A Day in the Life of a DART Volunteer Driver
- julie178914
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
What does it really mean to be a volunteer driver?
Recently, our Development Officer spent the day with John, one of DART’s dedicated Social Car Scheme volunteer drivers, to find out.
John is no stranger to DART. After spending 20 years behind the wheel as one of our minibus drivers, he retired from his role—but not from helping others. Today, he volunteers one day each week, using his own car to support people across our community to get where they need to be.
For many of the people John drives, transport is about much more than getting from A to B. It’s about maintaining independence, staying connected, accessing opportunities and reducing isolation.
Our first journey of the day was to collect May from her rural home. May was joining one of DART’s day trips to Forestside Shopping Centre, where she would meet friends travelling on our accessible minibus.
Because of the location of her home and the busy schedule of the day trip, it wasn’t possible for our minibus to collect her without significantly delaying other passengers. Thanks to John, however, May was able to meet the bus and enjoy the day out with everyone else.
It’s a perfect example of how volunteer drivers help us reach people we otherwise couldn’t. Many people living in rural areas face additional barriers, with little or no public transport available. For those who also live with a disability or have limited mobility, these challenges can become even greater, often leading to isolation. Volunteer drivers help bridge that gap.
Next, we collected Holly and brought her to South Lakes, where she was meeting friends to celebrate her birthday. Holly attends a weekly class for adults with learning disabilities, and she kept us entertained by singing for most of the journey. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and her excitement for the day ahead was impossible not to share.
Our third journey was to collect Ruth, who visits her husband in his care home three times every week.
For the first time in more than 60 years together, Ruth and her husband are living apart following his illness. Without access to public transport and with suitable taxi services not always available, making those visits would be incredibly difficult without support.
Listening to Ruth talk about her husband was a reminder that every journey we provide is about people, relationships and moments that matter. Being able to help someone spend precious time with a loved one is a privilege.
Our final stop of the day was to collect Seamus and take him to a social group coordinated by MindWise.
Seamus lives alone in a rural area and was looking forward to catching up with friends over a fry. He spoke about how much he enjoys the opportunity to socialise and how important these regular meet-ups are. For many people, these groups provide vital connection, friendship and something to look forward to each week.
As the day came to an end, one thing was clear: volunteer drivers do so much more than provide transport.
They help people stay connected to their communities. They make it possible for someone to celebrate a birthday with friends, visit a loved one, enjoy a day trip or simply have a conversation over breakfast. They reduce loneliness, promote independence and ensure that geography or transport barriers don’t prevent people from living full and connected lives.
John’s commitment is just one example of the incredible difference our volunteer drivers make every single day.
If you have a few hours to spare each week and access to a car, you could make a real difference too.
Join our team of volunteer drivers and help connect people to the places—and the people—that matter most.
Interested in becoming a volunteer driver?
Get in touch with the DART team today to find out more about our Social Car Scheme and how you can help change someone’s day, one journey at a time.
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