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Local volunteer rides and new intercity service expand options; agencies urge more volunteers
Summary
Two local transportation providers reported ridership growth and service expansions: EZMO (volunteer-based rides) reported FY25 totals and launched a mobile booking app; Oates’ intercity route now serves the airport and local train station for $10 each way. Both groups asked for more volunteer drivers and community awareness.
Two transportation providers updated the committee Aug. 25 on recent service changes and participation levels. Taylor, representing the volunteer rides program EZMO (operating across Jefferson and Franklin counties), reported FY25 totals of more than 13,000 free trips, approximately 1.2 million miles traveled across the two counties and into St. Louis, and 677 unduplicated riders. Taylor said EZMO launched a mobile booking app, “EZMO Mobile,” that allows riders to use a book-now function when volunteers are available, and that the program reimbursed roughly $386,000 in mileage to local volunteer drivers (counted as in-kind match, reported as about $266,000 of volunteer in-kind contribution in the meeting remarks). Taylor said volunteers are reimbursed at the IRS mileage rate and that the program offers supplemental insurance (referred to in the meeting as CEMA insurance) for incidents beyond a volunteer driver’s deductible; Taylor said the current IRS reimbursement rate cited at the meeting was 70¢ per mile.
Taylor said the highest-requested ride type is employment trips, and reported growth in volunteer applications for Franklin County. Taylor asked the committee and public to recruit volunteer drivers and described capacity goals of adding roughly two volunteers per county per month.
Megan, reporting for Oates’ intercity route, said the service recently began trips to the airport and to the train station, and that the intercity route charges $10 per person each way to intermodal facilities; Oates is continuing door-to-door service and uses vans and minibuses with wheelchair accessibility on some vehicles. Staff said the Oates service runs primarily weekdays and that demand is currently modest enough that they accommodate individual scheduling rather than strict daily timetables. Megan asked riders to call and schedule trips and noted that the service is funded in part by a federal intercity rural-to-urban transportation grant.
Neither agency requested formal action from the committee; both asked the committee to help spread the word and recruit volunteers. The committee praised the programs and urged continued outreach.
