The Equity Through Access report is centered around “gaps” and “bridges,” leading to five bold ideas for improving transportation accessibility. Gaps are factors in the region that constrain access to transportation or mobility for vulnerable populations. Bridges are potential solutions, based on case studies and expert opinion, aimed at developing more comprehensive and effective regional transit service and multi-modal infrastructure.
Gaps and bridges are the priority needs and strategies for the ETA project and form the basis of the CHSTP. The 2024 ETA report identifies gaps and bridges for four different categories: service, funding, data, and service coordination. The gaps and bridges inform the bold ideas, which are a summary of key priorities that transportation planners, policymakers, and accessible transportation providers should address in the next four years.
Bold Ideas
- Update funders' internal policies to allow providers to transport passengers to the nearest essential service in a different county or state.
- Develop policies and mechanisms for providers to support transit users eligible for multiple funding options for one trip.
- Develop data tools and support partnerships between small and large providers that add data management and analysis capacity to small planning and operation teams.
- Prioritize smaller vehicles and partnerships with workforce training organizations to enhance operational capacity.
- Identify new funding options for operating costs.