Member Article

Transport operator goes the extra mile to support Dudley’s Covid response

One of the West Midlands leading transport operators has been praised today after it completed more than 200 free journeys to support vulnerable people in Dudley.

Kind-hearted entrepreneurs Abrar Ahmed and Asjad Jameel, Directors of Netherton-based One 4 You Services, answered the rallying call of Dudley Council’s Covid Welfare Response team to get crucial food and medicines to individuals who are being affected by the pandemic.

The company mobilised its drivers and vehicles to be on call whenever they were needed and have so far racked up over 2000 miles travelling across the borough to drop off parcels to individuals and families living in the town and surrounding areas of Blackheath, Gornal, Halesowen, Kingswinford and Stourbridge.

These drops have been heralded as ‘lifelines’ for people who are unable to get to shops, have been self-isolating, suffering from the virus or have been financially hit by what has happened.

Bryoni Barbosa, Senior Health Improvement Practitioner at Dudley Council, was amazed at the support: “One 4 You Services has blown us away with the way it has supported our welfare team in ensuring the people of Dudley are being looked after during Covid-19.

“Abrar and his team of drivers have been outstanding from the minute we asked for help just before Christmas and they continue to make these vital journeys for us completely free of charge.”

She continued: “We couldn’t have maintained the supply of food and medicines without their generosity and their flexibility, answering our requests often within a matter of minutes. The Black Country is renowned for its community spirit, and this is another example of how the area has pulled together to help each other.”

All One 4 You Services Ltd Transport Managers went on to add: “As a business, we wanted to do whatever we could to help support the fight against Covid-19 and, through our existing working relationship with Dudley Council, we heard about the need to get food parcels and medicines out to vulnerable people.

“We had a quick chat in the office and immediately offered our help, putting a number of our drivers on standby to urgently respond if parcels and supplies needed dropping. Some of them could be planned, others were just a case of being ready for when the phone call from the hub came.

“Helping the community is very important to us and we’ll continue to provide this transportation service for as long as required.”

One 4 You Services operates across Birmingham, Dudley, Halesowen, Staffordshire, Stourbridge and Wolverhampton, delivering school meals, adult and social services contracts and school to home transportation.

The latter requires the company to pick children up from their homes and escort them to their place of education and return them after they have studied. This can sometimes be with vulnerable children and, in order to provide the friendliest service possible, it tries to create a familiar environment by allocating the same driver and escort per child.

In addition to the public sector contracts, the firm also provides reliable private hire and airport transfer services.

Abrar Ahmed continued “The last eighteen months has proved what we can all do when we pull together and One 4 You Services has been recognised for our efforts, securing the ‘Kindness in the Community Award’ from Black Country Chamber of Commerce and being Highly Commended in the Business with a Big Heart accolade by Dudley CVS.

“However, the best ‘thank you’ we always get is just knowing we are helping local people get through a difficult time, that’s all that really matters.”

Collingwood Insurance Services, which provides cover for One 4 You Services’ main taxi fleet, was delighted to be supporting the Black Country business.

Gillian Tompkins, Head of Department, concluded: “We have been massively impressed at the initiative shown by Abrar, Asjad and their team to provide amazing assistance to local people. The ‘Kindness in the Community’ award is very well-deserved, and I want to say a big well done to everyone involved.”

One 4 You Services boasts over 200 drivers and a fleet of cars, minibuses and coaches, with many vehicles being fitted to provide disabled access.

For further information, please visit www.one4youservices.co.uk, contact 01384 231660 or follow the company on Facebook.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .