WeCAB Fundraiser During the COVID-19 Pandemic

When Metro Transit officials cut back public bus service to the west metro community of Mound in 2010, it didn’t sit well with Mike Skinner. Skinner, who is legally blind, uses public transportation extensively and felt that others would also be inconvenienced — or worse — by the elimination of weekend bus service and the reduction in downtown runs during the week.

To help those in need, Skinner and several community leaders created WeCAB —www.wecab.org —a grass-roots ride system that pairs riders with volunteer drivers in five adjoining west metro communities. “We imagined it might be exclusively senior citizens,” said Pam Myers, retired school superintendent and WeCAB volunteer. “We were wrong.”

The ride system has helped people looking for jobs who don’t have a car, seniors no longer able to drive, single moms who need to drop off a child or visit a food shelf, and people who need daily chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

WeCAB provides rides when public transportation is not available or too complicated. Riders must be registered with WeCAB and live in either the Carver County or Westonka (part of Hennepin County) service areas.  Volunteer drivers are trained and background checks are performed. Rides are accepted based on volunteer availability.

Since WeCAB was formed in 2011, we have provided almost 14,000 one way rides, volunteers have driven over 172,00 miles in almost 10000 volunteer hours. This does not include the thousands of volunteer hours in dispatch and administrative roles. 

Currently, WeCAB has 66 volunteer drivers, 493 registered riders, and has 7 members on its Board of Directors. In 2018, WeCAB hired its first Executive Director. WeCAB is entirely dependent on volunteers and donors to provide this service.