© Muscular Dystrophy Ireland

Hello everybody,

My name is Darren Lyons. I am the MDI Transport Fleet Co-ordinator. I joined MDI in May 2008. I would like to set out for you the transport service which MDI provides to our members in the Republic of Ireland.

MDI regards the safety and wellbeing of our passengers as paramount and with this in mind the management embarked on a programme of upgrading the fleet in 2006 and it now consists of 10 vehicles which are located around the country to provide as broad a service as possible.

Eastern Region

The Eastern Region, (Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow) has two buses. One has a carrying capacity (cc) of up to three power wheelchair users and four ambulant passengers plus the driver and is used to transport members who request it, to and from hospitals, clinics, train stations etc. The second has a (cc) of three ambulant passengers or two power wheelchair users and one ambulant passenger and the Youth/Respite Worker (YRW) for the Eastern Region uses this bus for youth activities in this area. When this bus is not being used it is available to members for short term loan, subject to availability and terms and conditions.

North West Region

The North Western Region, (Donegal, Leitrim, and Sligo) is covered by one bus which is located in the Letterkenny area of Donegal. This bus is not driven by an MDI staff member but is available to members for short term loan, subject to availability and the terms and conditions.

Western Region

The Western Region (Galway, Mayo and Roscommon) is also covered by one bus and similar to the Eastern Region, the YRW for this area, uses this bus for youth activities in the west. This bus can also be loaned to members when not in use by the YRW and again, subject to terms and conditions.

North Eastern Region

The North Eastern Region (Cavan, Louth, Meath and Monaghan) also has one bus, which the YRW in this area drives and when not in use, this bus can also be loaned to members and again subject to terms and conditions.

The Midlands

The YRW for the Midlands Region (Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath), drives the bus located in this region for youth activities, and as with all of the fleet, it is regularly in use so it is advisable to book a loan or transport request as early as possible, should you wish to borrow this bus.

The Mid Western Region

The Mid Western Region: (Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary) is again supplied with one bus which is operated in the same way as the North Western bus, in that it’s not driven by an MDI staff member but rather is there for members to avail of for short term loan or can be used by organisations that meet with MDI’s criteria.

The Southern Region

The Southern Region (Cork and Kerry). Two vehicles are provided to service this area. The first has a capacity to carry four ambulant passengers and up to three power wheelchair users. This bus is driven by an MDI driver who is employed in this area and works closely with our YRW in this region who drives the second bus and together they organise transport for summer camps, outings, hospital or clinic appointments and events such as power soccer.

Upkeep & Maintenance

With regards to the upkeep and maintenance of the fleet, all of the MDI vehicles are maintained to the highest standard. We have systems in place to ensure the fleet is road taxed and comprehensively insured. The Department of Environment Certificate of Road Worthiness test is carried out once a year on every vehicle. There is also a wheelchair lift service scheduled for each vehicle in compliance with the lift manufacturers recommendations. The fleet is checked every day by the drivers for defects, tyres etc and a log of these checks is submitted to our head office each week for verification; random inspections are also carried out to ensure compliance. Staff also ensure that the buses are kept clean and hygienic and therefore every journey should be a safe, clean and pleasant one for both the driver and passengers. The equipment used for wheelchair clamping and passenger safety restraint is of the highest quality and is inspected as part of the drivers daily checks.

All MDI staff who are involved with providing transport for our members are trained and certified to the highest standard. They undergo intensive training in the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme or MiDAS . This course covers a wide range of topics related to the safe operation of mini buses, including safe boarding and alighting using a wheelchair lift, wheelchair clamping and passenger safety restraint, breakdown and emergency procedures and defensive driving to name but a few. There is a refresher course every two years thereafter as the MiDAS cert is valid only for this period. This allows for ongoing driver training and any new procedures in best practice can then be relayed to the driver and therefore keep the training relevant and up to date.

Cost

All of these services and vehicles have a running cost and we at MDI know that without the support of our members and their families and friends that we would struggle to provide them. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who work really hard to fundraise and donate their time and money to MDI. We want to assure you that the fleet is run as efficiently and is as cost effective as possible. We are constantly reviewing our transport to see how we can improve our service and availability to as many members as possible, whilst ensuring value for money and the long term future of the service.

Enquires

For transport enquires contact our Dublin office on (01) 8721501.

Published on: 2007-07-11 (5743 reads)

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