GREENFIELD — One of Bob Moss’s favorite memories from his time as a driver for Hancock Area Rural Transit is the time a passenger asked him for a hug.
Like all HART employees, Moss’s job doesn’t just involve driving clients from place to place. He also helps clients get into and out of vehicles, carries groceries to their front doors and gets to know many of them, talking to them about their lives several times a week.
And sometimes, he does a little more. Once, he was helping an elderly client bring in her groceries when she turned to him with tears in her eyes and asked, “Can I get a hug?’
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“I said, ‘Yes, you can get a hug. Any time you feel the need for a hug and I’m your driver, you can ask me. Not a problem,’” Moss recalled. “Because I knew she had nobody else. And it wouldn’t matter if she had a whole family in Greenfield. If somebody wants a hug from me, I’m going to give them a hug.”
Hancock County Senior Services provides no-cost transportation for essential trips for county residents at least 60 years old. Those under 60 can ride for a $4 fee per stop through the agency’s HART program.
In the spring, the service acquired four new wheelchair-accessible minivans, bolstering an aging fleet. Senior Services/HART had taken three vehicles out of service over the previous year because of mechanical problems, and most of the others have at least 100,000 miles on their odometers. The addition of the new vans was the first phase of a campaign to replace other vehicles in the fleet.
The addition of the new vans was critical for the agency, which is seeing increasing demands for its services.
Moss has been working as a driver for HART for 10 years. He said that although the organization’s mission has grown, the goal of helping seniors remain in their homes and live independently is still an important one for Senior Services and for him.
“What I like most about it is knowing that we have seniors that need assistance and getting them from point A to point B, whether it be to the doctor or whether it be the ladies who like to get their hair done and without us couldn’t do that,” Moss said. “I enjoy coming in to work every day.”
Moss’s assignments as a driver take him all over Hancock County and sometimes outside of it, but he does not spend a lot of time waiting around. The software used by schedulers in the Senior Services office helps him schedule out every minute of his route, but Moss is also very familiar with the clients he sees often, sometimes multiple times a week. He knows who will want him to pick them up a few minutes early, who will want him to be right on time and who will signal that they’re ready to go by leaving a garage door open.
Transit coordinator Cynthia Harrison said the addition of the four new vehicles has helped the organization keep up with demand. The purchase of the 2019 Dodge Caravan minivans brought the fleet’s total number of vehicles up to 13. That’s the largest the fleet has been in several years.
Harrison said Senior Services/HART typically now has eight drivers on the road each day and is considering hiring additional drivers. She said the new vans — and a new software program — help the organization ensure it rarely has to decline client requests.
The GPS-driven software has helped dispatchers create optimal schedules for drivers that allow them to pick up and drop off clients as efficiently as possible.
The organization also recently resumed offering rides to destinations outside of Hancock County.
Harrison encouraged anyone, whether a senior citizen or not, to take advantage of HART’s services.
“There’s so many people that don’t know about us,” Harrison said.
Clients depend on the service.
“I don’t know how my husband or I, either one, would get along without (the transportation service),” client Margaret Wilson said. “They’ve helped us tremendously, because we don’t have any other options. It’s been a wonderful experience.”
Wilson, who lives in Cumberland, uses the service three times a week for dialysis appointments in Greenfield, as well as for other doctors’ appointments outside of Hancock County. She has been riding with Senior Services/HART for about four years and said she enjoys all of her interactions with the drivers.
“They’re absolutely attentive, they’re wonderful,” Wilson said. “Good conversation and very reliable.”
Gary Rose and his sister, Sue Bruner, use Senior Services/HART for transportation to buy groceries and to other destinations. Rose said he appreciates how reliable the service is, compared to asking for rides from family members who may not always be available.
“These guys really help us a whole lot,” Rose said.
Moss said what he enjoys most about his job is the opportunity to help people, and get to know his regular clients. He said many of his passengers appreciate not only the freedom that comes with reliable transportation, but also the opportunity to talk with someone.
“I hope it’s as rewarding for every driver as it is for me,” Moss said.
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Seniors can make a donation of their choosing in exchange for their ride. All vehicles are wheelchair-accessible. Clients can schedule an appointment on a first-come, first-serve basis by calling 317-462-1103.
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