CALEB NICKERSON
FORT COULONGE
Sept. 20, 2018
On Thursday evening the volunteers and staff from TransporAction Pontiac got together at the Spruceholme Inn in Fort Coulonge to mark another year of service.
“It’s a recognition for the good work they do, because they do it as a volunteer job,” explained TransporAction director Sylvie Bertrand. “Once a year we do a supper to tell them how much we appreciate them.”
She explained that they offer rides to people in the community who have limited transportation options, like seniors who need to make regular trips to the hospital or pharmacy.

They have 57 drivers spread across every municipality in the region, either in their personal vehicles or one of the adapted transport vehicles that TransorAction has in its fleet.
“Last year we did 35,000 trips in one year,” Bertrand said. “They do a lot. All the demands for service, every year it goes up.”
She said that four drivers were given a special token of appreciation for volunteering for a decade: Fernand Lacroix, Albert Lacroix, Cletus Ferrigan and Fern Dagenais.
She said that many volunteers that have driven for years develop an attachment to the social aspect, especially with repeat users.
“They know the people are vulnerable and they need to help those people,” she said. “Each municipality has their own drivers, so they know the people from their municipality.”