For seniors with Jitterbug phones, a line to Lyft

GreatCall, a San Diego company that makes simplified cell phones for seniors, is piloting a way for its customers to summon Lyft rides by pressing 0 on its phones, which are called Jitterbugs, to verbally request a ride from its operators.

“Transportation is one of the main challenges for seniors who are trying to stay active and independent,” said David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, which makes a range of technologies and services for older consumers, including devices for emergency response, tracking fitness, and remembering medication schedules.

A third of U.S. adults and 70 percent of people aged 65 and older don’t have a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center.

[...] while GoGoGrandparent is a new company whose founders handle most calls themselves, GreatCall is a 10-year-old company with 900,000 users, more than half of whom use its Jitterbug Flip phone and its Jitterbug Smart, a smartphone with a larger display and fewer buttons than a typical smartphone.

GreatCall is using a year-old Lyft product called Concierge, which allows entities such as hospitals and companies to arrange rides on behalf of others, including scheduled rides.

Concierge customers include San Rafael’s Whistlestop and the Marin Senior Coordinating Council, which recently starting integrating Lyft rides along with its Whistlestop vans to get seniors to appointments.

The partnership with GreatCall, like other Concierge arrangements with senior and health-care providers, aligns well with our mission of improving transportation for individual members and communities, Renwick said.