Urban/Rural Rides completed its first official rides in the new expansion areas of Western Valley and the Northwest Region on February 15th. Volunteers and clients are excited to see the service operating in regions that struggle for transportation solutions. Urban/Rural Rides, using volunteer drivers, offers an affordable transportation option to assist people in accessing medical appointments and other essential life services.
What started as three small groups operating in Southeast NB, Rural Rides, Tele-Drive and the drive program of the Volunteer Centre of SENB have seen record growth since they decided to merge and work together as Urban/Rural Rides.
In 2022, the Province of New Brunswick assigned transportation as a mandate of the regional service commissions. The Western Valley Regional Service Commission and the Northwest Regional Service Commission then began to look for ways to provide transportation in their regions. Watching the expansion into the Fredericton region prompted both commissions to reach out to Urban/Rural Rides to expand and offer the same service in their regions as well.
The recruitment and preparation of volunteers began and both services officially launched in February 2023. Now, as the client base builds, recruitment will be ongoing to keep up with the demand.
The board and staff of Urban/Rural Rides are very excited to be able to assist those in need of transportation throughout all four regions. Since its inception, the goal has been to continue to promote and encourage creative and effective ways to solve the lack of transportation alternatives for residents of New Brunswick, and, in particular, senior residents. If you would like to be part of a team of volunteers changing lives one ride at a time, please call 506-962-3073 or visit online at http://urbanruralrides.ca