Introduction

NADTC awarded $400,000 to communities in five states–Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, New York and Oklahoma. Each project implemented a program innovation to increase accessible transportation options for older adults and people with disabilities living in the community by removing barriers to transportation and expanding mobility options. The projects also sought to maximize utilization of Section 5310 and other federal funding investments.

The 2019 Innovations in Accessible Mobility grantees were selected from among the ten transportation planning grants funded by NADTC in 2018. Each grantee will build upon their earlier work, partner with older adults, people with disabilities and community stakeholders and develop sustainable and replicable innovations that result in increased availability of accessible transportation in their communities.

2019 NADTC Grantees

Capacity Builders, Inc.

Capacity Builders, 2019 Grantee

Location: Farmington, NM
Project Service Area: Remote areas of San Juan County including the Navajo reservation
Population Served: Older adults and people with disabilities.
Project Highlights:

• Provide curb-to-curb paratransit services for those living in the target service area.
• Recruit and hire individuals who speak the Navajo language as drivers and reservationists to better serve the population.

Capacity Builders, Inc. Profile Video

Greater Portland Council of Governments

Location: Portland, ME
Project Service Area: South Portland
Population Served: Older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income residents.
Project Highlights:

• Test the concept of a city-wide weekly shopper shuttle service for older adults and people with disabilities.
• Create a “Shopper Links” program to respond to the identified unmet need for free or low-cost, door-to-door transportation to grocery shopping.

Greater Portland Council of Governments Profile Video

NADTC Photo Gallery

INCOG Area Agency on Aging

Location: Tulsa, OK
Project Service Area: Nine square mile food desert area in the city of Tulsa
Population Served: Older adults and people with disabilities.
Project Highlights:

• Develop a paratransit travel training program to familiarize and connect older adults and people with disabilities to grocery stores using existing transportation services.
• Use ridesharing services to implement a program to fill existing transportation gaps to healthy food options.

INCOG Area Agency on Aging Profile Video

North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization

Location: Fort Collins, CO
Project Service Area: Rural areas of Larimer County
Population Served: Older adults and people with disabilities.
Project Highlights:

• Implement a centralized one-call/one-click center in which existing transportation providers in Larimer County will coordinate services to deliver an increased number of rides to the target population.

North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization

Volunteer driver with older man with cane in front of car

Shared Mobility, Inc.

Location: Buffalo, NY
Project Service Area: Erie County
Population Served: Older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income residents.
Project Highlights:

• Develop and deploy a shared ride, coordinated volunteer transportation program.

Shared Mobility, Inc. Profile Video

Additional Documents:

2019 Capitol Hill Briefing on Transportation Innovations Presentations

2019 Grantee Innovative Community Transportation Solutions Video

Summary of 2019 Grant Innovations