The volunteer drivers of the Eagle Valley Transportation Society provide lifts to and from necessary appointments while also lifting the spirits of their passengers.
“Our little tagline is ‘helping people who need a lift in life,'” said Malcolm Makayev, the president and main driver for the society.
Makayev said the society will provide transportation to anyone who needs it, but most of the time they are giving rides to Sicamous seniors who need to get to Salmon Arm or other communities for medical appointments.
“Sometimes people get picked up in Sicamous by ambulance and have no way of getting back to Sicamous,” he said.
Eagle Valley Transportation was started two years ago by Makayev and other volunteers interested in ensuring those without access to reliable transportation could get where they needed to go.
The society currently has 46 members who use their services. A lifetime membership is $5.
Makayev said the society’s drivers have covered more than 13,000 kilometres since they began offering rides.
The society is in search of more volunteer drivers to allow them to provide all the necessary rides without making it too hard on the drivers who already volunteer their time.
“The more drivers we have, the less onerous it is on any given driver,” Makayev said.
“We’re always looking for drivers.”
The next step in the society’s plan is the purchase of an electric car. Makayev said they have their eye on a Chevrolet Bolt, which will cost around $50,000, but they already have $25,000 saved for its purchase. He said the society plans to apply for a few more grants and hopefully purchase the Bolt by the end of the year.
“I think once we get an electric car we’ll get more volunteer drivers. Right now we have four or five volunteer drivers,” Makayev said.
According to Makayev, the District of Sicamous has agreed to let the society use their electric vehicle charging station free of charge.
Along with medical appointments, another common destination for Eagle Valley transportation members which Makayev mentioned is visiting loved ones who are in care facilities in other communities. Shaun Bennett received regular help getting to Salmon Arm to visit his wife Jean in hospital.
“They helped me out big time when I turned my licence in because I didn’t feel comfortable driving anymore and I got rid of the car,” Bennett said.
Bennett recently relocated to Salmon Arm to be closer to his wife, but before he could make the move from Sicamous he tried to make it to Salmon Arm to visit her every day that he could.
Bennett’s daughter lives in Sicamous but works in Revelstoke so she was unable to drive him every day, and so he received many rides from the transportation society’s volunteer drivers.
“I had an awful time finding transportation to do that. Eagle Valley helped me out so much,” he said.
“I can’t even express what I feel they’ve done for me.”
Makayev said he can really see the good the transportation society is doing for people and finds driving for them personally gratifying.
“I find it quite rewarding; you get to know your members, your clients and you go on a journey with them as they’re going to visit loved ones or healing from cancer treatments,” he said.
More information about becoming a member of the Eagle Valley Transportation society or becoming a volunteer driver can be obtained by calling the society at 250-463-4733.
