Volunteer drivers feel crunch of fuel prices

Agencies in Maine that provide transportation services to the elderly and disabled are feeling the crunch of high fuel prices.

While the price of an extra tank of gas may derail a weekend getaway for summer travelers, the cost is doubly steep for the volunteer drivers for organizations such as the Regional Transportation Program.

Volunteer drivers use their own vehicles and are reimbursed by Medicaid at a rate of 30 cents per mile. As gas prices increase, so does the cost to the volunteers.

If prices continue to rise, said Jon McNulty, executive director of RTP, these drivers will not be able to afford to volunteer.

This could have serious consequences for RTP clients, many of whom are elderly and need rides to medical appointments. Volunteer drivers, McNulty says, are especially critical because they often transport clients who live in rural areas and have no other way of getting around.

“As we look to the middle of the summer, which is not too far away, I’m afraid we could have a situation which is very risky for a lot of seniors,” he said.

Other organizations in Maine are feeling the same pressures.

Jim Wood, transportation director of the Kennebec Community Action Program, said high fuel costs have made it “increasingly more difficult to stay within our budgets.”

He said drivers for his agency make about 220,000 trips a year, and that he has lost some volunteers because of the cost of fuel.

“Ultimately we may have to reduce services to some of our customers because we may not have the resources to meet the demand,” he predicted. “If prices were to stay the same or increase, within six months we could have a serious problem.”