Volunteer Mentors Help Young Drivers Beat Year-Long Waits

Taylor Allie, 27, is finally ready to take her driving test this month, but she'd still be stuck at square one without her volunteer mentor sitting beside her.

The Hobart PCYC Learner Driver Mentor Program pairs young people who can't access a car, supervisor, or paid lessons with trained volunteer mentors for free. The program helps them complete the 80 hours of supervised driving required in Tasmania to get a provisional license.

For six years, the program has been opening doors to jobs, education, and independence. Right now, it's helping 24 learner drivers work toward their licenses with support from 22 volunteer mentors.

But more than 100 young people are waiting for their turn. Some have been on the waitlist for over two years.

Allie waited a year for a mentor. Without family members available to supervise her driving, she had no other options. Many jobs in community services, the field she hopes to enter, require a driver's license.

"It's been a very big barrier in my adult life," Allie said. "I'm really lucky to have found David."

Her mentor, retiree David Laskey, has helped four learner drivers so far. He volunteers to give back to his community and says the experience has been rewarding.

Hannah Robinson, 27, moved to Hobart from Melbourne and quickly realized she needed a license to live independently outside the city. Professional driving lessons can cost over $8,000 to complete the required logbook hours, which she said was "extremely expensive."

Without family in town, she tried asking friends to supervise her driving but felt bad about the fuel costs and pressure of using their vehicles. After a year on the waitlist, she got into the program and has now logged 65 hours.

"It's been completely life changing," Robinson said. "It's been one of the most important things that's happened to me in the last few years."

The Ripple Effect

Program manager Allison Ritchie says the mentors aren't just teaching driving skills. They're providing keys to education, employment opportunities, and independence for young people who would otherwise have no path forward.

The PCYC covers all costs for volunteers, including training, background checks, and working with vulnerable people cards. They also offer fuel cards and free gym access as incentives.

Laskey says mentoring has been enjoyable and worthwhile, and he hopes more volunteers will step up to help clear the waitlist and give more young people the freedom that comes with a driver's license.