About Us

Since 2003, Friendly Rider has provided on-demand, on time, reliable public transportation to North Central Minnesota. We serve Wadena, Otter Tail, Todd, and Morrison Counties. We connect people with their community, for work, school, shopping, appointments and more - making North Central Minnesota a better place to live.

Shopping, health appointments, youth activities, or simply your daily commute. Simply call the day before to schedule a ride or set up a recurring pickup schedule. It's up to you. Our friendly, courteous drivers will get you there safe and on time. Need a helping hand? We have you covered. Our buses are wheelchair and handicap accessible. You can even bring your bike along for the ride.

Our service routes keep growing right along with our ridership. If you haven't ridden with us in a while, we encourage you to give us a call. Enjoy curb to curb transportation on a comfortable, clean well-equipped bus.

Funding for Friendly Rider is provided by the State of Minnesota and riders like you!

Minnesota Department of Transportation
Friendly Rider

Thanks to Friendly Rider, my mom who is legally blind and unable to drive is still able to live independently in her house.

- A concerned daughter living far away from her mom

Our Mission

Volunteers, drivers, and other members of Friendly Rider Transit will provide safe, reliable, courteous, and cost-effective transportation to our passengers.

Message to Our Riders

Hello, fellow Riders!

As a Community native, it's great to work and serve in the communities I grew up in.

Public transportation is important everywhere, but it's vital in smaller, rural areas such as ours. Many people in our area rely on public transportation for employment, for medical care and treatment, and to complete daily errands. Regardless of the reason they ride, we are proud to serve our community.

Friendly Rider has grown over the last few years. Our ridership is up, our service area has expanded, and we now operate for more days and times. This is great for our residents and our ability to serve them.

But our journey isn't done yet! Look for me visiting local towns, local groups...seeing you the local people informing everyone the benefits of Transportation in your area.

Do you have questions or concerns about riding the bus? Do you have suggestions how we can serve you better? Please let us know! You can contact us here on our website or by calling our office.

I look forward to seeing you on the bus!

Our Staff

Friendly Rider buses cover a lot of ground each and every day. Behind the scenes, a small group of dedicated employees works hard to make sure things run smoothly for our riders. Based in Wadena, MN, Friendly Rider employs a total of 20 people: a director, a coordinator, 3 dispatchers, and 15 bus drivers.

As a Dial-A-Ride system, Friendly Rider's dispatch is available each day to answer questions and to schedule ride requests. The dispatch team communicates continuously with drivers and residents.

Our Drivers

You can feel good about riding with Friendly Rider. Our bus drivers have passed extensive training and background checks - and they enjoy driving their buses!

Drivers have earned CDL class C minimum licensure with passenger endorsement. Friendly Rider verifies driving records and background checks both at hire and annually during employment. Our drivers are required to attend National Rural Assistance Program training at hire for passenger assistance, maltreatment awareness, defensive driving, and wheelchair securement. A refresher course is required every 3 years. All Friendly Rider employees take part in DOT Drug testing. In addition, our drivers are trained on pre and post trip inspections and use of necessary electronic equipment (i.e. tablet, cell phone).