Ride Connection

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.

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

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

• Accessible transportation services
• Paratransit services
• Community shuttle services
• Travel training programs
• Nonprofit transportation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Federal and state grants administered by TriMet (via Federal Transit Administration) and Oregon Department of Transportation provide the primary funding for operations.
2. Private Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations including OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, and others support specific programs and operations.
3. Individual and Corporate Donations: Donations from individuals and corporations including vehicle donations, monthly giving programs, planned giving, and vehicle donations. EIN/TIN: 94-3076771.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Metropolitan Family ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner 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 NWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner 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 HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency providing senior transportation services. Collaborates with Ride Connection on volunteer driver programs and coordinated service delivery.
• Clackamas CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCounty government partner providing transportation services to residents through the Ride Connection network. Joint programs for seniors and people with disabilities.
• TriMetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional 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 TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState transportation agency providing grant funding for Ride Connection operations and services.
• Tillamook County Transportation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the WAVE service connecting Tillamook to Portland with Ride Connection subsidy covering fares between Banks/North Plains and Portland.
• Portland Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBethanyLink shuttle connects students to PCC Rock Creek campus from Sunset Transit Center.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RideConnection123
• Facebookfacebook.com/RideConnection
• Xx.com/Ride_Connection

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ride Connection