Introducing… GoChi Cooperative Ltd ‘’Go where you need to go, when you need to get there’’
Introducing… GoChi Cooperative Ltd “Go where you need to go, when you need to get there”
Northumberland Community Transportation Committee 2018. L to R: Doug Mullin, Terri Cormier, Stéphanie Caissie, Crystal Gulliver, Randal Boothby, Michael Mersereau, Karen Martin, Chanelle Melanson. Missing: Michelle Davidson-Legere, Kim Hotton. Photo Credit: Doug Mullin
‘Tis the season of all things shiny and bright, and with the launch of GoChi, folks on and around the Miramichi will soon have a new option for their local transportation needs.
GoChi is Northumberland County’s new local community transportation co-operative with a mission to provide efficient, affordable transportation and connections to residents within county lines. Northumberland County has a large, rural geographical area with an aging population spread over miles of rural routes leading to several small urban centres with increasingly centralized public services. Access to transportation becomes the difference between literally living a manageable life or dying a slow death in a community.
“When you are trying to get around to your civic duties and delights, how you get there becomes real important when it comes to participating in your own community”, said Stéphanie Caissie, Transportation Co-ordinator for the Northumberland Community Inclusion Network (CIN) and the organizing body for GoChi. New Brunswick has 12 regional community inclusion networks working on the province’s poverty eradication strategy through its crown corporation, the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation (ESIC), established in 2009.
GoChi Co-op services are available to anyone in who needs transportation from one point to another and will be provided by volunteer drivers specifically recruited for this initiative. Membership is open to anyone in Northumberland county and shares can be purchased for a one-time fee of $10 per share up to $250. Membership provides access to GoChi services at a reduced membership rate for services as well as voting privileges and the opportunity to be a part of a grassroots community initiative.
While GoChi has its official non-profit co-operative status, services are still in the organization and planning stages. “GoChi will begin with pre-booked, door-to-door within our county.” Caissie added. “We look forward to exploring other similar options such as ridesharing, ride-home program and community transportation projects as well as working with other similar transportation groups within Northumberland County and around the province.”
To begin, GoChi is looking for dependable volunteer drivers with their own vehicle for the volunteer drivers’ program. There will be a paid kilometre rate and insurance differential. For more information, call 210-2468 or email .
Find us online at www.gochicoop.com and www.facebook.com/gochi.cooperative.3.
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