Volunteer Transportation Program: Ready for launch!
Go through your lift-off checklist and get ready to fire up the engines
Having a clear launch plan ensures that the hard work you've done in developing your program pays off. You'll need a solid public relations plan, the ability to match drivers and riders, and ways to capture data that proves the value of your program.
Note: Below, and throughout our site, underlined text indicates a live link.
Public relations
Producing and circulating information about your program is essential throughout your volunteer transportation journey. Following are some of the best ways to get your program into the spotlight.
Press Releases
An article sent to local media outlets are an easy way to let the general public know everything that is happening with your program. Be sure to include contact information (phone, website and/or email address) and relevant dates and times. A press release can go out when you are doing your survey, have a new website, are looking for members of your committee, recruitng drivers, seeking riders, holding a driver orientation, or offering your first ride. Become a household name!
Newspapers and other local publications are happy to have your “news". Include pictures if you have them – make sure to have permission (sample form attached). For inspiration, check out our sample transportation program press release, various press releases issued by Lifelong Communities about their projects (including some VTPs), and an article about how to write a good nonprofit press release.
Other PR Tools
Brochures, flyers, posters, a Facebook page and other social media forums are excellent ways to inform your community about transportation sources. We've included two sample social media posts to the right to give you some ideas about how to get the word out about your VTP.
Flyers should include contact information (tear-off phone numbers at the bottom of the page works well!) as well as general information such as driver or rider recruitment, an announcement of a fundraiser or a general “did you know?”. Make sure there is plenty of white-space – not too busy – so that people who see it at the post office, town office, the grocery store or library can find and read it quickly.
RIDE MATCHING
As mentioned previously, you may match your rider and driver through a software system or you may do so using your own system. Though the match itself shouldn’t take too much time, there may be several back-and-forths in the process.
Here's an overview of the matching process:
The rider, whose information has already been added to the system that you are using, calls to request a ride.
The ride coordinator records all of the details: destination address, time of appointment, estimated length of appointment and any other stops along the way (i.e; the pharmacy). If the organization policy calls for it, the ride coordinator may also do a verbal health screening.
The ride coordinator then gets word out to the list of drivers. The ideal way to do this is via email. If you are a regional program, the drivers may be stored in your email contact list by town or a designated geographic area. The details of the ride go into the email. It is recommended to not use the rider’s name in the subject line of the email.
If more than one driver responds, the ride coordinator chooses which will take the ride and sends that driver the information about the ride.
The ride coordinator then lets the rider know that the ride has been scheduled.
Note that if you are using a web-based ride matching program, this process may look different.
The day before the ride, it is suggested that the driver call the rider to confirm the ride. After the ride, the driver contacts the ride coordinator to report the number of miles driven and the time volunteered.
Note : Ride matching software is available at no cost to Age-Friendly Communities with volunteer transportation programs. If you are interested in learning more, please email Lifelong@maine.edu.
Record Keeping
Regardless of which format or system you use to match your rides, data collection will allow you to keep a record of your program. This information will be useful in reports to the public, your partners, and funders.
Here are our recommendations on what to keep:
Number of riders
Number of drivers
Number of rides
Mileage of driver per trip
Time length of each completed ride