| Volunteer Transport Scheme |
fInfInformation for Passengers
Passenger Information
| Covering over 530 square miles of some of the most rugged and remote areas of the High Peak, our volunteer drivers help to provide transport for older people (over 65), disabled people, or people with learning difficulties which would prevent them from using public transport. We will provide transport to take people to any medical appointment, groups, meetings, social outings or to any mainland UK holiday destination. |
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The driver will usually stop with you at your medical appointment for up to 2 hours and then bring you home again if required.
A charge is made for this service to cover the cost of fuel and wear and tear of the vehicle.
For further details contact the Transport Department on 01298 23970
or email transport@buxtonvc.org.uk
Who can use the Transport Scheme?
Passengers who wish to use the Transport Scheme must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- 65 years old (or older)
- Disabled (preventing you from using public transport)
- Have severe learning difficulties
Anyone who does not quite meet the above criteria will be considered on a case by case basis. Unfortunately this service is not available to be used purely on financial grounds.
Booking and Availability
Before booking any transport you must first register as a client, this will take only 5 minutes and will involve the Transport Department taking some personal information like home address and your health support needs.
We prefer people to book all transport journeys as early as possible, days, weeks or even months in advance. The absolute minimum notice for transport is 24 hours. We do understand that sometimes this is not always possible, so we will accept bookings with less than 24 hours notice but we cannot guarantee a driver will be available for these late bookings.
The drivers are Volunteers and transport depends upon their availability, and unfortunately sometimes there may be no car available for a journey, and we apologise for this. However this is very rare, only about 150 requests were cancelled last year due to no driver being available, a further 11,448 journeys were completed last year!
How much will the transport cost?
The Transport Scheme drivers are all volunteers and do not receive payment. They do however receive a mileage allowance for the total journey which is invoiced to the passenger on a monthly basis. This mileage allowance covers the cost of fuel, wear and tear and insurance.
From 1st April 2012
There is a minimum journey charge of £4.70 for all car journeys. Mileage charges are set out below:
- 52p per mile for MEDICAL journey
- 57p per mile for NON-MEDICAL journey
We also have a fully wheelchair accessible minibus which is available, the cost for the use of this vehicle is slightly different:
- £10.00 Minimum journey charge
- 96p per mile.
An invoice will be sent out to you on a monthly basis, you do not need to pay the driver.
All our drivers are volunteers and most use their own vehicles, we regret that we are unable to transport children/young adults under 18 or people with severe mental health/learning difficulties unaccompanied, an appropriate adult must be present throughout the transport. If an appropriate adult cannot be provided then an ambulance place is available – please contact you doctor.
Please do not smoke in the vehicles, if you do need a cigarette ask the driver if he/she would mind stopping to allow you to get out to have a cigarette
All drivers carry a photo ID badge which they should wear when they are providing transport. If you are unsure of any driver who comes to your home please call the Transport Department on 01298 23970.
If you require a wheelchair accessible vehicle please state this when booking your transport.
If you require the use of a wheelchair to get to your appointment please state this when booking your transport.
Friends or relatives are welcome to accompany you to your appointment but you must state this when booking your transport.
Please note: - Our drivers are volunteers, giving their time for free. Please do not refer to them as taxi drivers or to their vehicle as a taxi/cab as this undermines the voluntary work that they do. Thank you.
