How to Start a Volunteer Driver Scheme for Your Area

The bus stops at 6pm, the nearest hospital is 14 miles away, and your neighbour who no longer drives has a 9am appointment next Tuesday. In a lot of towns and villages that gap is filled by a volunteer driver scheme, a small group of local people who use their own cars to take others to medical appointments, the shops or the bank.

Setting one up is less complicated than most people fear. You need a handful of drivers, a reliable way to take bookings, clear rules on expenses and insurance, and someone willing to coordinate. Here is how to start a scheme that is safe, legal and still running two years from now.

Check whether a volunteer driver scheme already covers your area

Before you recruit anyone, spend an hour finding out what exists. Many areas already have a community transport group, a good neighbour scheme or a surgery run service that simply is not well known.

• Ask at your GP surgery and the local pharmacy, as they know who patients use.
• Contact your council's community transport or voluntary services team.
• Look up your local council for voluntary service, which often keeps a list of groups.
• Ask in the parish newsletter or the street group chat.

If a scheme exists but does not reach your street, joining it and extending its patch is often faster than starting from scratch. It already has insurance, policies and a booking system.

Decide what your scheme will and will not do

The groups that last are the ones that start narrow. Write down your answers to these questions before the first meeting:

1. Who can use it? For example, residents of two named villages who cannot reasonably use public transport.
2. What journeys? Medical appointments only, or also shopping and social visits? Many schemes start with health trips because the need is clearest.
3. How far? Set a limit, such as within 25 miles, with longer hospital trips by agreement.
4. When? Weekdays 8am to 6pm is realistic for most volunteers.
5. How much notice? Asking for 48 hours gives the coordinator time to find a driver.

Put all of this on one sheet of paper. It becomes your leaflet, your briefing for drivers and the thing you point to when someone asks for an airport run at 4am.

Recruit and check your drivers

You can launch with as few as five or six drivers. Fewer than that and the same two people end up doing everything, which is how schemes burn out.

Where to find drivers

Recently retired people are the backbone of most schemes, but do not overlook part time workers and parents with school hours free. A short notice in the community newsletter, with a named contact and a phone number, usually works better than a general appeal. Our guide to building a community newsletter from scratch covers how to get that notice in front of the right readers.

What to check

• A full driving licence held for at least three years, checked in person.
• A current MOT and road tax for the car.
• Written confirmation from their insurer that volunteer driving is covered. Many insurers include it free of charge, but drivers must tell them.
• A criminal record check. Drivers who regularly take older or vulnerable passengers may need an enhanced check, so ask your local voluntary services team which level applies.
• Two references, which can be informal for a small village group.

Expenses, insurance and the money question

This is where well meaning schemes most often get into trouble, so it is worth being precise.

Drivers should be reimbursed for mileage, not paid. In the UK, volunteers can usually receive up to 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles a year without it being treated as income. Above that rate, or above that mileage, the extra may be taxable.

Most schemes ask passengers to pay the mileage directly to the driver, sometimes with a small top up to cover waiting time or parking. Some apply for a small grant so they can reduce the cost for people on low incomes. If you charge passengers more than the cost of the journey, you may need a permit, so keep it strictly to costs unless you have advice.

The scheme itself should also hold public liability insurance and have a short written safeguarding policy. Community transport bodies and local voluntary groups often share templates you can adapt in an afternoon.

Why you should not start with an app

A lot of new groups assume the first step is a booking app or a shared online calendar. It feels modern and efficient. In practice, it is usually the wrong place to start.

The people who most need a lift are often the least likely to use a smartphone app, and many of them want to speak to a human who can reassure them that someone will turn up. A single mobile phone held by a rota of two or three coordinators, plus a paper or spreadsheet log, works for schemes doing up to 40 or 50 journeys a month. You can add digital tools later for the drivers' side, such as a group chat to post open journeys. Our guide on how to start a neighbourhood WhatsApp group that lasts explains how to keep that kind of chat useful rather than noisy. But the passenger side should stay as simple as picking up the phone.

Running the scheme week to week

Once the basics are in place, a few routines keep it running smoothly:

• A coordinator rota: each coordinator holds the phone for one week at a time.
• A journey log: date, passenger, driver, destination, miles and any issues. This protects everyone and is essential if you ever apply for funding.
• A booking confirmation call: phone the passenger the day before with the driver's name and car colour.
• A driver catch up: meet over tea every three months to swap notes and thank people.
• An annual check: renew licence, MOT and insurance checks once a year.

Track the numbers from day one. A simple count of journeys and miles each month is the most persuasive thing you can show a funder or the parish council. You can find more practical help in our community guides.

Frequently asked questions

Do volunteer drivers need special insurance?

Usually not a separate policy, but drivers must tell their own insurer that they volunteer. Most insurers cover voluntary driving at no extra cost as long as drivers only receive expenses. Ask each driver for written confirmation and keep a copy on file.

How much do volunteer drivers get paid per mile?

Volunteer drivers are reimbursed rather than paid. In the UK, many schemes use 45p per mile, which is the approved rate for the first 10,000 miles a year. Anything above that may count as taxable income.

How many drivers does a volunteer driver scheme need?

Five or six reliable drivers are enough to launch a small scheme. That spreads the work so nobody drives more than once or twice a week. Recruit more as demand grows, aiming to keep at least two spare drivers on the list.