Community Rides Vermont pilot expands seven‑day shared mobility in Washington County

Chris Cole, executive director of Community Rides Vermont, told the House Transportation Committee on March 13 that his nonprofit’s Mobility for All pilot provides on‑demand shared rides to people who lack regular access to public transit in Washington County and the towns of Orange, Washington and Williamstown.

Cole said the pilot launched in May 2023 to fill gaps not addressed by fixed‑route transit and Medicaid transport, and that the program moved to seven‑day service in September 2024 to “serve when transit doesn’t serve and where transit doesn’t serve in the county.”

The program combines several funding streams. Cole said VTrans awarded a $300,000 grant that the organization matches with $75,000, creating a $375,000 pool spent over the state fiscal year. He described the pilot as a three‑year demonstration that began in May 2023 and will wind down in May 2026 unless further funding is secured. “We get a $300,000 grant through VTrans, and we match it with $75,000. So it’s a $375,000 program, which we expend over the course of the state fiscal year,” Cole said.

Cole described how Community Rides Vermont operates alongside the region’s transit agency, noting a subrecipient agreement with GMT that designates Community Rides as a contracted provider. He said the nonprofit takes trips that statutory transit and Medicaid programs cannot provide under federal program rules — for example transporting students displaced by flooding or people who need a driver rather than a vehicle. “We take people who can’t be transported in our vehicles. Transit agencies can’t do that because it’s not a Medicaid program,” Cole said.

The Mobility for All pilot includes both subsidized rides for low‑income riders and a market‑rate taxi‑style option intended to improve long‑term sustainability. Cole said the organization’s hourly market rate is $90; by placing multiple paying passengers on a single vehicle the effective per‑rider cost falls (two riders would each pay about $45 under that model). He said the service is always shared and customers must be flexible in scheduling. “You have to organize and you have to be flexible,” he said.

Cole outlined operational challenges. The nonprofit reported about 2,000 trips in 2023, more than 7,000 trips in 2024, and roughly 148,000 emission‑free miles driven across its fleet. He also recounted a stretch in February when three battery electric vehicles went out of service within five days — one hit a pothole, another slid at a snow‑covered intersection and a third ran off a shaded corner — which left the operator with fewer vehicles than needed. He described the repairs and battery replacement times as weeks for each vehicle and called those failures a substantial learning opportunity for drivers and dispatchers.

Staffing, software and billing are further constraints. Cole said the program’s transition to a new demand‑response software selected by VPTA has been imperfect; the software’s billing features were not complete, leaving staff to spend extra time on invoicing. He said that inhibited administrative capacity and added to the organization’s need to fundraise for operations, marketing and startup costs.

Cole described partnerships with employers to guarantee rides for employees who experience morning car breakdowns: the employer would share the cost (Cole said Community Rides would cover 50 percent in the pilot), and the nonprofit would schedule routed pickups timed to the employer’s shift needs. He also described a “Go For It Fund,” a privately raised pool used to pay for rides that fall outside government program buckets.

Committee members pressed on eligibility and service rules. Cole said riders must be those who do not qualify for regular transit — for example those who live more than three‑quarters of a mile from a bus route or who lack access to a fixed route — and that GMT waivers are required for riders claiming a disability that prevents bus use. He said Community Rides attempts to steer riders to the cheapest viable option first (regular bus service, volunteer drivers, then paid Community Rides service) and offered mobility management staff to help callers find the right fit.

Cole said the nonprofit is aiming for a fleet size in the “12 to 20 cars” range to reach sustainable operations without ongoing fundraising, but he said achieving sustainability would likely require continued public funding and policy decisions at the state level. “It would ultimately be the policymaker of state government, which includes the executive branch and the legislative branch, to make that decision as to whether or not this is a good investment for Vermont,” he said.

Committee members thanked Cole and the committee moved on to the next agenda item.

Ending: Community Rides Vermont said it will continue operating the Mobility for All pilot through the three‑year demonstration period and is open to returning to the committee with follow‑up information on service reliability, software deployment and fundraising needed to maintain or scale the model.