CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS

Wiggins Medical Transit

CLARKSVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED BY WATERDOGS SCUBA & SAFETY LLC

O’Neal Wiggins is the owner of Wiggins Medial Transit. He’s owned the local transportation business for 11 years, and it came from an idea that his father gave him after they discovered a need seniors had for specialized transportation when they’re in wheelchairs, use walkers, or are just no longer able to drive themselves. The veteran took that idea, and turned it into a unique service that goes above and beyond for its clients.

In 2010, Wiggins was working on Fort Campbell as a contractor. He had retired from active duty in 2005 after serving with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). One day, and without warning, he was laid off from his contracting job. A year later, his father, who lived in Georgia at the time, suffered a stroke. “I believe in divine intervention, so it was perfect that now I had the opportunity to go down on and spend weeks at a time with my dad,” Wiggins said. He said his wife, Kimberly Wiggins, was beyond understanding of the situation, and wanted him to be able to take care of his parents. “During those visits to southwest Georgia, I did notice there were some instances where we didn’t have transportation for my dad. I had called some services, and those would be booked up, so it was challenging to get wheelchair transportation to get my dad from here to wherever he needed to go,” Wiggins said. In the meantime, he and his brothers were able to get their father in and out of a car, but that it was hard on them since their dad was unable to use one of his legs. “Finally I contacted a company that was able to come pick my dad up and take him to where he needed to go,” he told VIP. But that type of transportation came with its own issues. “Say my dad has an appointment today at Clarksville’s City Hall at 1 o’clock. They were picking up the seniors hours earlier than they needed to because of the tight scheduling and wide demand,” Wiggins explained. And worst still, the seniors then had to wait hours before they were picked up again with a minimum of 2 1/2 hour of wait time of each side of the appointment as the standard. Then one Saturday, as he was about to return to Clarksville, his father gave him the idea: “My 92-year old father looked at me and said, ‘You know son, as you get old, people should care about you. You should be a priority, you shouldn’t have to do all of this waiting. I bet someone in Clarksville where you live is experiencing the same thing I am here. Why don’t you start a business that will help people like me?’” When he returned to Clarksville following day, Wiggins said he took it upon himself to start looking for local senior transportation companies. “There were no private, non-emergency transportation options here. I googled, I looked in the Yellow Pages. The only thing I saw was two government agencies that offer mass transit, not private services which WMT provides,” Wiggins said. He then began looking into costs for the vehicles and insurance. Within 90 days, he bought a vehicle and was on the road. Wiggins said for the first three years, he paid for the business out of pocket and only made enough profit to cover the commercial insurance. “Then, the phone began to ring and it kept ringing. Within those next three years, I had five vehicles on the road, running around serving the people of Clarksville-Montgomery County and surrounding counties.”

Eleven years later, Wiggins said his company has expanded beyond just offering transit for medical needs. They also assist in transport for church services and special occasions, like graduations and holidays, even family functions, or take a tour of our city which has changed greatly. “I may have a mother, father, or grandmother call me and say, ‘Hey I don’t drive for some particular reason, and I need to go to the local grocery store to pick up a couple items. Can you pick me up at 10 and pick me back up at 11?” Of course we can. We’ll get them to the front door, grab their groceries, put them in the van, and take them back home. Before ride-sharing services came to town, we answered the call and need” Wiggins said one of his regulars is a 91-year-old woman who has a sitting, monthly appointment to get her nails and hair done. “I just want to help people like my dad and put a smile on their faces while doing it. It warms my soul to be able to help them keep their independence and vitality.”

SPONSORED BY WATERDOGS SCUBA & SAFETY LLC

Caring Service Where Your Needs Are Our Priority MW T

Door To Door Service Medical Appointments including waiting for you during surgery Home For The Holidays Funerals Graduations And Other Special Events

Accessibility We offer services throughout the city, county, and even across state lines. We have 1 wheelchair van. Wheelchair & Passenger Vans available for your convenience

Reliable Service By choosing us you are choosing the Friendliest and Most Reliable Service Available. We say “Yes ” when others say no. Dependable on-time services you can trust

What People Think About Us

I have used Wiggins Medial Transit now for the past year. I feel very blessed to have such professional transportation for my Special Needs son, who they take to school on a daily basis. The drivers are extremely courteous, always on time, profoundly professional and caring. The owner, Mr. Wiggins, even checks in periodically to make sure that he and the other drivers are providing the professional services that I, the client, expected. I assured Mr. Wiggins that he and the other drivers have not only provided such wonderful service, but they have gone above and beyond all that I expected. My son looks forward to riding with Wiggins Medical Transit every day. He wakes up and says “School, Mom. Mr. Wiggins” ; and he always has a great big smile on his face. I trust them with transporting my son, and that is not a gift I readily give to anyone. I’d recommend Wiggins Medical Transit to anyone and guarantee that they won’t be disappointed with the professional service.