A Peachtree City business is starting up a free golf cart shuttle service for senior citizens three days a week.

Ryan Housley of Peachtree City Golf Cars said the Path Partner program will focus on taking seniors to the grocery, pharmacy and other errands including doctors’ appointments. Path Partner will use volunteer drivers to get the program started. The golf carts will be provided by the company, which will also schedule appointments for the service, Housley said.

The company staff got the idea because they know so many people who don’t have a way to get around town, Housley said, using his grandmother as an example. She likes to play pinochle at the Gathering Place, but most often she doesn’t have a ride.

“If she could get there to play cards with her friends, she’d be the happiest person in the world,” Housley said.

The service is offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and patrons should call at least a day ahead to preschedule their trip, Housley said. Long trips won’t be possible because the carts have to come from Peachtree City Golf Cars’ location on Huddleston Road, and the carts “can only go so far” on a single charge, Housley noted.

In addition to calling in requests for the service at 770-631-2950, seniors can also make a request online at www.ptcgolfcars.com.

“We’ll call you back within one day and let you know if it’s feasible or not,” Housley said.

Housley is a little nervous about rolling out Path Partner, but he thinks it will be received well.

At some point, the program could expand to a daily service with enough volunteers, Housley said. It also could expand to serve more residents than just senior citizens, he added.

Housley is hoping to drum up support for the program by having local businesses sponsor cart rides for a day. Those businesses would get decals showing they are a “Path Partner” and their literature would be provided to the patron at the end of their ride to recognize the sponsor company’s contribution, Housley said. The company typically rents golf carts out for $35 a day, and the sponsorship will cost less than that, Housley said.

The decals would be a great way for businesses to show their community support, hopefully encouraging more patrons to shop there, Housley said.

“We won’t be pulling a banner behind the carts that says ‘Peachtree City Golf Cars’ as we fly down the street,” Housley said.

He also envisions the program could make such good connections with patrons that other citizens who own their own golf cart might volunteer to help provide rides for residents in their neighborhood a few hours a week.

The benefit of having the company run the program now is that Peachtree City Golf Cars has enough golf carts on hand it could actually put 20 carts on the path each day to help shuttle seniors around if the need arises. He was quick to credit new owners David and Terri Marin for supporting Path Partners as a way to give back to the community.

“The best thing we’re shooting for is to actually make a difference in the community,” said Housley, who has lived in Peachtree City for 26 years and graduated from McIntosh High School in 1994. “It’s such a no-brainer that we were surprised nobody else was doing it.”