Mike Austin, Driving Miss Daisy Whangārei manager, says it's satisfying being able to support people during the lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Mike Austin, Driving Miss Daisy Whangārei manager, says it's satisfying being able to support people during the lockdown. Photo / Supplied
As most of the country is in lockdown we talk to some of the Northlanders who are working as our essential services - our essential heroes. They are out in our communities making sure we are connected and have access to supplies. Today Mikaela Collins talks to Driving Miss Daisymanager Mike Austin.
Mike Austin says Driving Miss Daisy is like family when family can't be there to support their loved ones.
He's the manager of the Whangārei branch of the companion driving service, and he and his drivers are among the many essential service workers who will continue to work during the Covid-19 lockdown.
But being able to support people during this time is important to him.
"It's honestly satisfying to be able to help people who - for whatever reason - don't have the freedom to be able to do what they have to do themselves," he said.
Austin has been with Driving Miss Daisy since mid 2016. He said since the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of the service has changed a lot.
Usually the job involved picking people up and transporting them to gyms, the hydrotherapy pool, and activities they would normally go to; but that has ceased.
Now they transport people to medical appointments or the supermarket; or go shopping for people and pick up medications for them.
"Driving Miss Daisy is like family when family can't be there to support their loved ones. We are a trusted, safe, secure, reliable brand," he said.
"We are a friendly service. When the phone rings, you're talking to someone from Whangārei, somebody who's local, somebody who cares."
Austin said the service followed the Government's Covid-19 guidelines and requirements.
"We can safely transport our clients when they want to go from A to B. For example, after each transport the interior of the cars are cleaned so by the time the next client steps into the car, it's completely fresh."
He said for some clients, the drivers are their only contact during this time.
"One of the sad things of society is as people grow older, there are folk whose family are out of town and they're by themselves.
"They may have phone contact with family but for other clients that wouldn't be the case. So we may be the only friendly face that they are going to experience. So those times that we spend with those clients is really quite precious."
