FAQ
CarPal is a community rideshare service for Sydney Hills Seniors who otherwise face becoming Shut-ins in their own homes as their driving days disappear in the “rear view mirror”. CarPal arranges for volunteer drivers to detour to pick up a Senior and drop them off along the route of a trip the volunteer was taking anyway. Seniors can take a Ride with a CarPal driver anywhere in the Sydney metropolitan area that our volunteers drive to. Click here for more information on the concept behind CarPal’s Community Rideshare service for Shut-in Seniors. CarPal Community Rideshare aims to help Seniors overcome the difficulty they have getting around Sydney when they can no longer drive themselves and recognises that this is something that requires a community-led solution. CarPal helps Shut-in Seniors to overcome their mobility issues and to thus avoid social isolation and loneliness in their later years. CarPal does this by filling the gaps in current Seniors transportation options, as follows: • Across town taxi fares are expensive and non-local trips are not generally serviced by Community Transport meaning pensioners can’t afford these; CarPal Community Rideshare believes that older Australians can lead a richer life in the community than out of it! Wanting to keep in touch is not only for the young: CarPal is there for Seniors who do not drive and are finding it difficult to use public transport to get around. They may be uncertain of negotiating steps, or worried about being bitten by the dog in their street as they walk home. Or they may not be able to walk 200 metres to the bus stop. Also, the lack of a trusted, low cost, flexible and convenient transportation option for the Senior Citizens is the chief reason why many elderly drivers are loathe to hand in their driver’s licence as they age. With CarPal, many Seniors will put their driving days behind them without having to become a recluse, cut off from their community. Click here for an aggregated service description of the CarPal Community Rideshare Service.
General Interest
What is CarPal Community Rideshare?
Why was CarPal Community Rideshare set up?
• Attending an evening event using public transport is not attractive for Seniors because of the walk home from the bus at night;
• Even for local trips existing Community Transport is not designed to react to after hours, weekend, public holiday or short-notice requests;
• The NRMA identified that change was needed in its Discussion Paper on Transport for Ageing Australians but change has been slow since it was identified as a serious problem 10 years ago.How does CarPal help Senior Citizens?
Can you please provide a Service Description for CarPal?
No, that’s fine. CarPal Community Rideshare is a detour service. So you conduct your day as you would have done if you weren’t volunteering with CarPal. Just be aware that our Volunteer Accident Insurance policy only covers the volunteer driver NOT any passengers you may have with you. And one other point worth noting is to carefully read the details in Ride Requests to check if the Client is requesting to travel with a companion e.g. a carer, friend or family member. If this is the case, you may need to consider whether your available seating or boot space will allow you to provide the Ride. The CarPal Team You are exactly the sort of driver we are looking for. Someone who can help provide a ride occasionally but cannot commit to a regular time or journey. We will provide you with information via email and the CarPal App showing the Seniors who want to go somewhere in Sydney and need a Ride to get there. The information will include their pickup and drop off locations and a preferred pickup time. After that it’s just a matter of you checking your schedule to see if their Ride Request matches with your planned trip … and you commit ONLY when you have the time to detour! So you make the choice to help when you can. There is no obligation on when or how often you will be able to volunteer a ride. You will regularly receive the details of Ride Requests (RRs) via email which includes a link to the App from which you can offer a Ride. When the trip-day arrives you detour from your planned trip and pick up the client at the address given and then drop him or her at the nominated destination. You have no obligation to be available for the return journey unless you also made a separate offer for the return. After completing each ride, you complete the Ride (in the App) providing feedback on the Ride including if you used the MPS permit. This response doubles as a claim for reimbursement of additional vehicle operating costs. If you claim reimbursement you will receive a monthly payment into a nominated bank account (up to $5.50 for each trip) for any trips you took that month. It’s as simple as that! Like all volunteer positions, there is a fair bit of admin and some App training to get through before you make you first offer of a ride to a deserving Sydney Hills Senior. And we understand that you will need time to respond as the process goes along and to fit it in with the other things in your life. We suggest that you think in terms of 5 or 6 weeks (elapsed time) for the admin component of becoming a volunteer with us. At the end of the process, you sign up to our CarPal Volunteer Driver Agreement and Code of Behaviour and we’ll explain our volunteers’ insurance cover, provide you with a CarPal ID and permission you for signin to the CarPal App. Then get used to our Shut-in Seniors‘ smiles when you offer rides to clients whose travel needs around Sydney fit with your own busy life and schedule. Any driver who fits the following profile can become a volunteer driver with CarPal Community Rideshare: First things first: But what to do, if it happens enroute: In the aftermath: Click here for CarPal’s Volunteer Driver Agreement & Guidelines; and Click here for Hills Community Aid’s Volunteer Program Registration FormDriving for CarPal Community Rideshare
I will have someone with me in the car. Is that a problem?
I don’t always have time to detour. Does CarPal want volunteers like me?
How does CarPal Community Rideshare work?
What’s the process to volunteer?
Can any driver join up?
What would I do if the client I was transporting was became ill?
What “paperwork” do CarPal Drivers sign up to?
So you have told your Grandmother (or other Senior) about CarPal Community Rideshare and how it helps Sydney Hills Seniors to get out around Sydney. Now you want help her (or him/her) by taking the hassle out of joining up on her (or his) behalf. After you get GrandMa’s (or other Senior’s) agreement to give it a go, follow the steps below: GrandMa can now get to anywhere in Sydney at any time and all for just $8.50 a Ride (plus an Annual Membership fee of $40 invoiced on her first Ride each calendar year). Her busy social calendar may prevent her from seeing you as often after that! Yes, but here are some things to consider: “OK”, I hear you say. “How do I see if I can arrange it?” The answer is you just provide some more details when you call to make your initial Ride Request(s) with your volunteer Facilitator. We also suggest that you make your Ride Request(s) as early as possible. The extra details needed are: There is only one invoice (for $8.50; $17.00 for a return Ride) issued for the Ride; the same as if you were travelling alone. The key is to let your Facilitator know when you make the initial Ride Request(s). That way there will be no surprises for you or for the driver who offers your Ride(s). The CarPal Team It is better that you worry firstly about yourself and your health. Let CarPal take care of any issues for us that may arise if you are suddenly unwell. And there is no charge for Rides that are cancelled because of illness. However, we are not an substitute for the ambulance service and do NOT offer a service of taking sick or injured people to hospital. If you need an ambulance please call one immediately on 000. But if you are able, call the driver assigned to your Ride to cancel the Ride. We can always take you where you want to go another day when you are feeling better. You don’t need a PC, just a phone to call us on. We provide you with the phone number of one of our volunteer Facilitators who you can call when you need a Ride. The CarPal Team You make a phone call to your assigned CarPal Volunteer Facilitator and provide the details of your Ride Request(s). They are then published for CarPal volunteer drivers to see and respond to in the CarPal App. Your Facilitator will call you to advise if your request will be met by one of our drivers. If a volunteer driver offers you a Ride, he or she will pick you up (in their car) and drop you at your destination. You will receive a monthly invoice from CarPal to pay $8.50 ($17.00 for a return journey) for each Ride you have taken that month. And you will also pay an Annual Membership fee of $40 added to your invoice for your 1st Ride of each calendar year. It’s as simple as that! To join CarPal Community Rideshare you will need to be a Sydney Hills Senior who holds or receives one of the following: In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements for CarPal membership, CarPal clients will also: • be capable of walking short distances with or without a walking aid; • have a phone on which a message can be left; and • make payments for Rides online or over the phone by credit/debit card after receiving an invoice. Each Ride Request made will need to be entered into the CarPal App by Facilitators so that that volunteer drivers are covered by our Volunteer Accident Insurance policy. Drivers are required to have a full drivers licence. We do not accept drivers who are on provisional licences. We issue all drivers with a photo ID and only use a secure App to publish Ride Requests to our volunteers. We carry out Australian Criminal History Checks (aka as a Police Check) on ALL volunteer drivers before permitting them to drive you. Click here for an aggregated service description of the CarPal Community Rideshare Service. The more notice you are able to give, the better your chances of matching the travel patterns of one of the CarPal drivers. On occasion, CarPal has been able to arrange some Rides on as little as a two (2) hour advance notice but this is not the norm in most cases. Yes. Except for the first Ride each calendar year that attracts an annual membership fee of $40. So a return trip will cost $17.00 for all Rides after the 1st Ride each calendar year. A phone call to CarPal (0418 229 616 or 02 9639 8620) will ensure that you will not be left stranded. Alternative transport will be arranged by CarPal to get you home safely with as little delay as possible. Click here for CarPal’s Client Agreement & Ride Guidelines. Taking a Ride with CarPal Community Rideshare
How do I subscribe to CarPal Community Rideshare for GrandMa?
Can a friend or carer come with me on my Ride?
What if I am feeling unwell on the day?
I’m a Senior who doesn’t have a PC. Can I ride?
How does CarPal Community Rideshare work?
Can any Senior join?
What else is there to understand?
How do I know it is safe?
Can you please provide a Service Description for CarPal?
How much notice do I need to give?
Is it $8.50 each way?
What if my return-trip driver does not turn up?
What “paperwork” do CarPal Clients sign up to when they enrol?
It’s really very simple but you will need to focus on the details for each Ride Request that a Senior will call you about. The basics of what is involved are: So, it is something that can be done from anywhere using a PC or smartphone. BUT, while it will be simple for the volunteer Facilitator it will mean a lot in the lives of Shut-in Seniors. Click here to see the Volunteer Facilitator Agreement & Guidelines that we ask Facilitators sign; and Click here for Hills Community Aid’s Volunteer Program Registration FormVolunteer Facilitators
What does a volunteer Facilitator do?
What “paperwork” do volunteer Facilitators sign up to?
There are several options that are available to support CarPal Community Rideshare and Sydney Hills Shut-in Seniors even though driving them is not an option for you right now. Here are some of them: Whatever you decide to do, your support is very valuable in highlighting the often hidden problem of Shut-in Syndrome, experienced by so many Seniors. So we ask you to please stay engaged with us by subscribing to our website at www.hillscarpal.org.au, if you haven’t already done so. Here’s how to support us
I can’t drive a Sydney Hills Senior. What can I do to support CarPal?
Comments on this entry are closed.