Ordinary members of the community who don't earn a cent from this work. Drivers, dispatchers who answer the phone, and coordinators who run the operation all take time away from their own jobs and families to do it. Ask any of them how they got involved and you'll hear a different story — many needed Chesed themselves once.

No. If you qualify, you're giving our volunteers the opportunity to do this mitzvah — they thank you for it.

That said, please use judgement. If there's an easier option that doesn't burden the patient — a Bikur Cholim bus, or a car already heading that way — use it, so people with no other option can be properly served.

Nothing. No driver will accept money.

A warm yasher koach means a great deal. If you're able and want to support the work itself, the dispatching system, equipment, repairs and a share of drivers' gas all cost real money each year, and a donation goes directly toward that.

So we understand your needs, note any special instructions, and avoid misunderstandings. It also lets us weigh priority honestly, so a less urgent trip never displaces a critical one.

Either call 718-400-4674 and follow the prompt to register, or email memberservices@chesedsi.org with the patient's name, a phone number and a little about what you need. A coordinator will get back to you to take the rest of the details.

Usually a few hours at most. If it's urgent and you can't wait, ask the dispatcher for a trip with a driver already heading that way, and complete your registration afterwards.

Dispatch takes calls Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, and Friday from 8:00 am until two hours before candle lighting. Rides themselves run around the clock, six days a week — within dispatch hours you can book for any time of day or night.

Please don't leave messages requesting a car outside dispatch hours; nobody is there to hear them.

Yes, and it's a considerate thing to do if your trip isn't urgent. Just tell the dispatcher. This applies to registered patients only.

If you take the same trip regularly — same pickup, same destination — we can set it up so calling from a specific number lets you book through the keypad. Speak to a coordinator to arrange it.

Yes, always, and as fast as possible — even if your booked time has already passed, and even if we haven't called you back yet. A volunteer may already be on their way to you, and that's their time spent for nothing.

Because a single dispatcher may be working through a queue of calls, many of them critical. They don't stop, and we ask for your patience with them.

Longer than a direct drive, usually. Trips are combined, so your driver may have pickups or drop-offs before or after yours and can be held up along the way. Book with extra time so you arrive comfortably ahead of your appointment.

Most of the time, yes, and you should be ready for it. Delays do happen, particularly in the morning and afternoon when school buses clog the roads. A driver running late will usually call, but don't count on it.

You can always reach your driver by calling us and choosing the option to connect directly.

Call from the phone you booked with; the system will tell you whether the trip is still uncovered. If it is, please don't ask the dispatcher why — they can't answer, and they're already doing everything possible.

An uncovered trip isn't a lost one. The later it gets, the higher it rises in priority, and volunteers often step in specially when they see nobody else has. Your trip stays on the system until it's covered or you cancel it — so be ready for a driver at short notice.

In most cases no — there are too many calls to cover. Patients with special needs who genuinely can't travel with others should arrange this with a coordinator in advance. Otherwise expect other passengers to be picked up or dropped off before you.

The patient, plus up to two family members who will be staying with them. Not general visitors. Please don't bring young children unless the child is the patient, and never bring an extra passenger who wasn't cleared with the dispatcher.

Confirm with the driver that they've come for you and where they're going. On the return trip, confirm the car is from Chesed of Staten Island. People have been picked up by the wrong car and only realised mid-journey.

Call the person upstairs about five minutes before you arrive so they can come down and the driver isn't left waiting. If they can't leave the patient's side even for a moment, say so clearly to the dispatcher when you book.