Minnesota's Road to Volunteer Drivers Virtual Forum Series, 2022-2023

About the Series

This virtual forum series is convened and sponsored by the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access in partnership with the Minnesota Volunteer Driver Coalition and will bring together volunteer driver program administrators, volunteer drivers, riders, funders, transportation policy advocates, and transportation stakeholders. The series will provide participants with the opportunity to share information to help maintain and strengthen these programs. All events will have live captioning and ASL interpretation, and will be recorded and available for later viewing.

Past Forums:

July 27, 2023

Transit-focused Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) pilot projects

Presenter: Elliott McFadden, Greater Minnesota Shared Mobility Program Coordinator, 
Minnesota Department of Transportation

• July 27 Transit-focused Mobility-as-a-Service pilot projects recording (48 minutes)
• July 27 Transit-focused Mobility-as-a-Service pilot projects slides (PDF)

Program description

Elliott McFadden presented on MnDOT’s regional Mobility-as-a-Service pilot, what the project has accomplished to date, planned new features, and how volunteer driver programs might fit into this technology. Mobility-as-a-Service, or MaaS, is a digital platform that brings transportation technology together with multimodal trip planning, booking and payment, and real-time trip tracking on a single website or app. MnDOT’s MaaS pilot is in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration and 14 public transit agencies plus other providers like intercity buses and shared bikes and scooters.

May 25, 2023

Scheduling software: Finding the right fit

• May 25 scheduling software recording (55 minutes)
• Participant poll results regarding their scheduling software (PDF)

Panel discussion on scheduling software for volunteer driver programs, featuring:

• Alan Herrmann, TCAP Mobility Manager and Supervisor, SmartLink Mobility Management
• Helen Pieper, Transit Director, Timber Trails Transit
• Shelly Pflaum, Mobility Manager for Southwest RTCC and United Community Action Partnership

March 21, 2023

Sharing and coordination capabilities: Get your ducks in a row  
Presenter: Kevin Chambers, Principal of Full Path Transit Technology

• March 21 RideSheet Forum recording (40 minutes)

Program description

Kevin presented on RideSheet, an open-source Google Sheets-based web application that enables small demand-responsive transportation providers to manage internal operations better and can support the exchange of operational data with peer organizations for coordination. Its creation was motivated by the observation that many small agencies don’t have the technology for tracking data that is appropriate for their situation. Many agencies are still “on paper,” or are paying significant amounts for over-engineered software. This type of software is designed for larger, more complicated organizations. RideSheet helps providers track customers and trips, create driver manifests, automate reports, and manage multiple funding sources. It aims to be as lightweight and straightforward as possible while meeting the core elements agencies need to streamline their operations and grow more effectively.

February 16, 2023

• February 16 forum recording (1 hour and 50 minutes)

Program

• Marketing to expand volunteer driver pool  
  Terry Smith, Regional Transportation Resource Coordinator and Mobility Manager, Mid-Minnesota Development Commission and Mid-Minnesota RTCC
• Attracting volunteers at Age Well Arrowhead  
  Lindsey Hilgers, Client Consultant, Age Well Arrowhead
• Employer support for volunteer driver programs  
  Gavin Bukovich, ElderCare Development Specialist, Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging and Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
• Hybrid volunteer models  
  Lynnell Simonson Popowski, Regional Transportation Coordinator and Mobility Manager, Northwest Regional Development Commission and Northwest Regional Transportation Coordination Council
• Lyft programs in Dakota County  
  Robyn Bernardy, Transportation Coordinator and TCAP Mobility Manager, Dakota County

October 6, 2022

• October 6 Forum recording (1 hour and 45 minutes)

Program

• Introduction and background on current volunteer driver efforts  
  Tom Gottfried, MnDOT and MCOTA Executive Director, Tiffany Collins, Transit Director, Central Community Transit System and Willmar Volunteer Driver Program; and Beverly Sidlo-Tolliver, Senior Planner-RTCC Coordinator, Arrowhead RTCC and Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
• Guidance on recent state legislative changes and proposed federal legislation  
  Sherry Munyon, Government Relations/President, Capitol Access
• Hop Scott in Scott County  
  Alan Herrmann, TCAP Mobility Manager and Supervisor, SmartLink Mobility Management

Professional Development Hours

To the best of our knowledge, this event meets the continuing education requirements for 2.0 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) credit. If you participate in the virtual forum and would like to request a PDH form, please email brode080@umn.edu after the event. We will email the form to you following the event.

Sponsors

Sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access (MCOTA) in partnership with the Minnesota Volunteer Driver Coalition.