Darlington'S disabled taxi service, Ring-a-Ride, needs volunteer helpers to work alongside its drivers.

With two buses working flat out to meet demand, service operator Darlington and District Youth and Community Association is looking for ways of speeding up the pick-up service.

Currently Ring-a-Ride drivers knock on the customer's door, push wheelchairs or help people to the bus, fix chairs to the hydraulic lift and then secure the person in the bus before setting off.

It is a time-consuming process which leads to fewer people being able to be picked up during the day.

On Tuesday, the operators, Ring-a-Ride staff and representatives from the service's user group met Darlington Council to discuss ways to expand and speed up the service.

Gordon Pybus, chairman of the user group and of Darlington Association on Disability, told the D&S Times that volunteer helpers were the key to speeding everything up.

He said: "Volunteer helpers are needed to assist drivers in bringing people to the bus and securing wheelchairs once inside.

"With two people doing the job together, it would take less time and more journeys could be undertaken each day."

Mick Moat, Darlington Council community education co-ordinator, has been involved in the setting up of the new service since its predecessor, Dial-a-Ride, dramatically went out of business last month.

He will meet the council's financial chiefs within the next ten days to create an action plan for the future and look at ways of securing additional funding for more buses and drivers.

He said: "The trustees of the youth and community association are committed to expanding the service and we all agree it must be done in a professional and managed way. We don't want to run before we can walk.

"At the moment the service is sustaining operating costs and we know demand is high. That's a very good starting position.