A Wanganui man is praising St John for the work they do outside the "flashing lights and screaming down the road".
Caregiver Darrell Rudolph's family has been using the service for nine years, and he is passionate about supporting St John.
He said the organisation, which has its annual appeal this week, has been a rock for his family.
"We lost our Dad coming up a year," Mr Rudolph said. "They were the first people we rang when Dad got sick. We could always rely on them."
He said it was hard to know what to do when a parent became unwell, and St John helped calm everyone down.
"They take control of the situation. They take it out of the family's hands.
"Everyone thinks about the flashing lights, the ambulance screaming down the road, but that's not the only service they do."
However, Mr Rudolph said he would like to see the Wanganui and Palmerston North health shuttles become better equipped.
He thinks they should be funded to carry defibrillators, as his auntie had been travelling on one when she "just went to sleep".
He was uncertain whether or not a defibrillator could have saved her, but said it was still important for health shuttles to have them. The St John appeal runs until April 13 and money raised will help run and buy equipment for the organisation. To donate to St John, go to stjohnappeal.org.nz, or you can donate at any ASB branch or text ST JOHN to 336 to donate $3.