Peninsula Transport Assist
It’s easy to underestimate how important the ability to travel is to our quality of life. Not being able to get around can leave people feeling disempowered, alone and unable to access basic services. It’s an increasing problem in our ageing regional communities.
For these reasons the region’s Bendigo Bank branches support Peninsula Transport Assist (PTA)—a vehicle and volunteer sharing network that helps pool community transport resources.
PTA coordinates a team of volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles to drive clients to medical appointments, shopping trips, hospital visits and social events. Their volunteers are trained to look after their passengers from door to door. The service is available at a reasonable cost to individuals and organisations in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region.
PTA also has a fleet of mini buses which are available for community groups to hire. Booking are coordinated so that a number of organisations can share and borrow each other’s mini buses and get paid for the bookings.
PTA’s services are cheap alternatives to taxis or commercially hired vehicles. They make it easy for community groups to share vehicles by:
• handling all booking arrangements and documentation
• providing additional accident insurance for both borrower and owner
• invoicing borrowers on behalf of owners
• providing volunteer drivers at low cost.
Transport is often cited as one of the most vexing issues for residents on the Mornington Peninsula and nearby regional communities. Public transport is under stress and taxis are few and far between. Services like PTA’s are helping to bridge a widening gap: particularly for the elderly and those with mobility challenges.
In 2016 PTA won the inaugural Age Friendly Victoria Award—which recognises excellence and innovation in creating age-friendly communities, promoting active ageing and improving quality of life and inclusion for older people. We couldn’t be prouder to support this work they do in our communities.
PTA is always on the look-out for volunteer drivers who would like to join their team. If you are Mornington Peninsula-based and interested in a rewarding experience that also helps people in your community, contact PTA on 03 9708 8241 to discuss being a volunteer driver.
