“I haven’t used it since the price went up.” Kiki Chaiton, an 82 year old who lives in Lynn with her husband, age 87, told me this about The Ride. Before last July, the MBTA charged four dollars for a round-trip; the price has now doubled. And that’s more than Kiki can afford.

You probably have seen the vehicles, small buses or taxi-like cars. It’s easy to recognize the yellow side stripes announcing THE RIDE in black capitals.

The Ride is one of the MBTA’s responses to the Americans With Disabilities Act. Signed in 1990 by the first president Bush, this federal legislation has made a notable difference in making public facilities more accessible. Since last summer, though, The Ride has not served those elders and others who cannot afford the increase in fares.

On the opening day at Fenway Park last month, Kiki did not join the fans. Instead, she went to the State House where she demonstrated for a return to the earlier fare.

For this trip she travelled in a bus hired by the Mass Senior Action Committee to bring many elders prepared to demonstrate for affordable transportation.

Some of the demonstrators stood in the roadway and were arrested. Kiki Chaiton was not among them. “I did all my shouting from the side of the street,” she says, so as not to block the cars of those driving to the game. About her reasons for demonstrating, she tells her grandchildren: “This is not Woodstock.”

Up until last summer, Kiki used The Ride for trips to sites where, as a volunteer, she helped other people in her age group. She also valued The Ride for visits to her doctor.

Another of my sources, a woman able to afford the increase, sympathizes with those who cannot. “The Ride allows you to have a social life,” she says. Without it she fears that poor people will be forced to stay inside, confined to their home. This leads, in her view, to decline in the well-being of those who are housebound.

This same woman has a solution for the current fare situation.  “I think it should be on a sliding scale,” she says. She herself would be willing to pay extra if it meant easing the burden on those who cannot now pay for the increase.

My friend maintains that The Ride is misunderstood by members of the general public.  Many tend to think it is only for medical appointments and only for people who are poor. Actually, it serves a wide variety of people who suffer disabilities. And some of them have money but cannot drive a car or take other public transportation.

People often make harsh judgments about users of The Ride. But just because they cannot see a disability does not mean there is none. A rider with eye problems, for instance, will have a very difficult time taking conventional transportation.

When you see people waiting at bus stops while using walkers or wheel chairs, you should recognize their need for something better. Although I am basically able-bodied, I still find it a challenge to use MBTA buses.

Admittedly, The Ride is expensive for the state. The MBTA says that each ride costs the Commonwealth forty dollars. But the solution to this expenditure is not to make poor people pay more.

I feel proud of my age peers who dare to demonstrate their needs. When you have physical disabilities, it is not easy to stand up outside, especially in difficult weather, and make your case to officials and to the public. Their fellow citizens have good reason to appreciate the spirit of these elders. And to support their need for lower fares.