Central Office
Stirling House
82-86 Stirling Street
Airdrie
ML6 0AS
01236 748011
South Office
84 Main Street
Wishaw
ML2 7AB
01698 358866
The Volunteer Drivers Service is a provision which allows any individual or organisation to book a volunteer driver through VANL to carry out a particular journey, usually to take a person / persons from one place to another at a particular time.
Each of the drivers provided by VANL are volunteers in their own right and use their own personal transport for the driving jobs. There are some volunteer drivers who have the capacity to transport people who are wheelchair bound or have other disabilities.
Journeys are measured by the mileage undertaken by the volunteer driver, with the service costing 58p per mile, bearing in mind that the volunteer driver has a return journey home to make in addition. All costs are paid direct to VANL, who in turn pay petrol and out of pocket expenses to the volunteer drivers.
The service often proves less expensive than other modes of transport and has the personal touch of volunteers looking out for the well-being of the often vulnerable individuals who access the service.
The Volunteer Drivers Service can be accessed by anyone at all, although it is most frequently used by local volunteers and volunteering organisations. Here are some examples of what the service is most frequently used for:
One of the advantages of the Volunteer Drivers Service compared with other forms of transport is that the individuals being transported don’t necessarily have to deal with payments.
Organisations who pay for their clients or volunteers to use the drivers service don’t have to pay for the service up front either – this can be invoiced or paid by cheque after the journey/s have taken place, or a long-standing agreement can be made between the two parties if a job is ongoing.
If you are an individual or organisation who would like to book a driver for either a one-off single or return driving job, or a short or long-term regular driving job, please contact VANL.
To be guaranteed of being able to book a volunteer driver, please give VANL as much notice as possible before the date of the job, ideally a few weeks. If you contact us at relatively short notice, we will always try and accommodate your request but cannot guarantee a driver being available at the particular times you require.
Becoming a Volunteer Driver with VANL is an excellent volunteering opportunity, and it is certainly something through which you can help a range of vulnerable people.
To be a volunteer driver, you must have a clean, current driving licence and be willing to use your own transport for volunteer driving jobs.
Some volunteer drivers undertake regular jobs, whilst some prefer to do a single job here or there. The service is usually well in demand so there is always a need for new drivers.
The drivers have the expenses of using their own transport reimbursed for every journey that they carry out. Expenses are paid according to the number of miles travelled, including to and from the drivers starting point (often the driver’s home) and back.
VANL looks for friendly, reliable and trustworthy individuals to be volunteer drivers. Drivers may also be requested to undergo a disclosure (police check) before commencing any jobs.
Contact:
Duty Officer
01698 358866
Find out more about Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire.
Find out more about the benefits of taking out membership of VANL.