By Dennis Quick
Senior Staff Writer

Charleston-area senior citizens incapable of driving or not wanting to drive soon will have a service to help them get around town.

That service is called the Independent Transportation Network Charleston Trident and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

ITN Charleston Trident will consist of private automobiles, volunteer drivers and paid drivers and will offer door-to-door service to its riders.

The transportation network serves the visually impaired of any age in addition to seniors 65 and older.

Early October is when ITN Charleston Trident plans to begin operating, according to Rick Leary, the organization’s executive director.

ITN Charleston Trident is a nonprofit membership organization started by the Rev. Richard Giffen, the organization’s chairman. It is an affiliate of Portland, Maine-based ITN America.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare, the Charleston Association of the Blind, Trident United Way and East Cooper Medical Center are among ITN Charleston Trident’s sponsors.

The Charleston branch is among ITN America’s first affiliates. The others include Orlando, Fla., Mercer County, N.J., and Santa Monica, Calif. The organization’s first branch, ITN Portland, Maine, began 11 years ago.

Eventually, ITN Charleston Trident will serve the entire tri-county area. It will begin its service in Charleston and gradually spread outward. Services will be localized so that volunteer drivers living in James Island, West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and on the peninsula will serve riders living in those communities.

Riding membership

ITN Charleston Trident riders will pay an annual fee of $35 to belong to the organization. They will pay a $3 pickup fee for each way of their trip in addition to a per-mile charge. ITN Portland currently charges $1 per mile if a ride is booked the day before and $2 per mile for same-day service.

Instead of paying these fees in cash, the fees will be debited from the member’s prepaid personal account. How much money members put in their accounts depends on how much traveling they believe they will do that month.

Riders must make reservations at least 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged higher fees.

The organization will use the fees to reimburse drivers for fuel costs, to issue paychecks to those drivers who will be paid and to cover other operational costs.

ITN Charleston Trident intends to have its infrastructure in place and an office by this fall, Leary said. The organization’s staff of about five will include Leary, two dispatchers and administrative personnel.

Drivers needed

ITN Portland, which has about 50 drivers, roughly 1,000 members and about 600 regular users of the service, is the model ITN Charleston Trident is using to determine the size of its operation, Leary said.

So far, ITN Charleston Trident has attracted about 20 potential volunteer drivers, who will use their own cars. The four or more paid drivers will use donated cars and work part time. The organization is seeking two to four donated vehicles.

Volunteer drivers will offer their services whenever they have a free hour or two and will probably serve about three or four hours per month, Leary said.

All drivers will be screened and have their backgrounds checked.

The organization is trying to find potential drivers through publicity in the media and by talking with civic organizations and assisted-living communities. Those interested in becoming volunteer drivers can call Leary at 860-3983, e-mail him at nws1968@hotmail.com or visit ITN Charleston Trident’s Web site at www.itncharlestontrident.org.

Volunteer drivers must be fully licensed with a minimum of three years’ driving experience, a clean driving record and their own insured vehicle.

Drivers will be chauffeurs, escorting riders from their homes to the car and from the car to their destinations. If necessary, they will load and unload packages and other items for riders.

It’s a dignified transportation service for seniors, Leary said.

“We’re helping elderly citizens maintain a level of independence, mobility and connection to their communities,” he said.

Dennis Quick is senior staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dquick@charlestonbusiness.com.

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