Every Wednesday morning, Michael Higdon of La Mesa drives up in his plug-in hybrid vehicle to the Lakeside home of 96-year-old Henry Stey for a trip to the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center.

At 82, Higdon is one of the more senior volunteer drivers for Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s Rides & Smiles.

Rides & Smiles is part of Jewish Family Service’s On the Go transportation program, which provides rides for older adults (age 60 and up) regardless of religious or ethnic affiliation.

At the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center, Stey plays pinochle and socializes with other seniors before Higdon returns in the afternoon to take him home.

For Stey, who also gets to his monthly doctor’s appointments via Higdon, these rides are not just a way to get around.

“On the Go means more to me than anything,” Stey said. “Especially with the card games, my whole life has changed.”

On the Go has provided more than 662,000 rides since launching in 2008 and currently has more than 1,000 active riders. Riders receive up to 10 rides a month, with exceptions for non-emergency medical rides.

For the first time, Jewish Family Service leaders say, a waiting list has developed, with more than 300 people countywide now waiting for service.

In La Mesa, there are four active volunteer drivers and 69 active riders, with 26 more La Mesa residents on a wait list for service.

From September 2025 through August 2026, On the Go helped with 4,244 rides that began or ended in La Mesa, said Maureen Glaser, On the Go program manager.

While more than 1,500 of those rides over the last year were for medical, dental, pharmacy, or lab visits, rides are not limited to healthcare appointments.

More than 800 rides were for social visits, like pinochle games. Other rides include more than 450 for physical therapy or fitness, more than 200 for grocery shopping and more than 180 for spiritual needs.

“We’ve given a grandmother a ride to her granddaughter’s eighth-grade graduation,” Glaser said. “Every ride is important, and we treat all of them equally.”

Jewish Family Service’s Senior Director of Community and Volunteer Engagement Sunni Robertson said the volunteer connection can be just as meaningful as the ride itself.

“Every single ride is impactful,” Robertson said. “Every time you give a ride, you are helping an isolated senior in their day.”

Robertson said riders and drivers often develop friendships, something Higdon understands firsthand. He began volunteering as a driver around 2010, after retiring from his career as a mechanical engineer in 2009.

Higdon drove for La Mesa’s Rides4Neighbors program for more than a decade before transitioning to Jewish Family Services’ transportation program.

“I love people,” Higdon said. “I love to communicate with people, and you’re always meeting new people in this activity … Basically, it’s helping people who can’t get around by themselves. It’s kind of paying it forward in that respect.”

Higdon said he sometimes handles as many as 12 rides in a day.

“I’ve even organized 16 rides in one day,” he said, laughing. “It can get pretty exciting.”

Independence and socializing

“When someone decides to give up their keys, it’s a really big moment in their life,” Glaser said. “There’s often this preconceived notion that they’re going to lose all of their independence, that they’re going to become a burden to their family and friends.”

Programs like On the Go help bridge that gap, allowing seniors to maintain their daily routines and connections to the community. Understanding why free volunteer-driven rides matter requires looking past the experience of able-bodied drivers, Glaser said.

“We grab our keys, we get in our car, and we just drive wherever we need to go,” she said. “That’s not as easy as it used to be.”

While public transit and rideshares are options for some, they present hidden hurdles for aging seniors — such as lengthy walks to bus stops, steep bus steps, or the challenge of navigating a transfer. Some seniors will even skip a medical appointment because they don’t want to impose on others, Glaser said.

Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining a vehicle, paying for insurance and filling a gas tank can make driving increasingly difficult for people on fixed incomes. Adults 65 and older spent an average of $753 per month on transportation in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — one of the largest household expenses after housing.

The loss of transportation can also contribute to social isolation, which has been linked to a range of health risks among older adults.

Expanding reach

Driven by funders who want the program to reach more people, On the Go is now expanding into three new ZIP codes — downtown San Diego (92101), southern San Marcos (92078) and Spring Valley (91978) — increasing the need for additional volunteer drivers.

“We need drivers now,” Glaser said. “The more volunteer drivers we have, the more people we can serve.”

On the Go volunteers choose their own schedules and rides through an online portal.

The program operates between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and volunteers are required to provide at least two rides a month. Jewish Family Service provides secondary insurance coverage, manages trip logistics, and reimburses volunteers for mileage.

“People don’t need to feel like, ‘Oh, I can’t do this all the time,’” Robertson said. “Just two rides a month, and every little bit helps. We welcome everyone.”

Prospective volunteers can learn more or apply through Jewish Family Service’s On the Go program.

Volunteers don’t have to be young — retirees like Higdon can be ideal candidates.

For Stey, the difference a volunteer driver makes is simple: He gets to spend his Wednesdays with friends instead of sitting home alone.

He lost his wife of 63 years about 12 years ago.

He and Higdon have also found common ground in their public safety backgrounds. Stey, who spent 41 years as a ground crew chief for American Airlines, was a police officer for six years in New Hampshire; Higdon served as a volunteer police officer with the La Mesa Police Department for seven years.

Without Jewish Family Services sending Higdon to pick him up, Stey said, “I would be sitting by myself.”

He compared Wednesdays to a little bit of heaven on earth.

“It really makes me feel great,” he said. “On the Go makes my life a heck of a lot better.”