Program Summary
- Purpose: 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.
- Steering Committee has been formed to develop a plan and solicit projects for implementation.
- Funding: Federal plus state or local match depending on type of project.
Program Overview
In August of 2005, legislation was signed for the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which requires a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human, services transportation plan (CHSTP). The purpose of this plan is to improve transportation services for persons with disabilities, seniors, and individuals with lower incomes by ensuring that communities coordinate transportation resources provided through multiple federal programs. Coordination will make transportation more accessible, minimize duplication of services, and facilitate the most appropriate and cost-effective public transportation possible with available resources.
SAFETEA-LU has been developed through the coordinating partnership of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). It applies to the urbanized areas within Davidson and Rutherford counties and will also provide for coordination with Cheatham, Dickson, Maury, Robertson, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties (the RTA 9-County Region).
The role of the SAFETEA-LU partnerships is to:
- Conduct an area-wide competitive selection process for the distribution of funds to be used by area agencies to implement transportation service for the elderly, disabled and socially disadvantaged.
- Certify a fair and equitable distribution of funds.
- Certify that each project selection was derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan.
- Certify broad representation in planning process.
- Manage all aspects of grant distribution and oversight for sub-recipients.
- Submit reports as required by FTA.
RTA and MTA will continue to work closely with other transportation providers, consumers and advocates, human service agencies/providers, and others to assess available transportation services, identify transportation gaps, and look for innovate strategies and solutions.
The basic elements of the plan include:
Identified Goals in Current Transportation Options
In order to identify perceived service needs, a survey was sent to all service agencies within the nine-county region. Based on the results and feedback from the survey, several gaps exist toward satisfying the transportation needs of elderly, low-income, or disabled people. The following are program goals developed by the steering committee:
- To increase quantity and quality of transportation options for elderly, disabled and low-income people in the nine-county area
- To provide more on-demand services for seniors and disabled persons
- To provide escort services and door-to-door services for seniors and disabled persons
- To provide innovative, cost effective solutions to lower the cost of transportation for lower income, mobility-impaired people.
- To provide innovative solutions for more frequent fixed route services during evenings and weekends
- To provide innovative solutions for more creative transportation options, such as, frequent fixed routes, deviated from normal services, during evenings and weekends
- To provide innovative solutions for trip sharing, trip reductions, and coordination between service agencies to reduce costs and provide better services
- To provide personnel training and effective public marketing regarding existing transportation options
RTA/MTA CHSTP Steering Committee
- Regional Transportation Authority: www.rtarelaxandride.com
- Metropolitan Transit Authority: www.nashvillemta.org/
- Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization: www.nashvillempo.org/
- Greater Nashville Regional Council: www.gnrc.org/
- Council on Aging of Greater Nashville: www.councilonaging-midtn.org/
- Tennessee Department of Transportation: www.tdot.state.tn.us/
- Center for Independent Living of Middle Tennessee: www.cil-mt.org/
- Rochelle Center: www.rochellecenter.org/
