Volunteers wanted

East Tyrolean volunteer cabs in demand like never before

The Virger Mobil has been operating since 2005. Gerti Kratzer (left) and Manfred Leitner (2nd from left) have been involved from the very beginning. Angelika Berger coordinates the trips in the municipality of BM Dietmar Ruggenthaler (right).

(Bild: Gemeinde Virgen)

More and more municipalities in East Tyrol are offering cab services due to extensive municipal areas or the fact that there is hardly any access to the bus. Matrei is also following suit from 2025. Volunteers are needed.

With an area of almost 280 square kilometers, Matrei in East Tyrol is by far the largest municipality in the district of Lienz. This vastness makes it difficult to get from A to B at certain times, especially for senior citizens, but also for people without a driver's license.

That is why the municipal leadership is now looking for volunteers to drive the "Maxi" (short for Matreier Taxi). "We provide our municipal bus for this purpose, which is used by the clubs. They almost only need it at weekends," explains Mayor Raimund Steiner. This is a low financial risk for the municipality.

There is no age limit. However, it will mainly be used for visits to the doctor or to take senior citizens to the senior citizens' lounge.

BM Raimund Steiner

Demand has increased recently. The first volunteers have already been found to transport passengers once a month for a few hours on call. If there are enough volunteers, the "Maxi" will run from Monday to Friday for local residents. Ideally at the beginning of 2025. "There is no age limit. But it will mainly be for visits to the doctor or to take senior citizens to the senior citizens' center," explains the mayor.

Neighboring municipalities have been demonstrating this for decades
Similar models have been in place for years, especially around Matrei: In Virgen, the "Virger Mobil" has been running since 2005. 26 volunteers have covered well over 300,000 kilometers. Ten years ago, they switched to an electric car. The three municipalities in Defereggen Valley have also been relying on the "DefMobil" on-call bus for 14 years. In Kals am Großglockner, too, volunteers drive around the municipality during the week to take people to medical appointments or connecting buses, for example.