Got a broken leg, no car, and a need a ride to go grocery shopping?
Or how about being newly widowed, no car, and you would like to visit a friend across town?
Or maybe you’ve just finished surgery and have medical appointments, your recovery means you cannot drive yet for several weeks. Or, you want to go to a nephew’s birthday party and are wondering how to get there.
Those are the questions that Wellington Transportation Services wrestles with on a daily basis as it attempts to find rides for a host of people who need a lift somewhere but do not know where to turn.
There are a number of agencies involved on that group’s board, including East Wellington Community Services, the North Wellington Seniors Council, the Fergus Legion, and the Community Resource Centre.
The Transportation Services group held a meeting recently to let people know that it is willing to provide services that can be accessed with a single phone call.
Gillian Risborough, the chairman of Wellington Transportation Services and the representative from East Wellington Community Services, said the group has been working now for three years to get the word out that rides for nearly every circumstance are available.
The members said the rides are not free, but they are based on income and ability to pay.
Christine Booker, of the Community Resource Centre, said people can call and obtain a single number that will allow them to access rides for just about any need – be it across town for a visit with an old friend, or to places like London and Toronto for medical procedures. Once in the system, that is the only number they will need to call for a ride.
She explained when people phone, they will be asked a series of questions in order to allow the person on the phone determine the best way to help. Those questions include residence, need, and income, and the answers remain strictly with that agency.
Risborough said once people are in the system, that person is referred to the agency best able to help.
For example, she said, East Wellington Community Services currently works mainly with people needing medical treatment. It obtained a van through the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integration Services, and gives people rides for such things as dialysis.
Risborough said in the future, the group would like to expand the ride service to include such things as shopping for those who need help.
Sharon O’Sullivan, of the North Wellington Senior Council and the VON, said transportation provided by her group is “mostly medical” but “We really want to promote [transportation service] for social purposes.
Executive Director for the Community Resource Centre Ron MacKinnon noted that simply making sure people can get out into the community and socialize means they will be healthier longer.
Risborough said such a service as transportation for socializing and other types of trips is “a goal for us in the future.”
Fergus Legion President Brian Bielby said the branch has a wheeltrans vehicle that means it is wheelchair accessible, and it operates one day a week, taking people from their homes to shopping and back again, but “the bus is parked the rest of the week. He said people have been trained to use it, and he would like to see it in use more often.
He said the branch is “expanding to Elora – slowly.”
O’Sullivan said the VON has a van, and it is used for shopping trips.
MacKinnon summed up the difficulty. “Lots of people in Wellington County, for whatever reason, have difficulty accessing transportation.
The group has already had much success. It has even helped teens who can no longer live at home to commute from Guelph, where they moved, back to Centre Wellington District High School, so they could finish their education in a familiar environment.
To date, that transportation has helped four students finish their schooling in town.
O’Sullivan said there are cases where people are released from hospital, with no way to get home. An informal network has been created so the group can quickly find volunteer drivers for such emergencies.
She said such things do not happen very often, but the response has been very good with such emergencies occur.
Risborough said the group can always use more volunteer drivers. They are paid mileage, so they are not asked to provide a free service.
Still, there are some difficulties. Newly retired baby boomers are busy enjoying life, and that means a large number of the volunteers are now in their 70s, or they are high school students volunteering, who cannot drive and are not available during the day.
“That’s a huge gap we’re all facing,” said Risborough, noting that there are ten full and part time staff to help out, and 100 volunteers. “This has been a huge issue.”
All volunteers need to undergo a police check. The Community Resource Centre pays that $12 fee.
“We try and make it as easy as possible,” Risborough said of obtaining volunteers. In the winter, she added, the trip is at the discretion of the driver, depending on the weather.
Anyone who needs a ride for almost any reason, and anyone who wants to volunteer as a driver can get more information or volunteer by calling 519-843-7003 or toll free at 1-866-694-9562.
