As you have probably noticed as you get older that some of your friends and acquaintances just aren’t as mobile as they used to be. In some cases, they aren’t able to drive at all. This may be due to mobility issues or a loss of one’s driver’s license as a result of failing eyesight or health. There is a real interesting business opportunity here that can prove to be beneficial to both you and the seniors you target your services to. You can start up a senior transportation service. Essentially you become the wheels they can no longer access.
Let’s look at the options available to see where you can fit in with the business idea I just gave you. Seniors who don’t have access to family for rides have to rely on often impersonal services provided by taxi cabs or a van or mini bus service operated by a local seniors organization or community-based provider. While those are incredibly useful and serve a particular need, they often have set schedules and advance booking requirements that take away from the spontaneous trip downtown to the grocery store for a carton of milk and a bit of conversation.
Providing a private for-hire transportation service just for seniors will change all that as you’d be pretty much a one-man show, with a great deal of flexibility and probably the time available to chat with customers to get to know them. This will enhance their lives by giving them a reliable peer to make regular contact with and it will enrich your life knowing you are providing a valuable service with a need and a personal connection many seniors require as they get older.
The best thing about providing a private for-hire transportation service is that you can do a lot of things taxi cabs and community buses won’t be able to and that is where your new business fits in. For example, you will be able to provide what is commonly referred to as ‘door through door’ service which means you enter the client’s home, assist them in leaving the house and entering your waiting vehicle. You then take them to their appointment, assisting them from the vehicle to the office they are going. You can wait there for them, then once the appointment is complete repeat the procedure but in reverse. Cab companies in contrast are more of a ‘door to door’ service.
With the time spent with your clients you will be much more than just a guy they pay to do things for them as you’ll also develop a friendship and that builds trust which not only means regular business, it could also lead to new business from referrals. If your private for-hire transportation service requires expansion due to popularity, consider including concierge services. This means that you could be running errands, providing escorted rides and bringing essential services into a client’s home such as a mobile hairdresser or assisting with attending family and social events that may have been skipped previously due to a loss of transportation.
There are a few things you’ll need in order to make this private for-hire transportation service work. You will need a comfortable vehicle. Think of something large where the seating is comfortable and the vehicle is easy to get into but has storage space for groceries and a walker. The second essential, which most of us already have, is a cell phone so your clients can always reach you. If you have a pleasant disposition, have some patience, and know your way around town and can find other services that seniors require without much trouble, this business opportunity could be right for you.
Advertising and promotion can be done in several ways with local newspaper ads, flyers and by contacting the local senior’s center and other clubs, groups and organizations that are populated with senior members to get the word out. There is nothing more frustrating for a senior to lose their independence when it comes to getting out and about town which requires a vehicle. You’ll be providing a valuable service by assisting those in need and making some adding income in the process.
To discover more about this rewarding service business, read: How To Start a Profitable Senior Transportation Business.” 