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| Volume 17, Issue 1 | Spring 2005 |
United We RideThe United We Ride program started by Federal Transit Association now has its own website at www.unitedweride.gov. Its goal is to further coordinate human service transportation. It works closely with and reports on the activities of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility. The Federal Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) is an interdepartmental council created by an Executive Order that directed the coordination of a variety of federal programs funding transportation for older Americans, individuals with disabilities and persons with lower incomes. To effectively meet the charges outlined by the President, CCAM has developed six overarching goals.
Goal 1: Education and Outreach - To develop an education plan for coordinated human service transportation resulting in enhanced customer access at the local level for individuals with disabilities; older adults; and individuals with lower incomes. Goal 2: Consolidated Access - To simplify access to transportation services and to enhance customer service through the development of a comprehensive and coordinated transportation system. Goal 3: Regulatory Barriers - To reduce restrictive and duplicative laws, regulations, and programs related to human service transportation at the Federal level. Goal 4: Coordinated Planning - To ensure comprehensive planning for the coordination of human service transportation for individuals with disabilities, older adults, and persons with lower incomes. Goal 5: Cost Allocation - To standardize cost allocation processes. Goal 6: Useful Practices - To document successful strategies in coordinating human service transportation at the Federal, State, Tribal, and Local levels. The departments involved include Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Council on Disability, Social Security Administration, and the White House. It looks like more emphasis will be placed on working together in partnership, and coordinating agencies efforts. The Transportation Cooperative Research Program has recently published a Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. This toolkit helps rural communities identify elements of setting up and implementing transportation services. The report recognizes coordination as the technique for success when power, responsibility, management, and funding are shared across organizations and throughout the community.
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In this issue...
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The website lists the deliverables associated with each of these approved goals.