SENECA — Clemson Area Transit (CAT) is trying to work out a bus plan with a Tri-County organization providing services to seniors that has been hit hard by escalating fuel costs.

SENIOR Solutions, which operates a pick-up and delivery service that transports seniors 60 and older to non-emergency medical appointments in Anderson, Oconee and Greenville counties, is hopeful CAT can come to its rescue in helping cut back on gasoline costs.

Doug Wright, president and chief operating officer of SENIOR Solutions, said the reimbursement it receives from South Carolina Health and Human Services Medicaid Transportation Program does not cover recent hikes in gasoline prices.

Wright said he met recently with CAT Executive Director Al Babinicz to see if CAT could collaborate on SENIOR Solutions’ longer routes.

Under such a plan, Wright said SENIOR solutions clients would take a CAT bus from Seneca to Anderson and then transfer to one of the SENIOR Solution vans to complete the trip to their medical appointments.

Wright estimates that SENIOR Solutions currently makes about 29 trips a week from Seneca to Anderson. He said it could save 50 miles a trip by having CAT cover that route. In one month, that would save SENIOR Solutions nearly 6,000 miles of travel.

Spiraling gasoline prices have organizations, businesses and most American households watching their bottom lines.

In the Upstate, gasoline prices have shot up about 30 cents a gallon in just the past four weeks and are about $1 more than at this time a year ago.

According to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge report, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.75 in the Upstate on Thursday. The national average stood at $3.95 for regular, but in many markets motorists already are paying more than $4 a gallon.

Another SENIOR Solutions program under siege by out-of-control fuel prices is its home-delivered meals services. Wright said 200 volunteers deliver meals to seniors.

“Most of the folks in Oconee are hanging in there,” Wright said.

Babinicz was out of town and unavailable for comment.