Planning, developing, and sustaining Volunteer Driver Programs (VDPs) as an effective mode for rural transportation
|
Description: | Volunteer driver
programs (VDP) can be an effective means to accommodate the unmet mobility
needs of older adults and other transportation-disadvantaged people in rural
communities where transit, paratransit and taxi services are limited or cost prohibitive.
There is considerable potential for these programs to be implemented or
expanded on a coordinated basis to provide low-cost and accessible
transportation in underserved or unserved rural communities; however, there is
limited understanding of what makes a successful, sustainable and replicable
VDP.
The collective body of
knowledge surrounding VDPs is case-study or anecdotal in nature, with little,
if any, research-based exploration of the operational, organizational and human
factors which differentiate them from transit, paratransit or taxi voucher
program. There is no authoritative body of work from a U.S. federal
transportation agency providing technical guidance in the assessment,
development, demand forecasting and deployment of car-based VDPs as a mobility
option in meeting transportation needs, in particular for older adults or in
rural areas.
This has led to a lack
of understanding of the potential for success and the scalability and
replicability of VDPs to meet the growing demand for specialized transportation
services, along with successful recruiting and retention of volunteer drivers.
Without a clear systematic understanding of VDPs as a mode of transportation,
it is difficult for state DOTs, public transit and human services agencies, or
regional transportation authorities to estimate the programs’ potential, determine
prospective costs and benefits, and identify where and when VDP models will be successful
and sustainable. This limits the ability of rural public transit agency staff, mobility
managers, and transportation planners to consider, plan, implement, and sustain
VDPs among a continuum of transportation services (ranging from transit and
paratransit to on-demand services) where planning metrics and demand estimation
may be better defined.
Given that many
prospective rural VDP would fall under the purview of organizations with limited
resources for surveys and research, a forecasting tool would be an efficient
means for rural transit agencies and other entities to evaluate the potential
of the service. Recent research suggests that such guidance is both possible
and of considerable interest for delivering transportation services in rural
areas.
In addition, the
extension of car-based VDP into more rural and low-density areas is limited by
the understanding of how VDP develop and evolve (a bottom-up, community-driven
approach vs. a top-down planning approach), funded and sustained, and how to
assess the demand for such services and supply of volunteers.
A research project is therefore
needed to assemble detailed VDP data (similar to that in Freund, et al (2020))
at a national level, viewed through a transportation engineering and planning
lens (as described by Hanson and Goudreau (2019)) and aligned with quantifying
organizational practices associated with stages of VDP development (or
maturity, as described in Goudreau and Hanson (2018)). A resulting TCRP
publication that combines these elements with accompanying an forecasting tool
would provide critical planning resources for mobility development by agencies
engaged in rural public transportation and other organizations looking to
complement public transportation with VDPs
|
Objective: | The objectives of a national research
effort are to support the elaboration of a seminal publication that would
review, summarize, and build on the following dimensions:
● Identify existing VDPs in North
America, particularly in rural areas, and available resources on these programs,
including tools for planning services or monitoring and dispatching volunteers
● Identify the types of metrics and
methods for monitoring performance that would be valuable for transportation
planning and aligned with the VDPs capacity to provide service and improve
equity of available mobility options
● Create an organizational complexity
model (also known as maturity model) tool that quantity success factors and
best practices of VDPs in rural areas
● Identify criteria/factors for
program success based on population and geography size to identify ideal places
for VDPs and appropriate sizing of programs based on local suitability
●Create a tool based on
organizational complexity and operational metrics that transportation agencies
and existing or prospective VDPs can use to help them assess or self-assess
potential areas for improvement
●Identify sustainable funding
sources and mechanisms for VDPs in rural areas based on agency size and trip
types
●Quantify the potential for VDPs
into a viable transportation resource in rural areas (which may include areas
of less density, long distances, or otherwise difficult and expensive to serve)
to provide additional transportation options for seniors, persons with disabilities,
and other travelers as well as improve the equity of available mobility options
|
Benefits: | The expected payoff of
this research lies with its potential:
·To help transit agencies, human
services agencies, and mobility managers serving rural communities implement
and sustain VDPs as a cost-effective solution to meeting unserved and
underserved populations.
·To improve the potential for
organizing and delivering transportation in low-density or hard to serve
environments that would otherwise not be possible due to cost or level of
service.
·To provide replicable VDP
templates for specific applications in hard to serve communities, and to
provide the tools needed to understand such programs, thereby increasing
sustainability, success rates and mode viability.
·To enhance the societal benefits
of enhancing mobility options for non-drivers and drivers in transition.
This project can lead
to improved safety by helping to provide the environment for the development of
mobility solutions that facilitate a transition of driver to non-driver at a
point where the health effects of aging may make driving difficult or
impossible. The project can make better
use of existing infrastructure by leveraging an existing pool of drivers and
vehicles to support meeting the transportation needs of older adults. The study outcome contributes to the
development of innovative practices and accountability by making planning and
forecasting data a central theme.
The growing population
of older and more diverse drivers in rural communities in particular, including
notable difference in licensing rates among older women and men, presents
challenges and opportunities that require immediate action. The largest
challenge is that the health effects of aging can make driving difficult or
impossible over time, yet few alternatives exist in rural communities where
older individuals who want to age in place tend to hold on to their driver’s
licenses longer than their urban counterparts. VDPs appear to have many
elements which can appeal to older adults and the potential to be a feasible
provision of special transportation services in an aging society. However,
extensive and systematic research on what makes VDPs successful has been
limited. The proposed study will produce a critical reference and tools for the
development and enhancement of VDPs.
VDPs have many
elements which can appeal to older adults that transition from driving (and
that currently rely on friends and family for mobility), while replicating the
friends and family experience. There is considerable potential for VDP to be a
systematically deployed asset of special transportation services in an aging
society, though such deployment requires a better technical understanding of
the elements that make VDP successful.
While older adults are not the exclusive clientele of VDP, they can be
expected to be a major beneficiary of expanded VDP operations.
VDP research is needed
as the widespread adoption of Autonomous Vehicles still remains a long-term
goal and primarily urban pursuit. It also remains unclear whether these
technologies can be as effective in addressing the types of assistance required
by non-driving older adults, and the degree to which the “human connection”
contributes to program success. Nevertheless, new technologies and operational
models are emerging that are serving and supporting rural and low-density
areas, such as ITN Country (extension of the ITN America model to rural areas)
(ITN Country, 2020) and Feonix-Mobility Rising and its “Freedom Driver” concept
(Feonix - Mobility Rising, 2020) which are bringing the Mobiltiy-as-a-Service
(MaaS) concept to these areas.
|
Related Research: | Existing research on
VDPs shows a need for improvement of mobility in rural and underserved areas.
Many people in North America are facing a future where the health effects of
aging may compromise their ability to independently meet their needs as a driver
with a personal automobile. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population
of adults aged 65 years and older will nearly double from 49 million in 2016 to
95 million in 2060, representing 25% of the population (Vespa, Armstrong, &
Medina, 2020). The projections are also pronounced for Canada, where the senior
population is expected to rise from 6 million in 2014 to 9.5 million 2030,
representing 23% of the population (Wong, 2014). While aging itself does not compromise
driving ability, the health effects of aging can make driving difficult or
impossible over time, and for an automobile-dependent society (which typifies
much of rural North America), this will leave many without an alternative to
driving themselves.
The data already
demonstrate a move away from maintaining a driver’s license with age; in 2018,
approximately 90% of Americans aged 65-74 years maintained a driver’s license,
while 62% of those 85 years and older maintained a While licensing rates are
relatively the same between men and women younger than 50 years, a higher
proportion of men than women maintain their licenses with age; by the time they
are 85 years and older, 78.5% of men and only 50% of women maintain a license
(U.S. Department of Transportation, 2019)[1]. It is not clear to what degree this is a
gender-effect or a cohort-effect, but suggests the importance of maintaining a
gender lens in the consideration of driving alternatives.
When it comes to
alternatives to driving, older adults tend to seek it from friends and family
first (Coughlin, 2009), (Donorfio, Mohyde, Coughlin, & D'Ambrosio, 2008)
(Hanson and Hildebrand 2011), (Taylor & Tripodes, 2001). A confluence of
demographic and other factors in North America, which includes smaller family
sizes, dispersed families, centralizing essential services, are likely to make
it more difficult for older adults to rely exclusively on friends and family,
and by extension, a society that implicitly relies on the ability of older
adults to secure their own transportation to access services such as
healthcare.
Existing research
reports from the National Academy of Sciences address practices in rural
transportation, though none have an explicit focus on VDPs. TCRP Research
Report 223 (2021) focuses on
non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) and cites VDPs as a mobility option
for reimbursement for Medicaid NEMT service and a resource for community 211
services to connect riders to drivers. This report cites case studies of health
organizations and consortiums in rural areas of Colorado, Oregon, Missouri, New
York, Kentucky, and Vermont utilizing volunteer drivers as part of their
mobility options for riders. NCHRP Research Report 861 (2017) alludes to
VDPs as a subtype of specialized transportation services which provide
scheduled rides in rural areas where distances will not adequately support
fixed routes. This report mentiones Cental Community Transit in Minnesota as an
example of a transit agency providing service volunteer drivers through support
from a state grant. TCRP Report 136 (2009) includes some discussion of
VDP in rural areas and smaller countiies as demand-response transportation and
discusses impacts of VDPs on performance data. TCRP Report 101 (2004) includes
an entire chapter on the use of volunteers in rural transportation and case
studies in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (including as drivers for
demand response transportation), also citing previous work from The Bevely
Foundation on the subject. TCRP Report 99 (2004) also includes a similar
case study on Washington and Idaho.
As outlined in the TRB
“Critical Issues in Transportation 2019 Policy Snapshot”, providing mobility
for populations with limited transportation options is a growing need in North
America, compounded by the aging demographics and limited accessible, on-demand
transportation programs (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and
Medicine, 2018).
VDPs are featured prominently within the suite of
topics within the National Center for Mobility Management
(https://nationalcenterformobilitymanagement.org/by-topic/), (NCMM), National
Aging & Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) and research would be
consistent with the NADTC and NCMM national technical assistance role.
[1] https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2019/
|
Tasks: |
- Identify existing and proposed VDP
data sources, including car-based VDPs from among the National Volunteer
Transportation Center national inventory and other searchable databases (including
those described in Freund, et al. (2020))
and catalogue the types of transportation, technology and demographic
data, user preference data, equity data, and cost data that programs maintain (as
well as in which formats they are maintained).
- Establish the framework for an
operational model to forecast the potential success and ridership of a VDP in
rural areas at a local or regional level
- Identify and secure VDP research
partners to contribute data to a national volunteer transportation metric
database
- Complete an application of an
“organizational complexity model” assessment on a sample of car-based VDPs to
test the method as a means to quantify success factors and best practices of VDPs
in rural areas.
- Organize results of the
transportation metrics and organizational maturity into an initial sketch
planning tool for estimating volunteer supply, program demand, and assessment
of organization maturity for program development, primarily focused on rural
areas transportation development.
|
Implementation: | The basis for this
problem statement was developed from a Research Needs Statement developed and
originally endorsed by the Transportation Research Board’s AP060 in 2008 and
ABE60 (now AME50) Standing Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility
in 2015. This statement was updated by
Dr. Trevor Hanson (Committee Research Coordinator, AME50) and endorsed by AME50
in June 2020 as part of its 2020 workplan approved at the 2020 TRB Annual
Meeting, then submitted to NCHRP. The problem statement is also applicable to
TCRP research priorities and was resubmitted there with support from
AP055 in 2021.
Leadership in
developing this problem statement included Dr. Trevor R. Hanson, Associate
Professor, University of New Brunswick, Canada, Committee Research Coordinator,
Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Accessible Transportation
and Mobility. Support from this problem statement includes the following group:
Carrie Diamond, Assistant Director of the National Aging & Disability
Transportation Center at Easterseals, Inc., Todd Hansen, Associate Research
Scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute; Dimitra Pyrialakou,
Assistant Professor, West Virginia University.
|
Relevance: | This study is in line with 2008 TCRP strategic research goals of increasing ridership (complementary or sole provision of volunteer services creates ride opportunities to meet needs) and capital and operating efficiency (volunteer programs cost less to operate). It also supports the TCRP strategic priorities of placing the customer first (directing volunteer transportation to meet targeted needs) and flourishing in a multimodal environment (volunteer operations are another mode which can complement public and private services).
Volunteer driver programs have become a key component in many coordinated community transportation plans and services that have resulted from the FTA’s United We Ride initiatives, SAFETEA-LU requirements, and policy statements from the Federal Inter-Agency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility. Volunteer driver programs are also key to the mobility of older adults, and sometimes are the only viable means of public/agency transportation in rural America.
|
Sponsoring Committee: | AME50, Accessible Transportation and Mobility |
Research Period: | 24 - 36 months |
Research Priority: | High |
RNS Developer: | Trevor R. Hanson, PhD, P.Eng Associate Professor Department of Civil Engineering P.O. Box 4400 University of New Brunswick Fredericton, Canada, E3B 5A3 Ph: 506-453-4521 Fx: 506-453-3568 https://www.unb.ca/faculty-staff/directory/engineering-civil/hanson-trevor.html |
Source Info: | Copp, D., & Hanson, T. R. (2019). Learning from rural innovation: what can volunteer driver programs teach us about planning for autonomous vehicles? https://www.unb.ca/research/transportation-group/_resources/pdf/research-papers/copp-and-hanson.pdf: CTRF Conference 2019.
Coughlin, J. F. (2009). Longevity, Lifestyle, and Anticipating the New Demands of Aging on the Transportation System. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X09335609: Public Works Management & Policy, 13(4), 301–311.
Donorfio, L. K., Mohyde, M. M., Coughlin, J. P., & D'Ambrosio, L. P. (2008). A Qualitative Exploration of Self-Regulation Behaviors Among Older Drivers. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420802050975: Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 20:3, 323-339.
Feonix - Mobility Rising. (2020, 06 05). About Us - Mission. Retrieved from Feonix - Mobility Rising: https://feonixmobilityrising.org/our-mission
Freund, K., Bayne, A., Beck, L., Siegfried, A., Warren, J., Nadel, T., & Natarajan, A. (2019). Characteristics of ride share services for older adults in the United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2019.12.008: Journal of Safety Research Volume 72: 9-19.
Hanson, T. R. (2017). Understanding the supply of and demand for volunteer driving in Canada: Knowledge sources, gaps, and proposed framework for future research to support transportation planning for older adults. https://www.unb.ca/research/transportation-group/_resources/papers/18-01474.pdf: University of New Brunswick.
Hanson, T. R., & Goudreau, M. (2018). The Development and Application of a Maturity Model to Understand Volunteer Driver Program Practices. https://ctrf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CTRF_2018_Goudreau_Hanson_12_1.pdf: CTRF Conference 2018.
Hanson, T. R., & Goudreau, M. (2019). Developing Transportation Engineering and Planning Metrics for Rural Volunteer Driver Programs. https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?oi=bibs&cluster=14096473461803596140&btnI=1&hl=en: Transportation Research Board, Volume: 2673 issue: 10, page(s): 852-861.
Hanson, T. R., & Hildebrand, E. D. (2011). Can rural older drivers meet their needs without a car? doi.org/10.1007/s11116-011-9323-3: Stated adaptation responses from a GPS travel diary survey. Transportation 38, 975–992.
Hanson, T. R., Goudreau, M., & Copp, D. (2018). Community-Based Approach to Addressing Transportation Needs for Rural Older Adults in Canada. http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec262.pdf#page=118: TR Circular E-C262: TRANSED 2018 ,113-119.
ITN Country. (2020, 06 05). Program Features. Retrieved from ITN Country: http://www.itncountry.org/
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2004). Toolkit for
Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13751.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2004). Embracing
Change in a Changing World -- Case Studies Applying New Paradigms for Rural and_ Small Urban Transit Service Delivery_. Washington, DC: The National Academies
Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13722.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2005). Cost-Benefit Analysis of Providing Non-Emergency Medical Transportation. Retrieved from The National Academies Pres: https://doi.org/10.17226/22055
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2009). TCRP Report 136: Guidebook for Rural Demand-Response Transportation: Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance. The National Academies Press. Washington, DC: https://doi.org/10.17226/14330.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Critical Issues in Transportation 2019. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press_._ Retrieved from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: https://doi.org/10.17226/25314
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017_). Best Practices_
in Rural Regional Mobility. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
https://doi.org/10.17226/24944.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). Guidebook and
Research Plan to Help Communities Improve Transportation to Health Care
Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
https://doi.org/10.17226/25980.
Sherman, A. (2019). _Rural Mobility for Older Adults: Matching Georgia’s Future Needs with Potential Capacity for Volunteer Driver _ |
Date Posted: | 06/15/2015 |
Date Modified: | 08/30/2021 |
Index Terms: | Paratransit services, Drivers, Volunteers, Mobility, Accessibility, Sustainable transportation, Persons with disabilities, Transportation disadvantaged persons, Aged, Taxi services, |
Cosponsoring Committees: | AP055, Rural, Intercity Bus, and Specialized Transportation | |
Subjects |
|
Public Transportation
Planning and Forecasting
Society
Transportation (General)
Passenger Transportation
|
|