drivers for survivors

What drivers for survivors does

Drivers For Survivors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization (Federal ID #45-4906163), founded in 2012 by cancer survivor Sherry Higgs and headquartered in Fremont, California. The organization provides free transportation services and supportive companionship for ambulatory cancer patients, from suspicious findings through completion of treatment, delivering rides to all cancer-related medical appointments within a 60-mile radius of ZIP code 94538. Its service area covers South, Central, and East Alameda County, including Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Castro Valley, Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton. Each one-way trip costs the organization approximately $25 to deliver, and the average cancer patient requires roughly 40 one-way rides across their course of treatment.

The operational model is volunteer-based: volunteer-companion drivers, who undergo background checks, license verification, and insurance screening, pick up rides on flexible schedules to provide both transportation and emotional support during the journey. Patient access is referral-driven, flowing primarily through oncology providers and Washington Hospital, supplemented by direct phone and email inquiries. The organization supplements its core service with multilingual patient brochures in English, Mandarin, and Spanish, an annual signature Black and White Ball fundraising gala, tiered corporate event sponsorships, and a Fund-A-Ride donation program. Drivers For Survivors maintains a 1–10 employee structure with no proprietary technology platform, operating instead on a standard WordPress website and direct human coordination.

Revenue is derived from three streams: individual and corporate charitable donations, partial funding from the Alameda County Transportation Commission through Measure B and Measure BB tax dollars, and proceeds from fundraising events and sponsorships. The organization has been recognized with the Jefferson Award (2015), the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame induction of its founder, and earned media coverage on ABC 7 News, CBS 5, and NBC Bay Area. A Program Closure General Notice posted on its website signals a potential operational or restructuring event.

Name

drivers for survivors

Legal name

Drivers For Survivors, Inc.

Website

https://driversforsurvivors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Drivers For Survivors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free transportation and supportive companionship for ambulatory cancer patients in Alameda County, California, using volunteer-companion drivers to deliver rides to cancer-related medical appointments within a 60-mile radius.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Patient Transportation Services

NAICS

Special Needs Transportation (485991), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) & Wheelchair/Stretcher Transport (HLAFANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) (HSABAOAA), Door-to-Door Senior Ride Services (Non-Medical) (HSABAOAB), Hospital Discharge & Post-Acute Transport (HSABAOAE)

Keywords

• Patient transportation services
• Cancer patient support
• Volunteer driver program
• Nonprofit medical transport
• Treatment appointment rides

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals, organizations, and businesses within the communities served and beyond.
2. Government Funding: Partial funding from Alameda County Transportation Commission through Measure B and Measure BB tax dollars.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual signature events such as the Black and White Ball generate revenue for cancer patient transportation services. The 6th Annual Black and White Ball celebrated 8 years of operation in 2019.
4. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship opportunities at various levels (Gold, Bronze, etc.) for fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Drivers For Survivors provides free transportation and supportive companionship services for ambulatory cancer patients in South, Central, and East Alameda County. Volunteer-companion drivers transport patients to all cancer-related medical appointments within a 60-mile radius of ZIP code 94538, from suspicious findings through completion of treatments. The service is provided at no cost to patients, with the organization bearing a $25 per one-way trip cost to cover program and administrative expenses.

Product overview

Drivers For Survivors is a single-service nonprofit organization offering a unified transportation and supportive companionship program for ambulatory cancer patients. The core service consists of free rides to cancer-related medical appointments within a 60-mile radius, provided by volunteer-companion drivers who offer both transportation and emotional support. The organization supplements its service with multilingual patient brochures (English, Mandarin, Spanish), a volunteer driver program with flexible scheduling, and annual fundraising events including the Black and White Ball. The organization operates without a software platform or product portfolio—it is a direct service provider focused exclusively on patient transportation and companionship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Transportation Service for Cancer Patients Free transportation service for ambulatory cancer patients from suspicious findings through completion of treatments, providing rides to all cancer-related medical appointments within a 60-mile radius of ZIP code 94538. Accessed via phone (+1 510-896-8056) or email ([email protected]).
• Supportive Companionship Service Volunteer-companion drivers provide supportive companionship during transportation to cancer treatments, helping alleviate stress and allowing patients to focus on their health and essential treatment rather than logistical concerns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Patients need an average of 40 one-way trip rides during cancer treatment

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington Hospital oncology staff recognize Drivers For Survivors as a valuable asset for their patients. The organization works with Washington Hospital oncology patients during their pilot program and ongoing services. Patients have commented on the benefits of the volunteer service.
• ABC 7 News, CBS 5, NBC Bay AreaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia coverage on major broadcast networks (ABC 7 News November 2017, CBS 5, NBC Bay Area) featuring Drivers For Survivors as seen on major broadcast networks. Provides visibility and awareness for the nonprofit organization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American Cancer Society Road to Recovery: National American Cancer Society program providing volunteer drivers to transport cancer patients to treatment. Same core offering (free rides for ambulatory cancer patients), but operates at national scale rather than single-county.
• ITN America: Nonprofit network of affiliate organizations providing dignified, volunteer-supported transportation for older adults. Comparable volunteer-driver, ride-accompaniment model with a similar community-supported structure.
• Faith in Action: Interfaith volunteer caregiving nonprofit offering free transportation to medical appointments for elderly and disabled individuals. Closely comparable volunteer-driver nonprofit model serving healthcare transport needs.
• SilverRide: Premium assisted transportation provider focused on older adults and medical appointments, including companionship-style rides. Closely comparable service model combining driving with caregiver-style accompaniment.
• Shepherd's Centers of America: National network of community-based interfaith organizations providing volunteer-driven services including transportation for older adults. Similar volunteer-led, donation-funded nonprofit structure serving the same clientele.

Emerging players

• Veyo: Technology-enabled NEMT platform that coordinates non-emergency medical transportation for health plans. Competes in the same patient transport category through a modern, scalable platform approach.
• GoGoGrandparent: On-demand rideshare service designed for seniors and their family caregivers, with a focus on assisted door-through-door pickup. Comparable mission of providing supervised transport, but as a paid, tech-enabled service.
• Uber Health: Uber's healthcare arm offering centralized rides for patients to medical appointments, often paid by healthcare organizations. Provides a technology-enabled alternative to volunteer NEMT services.
• Lyft Healthcare: Healthcare-focused rideshare service providing non-emergency medical transportation for patients through a technology platform. Competes for the same patient transport dollars via an app-based, scalable model rather than volunteer drivers.

Broad incumbents

• Modivcare: Large non-emergency medical transportation broker serving Medicaid and managed care plans nationally. Broad incumbent in the NEMT category that could move into the cancer patient niche Drivers For Survivors serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DriversForSurvivors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drivers-for-survivors-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 drivers for survivors