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KINGSTON — Patricia Melvin lives on her own and has health issues that force her to use crutches to walk.
That disability makes routine trips to the bank and grocery store difficult. She said she thought of using public transportation, but did not like the idea of long waits.
Dial-A-Driver, however, has made daily trips easier not only for Melvin, but hundreds of other elderly citizens and those with disabilities in the Wyoming Valley. The service, provided by Volunteers of America and funded by the United Way of Wyoming Valley, uses seven wheelchair-accessible vans to provide door-to-door transportation daily for older and disabled adults.
Melvin, of Kingston, used the service to go to the bank and then to Gerrity’s in Luzerne on Thursday. She was greeted by her bus driver, George Wanyo, who helped her get into the bus.
She said she uses the service to get herself to doctors’ appointments and other errands. She has been using the Dial-a-Driver service for over 20 years.
She learned about the service from a disabled friend, and has used it ever since.
“I was always hesitant to use transportation because I always heard these stories about long waits, people waiting hours and everything,” she said. “They told me about Dial-a-Driver, and it really worked out very well for me.”
Terri Hogan, a spokeswoman for Volunteers of America, said 17,000 rides are now provided to 153 individuals. About 20 new clients are added each year, she said.
Hogan said rides are offered daily from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The service carries a $10 round-trip fee for trips in Wilkes-Barre, Kingston and the surrounding areas. For trips to the Pittston area, there’s a $11 round-trip fee.
Hogan not only said the rides have a reasonable rate, but also a different experience than with public transportation.
“This a little bit more personalized for that individual who needs that transportation,” Hogan said.
The service has been offered for over 40 years. United Way President chief executive officer Bill Jones said Dial-A-Driver was created shortly after the 1972 flood by the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. It served the elderly and disabled up until December 1999, when financial troubles put the service’s future in question.
“In 1999, the organization was just out of money, out of funds to run,” he said.
Jones began working with Volunteers of America in April 2000, and his first call on his second day at work was calling the United Way to secure funding.
“The United Way had just done a needs assessment study that said transportation was a huge issue,” Jones said. “Because of United Way … United Way dollars, at the time, sustained and gave us hope that maybe we could hold onto this for a little bit.”
That sparked fundraising and government funding for the service. Jones said it takes $185,000 a year to keep the service up and running, and operates “at break even.” The United Way of Wyoming Valley is also currently providing a $15,232 grant to Volunteers of America to support the service.
“Dial-A-Driver, in many ways, I think, improves one’s quality of life,” Melvin said.