GRAND RAPIDS — Accessible transportation for folks with mobility issues can be a challenge, and a wheelchair accessible van is very expensive to own.
There's a West Michigan company working to give folks with mobility issues a ride. Tom Sikkema founded Ride Your Way company after a diagnosis with a rare brain cancer 10 years ago. During his treatment and recovery at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Sikkema saw first-hand the barriers the mobility community might face when it comes to getting where they need to go.
Mari Riley is a dispatcher at Ride Your Way. Riley started as a driver for the company. Rile helps coordinate rides to life saving treatments like chemotherapy, dialysis, and to doctors appointments.
"You become friends with them and also you get to talk to them all the time, so they become family too," said Riley.
"We get to understand who their grand kids are, what their favorite type of music is. Even pull up to that pickup location with that music playing."
There are no distance barriers, these drivers will travel the entire state of Michigan, "I transported somebody 603 miles yesterday. I've gone over the bridge up to Marquette. That's the furthest that I've gone so far," said Sikkema.
The surprising part about the services is that a lot of the rides actually don't help people get to the hospital. A person can request transportation to a special event or moment in life they otherwise might not have been able to attend.
"It's so cool to see everybody's reaction in getting their grandparent to their wedding that they didn't think was possible." Sikkema continued, "ice cream, pickleball, why not? We can go to the Whitecaps game. That's what this is about. Like I said, life is so much more than going to doctor's appointments."
Ride Your Way is the first company in Michigan and the 11th in the United States to achieve national accreditation from the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Commission. If you or a family needs a ride, call 616-855-6800 anytime. You can also fill out a ride request form here.
Ride Your Way asks for 3-5 days notice for a ride, especially for a longer trip. But, if you need something the same day, the team will do its best to accommodate.
Some insurance providers cover these rides, reach out to your individual provider for more details.
