For most people, getting to the doctor’s office or the grocery store doesn’t take a second thought.

Hop in the car or on the bus, and all errands can be taken care of. But for a lot of senior citizens, it isn’t that easy. Many can no longer drive, have trouble getting to the bus and can’t afford a taxi cab.

Senior Services Transportation Program, a free ride program for seniors in King County, offers them some relief. But the program can no longer accommodate all the people that need help, and is in dire need of volunteers.

Senior Services is the largest nonprofit serving older people in Washington, according to its Web site. It was founded in 1967, and currently serves more than 50,000 people through a variety of different programs, such as Meals on Wheels and PALS, and services such as minor home repair and senior outreach.

The Volunteer Transportation program, established in 1975, is one of those services, and made up of a network of volunteers throughout King County who drive seniors to doctor appointments. To qualify for a ride, a person must be 60 years or older, and a resident of King County. Melissa Tribelhorn, recruitment and outreach coordinator for the program, said beyond the age and location requirement, there are no other conditions a senior has to meet, though preference is given to low-income seniors and those who are more frail.

Scheduling the ride is easy, Tribelhorn said.

All seniors have to do is call the group a week in advance with the details of the trip, and a ride is organized. Another program perk is that drivers wait with seniors until their appointment is over, to ensure they have a ride home.

Dorothea Benedict, a Bellevue resident, uses the service frequently and said without it, she wouldn’t have a way to reach her appointments. She has a son who lives in Sammamish, but works during the week when she needs rides, and she has difficulty getting on and off the bus.

“(The Volunteer Transportation program) is a wonderful service,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

She estimated she has been using the program, which she heard about through her doctor, since she gave up driving about three or four years ago.

“I like to be independent, but when you get to my age, it’s time to quit (driving),” she said.

The program is short on volunteers, though, and Tribelhorn said they have to turn down 10 to 20 requests per week.

Phil Slater, volunteer driver and Sammamish resident, cited a myriad of reasons why he loves volunteering for the program.

The top draw for him is the flexibility offered to volunteers. It isn’t necessary to commit to a certain time or number of days to drive. Instead, drivers just let Senior Services know at the beginning of each week when they’re available to drive, if at all.

Slater, who has been with the program for about eight months, said he usually volunteers once a week for a couple of hours.

“It’s just a great service. I wish I could do it regularly,” he said.

Being able to meet people he wouldn’t have otherwise is another important part of the program for Slater.

“After meeting all these people and talking to them, I would (volunteer) just for their stories,” he said. “Hearing about their lives and the changes they’ve seen … it’s just fascinating. These people have lived lives. It’s amazing some of the things they’ve been through, and you would never know it until you got to talking.”

Tribelhorn emphasized the flexibility aspect of the program as one of the most enticing parts of the service, along with the opportunity to make a connection in the community.

Volunteers use their own vehicles to drive seniors, but receive reimbursement for mileage and parking, and are provided supplemental liability insurance, she said. No special licensing is required, but volunteers must have no at-fault accidents within the last three years, and submit to a background check.

Tribelhorn encourages anyone interested to volunteer, and said it is a great boon to seniors.

“We hear all the time that this program is just a blessing to (seniors),” she said. “They’ve run out of other options for transportation, and you can provide that helping hand. A lot of seniors will tell us that the volunteers are almost like having family members around. Its just such an important service to them.”

How to help

For more information, or to volunteer, call 206-748-7588, e-mail melissat@seniorservices.org, or go to seniorservices.org/vts/vts.htm.