The Orlando City Council and downtown Community Redevelopment Agency on Monday approved a contract with Mears Transportation Group to provide free grocery shuttle service to residents of 11 downtown senior housing complexes — formalizing a pilot program that has been running since November after the previous provider, Seniors First, ended the service. Commissioner Roger Chapin recused himself from both votes, citing a conflict of interest.
The program, called Senior Tran, sends two ADA-accessible vans to senior housing buildings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, taking residents to grocery stores, pharmacies, and other essential services along Colonial Drive and in the SoDo area. Mears began operating the service as a 90-day pilot on Nov. 4, 2025, which was then extended through Feb. 28, 2026. The new contract starts March 1, ensuring no disruption in service.
The city said the investment aligns with the Livable Orlando Age-Friendly Action Plan and its commitment to ensuring residents of all ages and abilities have access to fresh food, medicine, and other personal needs.
Why the city needed a new provider
Seniors First, a nonprofit that operates Meals on Wheels in Orange County, had run the Senior Tran shuttle for roughly 25 years under a contract with the CRA. In July 2025, Seniors First notified the CRA it would not renew the agreement, saying the decision would allow the organization to reallocate resources toward its food programs.
The CRA had been paying Seniors First about $66,000 per year for the service — well below the program’s actual cost, which Seniors First has said exceeded $800,000 annually. Despite the CRA offering to explore additional funding, Seniors First declined to continue. The CRA extended the contract through October 2025 to keep the shuttles running while it searched for a replacement.
CRA staff contacted nine potential providers — including the Salvation Army, Circuit, Beep, Jewish Family Services, and five private transportation companies — but determined that Mears was the only one with the fleet capacity and ADA-compliant shuttles needed to deliver a comparable level of service. LYNX, the regional transit authority, also reviewed the request but said it was not operationally feasible.
How the shuttle works
The service operates as a fixed-route shuttle on two routes.
The Colonial Drive route stops at iFresh Market, ALDI, Target, and Publix at the Paramount. The SoDo route stops at Publix at The Market at Southside, Dollar Tree, Freshfields Farm, and Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Each of the 11 senior housing complexes is assigned a specific day:
Tuesdays: Kinneret Apartments and Orlando Cloisters. Wednesdays: William Booth Towers and Catherine Booth Towers, Hillcrest Hampton House, Villas at Carver Park, and Jackson Court Apartments. Thursdays: The Roberts, Westminster Plaza, Magnolia Towers, and Westminster Towers.
What it costs
The initial contract runs from March 1 through Sept. 30, 2026 — seven months — at a cost of $68,521. The cost is shared between the CRA ($39,670) and the City of Orlando ($28,851). On an annualized basis, the estimated cost is $116,934, and will continue to be shared between the CRA and the city.
That’s significantly more than the $66,000 the CRA paid Seniors First annually — but Seniors First was absorbing the vast majority of the program’s real cost. The higher cost reflects the shift from a subsidized nonprofit arrangement to a private transportation contract.
The contract includes options for four one-year renewals after Sept. 30, 2026, with prices subject to change beginning in January 2027.
What commissioners said
Commissioner Patty Sheehan, whose district includes many of the senior complexes, praised CRA staff for moving quickly after Seniors First pulled out with little notice.
“I was hearing from the highrises almost immediately once they were notified by Seniors First that they would no longer be receiving the service,” Sheehan said. “I know you didn’t have much time to pivot. They gave you like 30 days and I think they ended up extending it to 60.”
Sheehan called the program “very necessary” and added: “Budget cuts have consequences. And when you cut funding, this is the kind of stuff that happens.”
Commissioner Shan Rose requested that staff add the Beardall Senior Center as a stop, noting it’s along the existing route to the grocery stores and that seniors have been unable to reach it since bus service was cut.
Mayor Buddy Dyer noted that Commissioners Bakari Burns and Tony Ortiz have identified senior facilities outside the CRA that could also use transportation help — signaling the program could eventually expand beyond downtown.
David Barilla, the CRA’s executive director, said the 90-day pilot “has gone very well” and that the agency has “received a lot of positive feedback from both the seniors as well as the senior communities.”
What’s next
The formalized service begins March 1, replacing the pilot arrangement that has been running since November.
Mears will provide monthly ridership reports, and the city and CRA will evaluate the program’s performance before deciding on renewals.
Mears Transportation Group, an Orlando-based ground transportation provider, has been in operation since 1939.
Updated Feb. 24, 2026: Updated to reflect city council and CRA approval on Feb. 23. Added commissioner comments from Sheehan, Rose, and Dyer, CRA executive director remarks, and Chapin recusal.
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