from public data by SideGuy, run by PJ, a local in Solana Beach. If something looks off, or you want a hand with your plans, text PJ at 858-461-8054. A real person answers.

Local help, free to read: make your fix plan · senior benefits checkup · lower your SDG&E bill · Medicare Extra Help · the next 90 days. Plans start as low as $25.