to not want to pick up/drop off colleagues?

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Hello

I work as a community carer and I am a driver. When calls require 2 carers sometimes I am paired with a colleague who can’t drive. It seems to simply be ‘expected’ that they will be collected and dropped off at home.

For instance today, I am collecting a person who lives the opposite way from me. I then have to go back past my house to our first client then the same afterwards to drop the person back at home.

I don’t get paid for the extra fuel needed, and whilst it may not be much in one single day, it adds up when you do it regularly. Plus I haven’t been paid since Feb as I am new to this company.

So, quite simply, AIBU to not want to play unpaid chauffeur?

I used to work as a domestic cleaner before I learned to drive, and was paired with a driver - I'd walk to meet her somewhere convenient for her, and a percentage of my wages went towards her petrol costs.

I agree that, unless it's part of your contract, you say "I'll be leaving my house at 8am, if you want a lift be here before then. Otherwise I'll see you at work location". Definitely do not go out of your way, unless getting paid for it.

This. I don’t drive so I’ve always lived in areas where I don’t need to. Getting to & from places is up to me, not up to my colleagues.

If people are required to drive in your role then they should hire people who drive!

I would have said 'meet you there/outside 5 mins before the appt'.

Usually they purely do clients needing 2 carers. If they were to do clients needing single calls, they’d have to walk but all the calls would have to be local to their home address, which sometimes means they may only get 3 calls per round equalling 1.5hrs of work.*

So the non drivers either get lifted and laid, or work less??

Did you get this job on the basis that you can drive.

I'd be tempted to say my car is off the road for the foreseeable and let them accommodate me in that manner!

Exactly and think about it from the perspective of location based jobs. My employer doesn’t come and collect me from my house, I have to get there myself. On that basis, the colleague should meet you at the first home and then you give them lifts to subsequent locations and then they make their way home from the last one themselves. Even saying you’ll collect them on the way at the location convenient to you is more than most employees get (I do understand it’s trickier if the locations are always different, but a smart phone makes it a lot easier and presumably they know in advance the locations). Otherwise, you’re tied to driving back towards home when you might have plans to go elsewhere after work.

Unfortunately that’s just how mobile care work is. I assume you are new to it?

When do you expect your pay from February? I think I would be sorting this out as a priority.

I did this job for five years without driving. I would work from 8am to 11pm most days. I had a bus pass from my own expense and I was the fittest I have been in my entire life from all the walking.

No, I wouldn't expect a lift but if it was the same direction then I would be grateful for the lift.

You aren't being unreasonable. I never thought about the expense. I've never driven you see. The expense is a fair point, they pay is so low. So low I couldn't continue in the work even though I would have been happy to do it forever.

It's the most important job in the world and it should be highly paid.

I am a supervisor for a care company,
mid this happenes in my job (rare as we only employ drivers)
but say if someone’s car broke down, I make sure that the driver claims the extra mileage. Never would we expect someone to do that for free.

A lift to the nearest bus stop is always helpful though. Say to them 'Can I drop you anywhere along the way?' and if there was a relevant bus stop on your way home for them then drop them there?

so you and your

So you and your other driving colleagues subsidise the non drivers in time and money?
thats so unfair, cars aren’t cheap to run and that’s before petrol went through the roof - what would happen if you all gave up your cars ?

Let us know how it goes / what her response is.

YANBU.

I walk 25 ish mins to work. No biggie, you just need a waterproof and a brolly.

Agree a lift to a bus stop on the way home would be a good compromise.

You either get paid for the time to collect/return other carer, plus mileage expenses, or stop doing it. You're being taken advantage of.

That pretty much sums it all up really!!

It isn’t how my previous company operates and you also assume incorrectly.

At the end of next week apparently.