We are seeking volunteer drivers to help us take predominantly older people to medical and social appointments in the Canterbury district.
Many of our beneficiaries are unable to access public transport for a variety of reasons and are often socially isolated, lonely or vulnerable in some way.
Becoming a volunteer driver is not just about driving, its also about making meaningful contact with people who wish to remain independent within their own homes and who often have little contact with the outside world.
You can make a real difference to the lives of so many by sparing a little time each week!
Jackie Harvey, who is based in our Herne Bay office, is our transport coordinator responsible for the management of our social car scheme in the Canterbury district. This scheme is aimed at the provision of a low-cost service utilising volunteer drivers (who use their own car) to transport people to and from medical and social appointments. Due to a current shortage of drivers in the Canterbury part of the District, we sometimes have to use drivers from Herne Bay to take people to their appointments.
Our volunteer drivers are like gold dust to us both in the Canterbury and Herne Bay areas.
Our transport charges are as follows:
Client registration – £15.00 per year (renewable each January)
Our volunteer drivers charge clients 60p per mile (to cover wear and tear on their vehicles) plus £3.00 per return trip to help with administration costs.
These charges are for clients booking individual trips. When we do contract work we provide quotations from the office and the administration charges are scaled according to journey length and times involved.
Usually, our volunteer drivers provide more than just a vehicle but also give the people they transport moral support and often wait them at local hospitals and doctors to ensure that they are supported whilst undergoing a potentially stressful experience.
If possible, we ask our clients to give us a week’s notice so that we can contact our drivers in good time – this is due to the fact that we have many more enquiries for our service than we could possibly fulfil.
