It will assist low and moderate income residents who have limited access to transportation.
Frederick, Md. (KM) – A ride-sharing program for low and moderate income residents is expected to be set up by January of next year. That’s according to Ed Hinde, the founder of Good Works Frederick, a local non-profit which will operate the program. He says it will provide rides to residents who mostly live in outlying areas of the county.
“It’s basically matching volunteer drivers who are vetted and trained. to be able to then be matched with people in the community of all adult ages who are in need of transportation when they have no other options available to themselves,” he says.
Frederick County’s Department of Housing and Community Development is applying for a Community Development Block Grant of up to $250,000 to help start up the program on behalf of Good Works Frederick. Hinde says the County is expected to hear back on the status of its CDBG application by mid-July.
The County has provided $300,000 toward the program from its share of American Rescue Plan Act funds..
Hinde says the ride-sharing program will concentrate on low and moderate income individuals who live in such outlying areas as the Middletown Valley, and the Walkersville, Emmitsburg, Thurmont, Brunswick and Knoxville regions who have limited access to transportation. . ” Giving the size of the county—-it’s the largest county geographically in the state of Maryland, 668-square miles—there’s a lot of folks not serviced by public transportation outside of the city of Frederick,” he says.
The ride-sharing program will rely on volunteers who will take these low and moderate income residents to places such as the grocery store, pharmacy, medical appointments and other locations. “Honestly, we’ve discovered over many years that in continual community needs assessments transportation is a significant barrier for many people,” Hinde says.
The volunteers will be paired up with residents. “We’re following a model that has been a real success story out of Metropolitan Baltimore called ‘Neighbor Ride.’ They take requests for rides 48-hours in advanced of {when} the rides {need} to take place,” says Hinde.
The drivers will be dispatched, he says.
Anyone who is interested is being a volunteer driver for this program can go on line to GoodWorksFrederick.com for more information.
By Kevin McManus