Ride Connection
Ride Connection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1988 in Portland, Oregon, that provides free accessible transportation — door-to-door rides, rural shuttle routes, travel training, and veteran programs — to older adults, people with disabilities, and rural residents across three counties, delivering over 300,000 rides annually through paid staff and volunteers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ride Connection does
Ride Connection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 9955 NE Glisan St, Portland, Oregon, founded in 1988 to provide accessible transportation services to older adults, people with disabilities, English language learners, and rural residents across Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. The organization operates a hybrid model combining paid staff and a volunteer driver base (141 volunteers contributed 10,800+ hours in 2025) to deliver over 300,000 rides and 2,000 transportation trainings annually. Core service lines include Door-to-Door assisted rides, the Community Connectors network of eight free fixed-route shuttles (BethanyLink, CorneliusLink, GroveLink, King City Link, North Hillsboro Link, Tualatin Shuttle, WestLink, plus a WAVE subsidy), RideWise Travel Training, Driver Training courses, the Ride Together mileage-reimbursement program, a Shared Vehicle Program, and Veterans Helping Veterans.
The underlying technology stack is conventional transportation coordination rather than a proprietary software platform: phone-based intake (503-226-0700) staffed by Travel Options Counselors, online ride-request forms, and an ADA-compliant accessible vehicle fleet with mobility-device securement, all paired with human scheduling rather than automated dispatch. There are no disclosed APIs, SDKs, mobile apps, or AI/ML capabilities in the input data. Distribution is regional and phone/website-led, with referrals from healthcare providers, senior centers, and partner social-service agencies (Metropolitan Family Service, Impact NW, Neighborhood House, Clackamas County) functioning as the primary acquisition channel.
Revenue mechanics are grant- and donation-based rather than transactional. The primary funding stream is federal FTA pass-through grants administered by TriMet, supplemented by Oregon Department of Transportation grants, private foundation grants (Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, and others), and individual/corporate donations including a vehicle donation program. All transportation services are provided at no charge to eligible riders, with donations appreciated but not required, which eliminates pricing-driven churn but creates concentration risk on the funder side. Governance is by a volunteer Board of Directors with a leadership team including CEO Andy Nelson, Deputy Director Emily Motter, Chief Quality Assurance & Compliance Officer Mike Mullins, and DEIA Director Tali Wieser.
Ride Connection firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ride Connection
- Legal name
- Ride Connection
- Website
- https://rideconnection.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ride Connection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1988 in Portland, Oregon, that provides free accessible transportation — door-to-door rides, rural shuttle routes, travel training, and veteran programs — to older adults, people with disabilities, and rural residents across three counties, delivering over 300,000 rides annually through paid staff and volunteers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ride Connection industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accessible Transportation Services
- NAICS
- Special Needs Transportation (485991), Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (48599)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Door-to-Door Senior Ride Services (Non-Medical) (HSABAOAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- On-Demand Ride Coordination & Assisted Rides (TNC/Taxi Brokerage) (HSABAOAJ)
Keywords
Where Ride Connection is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ride Connection business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government Grants: Federal and state grants administered by TriMet (via Federal Transit Administration) and Oregon Department of Transportation provide the primary funding for operations.
- Private Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations including OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, and others support specific programs and operations.
- Individual and Corporate Donations: Donations from individuals and corporations including vehicle donations, monthly giving programs, planned giving, and vehicle donations. EIN/TIN: 94-3076771.
- Service Donations: Services are provided at no charge to eligible riders, with donations greatly appreciated. This model enables access for older adults and people with disabilities regardless of ability to pay.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Door-to-Door Rides |
| Freemium | Others | Free Community Connectors Shuttles |
| Freemium | Others | Free Travel Training |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Ride Together Mileage Reimbursement |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ride Connection product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ride Connection is a nonprofit transportation organization that provides accessible, responsive transportation alternatives in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. Its core offerings include Door-to-Door assisted rides for older adults and people with disabilities, a network of free Community Connectors shuttles serving rural Washington County communities, and RideWise Travel Training for independent public transit use. The organization also provides Driver Training, mileage reimbursement programs, and veteran-focused transportation services, delivering over 300,000 rides and 2,000 trainings annually.
Product overview
Ride Connection is a transportation nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of services designed to provide accessible transportation alternatives in the Portland metropolitan area (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties). The core service offering includes Door-to-Door Rides for older adults and people with disabilities, and Community Connectors—a network of free shuttle services including BethanyLink, CorneliusLink, GroveLink, King City Link, North Hillsboro Link, Tualatin Shuttle, WestLink, and The Wave. Supporting services include RideWise Travel Training for public transit education, Driver Training for transportation professionals, Ride Together Mileage Reimbursement for caregiver-driven transportation, the Shared Vehicle Program for agencies, and Veterans Helping Veterans. The organization provides over 300,000 rides and 2,000 transportation trainings annually through a combination of paid staff and volunteer drivers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Community Connectors: Free public transportation shuttle services in rural communities including BethanyLink, CorneliusLink, GroveLink, King City Link, North Hillsboro Link, Tualatin Shuttle, and WestLink
- Door-to-Door Rides
- RideWise Travel Training
- Driver Training
- Ride Together
- Veterans Helping Veterans
Products and services
- Door-to-Door Rides
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300,000 rides provided annually to Portland metro residents
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ride Connection
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ride Connection technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ride Connection partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Metropolitan Family ServicecorePartner agency providing coordinated transportation services through the Ride Connection network. Helps identify eligible riders and provides additional service capacity for older adults and people with disabilities.
- Impact NWcorePartner agency in the Ride Connection network serving seniors and people with disabilities. Provides volunteer driver opportunities and coordinated transportation services in the Portland area.
- Neighborhood HousecorePartner agency providing senior transportation services. Collaborates with Ride Connection on volunteer driver programs and coordinated service delivery.
- Clackamas CountycoreCounty government partner providing transportation services to residents through the Ride Connection network. Joint programs for seniors and people with disabilities.
- TriMetcoreRegional transit authority administering federal grants for Ride Connection. Primary funding source for transportation services through FTA grants. Transit connections available at shuttle stops.
- Oregon Department of TransportationcoreState transportation agency providing grant funding for Ride Connection operations and services.
- Tillamook County Transportation DistrictminorOperates the WAVE service connecting Tillamook to Portland with Ride Connection subsidy covering fares between Banks/North Plains and Portland.
- Portland Community CollegeminorBethanyLink shuttle connects students to PCC Rock Creek campus from Sunset Transit Center.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ride Connection competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GoGoGrandparent: GoGoGrandparent provides on-demand ride coordination and assisted rides for older adults by brokering Uber/Lyft without requiring smartphone access — a digital analog to Ride Connection's phone-based senior ride intake with comparable service and target population.
- ITN America: Independent Transportation Network (ITN America) operates the most comparable nonprofit senior transportation model in the country — paid drivers and volunteers providing door-through-door rides for older adults, with a similar mix of grants, donations, and rider fares across multiple U.S. regions.
- Eldy (Eldercare Transportation Services): Many local Area Agencies on Aging run elder transportation programs using door-to-door volunteer-driver models; these county-level nonprofit operators are structurally identical to Ride Connection and represent the natural peer benchmark for cost-per-ride and volunteer utilization.
- TriMet LIFT (Paratransit): TriMet's LIFT paratransit service provides ADA-complementary door-to-door rides for older adults and people with disabilities within the same Portland service area, and is both a key funding administrator and a partial competitor for Ride Connection's eligible riders.
Emerging players
- Uber Health: Uber Health brokers rides for healthcare appointments and offers centralized billing for health plan and provider partners, competing indirectly for the medical trip demand that drives much of Ride Connection's ridership.
- Lyft Healthcare: Lyft's healthcare/Concierge business provides managed NEMT and senior ride services to health plans and Medicaid programs — an emerging commercial player encroaching on the same institutional payers that could fund Ride Connection's growth.
Others
- National Aging in Place Council: NAIPC is a national membership and education organization helping seniors age in place, with transportation as a recurring topic — an ecosystem partner that drives referral traffic to senior transportation providers like Ride Connection.
- Curb Mobility: Curb aggregates wheelchair-accessible taxi and paratransit rides in major metros including partnerships with transit agencies — adjacent infrastructure enabling accessible ride supply that complements rather than replaces Ride Connection's fleet.
- Shepherd's Centers of America: Shepherd's Centers mobilize volunteers to provide transportation, errands, and support for older adults across local chapters — a complementary grassroots volunteer-driver model that shares target population and dependency on community volunteers.
Broad incumbents
- Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA): CTAA is the national trade association supporting community and nonprofit transportation providers, including many that operate door-to-door services for seniors and people with disabilities across the U.S. — a broader industry incumbent that Ride Connection affiliates with through training and conferences.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ride Connection social profiles
Digital presenceRide Connection compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Ride Connection financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ride Connection leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Ride Connection funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ride Connection M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ride Connection
What does Ride Connection do?
Ride Connection is a nonprofit transportation organization that provides accessible, responsive transportation alternatives in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. Its core offerings include Door-to-Door assisted rides for older adults and people with disabilities, a network of free Community Connectors shuttles serving rural Washington County communities, and RideWise Travel Training for independent public transit use. The organization also provides Driver Training, mileage reimbursement programs, and veteran-focused transportation services, delivering over 300,000 rides and 2,000 trainings annually.
Is Ride Connection a public or private company?
Ride Connection is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ride Connection founded?
Ride Connection was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ride Connection based?
Ride Connection is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ride Connection make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are private Foundation Grants, individual and Corporate Donations and service Donations.
Who are Ride Connection's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GoGoGrandparent, ITN America, Eldy (Eldercare Transportation Services) and TriMet LIFT (Paratransit). Emerging players are Uber Health and Lyft Healthcare. Others are National Aging in Place Council, Curb Mobility and Shepherd's Centers of America. Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Ride Connection have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ride Connection.
What industry is Ride Connection in?
Ride Connection's product category is Accessible Transportation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSABAOAB, Door-to-Door Senior Ride Services (Non-Medical), with a secondary code of HSABAOAJ, On-Demand Ride Coordination & Assisted Rides (TNC/Taxi Brokerage). Its NAICS code is 485991 and its SIC code is 4700.