The Community Transport Company is calling on members of the public to avoid hoarding fuel as concerns grow about potential supply disruptions due to the war in Iran.
As one of the largest providers of essential community transport services in NSW, The Community Transport Company relies on fuel availability to deliver critical services to some of the region’s most vulnerable people. Every day, the organisation transports older people, people with disabilities, and others experiencing transport disadvantage to medical appointments, essential treatments, and grocery shopping.
Chief Executive Officer Bethany Langford said that while the community understandably wants to ensure they are prepared, panic buying of fuel could unintentionally prevent vulnerable people from accessing life-sustaining services.
‘Many of the people we transport have no other way to get to dialysis, cancer treatment, specialist medical appointments, or even the supermarket,’ Ms Langford said.
‘Our vehicles travel thousands of kilometres every day to make sure people can access the healthcare and essential services they need. If fuel becomes difficult to obtain because of hoarding, it is the most vulnerable members of our community who will be affected first.’
The Community Transport Company provides hundreds of trips every day across the region, supporting older residents, people living with disability, and those in rural and remote communities who don’t have access to public transport.
Help your neighbours
‘In times of uncertainty, communities are at their best when they look out for one another,’ Ms Langford said.
‘We simply ask people to purchase fuel as they normally would and avoid stockpiling. Doing so helps ensure that essential services like community transport, emergency services, and healthcare providers can continue to operate’
The organisation says it’s continuing to monitor the situation and has plans in place to prioritise essential medical and wellbeing transport if fuel supply becomes constrained.
‘Our priority will always be ensuring that people can access critical healthcare and essential services,’ Ms Langford said. ‘By working together and avoiding unnecessary hoarding, the community can help us keep these vital services running’.
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