More than a Lift,
new gloucester rides 

Lack of transportation services is a challenge here in Maine — for older community members, people with disabilities, and anyone without reliable access to a car.  Navigating daily activities without reliable transportation can impact many aspects of life, from reducing opportunities for social connection to limiting access to medical care. 

New Gloucester Rides, started in August 2024, expanded to serve residents of Gray in mid-2025. Currently, 15 volunteer drivers bring riders to medical and dental appointments up to 30 miles each way. 

In 2022, a small cohort came together to form Building Livability in New Gloucester (BLING). Members studied which services they could realistically offer to the community. Connie Justice focused on volunteer transportation programs. She spoke with other towns about their experiences and lessons learned, and developed materials based on guidance prepared by the UMaine Center on Aging. She became acquainted with Assisted Rides, the scheduling software for volunteer ride programs that Lifelong Maine, working with the Governor's Cabinet on Aging, provides free of charge to grassroots volunteer transportation programs. 

Connie has called this tool a "game changer" for small and large volunteer programs alike. A ride program's logistics, she said, involve not just dozens of pick-up sites and destinations, but also the availability of volunteers and what specific services are needed — such as assistance walking from door to door or lifting a wheelchair into a car. With the scheduling software, volunteers can see requested rides and match their capacity to the request.  

The need is great, Connie Justics said. In the future New Gloucester Rides hopes to extend service to grocery shopping, errands, and social events. 

The greatest limiting factor is the availability of volunteer drivers. New volunteers are always needed and always welcome. Drivers report that providing rides often leads to unexpected friendships — connections between neighbors who barely knew one another before.

Connie says, "People find that driving is not a burden, it's a gift… to the volunteer."