The RYDE Program provides young people the opportunity to complete their 50 hours of supervised driving experience with one of our volunteer ‘Driving Mentors’.
Many young people find it difficult to complete the 50 hours of driving experience now required for a Western Australian Driver’s Licence. This might be because they haven’t got access to an appropriate vehicle, or a qualified person to spend all of those hours in the passenger seat. The RYDE program will connect Learner Drivers with Volunteer Mentors and a Program vehicle, so that they can get their Licence and all of the opportunities that come with it.
The RYDE Program is a response developed by the Town of Bassendean to the Western Australian Government’s change from 25 to 50 supervised driving hours in November 2012. This change was as a result of research showing that the main cause of novice drivers being involved in a crash was inexperience. It takes time to develop the skills and abilities needed to become a good driver, and novice driver crashes usually occur because new drivers simply make mistakes. The increase in recorded supervised driving hours provides novice drivers greater opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and develop good driving behaviours.
A side effect of these changes has been the marginalisation of young people with limited access to suitable vehicles or Mentors with which to undertake these requirements. The RYDE Program seeks to use technology in the areas of; induction, communication, bookings, payments and risk management to deliver a sustainable program model. Volunteer Mentor programs delivered elsewhere rely on significant and continuous funding streams for continued operation. The RYDE model by comparison, leverages the in-kind support of multiple agencies specialising in specific aspects of the Program, linked by a proprietary software platform. The RYDE software significantly reduces the human input and expense required to deliver the Program by automating and coordinating as many aspects as possible.
The online software allows the burden of delivering a complex program to be shared by multiple Program Partners who possess expertise in particular areas of operation. Their activities are coordinated by the software which attempts to provide automated treatments to many possible contingencies.
RYDE Model Partners and their roles:
Program Manager
Overall management of the RYDE program, responsible for general program operation, partner liaison and contingencies outside the scope of the software
Volunteer Coordinator
Responsible for recruitment, screening and ongoing support of Mentors
RYDE Shopfront and Vehicle Manager
Responsible for managing vehicle related issues such as servicing or repairs. Provision of program ‘Shopfront’ where Mentors and Learner Drivers meet
RYDE Providers
A network of Youth Agencies responsible for assessment of participant eligibility, as well as their ongoing support throughout program engagement
The RYDE Program was developed the Town of Bassendean with funding provided by Lotterywest
