A new partnership between Toyota’s car rental service KINTO and charity organisation Gather My Crew aims to make transport both accessible and affordable by offering discounted rates – on a needs basis – through Gather My Crew’s free mobile app for informal carer coordination.
The initiative comes amid sector concerns relating to ongoing demand for community transport and the need for flexible contracts, notably in a meeting communique from 18 June by the Council of Elders and by community peak body the Australian Community Transport Association.
A lack of community transport options can lead to older Australians having to rely on Uber or taxis, which can be stressful and expensive.
The three most common support requests people make through the Gather My Crew app are related to companionship, food and transport – due to lack of access to a car or a car that meets the needs of the person requiring care, chief executive officer Dr Susan Palmer said.
In addition to the partnership with KINTO helping Gather My Crew to address one of these key barriers to accessing support, Dr Palmer said the car company was also providing funding, marketing and promotional support.
Gather My Crew is often used to “democratise” caregiving amongst family members, as caring responsibilities often fall on the eldest daughter, Dr Palmer said. Once she burns out, the care recipient has to move into residential care.
Since its launch in 2017, the charity group has helped more than 75,000 Australians coordinate 350,000 hours of care. Dr Palmer said the collaboration with KINTO was part of their attempt to “unlock barriers to helping and caring” through strategic partnerships.
“We just want more people to know about us so that they can use our tools and resources to help each other,” Dr Palmer added.
She said they hoped the marketing support would allow them to move into regional areas, as usage was strongly metropolitan.
“People find out about us through where our team is based and us going out and talking to carer groups and hospitals and things like that. So where we talk, we get users, but where we can’t get to, we don’t get users because people don’t know we exist,” she said.
KINTO head Jacob Littlepage said the collaboration was an exciting opportunity to benefit informal carers, families and local communities by providing flexibility.
“Supporting Gather My Crew will help drive awareness of the services available and enable KINTO to explore new ways to support informal carers with practical and flexible transport solutions,” Mr Littlepage said.
“KINTO provides a range of mobility options to hire Toyota vehicles on demand through the national Toyota dealer network, which will provide more freedom and convenience to those seeking assistance through Gather My Crew.”
This article was originally published in Community Care Review.
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