NARC and CTAA Host Conference Call on Coordinated Service Delivery

On April 18th, NARC and the Community Transportation Association of America hosted a conference call to discuss the guidance and best-practices of the Coordinated Service Delivery, New Freedom, Job Access and Reverse Commute, and Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities Programs. About 45 participants dialed in to hear from each other and the host associations. NARC will use the information gleaned from this conference call and follow-up conversations to draft an official comment to the Federal Register on the proposed guidance. Click Here to see the notes from this conference call.

FTA Issues Guidance on Coordinated Service Delivery and Related Transit Programs

On March 15th, the Federal Transit Administration released long-awaited guidance on developing Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plans, a new Federal requirement under SAFETEA-LU.  These plans seek to coordinate all social services and public transit programs for elderly, disabled and low-income people.  The document also contains guidance on the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC), Elderly and Disabled Individuals, and New Freedom programs.  These programs assist transportation disadvantaged people with their mobility needs by providing formula grants to transit service providers.  To view the guidance document, click here.  Comments are being accepted until May 22.  Note that the deadline has been extended by 30 days.  FTA decided to allot more time to the comment period to allow organizations and service providers more time to evaluate the document. To enter a comment, click here.  Register and enter docket number FTA-2006-24037.

ITS Brochures on United We Ride

The USDOT Joint Office on Intelligent Transportation Systems has issued two new brochures detailing recent technological improvements to assist the transportation disadvantaged.  Digital versions of these brochures can be downloaded here:
Technologies that Benefit the Transportation Disadvantaged
Better Public Transportation Options for Everyone
These brochures are an excellent promotional material for your office waiting area, citizens advisory committees, or public involvement workshops. Free copies of these brochures can be ordered from this website.

About Coordinated Human Services-Public Transit Service Delivery

SAFETEA-LU requires the formation of a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan for all FTA human service transportation programs: Section 5310 Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities Program, Section 5316 Job Access and Reverse Commute Program and Section 5317 New Freedom Program.  These plans also coordinate dozens of other transportation programs in the Departments of Labor, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services.  The human services transportation coordination provisions aim to improve transportation services for persons with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with lower incomes by ensuring that communities coordinate transportation resources provided through multiple federal programs. Coordination will enhance transportation access, minimize duplication of services, and facilitate the most appropriate cost-effective transportation possible with available resources.  Through effective coordination, the total cost of providing these services will go down, while at the same time improving service.

NARC supports and works to assist in the United We Ride effort. United We Ride is an interagency Federal national initiative that supports States and their localities in developing coordinated human service delivery systems. In addition to State coordination grants, United We Ride provides State and local agencies a transportation-coordination and planning self-assessment tool, technical assistance, and other resources to help their communities succeed.

Links on Coordinated Service Delivery:

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