JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – "Dial-A-Ride saved my life," explained Charity Raum, a double amputee who lost her legs to illness.
The shuttle drives senior citizens and the disabled to the grocery store, pharmacy and doctors' appointments.
"It means I can go to the doctor, to the grocery store and to the beauty parlor," said Raum. "I cannot get into a car. The only way I can go anywhere is to go on a lift and Dial-A-Ride is my one chance."
Dial-A-Ride's shuttle bus has a lift that allows anyone in a wheelchair to board the shuttle. It only services the beaches communities, Atlantic, Neptune, Jacksonville and parts of Ponte Vedra Beaches, since it's the only service that caters to the elderly and disabled who live in that part of town and are home bound.
The service used to be free, but since Dial-A-Ride's only source of funding is private donations, it charges a small fee, $5 for a round trip ride. Drivers can take passengers to most locations as long as they are within the area serviced by Dial-A-Ride.
Every year the service gives 1,200 passengers a ride. Home bound seniors and persons with disabilities are eligible for the program, though no one is ever turned away.
Dial-A-Ride's largest fundraiser is Saturday from 5-8 p.m. at the South Beach Community Center on South Beach Parkway in Jacksonville Beach. There will be a band and food. Tickets are $50.
To schedule a ride with Dial-A-Ride call 904-246-1477. Click on Dial-A-Ride for more information.