Personal Drivers in Philly Area (Philadelphia, Chester: credit check, home, income)

[deeni]

Just like a lot of other people in their 30s, I am trying to take care of my aging parent. I currently live in SC and my mom is in Conshohocken. My main problem right now is trying to find someone to help my mom get to doctor's appointments. Does anyone know of any personal driver services that I could look into? I am looking for something professional and I don't want to place an ad on craigslist or anything like that.

I found a place online called Angel Companions. Has anyone heard of it?

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

[toobusytoday]

Good luck with your search. I do not live in the Conshohocken area but know that up my way there is a mini-bus that services Senior Citizens and takes them to doctors appointments, the mall, grocery stores and the local Senior Center. I think it's not uncommon for communitites to have these services but unfortunately because they are run by non-profits have lousy or non-existant web sites. I did find this site though that lists a lot of different agencies that service Senior Citizens so maybe it will help:
The Committee of Seventy :: Senior Citizen Organizations Oh, look I just found this on SEPTA's website: SEPTA "paratransit service — CCT Connect — to individuals with disabilities and senior citizens. In addition, SEPTA's bus fleet is 100% accessible. "

My Dad used a similar service in South Jersey when he couldn't drive for a few weeks following surgery and said the driver was friendly and professional.

[andreaspercheron]

It sounds like your Mom would really benefit as would you from a more personal service like having her own driver kind of thing and not so much using a bus or a service that specializes in picking up the elderly and shuttling them around.

I wouldn't advertise for that on CL either but have you thought about running an ad in a local paper where you could actually interview people over the phone?? Just a thought - you would need to make it very professional and really heavily screen people. I think there are good people around who would be willing to do that for a set fee but you just need to find them and if I were in your shoes, that might be something I would do.

Heck, if I wasn't already working full-time I'd be inclined to do it. If you go that route, you have the right to do a police background check and a credit check if need be. I'm not sure of all of the legalities of it but certainly if families seeking a nanny can do it, a person seeking a helper / driver for their mom surely could too.

At any cost, good luck to you - we are fellow SC'ers stuck here in PA until who knows when... <sigh>.

[toobusytoday]

But, isn't that the whole point of the mini-buses? The agency screens the drivers, make sure they have good records and I'm guessing the drivers are the same kind of people that would respond to a personal ad asking for that service, but they need to make a steady income. One of the things my father said about riding the mini-bus when he needed it was he met another woman who was riding and he suggested that she attend the senior center sometime as she was pretty much a loner in her home because she didn't drive and wasn't really doing much at all. The senior centers seem to do a great job at connecting the older crowd to a network of enjoyable things to do and services available. Maybe that would be something else to look into. But back to the transportation issue, here's more from the website:

Shared-Ride Program
The Shared-Ride program is a door-to-door, advance-reservation, ride-sharing service, offered on a space-available basis to senior citizens 65 years of age and residents of Philadelphia. This service can be used to travel within the City of Philadelphia and to any location in the surrounding counties within three miles of the City's border. Pennsylvania’s Lottery Fund contributes to the cost of operating this program.

Both ADA Paratransit Service and the Shared–Ride Program are provided by contract carriers within the City of Philadelphia and each suburban county. Carriers provide rides to customers, train drivers and maintain vehicles. The Chester County carrier is also responsible for taking reservations, scheduling rides, and monitoring service.

SEPTA oversees the carriers, provides centralized driver training, and also directly manages the reservation, scheduling and service monitoring functions for Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery Counties"

[andreaspercheron]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

But, isn't that the whole point of the mini-buses? The agency screens the drivers, make sure they have good records and I'm guessing the drivers are the same kind of people that would respond to a personal ad asking for that service, but they need to make a steady income. One of the things my father said about riding the mini-bus when he needed it was he met another woman who was riding and he suggested that she attend the senior center sometime as she was pretty much a loner in her home because she didn't drive and wasn't really doing much at all. The senior centers seem to do a great job at connecting the older crowd to a network of enjoyable things to do and services available. Maybe that would be something else to look into. But back to the transportation issue, here's more from the website:

Shared-Ride Program
The Shared-Ride program is a door-to-door, advance-reservation, ride-sharing service, offered on a space-available basis to senior citizens 65 years of age and residents of Philadelphia. This service can be used to travel within the City of Philadelphia and to any location in the surrounding counties within three miles of the City's border. Pennsylvania’s Lottery Fund contributes to the cost of operating this program.

Both ADA Paratransit Service and the Shared–Ride Program are provided by contract carriers within the City of Philadelphia and each suburban county. Carriers provide rides to customers, train drivers and maintain vehicles. The Chester County carrier is also responsible for taking reservations, scheduling rides, and monitoring service.

SEPTA oversees the carriers, provides centralized driver training, and also directly manages the reservation, scheduling and service monitoring functions for Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery Counties"

Yes you are correct about those service but they just strike me as being impersonal, don't you think so too? If it were my grandmother (mother is deceased) then I'd want a personal driver if finances allowed but would definitely check into those other services as well.

[toobusytoday]

Actually, from what my father said (okay, my Dad will make friends with anybody) was that the bus driver was friendly and he loved the door to door service. He was picked up at his driveway and dropped him off at the Doctors office and chatted the whole way. Not saying that every driver is going to be like that but around here the busses look just the same and I see them picking people up right at their home. You would have just as much chance as getting an all-business kind of driver from a personal service as you would from an agency that at least has a screening process in place. Also, don't know the OP's financial standing or how often the Mom needs to get to the doctor but I know I would rather use a free or heavily discounted service then pay a probable $25 a shot. But of course, that's my two cents. I don't mean to stop anyone else from posting another alternative.

[deeni]

Thank you so much for the replies. Knowing my mom, she would not want to use the shuttle service because she gets carsick and will be worried about having to make multiple stops before hers. However, I am going to check into all these options to give my mom a list of ideas. Last month she had to miss a good friend's funeral because my selfish brother refused to take the time to drive her. It is very frustrating to not be there to help her out so I hope this might be some sort of compromise.

If there are any other ideas, feel free to post!!