Become a volunteer driver
Receive a $100 gift card every month!
Every vanpool is driven by the commuters themselves to keep the costs low. Within every vanpool group, there is one Primary Driver and at least one Alternate Driver. Learn about what being a Driver entails and the benefits. And if you’re interested, let us know!
Primary driver
Responsibilities
- Drive on a regular basis
- Keep vehicle properly fueled and maintained
Perks
- Use vehicle after work hours and on weekends
- Get a $100 gift card each month
Alternate driver
Responsibilities
- Drive when primary driver is unavailable (day off, vacation, sick, etc)
Perks
- Get a $5 gift card each time you drive
Driver FAQs
Vanpooling is similar to carpooling, where a group of people share the ride, and the vehicle is driven by a volunteer driver. Unlike ridesharing apps (e.g. Uber, Lyft), the driver is not paid to drive. Instead, we show appreciation to the Primary Driver for taking on this responsibility through a $100 monthly gift card. The Primary Driver can also use the vehicle for personal reasons on the evenings and weekends.
It’s very similar to if you were driving your own car to work!
- You’ll arrive at the van parking spot (could be your own house, a nearby park-and-ride, or a grocery store)
- Check that all the commuters who are supposed to show up are there. If certain commuters are missing, you may need to contact them to check if they are still riding
- Drive your fellow commuters to work, like a carpool!
- Repeat for the work to home trip
As a Primary Driver, your responsibilities include:
- Driving your fellow commuter to and from work when possible
- Ensure the vehicle is fueled, insured, and roadworthy
- Take the vehicle to a maintenance shop, per instructions from MagicBus or our vanpool program partner. If the van needs to be kept overnight, we may provide a backup vehicle at no cost to you.
As an Alternate Driver, your responsibilities include:
- Driving your fellow commuters to and from work when the Primary Driver is unavailable (due to taking sick days, vacation, etc)
- Support the Primary Driver’s tasks as needed
When we match you and fellow commuters into a vanpool, we will make a few suggestions for pickup and dropoff locations and schedule. But, one of the benefits of vanpooling is that the commuters themselves have the power to determine the best schedule and logistics for them. Once we connect the vanpool group together, the group can choose the final pickup and dropoff location, and MagicBus will get this information from you so we can correctly display this vanpool in the app.
The vanpool fare includes insurance, which covers participating drivers and riders. Contact us at [email protected] about the coverage for your vanpool as coverages differ by state.