Taxi service offers seniors a free ride in Rockville Centre

All Island Transportation, currently the sole taxi service in Rockville Centre, announced at the village board meeting on Oct. 9 that it would provide village seniors with free transportation every Thursday, beginning this week.

The announcement came shortly after the Lynbrook-based Village Car Service Inc. filed an application for a license to operate in Rockville Centre.

According to Lawrence Blessinger Jr., All Island’s vice president, Mayor Francis Murray and the board discussed whether to offer the service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, and Cyd Charrow, the village’s director of senior services, said that Thursday was chosen because it is one of the busier days.

The taxi service’s offer was prompted, Blessinger said, by the state of the economy. “I do know in these tough economic times, people are on budgets,” he said.

The service will be “point to point in the village,” Blessinger explained, and run between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

All Island is currently the only car service licensed to operate within the village, although other companies’ vehicles can come into Rockville Centre to pick people up and take them outside the village, or bring them home from elsewhere. “All Island Transportation has been serving the village for over 40 years, and it’s been an honor and a privilege,” Blessinger said. “This is something I’d like to do for the community.”

Murray said he was very pleased by the company’s offer. “I think it’s a wonderful idea and a great opportunity for our seniors,” he said. “It helps [Blessinger] because his vehicles will be all over the village, even more so than now, and the seniors will hopefully use his service more.”

Last month, David O’Neill, operations manager of Village Car Service, filed an application to operate a taxi company with four vehicles in the village. Village Car Service ran a number of full-page ads in the Herald, urging residents to email Murray and Village Administrator Keith Spadaro and ask them to consider the license request, and saying that residents “deserve sufficient choice of car services in the village.”

According to Murray, village officials are considering Village Car Service’s application, even though they have not received many complaints from people who think there should be more cab companies. All Island, Murray noted, has upgraded and added new cabs in recent years.

“I don’t know if he’s going to get a license to operate in the village,” Murray said of O’Neill. “We’re still looking at it.”