Volunteer Drivers Wanted

America is a nation on the go, and everyone, young and old, requires access to reliable transportation to get them to where they are going.  For a great number of older adults, especially in rural communities, access to transportation is a major concern.  Public transportation may be available, but it does not always provide service to every corner of a community, and private services such as taxis are too expensive.  Rides from family and friends, while cost-efficient, are not always available when needed.  Without transportation, older adults often become isolated from the community or dependent on others.  The following is one community’s approach to addressing the transportation needs of its older adults.

Riverside County, California has created an innovative program that helps older adults remain independent and active in the community.  The Transportation Reimbursement and Information Program, or TRIP as it is more commonly known, provides transportation services to older adults who have no other existing transportation options, or are too frail to use the community’s public transportation services.  TRIP reimburses volunteers for driving older adults to and from doctor visits, grocery shopping, personal appointments, and other errands in the community.  Often, the volunteers serve as more than just drivers; they will escort the senior from their home to the car and from the car to their appointment.

The TRIP program typically works in the following manner:

1. An older adult is referred to the program by a social service provider. 
2. A TRIP application form is filled out by the participant, and returned to TRIP.
3. The completed application is reviewed by the TRIP eligibility committee.
4. For those that are eligible, information and/or counseling are provided for locating a volunteer driver. 
5. The senior rider and driver make arrangements for transportation. 
6. The senior submits a request for reimbursement to TRIP on a monthly basis. 
7. TRIP sends a check for mileage reimbursement to the senior rider. 
8. The rider reimburses the driver for mileage.

TRIP, a program of the non-profit Partnership to Preserve Independent Living for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities, is partnered with 130 nonprofit organizations and government agencies.  These partners are responsible for referring older adults who are in need of transportation services to the TRIP offices.  When the program began, referrals were not required and there were no eligibility guidelines.  The community underestimated the number of older adults who would be interested in the program; as a result, the program did not have the budget or the personnel to handle all the requests for rides that it received.  Referral requirements and screenings were added to keep the program operating within its budget.  Older adults who do not qualify for TRIP are counseled on community resources and other transportation options.

In Fiscal Year 2000–2001, the program’s annual transportation expenses were $350,157.  With this budget, TRIP served 537 people by providing 48,350 one-way rides at a cost of $7.24 per ride.  Over 1,000 volunteer drivers, who were reimbursed at a rate of 28 cents per mile, provided rides in FY2000–2001.

Once a prospective rider’s application is reviewed and accepted by TRIP, it is the older adult’s responsibility to secure a driver.  In addition to serving as a transportation program, TRIP is a social assistance program.  TRIP is empowering older adults to take responsibility for their lives, by advising them how to ask friends and neighbors for rides and how to follow the reimbursement process. 

While 85 percent of the enrollees are able to recruit a driver, the TRIP staff has created Volunteer Driver Corps to assist the remaining 15 percent.  To date, three partner organizations have their own Volunteer Driver Corps comprised of individuals from within those organizations.  All drivers in the Volunteer Corps are required to have their own automobile insurance, and they are covered by TRIP’s liability insurance as well, in case a rider has an accident while in the driver’s care.  The TRIP executive director is hoping eventually to have 22 Volunteer Driver Corps throughout the county. 

In a 2001 survey of 149 riders, 94 percent reported that, before enrollment in TRIP, they had not been able to travel for medical purposes when necessary, and 93 percent said that they had been unable to get needed groceries.  Before TRIP was available to them, 13 percent said they never left their residences, and 49 percent said they could travel only 1-2 times a month.  After enrolling in TRIP, 96 percent reported an increase in their ability to travel.  (TRIP’s data indicates that participants take an average of 7.5 trips per month.)  Riders reported a 100 percent satisfaction rate with the way they had been treated by TRIP staff.

Riverside County covers over 7,200 square miles.  TRIP users reside in the county’s cities and towns, as well as in distant rural areas.  While securing funding is a constant struggle, the program is cost-efficient for both the community and the user.  TRIP’s operating costs one-fifth what they would be if the program used paid drivers and publicly owned vehicles.  The program has provided a number of older adults with the ability to remain independent and active in the community.  

Richard Smith, executive director of TRIP, has the following advice for those interested in adapting the TRIP model:

Cultivate partnerships.  A mutual support system is necessary to succeed.

Develop screening techniques.  Use resources wisely and avoid redundancy with other transportation providers by setting appropriate eligibility criteria.

Tailor programs to your own community.  TRIP cannot simply be replicated.  Other programs will have different funding sources to satisfy, different resources in their community, and different geography.

Establish systems that are easy to administer.  Using its eight years of experience, TRIP has developed a billing and reporting system to handle its complex accounting and data.  These systems are critical to obtaining and keeping funding and to tracking performance.

Leverage funding.  Finding funding is a significant challenge.  By cultivating partnerships, new sources can be discovered and traditional sources can be leveraged.

Educate the public.  Private vehicles with volunteer drivers are a significant untapped and cost-effective transportation resource in our society.  However, the initial reaction of some community members and those good neighbors who provide rides without reimbursement had to be overcome.  By understanding programs such as TRIP, policy-makers and the public will support funding for reimbursement programs, allowing them to grow. 

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