Development of a Volunteer Transportation Program to Support Age-Friendly Rural Communities

This research note illustrates our evaluation approaches in facilitating the development of the program scope and action plan of an existing volunteer transportation program (VTP) in a rural community of Canada. A bottom-up approach was used to gather quantitative and qualitative data on the viability of planning and developing a rural VTP in a real-world setting. The action plan, developed and executed by the three founders of the VTP, involved surveying the community’s needs, creating a project plan, recruiting volunteers and other community members to assist with developing or operating the VTP, securing funding and resources to provide the service, hosting a public launch event of the VTP, and registering and purchasing premium insurance to operate as a charity service. The program scope and action plan of the rural VTP produced a blueprint on developing a VTP to promote age-friendly rural communities.