Open Platform to Attract, Organize, and Coordinate Volunteers for Rural and Small Urban Transit

One of the most critical challenges facing rural and small urban transit agencies in the United States today is the scarcity of available funds. Although volunteers can help transit agencies reduce operational costs, barriers such as difficulties attracting, retaining, and coordinating volunteers, inhibit the widespread use of volunteers by transit agencies.

TRB's Transit IDEA Program Final Report 97: Open Platform to Attract, Organize, and Coordinate Volunteers for Rural and Small Urban Transit, proposes an online platform for transit agencies to register, organize, and manage volunteers. A review of the limited literature on transit volunteering revealed an ongoing transition from paper-based processes to technology adoption among agencies. However, existing technologies lacked automation for task assignment and volunteer matching.