MARIES COUNTY — Missouri Ozarks Community Action (MOCA) is expanding transportation access across its eight-county service area through MOCA Transit, a volunteer-driver program providing door-to-door rides for essential needs.

MOCA Transit serves residents in Camden, Crawford, Gasconade, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Phelps and Pulaski counties. Volunteer drivers use their personal vehicles to transport residents to medical appointments, jobs, pharmacies, grocery stores, food banks and other essential destinations.

MOCA’s community-needs information identifies transportation as an issue across its service territory. The agency operates a number of programs throughout the eight-county region aimed at assisting low-income residents and families.

MOCA Transit currently offers free rides through its volunteer-driver network. According to information published by the Crawford County Coalition, current funding allows the program to serve low-income residents with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, senior citizens, people with disabilities and individuals seeking treatment for opioid use disorder. MOCA is seeking additional funding that would allow the program to serve a broader population.

The transportation program has been developing over the past several years. The Missouri Volunteer Driver Network reported that MOCA Transit began operating in August 2024 and was serving all eight MOCA counties with 18 volunteer drivers at the time of its report. MOCA is one of several community-action organizations participating in the statewide volunteer-driver network.

The service has also received outside support for expansion. In June 2025, Phelps Health announced that MOCA was among three organizations receiving funding through the Transformation of Rural Community Health, or ToRCH, initiative sponsored by Missouri’s MO HealthNet Division. Phelps Health said MOCA’s portion would be used to expand its non-medical transportation program through staffing, driver recruitment, software and equipment, and insurance.

MOCA is also recruiting additional volunteer drivers. Volunteers use their own vehicles and may choose both their availability and whether they are willing to make local or longer-distance trips. Drivers do not need a special license but must maintain current automobile insurance and complete required training and certification. Mileage is reimbursed at 72 cents per mile.

For residents of Maries County and surrounding communities, the program provides another transportation option in an area where access to a vehicle can be a significant concern. MOCA’s community-needs assessment found that 7.2 percent of Maries County households included in the underlying data did not have a vehicle, the highest percentage among the eight counties listed in that portion of the assessment.

Those seeking a ride or information about volunteering may contact MOCA Transit at 573-765-3183. Ride requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance.