NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Holidays highlight the need for more transportation options for disabled people in the community.
"A lot of the private services that are out here don't do nights, weekends or holidays," explained Rhonda Clark.
Clark owns a car, but in order to use it someone else has to drive it. She can't drive because of her cerebral palsy. Before she owned her accessible van, she had to rely on paratransit services to get to work. The companies set the schedule.
"In order to ensure I would get there on time, I would leave here two and a half hours before I had to be there, and I would have to just sit there," Clark said.
Clark is working on a concept that will help disabled and elderly people around the clock. In Nashville, where there are plenty of unique ways to get around, people who can't physically drive are limited, and Clark says it shouldn't be that way.
"It's really hard for me to say we can't help you yet, but we will help you. I promise you," Clark said.
Her company Able & Ready Transportation Inc. will operate like a cab service as soon as Clark has the money she needs to hire drivers and buy three vans. Starting a non-medical transportation company is an expensive undertaking. Each Braun-Ability van costs around $62,000.
"I don't want to piece it together, otherwise it's not going to be any better than what we got," she said.
On Labor Day, Clark told us she will never stop working to make navigating Nashville accessible to everyone. So far, she has a little over $52,000.
"For me, this has been an issue for 28 years. I think it's going to be my legacy. if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to do it," she said.
Donations to Able & Ready Transportation can be made online.
