Volunteer Driver Agreement for Ride Programs: Insurance, Mileage Pay, and Rider Rules

A volunteer who drives a rider to dialysis in a personal car has few of the usual legal cushions. The federal law that shields volunteers from lawsuits stops at the car door, a personal auto policy may limit coverage for rides given for a charge, and the Act leaves the program’s own liability in place. This agreement puts the facts on one signed page: who the volunteer is, what you checked, whose insurance comes first, what you pay back, and how the volunteer treats riders and their information.

It is for nonprofit ride programs, public agencies, and the volunteer networks that brokers run. A for-profit company cannot use it with unpaid drivers. The Department of Labor says employees may not volunteer services to a for-profit private business, and Minnesota’s definition of a volunteer driver covers only drivers for a nonprofit entity or a governmental unit. For drivers who use their own cars and are paid, see using a personal vehicle for NEMT.

How to use this template

1. Check that you qualify. The program is a nonprofit or a public agency, and volunteers receive nothing but their expenses. Starting a nonprofit NEMT organization explains the structure. If a broker or plan runs the volunteer network, ask for its enrollment form first and use this one for what that form leaves out.
2. Fill in Part 1 once. Name the coordinator, the after-hours number, the insurance the program carries, and the reimbursement rule. Ask your insurance agent how the program’s policy and a volunteer’s own policy work together, and write the answer in the “who pays first” line.
3. Screen before the first ride. Get the volunteer’s written consent, then run the checks in Part 3: the driving record, a criminal background check, and where trips are billed to Medicaid, the exclusion lists. In Florida, see the Level 2 background check page for the fingerprint screening that state uses.
4. Collect the proof. Copy the license, registration, and the insurance declarations page. Ask the volunteer to tell their own insurer about the volunteer driving and bring the answer in writing (Part 5).
5. Train, then sign. Fill in Part 4 as each session is done. Read Part 7 aloud, answer questions, and sign Part 9. Give the volunteer a copy.
6. Add the privacy agreement. Have every volunteer also sign the HIPAA confidentiality agreement before the first ride.
7. Set your report deadlines in Part 8. Use the shorter of your own deadline and your broker’s.
8. Renew every year. Recheck the license, insurance, driving record, and training at the renewal in Part 9, and whenever a volunteer’s car, insurer, license, or address changes. File everything the way you file a paid driver’s papers, using the driver file checklist.

The template

Part 1: Program details (filled in once)

Field	Entry
Program name
Legal status (nonprofit or government unit)
Volunteer coordinator (name, phone, email)
Backup when the coordinator is away
Number to call after hours and on weekends
Brokers, health plans, or grants that pay for these rides
Program coverage for volunteer drivers (hired and non-owned auto limit, insurer, policy number)
Excess or umbrella coverage, if any
Whose auto policy pays first after an accident (the volunteer’s or the program’s)
Minimum liability limits the volunteer’s own policy must carry
Minimum age and years of licensed driving
What the program reimburses (see Part 6)
Version date of this agreement

Part 2: The volunteer and the vehicle

Field	Entry
Printed full name
Home address, phone, and email
Date of birth (to check the age minimum)
Driver’s license number, state, and expiration
Vehicle year, make, model, and color
License plate, state, and registration expiration
Number of working seat belts
Auto insurer, policy number, and expiration
Liability limits on the declarations page
NPI and taxonomy code (only where the state or broker requires one)
Emergency contact (name and phone)

Copies attached: driver’s license (both sides), registration, insurance declarations page. The volunteer initials each statement below.

I confirm that	Initials
My driver’s license is valid for the vehicle I will use, and it is not suspended or revoked.
I meet the age and driving experience minimums in Part 1.
My vehicle is registered, insured, and has passed any inspection my state requires. The seat belts work, and I will keep it clean and in safe condition.
I have told my own auto insurer that I will drive riders for this program and receive only my expenses. Its answer is attached or written in Part 5.
The program does not pay me, and I am not paid by anyone else, to do this work. I am not a paid employee of this program doing the same kind of work.
I will tell the coordinator within one business day of a ticket, an accident, a license suspension, or a change in my insurance or vehicle.

Part 3: Screening consents and results

I agree that the program may check my driving record, my criminal history, sex offender registry listings, and exclusion lists before my first ride and once a year after that. It may run a check sooner if it has reason to believe my record has changed. I understand that a result can end my service as a volunteer. If a background check company runs the check, I will also sign that company’s own consent form.

Check	Date run	Result (clear or needs review)	Run by	Next due
Driving record
Criminal background check
Sex offender registry (national and state)
Exclusion lists, where trips are billed to Medicaid
Drug screen, where the broker or program requires one
Vehicle inspection (date and who did it)
Registration and insurance copies on file

Part 4: Training record

Training	Required by (program, broker, or state)	Date done	Expires	Trainer’s initials
Program orientation and these rules
Broker or health plan driver training
Passenger assistance (curb to curb, door to door, hand to hand)
Securing wheelchairs and mobility aids, only if the volunteer will carry them
First aid, and CPR if required
Safety and sensitivity
HIPAA privacy and confidentiality
Recognizing and reporting abuse and neglect
Defensive driving, if the program requires it

Part 5: Insurance and who pays first

Coverage	Details
The volunteer’s own auto policy: insurer, policy number, dates, limits (bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage)
Does the volunteer’s insurer limit coverage for volunteer driving or rides given for reimbursement? Its answer, and the date it was given
The program’s coverage for volunteer drivers: insurer, policy number, and limit
Excess or umbrella coverage the program carries
Order of payment after an accident (written by the program to match its policies)

I understand that:

1. The federal Volunteer Protection Act does not cover my driving. It does not protect a volunteer from liability for harm caused while driving a vehicle that the state requires a license or insurance to operate, and it does not reduce the program’s own responsibility for harm to anyone.
2. I keep my insurance in force. I will carry auto liability insurance at or above the limits in Part 1 for as long as I volunteer, and I will not drive riders for the program on any day it has lapsed.
3. I tell the program about changes. I will tell the coordinator within one business day if my policy lapses, is cancelled, or changes, or if I change vehicles.
4. The order of payment applies. If I have an accident while driving for the program, the order of payment written above applies.

Part 6: Mileage and expenses

Term	Entry
Rate per mile
Miles that count (loaded miles only, or also miles from home to the first pickup and from the last drop-off to home)
Parking and tolls repaid with a receipt (yes or no)
Claim form due by (day) and paid by (day)
Who approves claims
Approval of this reimbursement basis by the state or broker, where one is required (who and when)
Records the volunteer keeps	Date, trip number, starting and ending odometer, miles, parking and tolls

I am donating my time. The program pays only the expenses listed above. It does not pay wages, tips, gifts, or fees. Whether any part of my reimbursement is taxable to me is a question for my own tax preparer. On claims, I list trips by trip number, not by the rider’s name.

Mileage claim for the month of ______________________

Date	Trip number	Starting odometer	Ending odometer	Miles	Parking or tolls	Coordinator’s initials

Part 7: Rider rules and privacy (the volunteer’s promises)

While I volunteer for this program, I will:

1. Show my ID. I wear or show the program’s ID badge when I meet a rider.
2. Buckle everyone and drive safely. Every rider is buckled before I move. I do not use a phone, including for texts, or wear headphones while the vehicle is moving. I do not smoke or vape in the vehicle or near a rider.
3. Drive clear. I do not drive after alcohol, illegal drugs, or any medicine that affects my driving.
4. Help at the level the trip calls for. That is curb to curb, door to door, or hand to hand, as the trip says. I touch a rider only as needed to help them in or out, into a seat, or with a seat belt, or to give first aid I was trained to give.
5. See the rider safely inside. Before I leave a drop-off, I confirm the rider is safely inside the destination. If a rider seems unwell, confused, or unsafe to leave, I call the coordinator before I go.
6. Take no money or gifts. I never ask for or accept money, tips, gifts, or other business from a rider.
7. Give program rides only. I do not arrange private trips with riders, take a rider anywhere but the stops on the trip, or give a rider my personal contact details.
8. Treat every rider with courtesy. I follow the program’s rules for riders with mobility devices and service animals.
9. Keep rider information private. I follow the confidentiality agreement I signed. I keep trip papers where other passengers cannot see them, and I do not talk about a rider with anyone who is not involved in their care. I post nothing about riders online.
10. Report on time. I follow Part 8 and tell the coordinator about any problem.

Part 8: Reporting incidents (fill in the numbers once)

What happened	What the volunteer does first	Who to call	By when
An accident or crash	Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Move to a safe place. Exchange insurance details.
A rider falls, is hurt, or becomes ill	Call 911 if needed. Stay with the rider.
A breakdown with a rider aboard	Move to safety and call the coordinator.
A ticket, license action, or arrest	Tell the coordinator before the next ride.
A complaint from a rider or family	Listen, write down what was said, and report it.
Suspected abuse, neglect, or theft involving a rider	Make sure the rider is safe, then call the coordinator.
Lost or stolen rider information, such as a trip sheet or a phone	Tell the coordinator the same day.

Use the NEMT incident report form for the written report.

Part 9: Agreement, signatures, and yearly renewal

I volunteer freely and am not an employee of the program. I may stop volunteering at any time. The program may suspend or end my service at any time, including after an incident or a failed check. If my service ends, I return my ID badge and any program papers and delete rider information from my phone. This agreement lasts until the next renewal date below unless either of us ends it sooner.

Signatures	Entry
Volunteer’s signature
Printed name
Date signed
Program representative’s printed name
Program representative’s signature and date

Renewal date	License checked	Insurance declarations checked	Driving record rechecked	Training current	New signature date	Initials

Why the agreement is built around insurance

The Volunteer Protection Act is the federal law that shields volunteers of nonprofit and governmental entities from liability for harm they cause on the entity’s behalf. It comes with conditions, and one of them removes driving. The shield applies only if the harm was not caused by the volunteer operating a motor vehicle for which the state requires the operator or owner to hold a license or carry insurance (42 U.S.C. 14503(a)(4)). The Act also does not change the liability of the nonprofit or governmental entity for harm to any person (14503(d)). So after a crash, both the volunteer and the program can be liable, and the insurance has to be in place before the first ride.

The Act’s definition of a volunteer also matters for pay. It covers a person who receives no compensation other than reasonable reimbursement or an allowance for expenses actually incurred, and no other thing of value in lieu of compensation worth more than $500 per year (42 U.S.C. 14505(6)). Georgia and Minnesota are stricter and allow expenses only, so keep Part 6 to expenses.

Three insurance points shape Parts 2 and 5.

• The volunteer’s own policy may not cover the trips. Virginia’s rule says full auto insurance must not exclude carrying passengers under volunteer driver services or any other reimbursement (DMAS, May 26, 2026). A 2014 Fifth Circuit case shows why. A volunteer’s policy excluded carrying persons for a charge, and the court found she was paid more than her costs, because mileage was figured on a fixed route whatever route she drove and pay stacked for each rider she carried. Her insurer had to defend her but did not have to pay the damages (State Farm v. LogistiCare Solutions).
• The program’s coverage is separate. Hired and non-owned auto covers the program’s liability when someone drives a car the program does not own. It does not repair the volunteer’s car. The hired and non-owned auto page explains what it does and does not pay.
• Maine protects volunteers from their insurers. Maine bars an insurer from refusing to issue liability insurance, or raising the rate, solely because the applicant is a volunteer driver, where the driver gets nothing above expenses from a nonprofit or charitable organization (Title 24-A, section 2902-F). Ask each volunteer to call their insurer and get its answer in writing, as Part 5 asks.

What Virginia, Georgia, and Minnesota require of volunteers

These are the rules in each state’s own text as of October 2026 (Minnesota’s statutes are the 2025 edition). Your own broker or plan may add more. Using a personal vehicle for NEMT has Virginia’s age, experience, and driving record minimums for volunteers.

• Virginia. DMAS (updated May 26, 2026) requires each volunteer to pass the same criminal background check and drug screen as paid drivers, and to carry full auto insurance that does not exclude carrying passengers. The broker must make sure each volunteer has an NPI and a taxonomy code. Every driver, volunteer or not, completes the broker’s driver training before carrying a member, and credentialing reviews run at least once a year. See Virginia.
• Georgia. Section 803 of the Department of Community Health’s NEMT manual (version date October 1, 2026) has the broker verify and document each volunteer’s license (Georgia or a bordering state), first aid certification, passenger assistance orientation, and a safety and sensitivity program. A volunteer may have no prior conviction for a sexual crime or crime of violence and no DUI conviction in the five years before starting. A felony in the last five years is allowed only after the broker and the department review it. The broker must also have at least a yearly vehicle inspection process. Reimbursement is limited to expenses, and the broker must get department approval of the basis and method. See Georgia.
• Minnesota. A volunteer driver is someone who drives for a nonprofit entity or a governmental unit in a private passenger vehicle and receives nothing beyond reimbursement of actual expenses (Minn. Stat. 65B.472, subdivision 1(p)). A volunteer in a private car is exempt from the state’s special transportation operating standards (174.30, subdivision 1). When an agency authorizes a Medicaid ride by a volunteer and has reason to believe the volunteer has a disqualifying history, it may start a state background study through NETStudy (174.30, subdivision 10). See Minnesota.

Mileage pay: what to write in Part 6

The tax law gives you one fixed number and one open question.

• The fixed number. The standard mileage rate for charitable driving is 14 cents a mile, set by Congress in 26 U.S.C. 170(i). The IRS lists it as 14 cents for 2026, beside a business rate of 76 cents for July 1 to December 31, 2026 (page updated July 28, 2026). Only Congress can change the charitable rate.
• What a volunteer can deduct. Publication 526 (2025) lets a volunteer who itemizes deduct unreimbursed gas and oil directly related to the service, or 14 cents a mile, plus parking and tolls. It does not allow repairs, depreciation, registration, tires, or insurance. The volunteer needs reliable written records of the miles, which is what the Part 6 claim sheet gives. For unreimbursed expenses of $250 or more, the organization also writes an acknowledgment of the services given and whether anything was given back.
• The open question. A program may pay more than 14 cents. Minnesota’s Department of Revenue says a program can reimburse at any rate, that a volunteer may exclude reimbursement only to the extent it could be deducted as a charitable contribution, and that the volunteer may owe tax on a rate above 14 cents. It is a state agency’s view, so ask your tax preparer what applies where you operate.

For a sense of the gap, 400 loaded miles a month is $56 at 14 cents and $304 at 76 cents. The $248 difference is what to ask your preparer about. Keep reimbursement to a documented expense basis either way. Georgia limits volunteer reimbursement to expenses, Minnesota’s definition requires it, and the Fifth Circuit case above turned on pay that went beyond costs. State Medicaid rates for volunteer mileage are on the A0080 page.

If Section 5310 money helps pay for the program

FTA’s Section 5310 guidance (Circular 9070.1H, November 1, 2024, page IV-8) makes volunteer driver programs eligible. The costs it names include administration, driver recruitment, safety, background checks, scheduling, coordination with passengers, mileage reimbursement, and insurance for the program. On page III-8 it lets volunteered services count toward the local match when their value is documented and supported, the cost would otherwise be eligible, and it is in the project budget. Keep the Part 6 claim sheets and a log of volunteer hours with the signed agreements, so a grant manager can see what the match rests on. See Section 5310 grants.