Gadabout canceling more rides due to driver shortage

Last fall, Gadabout, a transportation service for older and disabled Tompkins County residents, shared that it was facing a driver shortage (tinyurl.com/y8o3q3wm). While the service provider saw some relief over the following year, leaders at Gadabout said the driver shortage has returned in recent weeks, leading to more and more canceled rides.

Executive Director Kristen Wells explained that the driver shortage is the result of a culmination of factors.

“We’ve had a recent series of life happenings that happened to drivers,” she said. “We have drivers out with surgeries. We have one driver that’s moving away, COVID, just general life things that happened. And that really hurts our current driver pool that we have. And it’s been difficult to get those rides scheduled.”

Wells said the substantial shortage began in mid-October and has continued ever since. The effect the shortage has had on Gadabout’s services has been disheartening, Wells said.

“I’ve been with the agency almost 20 years, and we have never in the past had to cut rides,” she said. “And that’s something that we firmly believe in not having to do. People rely on us to get them where they need to go. And [now] we’ve had to actually call Gadabout riders the day before and say, ‘I’m sorry, due to a driver shortage the next day, we cannot accommodate your ride,’ which is absolutely heartbreaking because the people in the community rely on us to get them where they need to go to.”

Wells added that while Gadabout tries to prioritize medical trips like to non-emergency doctor’s appointments, the shortage has forced Gadabout to even cancel some of those trips.

The driver shortage has also hindered Gadabout’s overall growth as a service provider even as demand continues to increase, Wells said.

“I don’t foresee us being able to expand service when we can’t even accommodate people that are giving us the two business days [notice] without the drivers,” she said. “The drivers really are the backbone of our service. They’re the face of our service. They’re out there interacting with our riders. And without them, we won’t be able to expand.”

While Gadabout works to fill driver vacancies, Wells said that Gadabout’s current slate of paid and volunteer drivers remains passionate about their work, as drivers attest. One such driver, Keith Whitaker, shared what it’s been like to work at Gadabout as a member of its paid staff.

Whitaker has been with Gadabout for nearly three years, and he said he was enticed to join Gadabout by a longtime driver.

“I drive school bus for Ithaca City School District, and one of the guys I work with over there has actually worked for Gadabout for, I think, 16 years now,” he said. “And I was looking for something extra to do along with my school district stuff because I enjoyed driving so much. So, he [suggested] Gadabout, and I’ve been there [since].”

Whitaker said that what he’s enjoyed most so far is “the diversity of the people.”

“You get to meet a lot of interesting people from all different walks of life,” he said. “And I’ve learned a lot by working with these people and learn about different disabilities and how to handle them.”

And the riders often make sure to share their thanks with Whitaker and other drivers, Wells said.

“We’ve got a lot of positive feedback about the service that our drivers do provide, going above and beyond,” she said. “It’s those little calls that really make the difference. And we’re sure to pass them on to their drivers and let them know what an impact they’re having. So, it’s really great to hear the difference that we’re making out in the community.”

While Whitaker said he thoroughly enjoys the work he does, he wishes he could do more.

“I work about 12 hours a day with the school district, so I don’t get to help Gadabout out as much as I would like to, which makes me feel bad because I’m one of their casual paid drivers,” he said. “But if I was financially able to, I would absolutely 100% volunteer over there. I really enjoy the work. I enjoy the people I work with, both our customers and my co-workers over there. It’s a great place to work.”

Whitaker also gave a shout-out to Wells, calling her a “great boss.”

“She’s a family-oriented person, and they’re extremely flexible with the scheduling,” he said. “They don’t mandate you work Monday through Friday, 8 to 4 or anything like that. They base most of their [schedule] on casual drivers that are there to help them out as we are able to, hence the reason they have so many of us from the school district that are working for them.”

Wells said she’s also enjoyed her time with Gadabout and loves working with all the drivers.

“Gadabout was my first full-time job out of college, and I love it here,” she said. “I love the people that I work with. I love the drivers, the office staff. Everybody works together to get the job done. And it’s really the people; it’s the riders or you hear the stories or they call in and tell you stories. It’s the drivers that come in and tell you the adventures that they’ve been on while they’re out driving. It’s great. I’m a people person. I really like people. And it’s great to hear their stories and the adventures that they go on every day.”

While Wells is hoping to add more drivers to Gadabout’s lineup by year’s end, a goal she shares with the current drivers, she’s grateful for the dedication of her staff and looks forward to more fond moments.

“It’s really a great place to work,” she said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie here. And I think that once people start here, they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah. Pretty neat place.’”

To learn more about Gadabout, visit its website at gadaboutbus.org.

Thinking Ahead appears in the fourth edition of each month in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.