Our Volunteer Drivers help to provide transport for people who cannot access public transport, disabled people or people with learning difficulties which would prevent them from using public transport.
We also have a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle available should you require this (based at our Buxton office).
We cover an area across the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales from Sudbury to Furness Vale and will provide transport to:
- Medical and hospital appointments
- Group activities or meetings
- Social outings to any mainland UK destination
The Volunteer Driver will usually wait for you at your medical appointment for up to 2 hours and then bring you home again if required.
We also operate on behalf of Derbyshire County Council – Connect Active Travel. This service covers healthcare related appointments, including:
- Medical and hospital appointments
- Opticians
- Dentists
- Chemists or Pharmacy
- Physiotherapists
- Any other healthcare related organisations
How much does it cost?
A charge is made for our Transport Service. This is a fixed charge and the amount will depend on the location. This charge will help to reimburse the volunteers for the fuel and wear and tear costs of their vehicle.
An invoice will be sent out to you on a monthly basis, so you don’t need to pay us at the time of booking, or pay your Volunteer Driver.
If you are not eligible for NHS funded transport, you may qualify for help with travel costs under the healthcare travel cost scheme (HTCS).
How do I book transport?
If you have not previously used the Transport Service, you must register with us before you can book a journey. This is a simple, five minute chat where we will ask for your personal details such as name, address and date of birth and if you have any additional needs that will require support on your journey. Once this has been completed, we can book your journey for you.
When you phone to book we will advise you of the cost of your journey.
As this is a voluntary service, we cannot guarantee that we can provide a volunteer driver. However, with sufficient notice we will usually manage to find a driver for you. Consequently, we do prefer people to book all transport journeys as early as possible – days, weeks or even months in advance. We do understand that sometimes this is not always possible.
Please be aware that if you call with less than 72 hours notice, the chances of us securing a volunteer driver for your journey are greatly reduced.
Weather
We will always try to ensure that any journey booked with us goes ahead, however any journeys booked with us are subject to the weather conditions on the day. For safety reasons we may cancel the journey at short notice. Don’t worry if this happens, you will not be charged and we will contact the hospital / GP on your behalf and explain the circumstances. You can then rearrange the appointment for a time that suits you and re-book your transport request.
We regret that we are unable to transport children/young adults under 18 or people with severe mental health/learning difficulties unaccompanied. For these passengers, an appropriate adult must be present throughout the transport. If this cannot be provided then an ambulance place should be available – please contact your doctor to arrange.
Minibus transport
Available from our Buxton Office only, we also have a fully wheelchair accessible minibus. The cost for the use of this vehicles is as below:
- 16 Seater Minibus: £1.35 per mile
- £25.00 booking fee (will also cover the cost of the first 15 miles of any journey)
- Any booked journey may be cancelled at short notice if the weather conditions are deemed unsafe for the journey, by the Head of Transport Services.
Please ask us for full details of terms of our service and liability or click the link here.
Can I book transport for a weekend journey?
Yes. Our Buxton/High Peak Transport Department is open Monday-Friday from 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 3pm for booking and enquiries, but we can provide transport 7 days per week.
Our Ashbourne/ Southern Derbyshire Dales Transport Department is open Monday – Friday from 8.30 to 1pm.
Who will drive me?
You will be driven by one of our team of Volunteer Drivers, all of whom undergo a thorough check by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). We recommend that you ring us the day before your trip to find out who your volunteer driver will be.
