Serena Kirby, Denmark Bulletin
The Denmark St John community transport service capabilities have expanded with the recent purchase of a second vehicle.
Established in late 2018 to transport residents to non-urgent medical, hospital and allied health appointments, the service has made more than 2700 trips around Denmark and Albany. Service coordinator Yvonne Hortin had been pushing for the purchase of a second car for some time as demand had continued to grow.
With an average of between 45-55 trips a month there had been times where more than 70 trips had been provided in a single month.
As Denmark was without a taxi service and with the proposed community e-bus service not designed to transport people to medical appointments, Yvonne said the St John service was a vital link for the community.
“If you use an Albany taxi service or a charter vehicle it can cost you more than $200 for a return trip from Denmark to Albany,” she said.
“We charge $30 each way to Albany and $25 return for trips around Denmark.”
Yvonne said the service provided far more than simply the physical transportation of people from A to B.
“Travelling in a car with someone provides an opportunity for social interaction and many of our clients live alone and are unable to drive so they can be very isolated,” she said.
“We have nearly 20 volunteer drivers on the roster and all hold a ï¬rst aid certiï¬cate but more importantly they all have a strong desire to help others and enjoy meeting and talking to people.”
To assist in making the service more accessible to those who are ï¬nancially disadvantaged, vouchers are available from the Denmark Community Resource Centre to cover the cost of up to three trips.
People experiencing ï¬nancial hardship and needing more than three trips can receive additional part-payment vouchers from the CRC.
Those on home care packages can also claim the cost of the trip through their package provider.
The transport service runs Monday to Friday 9am-4pm and bookings can be made by calling Yvonne on 0499 796 129.
This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 10 October 2024.