LIFELONG MAINE
LIFELONG MAINE
DRIVE ME
DRIVE ME
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2026 DRIVE ME Mini-Grants Awarded!
2026 DRIVE ME Mini-Grants Awarded!
Twenty-two volunteer ride programs across Maine received DRIVE ME mini-grants this fall. The grants will help programs recruit, train and thank volunteer drivers, and help new programs get started in Lyman and Windsor. Learn more about the 2026 grant recipients.
Maine's Volunteer Transportation Programs Get Around!
Maine's Volunteer Transportation Programs Get Around!
From the Crown of Maine to the Western Mountains to our coastal communities and everywhere in between, Maine boasts an active corps of Volunteer Transportation Programs.
Thirty-three volunteer programs serve more than 100 communities across the state. Each offers low- or no-cost transportation options to residents. All of the programs rely on the dedicated volunteers who commit their time to helping others get to the places they need to be.
DRIVE ME is a partnership between Maine's volunteer transportation programs, the Governor's Cabinet on Aging, Lifelong Maine, and the UMaine Center on Aging. It aims to strengthen the programs already running and help new ones get started.
Any volunteer transportation program in Maine can access DRIVE ME benefits at no cost, including background checks for drivers, excess liability insurance, free scheduling software, printed materials, and mini-grants. Our goal is to help you do what you do best--bring people to the places they need to go.
Starting or Running a Program
Starting or Running a Program
The Volunteer Transportation Manual is designed to support communities interested in starting a new volunteer program as well as those with existing initiatives.
Have you started a new volunteer transportation program or would you like to update your listing in our directory?
For more information about the Lifelong Maine DRIVE ME project or about benefits for your program, contact: lifelong@maine.edu
FREE Resources for Volunteer Driver Programs
FREE Resources for Volunteer Driver Programs
DRIVE ME_Volunteer_Driver_Benefits_Handout.pdf.pdfbehind the wheel: Maine's volunteer transportation programs and drivers.
behind the wheel: Maine's volunteer transportation programs and drivers.
What We Learned from Maine’s Volunteer Ride Programs
In May and June 2026, Lifelong Maine surveyed the coordinators of volunteer transportation programs across the state. Thirty-three programs responded.
Together, these programs gave more than 32,000 rides last year with the help of 706 volunteer drivers. They take neighbors to medical appointments, the grocery store, errands and social visits. Every program serves older adults, and almost all serve people with disabilities.
Most programs run on very little. Many are fully volunteer-run, and in most programs drivers pay for their own gas. When we asked what would help programs serve more riders, the most common answer was more volunteer drivers.
What Volunteer Drivers Told Us
This year, Lifelong Maine asked volunteer drivers across the state why they drive and what would make driving easier. More than 250 drivers from programs across Maine responded.
Most drivers (87%) said they started driving because they wanted to give back to their community. A sense of purpose and feeling appreciated by riders and coordinators are the top reasons they keep going.
When asked what would make driving easier, many said nothing, because their program already works well. The most common request was help with the cost of gas. More than 175 drivers also shared a story about a ride that stayed with them.
Maine- Programs and Volunteer Surveys-33.pdfCheck out this brief video, created by Age-Friendly Saco, which highlights the value that volunteer transportation programs bring to older adults. Hear firsthand about the impact of accessible and affordable transportation from folks who have taken some of the 300 round trips in the program's first year!
The program launched in 2021 under the guidance of Lifelong Maine AmeriCorps member Linda Verville and UMaine Center on Aging Transportation Fellow, Mary Beth Paquette.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you to Elizabeth Gattine, Coordinator of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging, and our thought partner, for your work towards making the Lifelong Maine DRIVE project happen!
The contents of this site were developed with Mary Beth Paquette and Barbara Wentworth, Transportation Fellows in the Lifelong Communities Fellows Program at the University of Maine Center on Aging. We are deeply grateful to them for sharing their decades of experience and wisdom on these pages.
Many thanks to the Maine volunteer transportation programs that have generously shared their information, ideas, and materials – many of which have been added to this manual. A special shout-out to Neighbors Driving Neighbors.
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