The Buurtmobi is a household name in the Kerkelanden district. But the car has been broken in the garage for a long time. Now there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. “If all goes well, we will start driving again in mid-November.”
Just pin, go to the dentist or run an errand. The Buurtmobi transports the elderly in Kerkelanden free of charge to and from their destination in the area. But after a successful start, the car had a lot of setbacks.
“First of all, we were out of action for two years because of corona. And when we were allowed to drive again this spring, the battery broke after a few weeks,” says coordinator Monique Gijsman. She was very upset about all the adversity. “Many elderly people depend on us and we were missed greatly.”
“Disastrous”, driver Theo Blokker calls it. “Not so much for myself, but especially for our passengers. In the supermarket I often get the question when the Buurtmobi will be running again.”
Unfortunately, that was not possible, because without a working battery the trolley cannot even start. “Very sad that he is standing still,” says driver Willem van den Borren. Of course for the customers, but also for himself. “I definitely miss work. It’s nice to do something during your retirement. You meet a lot of different people here, chat with everyone. It’s very nice work.”
800 rides
It took some time, but finally a new supplier has been found and two sponsors are willing to pay for the costs. “Everything suddenly comes together, I’m really so happy,” says Monique. “Also for the drivers and the elderly. It is very nice that we can start driving again before the winter,” she says.
The trolley will be picked up this week for repair and if all goes well, the Buurtmobi can be booked again for a ride from mid-November. “Then I hope it will be just as successful as in the beginning,” says Theo, driver since the first hour. “We went from one hundred to eight hundred rides a month. Really phenomenal, so we are badly needed in this neighborhood.”
In the video below, Monique and the drivers explain exactly what the work at the Buurtmobi entails.
At Buurtmobi they are ambitious. “We want to drive a second car in the future and also on Saturday. But first of all we hope that this Buurtmobi will continue to do it for the time being”, says Monique.
At the moment, the neighborhood mobile especially looking for new drivers and planners. “In addition, we are also happy with small sponsors. It is not necessarily about money, but we are looking for companies that can print our vests or who want to do the maintenance of the Buurtmobi,” says Monique.
The Buurtmobi can be booked on the number: 06-26138178.