Guide for Resources and Opportunities
for Transportation Advocacy (GRO-Trans):
Models from Maine and Other States
(October 2002)
What approaches are others taking to solve local transportation challenges?
This section provides a few examples, in Maine and elsewhere.
Models in Maine
Independent Transportation Network
90 Bridge Street
Westbrook, ME 04092
(207)-854-0505
http://www.itninc.org/
The Independent Transportation Network (ITN) is a non-profit
membership organization providing transit service to seniors and people with
visual impairments. ITN links members in need of transportation with volunteer
or paid drivers 24 hours a day in an effort to provide maximum flexibility
and convenience. A user's fee is pre-paid into an account system so it can
be paid by the user, relatives, or a business.
Penquis
Community Action Program, Inc.
P.O. Box 1162
262 Harlow Street
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 973-3675
http://www.penquiscap.org/penquis.nsf/webpages/Transportation+Assistance+Project
Here you’ll find overviews of the PCAP transportation initiatives
and services: The Lynx, a van and private vehicle service in Penobscot
and Piscataquis Counties; Individual Transportation Accounts, which
allow funding for service not met by Lynx or social service contracts; and
the Transportation Assistance Project—assistance for mental
health consumers such as vouchers, gasoline certificates and bus passes.
Regional Transportation
Program
127 St. John Street
Portland, ME 04102-3013
(207) 774-2666
http://www.rtprides.org/
This organization serves as a model for balancing the cost-effectiveness
and efficiency of transit with individual needs for off-route and other transportation
service. The Riders Choice program in particular has received national attention
for its approach to connecting individuals with the best public service for
their needs. ADAPT, the ADA Paratransit Service, provides door-to-door wheelchair-accessible
rides who cannot use the regular city bus due to a disability. Other information
available on the site details RTP’s transportation service for shopping,
healthcare, and work.
York County Community Action Corporation
P.O. Box 72
Sanford, ME 04073
(207) 324-5762
http://www.yccac.org/
Click on the picture of the bus for Transportation Services. YCCAC currently
provides four transportation services: weekly bus transportation between
all towns in York County and regional shopping and medical destinations;
the “My
Bus” Program,
a fixed-route five-day a week service between Springvale and South Sanford;
the WAVE (Wheels to Access Vocation & Education),
which provides transport to jobs or training, as well as children to day
care; and the Volunteer Driver Program, serving a specific set of individual
needs when they can’t be met by the other services.
Waldo County Committee for
Social Action
P. O. Box 130
9 Field Street
Belfast, ME 04915
(207) 338-6809
http://www.wccsa.org/
Click on "Programs" to find out more about Waldo
County’s
transportation initiatives, including Medicaid transportation and a door-to-door
service for grocery shopping, personal business, and medical appointments.
Under "Programs" you can also find out about WCCSA's Family Development Accounts.
This savings program allows low-income families to establish savings accounts
to be used for specific or targeted purposes. A 2:1 matching ratio accrues
upon withdrawal and Family Development Accounts are available statewide.
Because the matching funds currently come from the federal government, targeted
purposes are limited to home purchases, higher education, and small business
investment as “Assets
for Independence.” The state rules do not preclude auto purchases,
but are not supplying funds at this time. For now, the program serves as
a model for how funds might be allocated and directed toward an independence-enhancing
purchase like a personal automobile.
Washington-Hancock Community Action Agency
P.O. Box 280
Milbridge, ME 04658
(207) 664-2424
http://www.whcacap.org/index.htm
Click on "Transportation Services" to connect to the Washington-Hancock
Community Agency’s
transportation services and initiatives. Among these are the Maine Care Transportation
Program (actual or reimbursement for transportation to Maine Care covered
appointments) and other medical transport services; scheduled, fixed route
public transit; and other special needs services for children and the elderly.
Models Elsewhere
Advanced Policy Institute,
UCLA
3317 Public Policy Building
Box 951656
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Phone: (310) 825-8886
http://api.sppsr.ucla.edu/
The Living Independently in Los Angeles (LILA) Partnership Project
with the Westside Center for Independent Living project is a work
in progress that models involving people with disabilities in reshaping
their own neighborhoods and creating greater mobility through cooperative
information sharing.
Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities
820 First Street, NE, Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 408-1080
http://www.cbpp.org/
Click on "All Reports by Date" to find “State
and County Supported Car Ownership Programs Can Help Low-Income Families
Secure and Keep Jobs." This report provides a detailed overview of
the problem of car ownership for people with low incomes, followed by information
about various state efforts to establish funding programs to assist with
car purchases.
Community Transportation Association of America
1341 G Street, NW
10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 628-1480
http://www.ctaa.org/ntrc/is_accessibility.asp
The Community Transportation
Association (CTAA) has an excellent "Passengers with Disabilities" web
site, which provides resources to help transit systems, public officials,
advocates and community members explore community needs, vehicle equipment,
paratransit service, policies, training and compliance. The resources at
this site are organized in the following areas:
ADA Resources,
Accessible Services Factsheet,
Accessible Travelers' DB,
Federal Funding and Promising Practices,
Publications,
Related Links, and
Ticket to Work - Overview.
Easter
Seals Project ACTION
700 13th Street, NW Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
(800) 659-6428
http://projectaction.easterseals.com
Click on "Free Resources" for a variety of publications, including “Building
Mobility Partnerships for People with Disabilities: Opportunities for Federal
Funding and Promising Practices,” a guide produced collaboratively with
Project ACTION and CTAA. In addition the
detailed information on project funding opportunities with the federal government,
you’ll
find examples of transportation solutions supported with that funding in California,
Michigan, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.
Federal
Transit Administration
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
http://www.fta.dot.gov/
Go to "Transit Data & Info" to find copies of their publications. Two of
interest are: “Innovative State and Local Planning for Coordinated
Transportation” (detailing transportation coordination efforts from
around the country initiated in response to requirements in ADA and TEA-21)
and “Planning Case
Studies” (from the Office
of Planning in the Federal Transit Administration that provides an overview
of approaches to utilizing Job Access Challenge Grants to solve work-related
transportation barriers).
Good News Garage
(877) 448-3288 (call this toll-free number for a specific location)
http://www.goodnewsgarage.org/
Good News Garage is a model program for assisting people
with car purchases. It
is affiliated with the Lutheran Social Services of New England and
spans New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Good News Garage
repairs donated cars and provides them to people with low incomes who
meet certain requirements.
Just Transportation
Alliances: A Project of Texas Citizen Fund
P.O. Box 10472
Austin, TX 78766
(512) 451-2634
http://www.justtransportation.org/
Just Transportation Alliances is a model of organizing citizens
concerned with barriers to equitable transportation. The organization focuses
on “recruiting
people with disabilities, seniors, low-income individuals, and other Texans,
providing them with training and resources so they can develop common agendas
for action that fit priorities of their communities, investing ‘seed’ resources
in each Alliance, and building each local Alliance for long-term success.” The
Web site provides contact information for local Alliance managers currently
organizing in their communities with the system and a wealth of other relevant
information, including model partnership agreements between local affiliates
and the central office. More is continually being added to the site, including
case studies, soon to come.
PAS
Force
c/o Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
740 West Lake Lansing Road, Ste. 400
Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 333-2477
http://www.pasforce.match.org/
This initiative by the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council
focuses on “mobilizing people with disabilities to educate policy-makers” about
the importance of PAS in achieving real community inclusion. Contact Kim
Steele at ksteele@match.org.
Pierce
County Coordinated Transportation Coalition
(253) 798-2831
http://www.piercecountyrides.com/
This Pierce County, Washington initiative is a cooperative
effort involving advocacy groups, local governments, transportation providers,
human service agencies and citizens “to provide enhanced mobility and
accessibility to a greater number of residents, particularly those with special
transportation needs.”
Port JOBS
c/o Port of Seattle
P.O. Box 1209
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 728-3882
http://www.portjobs.org/
Port JOBS, a Seattle-based non-profit organization
working to “increase access to living wage jobs” for residents of
the Greater Seattle area. Click on "Resources" to find out more information about
their program entitled "Working Wheels." A 1999 report, “Working
Wheels: A Guide to Overcoming Transportation Barriers to Work," details the results
of research on car ownership programs around the country and describes several
models from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, and Vermont.
Rural Institute
University of Montana
52 Corbin Hall
Missoula, MT 59812-7056
(888) 268-2743
http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/
Click on "Projects" to find RTC's Rural Transportation and Independent Living
project. On this page, you can find their handbook, “Making
Transportation Work for People with Disabilities in Rural America: The Supported
Volunteer Rural Transportation Voucher Program.” This handbook shows how
to implement a voucher system in rural areas where there are no public transit
services: how to set up a program, handle liability issues and secure financing,
as well as recruit and train drivers.
Sweetwater Transit
Authority Resources (STAR)
1130 Billie Street
Rock Springs, WY 82901
Phone: (307) 3820-7827
http://www.nccic.org/ccpartnerships/profiles/star.htm
This Wyoming initiative addresses the transportation
challenges common to large, sparsely populated rural areas. STAR is a coordinated,
demand-response system serving people of all ages and abilities (one-half of
the rides to the general public, 31 percent to people with disabilities, children
particularly, and 23 percent to older adults). The system has combined resources
from several human service agencies to set an affordable rate for the door-to-door
transport. This information at the link above was compiled by the National
Child Care Information Center.
Transportation Advocacy Project
5502 Kamin St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
http://www.ridesforallpa.com/
The Transportation Advocacy Project is a Pennsylvania-based
effort to address rural transportation barriers for people with disabilities.
The Rural Transportation Pilot Project for People with Disabilities tested
a service in eight rural counties. You’ll find results, a description
of the pilot, and more. The Project is funded by the Pennsylvania Developmental
Disabilities Council. This link connects you to an executive summary of the
Pilot Project.
