Drivers being sought for ride-sharing service

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A dial-a-ride service now being offered by the Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission is seeking volunteer drivers to help meet the high demand the service has seen lately.

RSC community transportation co-ordinator Colleen Acker said the Greater Miramichi Community Transportation service has only existed in its current form for about a year, but there are already 121 clients using it on a regular basis.

Acker said 79 drives were booked in October, with 5,267 kilometres driven and 164.75 volunteer hours logged by seven drivers.

“A lot of these drives are to and from places as far away as Moncton, Halifax, and Fredericton,” she said. “But many of these trips are for grocery shopping, medical appointments, and the food bank.

“Every day, I’m getting new calls from people requesting information or asking questions. We’re trying to help as many people as we can, with our main focus being on the elderly and people living in isolation. It warms my heart to be able to help people and tell them they don’t need to pay to access the food bank.”

Acker said the service is meant to help people at an affordable price who lack their own transportation and don’t have anyone else who can get them to and from medical appointments, errands, community functions, or wherever they need to go. She said the service doesn’t charge for trips to and from the food bank, but the cost for other rides starts at $5.

Acker said the volunteer driver program involves drivers going door-to-door with their own vehicles to transport people with low incomes and limited transit options who live in the Miramichi region. All 12 RSCs in the province have a service that Acker said is making a difference in people’s lives every day.

“A lot of our clients have mobility issues and require a cane or a walker, and other services like public transit can take them places, but the bus stop may be too far away from them to walk,” she said.

“We’re trying to be as inclusive as possible. Our main target clientele are individuals with low incomes, elderly people aged 65 and older, lone-parent families, individuals with reduced mobility or living with a disability, people who don’t have a driver’s license or their own vehicle, or who are incapable of driving, and families who don’t have access to an affordable transit system.”

Acker said the ride-sharing service had previously been offered by the Northumberland Community Inclusion Network before that group was absorbed by the RSC earlier this year, and clients were being registered as far back as 2019.

Anyone needing a drive only needs to call and register, Acker said. No proof of income is required.

To become a driver, Acker said applicants must provide a driver’s abstract and undergo a criminal record check and be screened by the Department of Social Development. A valid driver’s license, registration form, and inspection are required, along with $2 million in liability insurance and a confidentiality agreement. Reimbursement is provided for any documents that cost money to obtain.

Acker said mileage is also reimbursed.

“The drivers we have on board now are absolutely amazing,” she said. “They’ve said they wouldn’t want to work anywhere else because they enjoy connecting with the clients, and the clients are calling me all the time saying they don’t know what they would do without us.”