| After Women's Transit Authority went out of business in 2006 due to severe financial difficulties, a void remained in Madison's transportation network for economically challenged families trying to keep medical appointments and individuals who are in a crisis situation involving the possibility of sexual assault. YWCA of Madison saw the continued need and decided to do something about it. By January 2007, it secured enough funding to launch the YW Transit program and has spent the past six months developing the financial and organizational infrastructure to maintain this daily transportation service. It hired Mary Lou Di Cosola to coordinate the program and Kirsten Petroshius as her assistant. They are finally prepared to start daily operations. "Most of the people whom we serve are low-income people. You can look at it as a transportation service for people with all sorts of barriers such as language or disabilities that prevent them from being able to get from point a to point b," Petroshius said about the daytime program that will provide transportation to MA enrolled individuals. "One of the biggest things about our program is that people have a hard enough time getting health care or child care or whatever service they need. And when you don't have a ride, you're more likely not to go. It's more than just a ride somewhere. It's a crucial part of being able to have an income for their family and be healthy." "We're going to have an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule," Di Cosola added. "Individuals who want transportation to a medical facility are picked up from their homes or an organization that has a social service orientation would call in advance within 24 hours and make the request for the individual." The daytime program will also offer transportation for some non-profit organizations such as the Mental Health Center's Kajsiab House and some group transportation. "We will provide transportation to anyone who is in a crisis situation involving sexual assault," Di Cosola said about the nighttime service. "It's going to be on a first call, first served basis. You will get a ride to your destination. If you feel you are threatened and have no other means of transportation and you are in a crisis situation, we can provide you with transportation to your destination or to a safe area." The nighttime service starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 2 a.m. and will be offered on a first call, first served basis. This service focuses on individuals who are in danger of being sexually assaulted. In order for people to get a ride, they will need to call 316-6888 after 7 p.m. It's a market that isn't served by commercial carriers like Union Cab and Madison Taxi because people can';t afford the fare, according to Di Cosola. "They are actually very happy we are providing the service," Di Cosola said. "There are situations where they can't serve people. Special need individuals will be taken into consideration for the transportation. We're not here to compete with the cab companies." While YWCA has hired a skeleton crew of drivers to provide the service, in order for the free transportation service to work, over 100 volunteer drivers will be needed to make the program feasible for the long-term. YWCA is currently recruiting volunteers who are at least 18 years old and have a good driving record. While the daytime program will use male and female volunteer and paid drivers, the nighttime transit program will use only female drivers and escorts due to the sensitive nature of sexual assault situations. Volunteers will receive a minimum of 10 hours of training in areas like defensive driving, serving people with disabilities and racial and cultural sensitivity in order to ensure users of the service that their ride will be safe and hassle-free. Volunteers will also go through a background screening process conducted by YWCA's insurance carrier. And in order to ensure that people get to their destinations, the three vans that will be used for the service are equipped with GPS systems and cell phones. It is the number of volunteers who will drive the level of service that YWCA can afford to provide. "Volunteers need to commit to a six-and-a-half-hour shift every other week," Di Cosola said. "Or people could do a three-hour shift once per week. The daytime shift is also in need of volunteers. Perhaps a retired senior citizen who has the capacity to volunteer or maybe individuals who are unemployed and want to build up their resume will want to volunteer. We want to be able to help anyone who calls, so we want to be at full capacity." The daytime MA service started June 28. The nighttime service will begin July 9. Di Cosola is concerned that not enough volunteers will be available to meet the need of the nighttime service. The safety of many vulnerable people hangs in the balance. If people are interested in volunteering, they can call Samantha Rivers at 257-1436 or look at our website, www.ywcamadison.org. For more information about the program, call Mary Lou Di Cosola at 255-3259. |
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| YWCA of Madison launches YW Transit Program Filling a niche market By Jonathan Gramling |
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