What support with transport?

[Truetoself]

My elderly 86 year old frail relative (spinster) lives with my equally frail 80 year old mum. My mum is is the only one that drives but I am unsure how much longer she will be able to drive for.
Are there any funded transport options for them to get to appointments with the GP? Taxis are unfortunately too costly for them and I live too far away for short notice appointments that they usually have with the GP.

They can both individually claim this & use it on anything to make their lives easier

It is not means tested

https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance

Where I live there is a community friends & neighbours phone number that is advertised locally which people use for

Lifts to hospital or doctors
Pet sitting
Recommended action for Trades people
Local groups to join
Help with anything

They should also apply for this

https://www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge

How far is the doctors, what about an electric mobility scooter ?

I agree about thinking how much they are currently spending on maintaining a car before being sure they can’t afford taxis. But I hope they will find volunteers to help.

I agree with other poster
Add up cost of running a car

Insurance (will increase after age 80)
Tax
Service
MOT
Fuel
Consumerbles like new tyres, brakes
Emergency break down cover

Versus

Cost of taxis

Thanks all!

Hospital transport will usually only take you if you can't get in a normal car. They even were difficult with my 97 year old partially sighted and deaf father in law who had heart failure and couldn't walk far. If they can get in and out of a normal car then they expect someone else to take them

Running a car is expensive. Taking the odd taxi probably works out less over a year. Certainly did for my FIL and dad.

FIL set up an account with the taxi firm. Got set prices for journeys and just had a monthly bill sent to my husband who paid from his dad's account as POA.

My dad's insurance was £900 latterly.

Good advice from @Musicaltheatremum
Also my understanding is that hospital transport is more like a mini bus, they come early, pick you and many others up for first clinic, then you would have to wait till the clinics end, and everyone gets dropped off one at a time, so can be a long day!

You can pre book free hospital transport
However the patient will be asked various questions to find out if they meet the eligible criteria.

The patient will also have to wait to be taken home after their appointment, which could be a wait of a few hours.

This is why getting a lift or taxi is sometimes easier for some people.

Obviously it will depend on the particular NHS trust, but both I and my DH each had to have hospital transport every weekday for over a month earlier this year to have radiotherapy treatment - we were told we shouldn't drive or use public transport as it was over a hour journey.

The service was very reliable - mostly a taxi firm and occasionally a transport ambulance or volunteer driver in their own car. Sometimes we shared with one or more other patients but often were by ourselves. We were rung either the night before or early in the morning to confirm that we still needed transport and when to expect it, and then had to report to the hospital reception when our treatment had finished and they'd arrange a return, which usually involved a wait of 1-2 hours.

Giving up the car frees up a lot of money for taxis.
One or both of them may be eligible for Attendance Allowance and a Disabled Badge.
Finally most places have some form of community transport or volunteer driver scheme.

My DM gets to all her appointments with a mixture of the volunteer scheme and people from church (church has proved wonderful, almost worth all those dull Sunday mornings)

Thanks for the further information