Although the photo above shows 6 vehicles C.I.D.E.R. currently has 5 wheelchair lift equipped vehicles that are on the road 5 days a week. The funding to run these vehicles comes from several sources including a grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), billable services (Medicaid), rider donations, and fund raising. Although there is no set charge for riding on one of these vehicles - donations are always greatfully accepted and encouraged. The recommended donation for a "one-way ride" is $2.00.   Many of the trips for our clients require us to drive "off-island" with only one or two ambulatory passengers on board. As such, we have been contemplating the purchase of a smaller vehicle for quite some time. Members of the C.I.D.E.R. Transportation Committee researched appropriate vehicles and ultimately suggested a Chevrolet HHR. This vehicle was added to our fleet in November of 2007. As the license plate is ELF 360 it has become known around the office as "The Elf" (or more specifically "The Round Elf"). In December of 2007 this vehicle was put into service and was on the road for more than 1400 miles. It is our goal to put it into use at least once every business day. The gas economy of this vehicle (25 miles per gallon vs 9 for a wheelchair lift equipped van) will allow us to reduce our monthly fuel expence.  The van transportation component of a typical week consist of regularily scheduled trips to:
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