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Community Drivers - Volunteering in your area

In West Berkshire we are lucky to have 11 Volunteer Car Schemes, each of them serving its community by engaging local people with the detailed knowledge of every corner of West Berkshire.

What all of the car schemes have in common is a desire to help those people who are unable to use public transport to get to appointments of all kinds, such as to the doctors, clinics, opticians, dentists, hospitals, day centres, visiting a friend or loved one, or just to get out to do a bit of shopping. Each of the volunteer car schemes listed here has a band of merry volunteer office workers and volunteer drivers, all ready willing and able to help members of their community. Each of the offices has its own operating times and days which are based on their knowledge of the needs of that particular community. They are all located in the heart of their community and they are all set up as charities or community groups with management committees of their own.

Volunteer Drivers are always required to be able to meet the needs of their village, town or hamlet. If you are reading this and thinking - what is it that these drivers do? ? well, read on to see if you too could make a really valuable contribution by becoming a Volunteer Driver in your area. Here are a few examples of the questions that you may have before you would agree to becoming a volunteer driver. You might have other questions, and no doubt your nearest car scheme will be happy to answer them.

I'm only free on certain days, can I still volunteer? Before volunteer drivers agree to start they usually want to know what sort of time commitment they should be prepared to give. That's an easy one: you tell the scheme what day or times of the day that you would prefer to offer. For instance, you might say you would be happy to offer Tuesdays or Thursdays, but that you would be happy to be called on for other times and would be happy to help if you were free. It is important to note that the car schemes book you in advance of the job so you are not waiting by the phone for a job to come in.

Will I have to drive to places I don't like? Not if you don't want to. A note would be made on the system to say that you would prefer local jobs only. Some drivers prefer longer jobs to hospitals in Oxford, Reading or if you are in Hungerford and Lambourn to Swindon. All of the car schemes have holiday lists so they know when you are away or looking after children or have other domestic, work, employment or voluntary commitments.

Am I too old to drive? Each of the car schemes has its own driver age policy. In Newbury, for example, the upper age limit is 80.

Arrh! what about my insurance? That's an easy one too. Your insurance company will acknowledge that you are not 'driving for gain or reward' and they are usually happy to write to you or the car scheme to confirm this. Only in very rare instances do they seek an additional premium for volunteer driving.

What about the extra fuel I'm using? Obviously all of the car schemes are aware that petrol and diesel is expensive. All car schemes offer out of pocket petrol expenses. They use a simple claim form so that you are not out of pocket.

Will my bad back mean I can't help? Volunteer drivers are not - as a matter of policy - allowed to lift their passengers. Voluntary car schemes don't want you injuring your own back - or your passengers for that matter. So before a car scheme accepts a request for transport it will make sure that the passenger is able to walk, albeit with a gentle helping hand sometimes, or if they are in a wheelchair they must be able to self transfer from wheelchair to car.
 

	Retired project engineer Angus Macdonald is married to Sandra. They have two grown up daughters. Angus, who lives in Newbury, took his pension a couple of years ago. He wanted a really good reason to get out of bed following retirement but stressed that he did not have any high motives to do good work; he just wanted a nice voluntary job where he could choose his hours.
Angus MacDonald, Volunteer Driver

So if you are interested in becoming a volunteer driver in your area then call your nearest scheme who will be pleased to hear from you. Or if you or someone that you know may benefit from the help that these car schemes offer please give them a call.
 

West Berkshire Community Car Scheme Operators

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