Partnerships and Coordination for Rural Transportation
Resources are scarce in rural communities, with multiple programs competing for staff, expertise, resources, and funding. Forging partnerships and coordinating services among partners with similar goals can be an important strategy to successfully implement and sustain a transportation program. Coordination can reduce duplication of services and improve efficiency. It can also ensure that there is an adequate supply of transportation staff and resources to operate the program. Since rural communities are often spread far apart and transportation programs may span many miles of land, partnerships could cross county and state lines.
Examples of different types of partners rural transportation programs may coordinate with include:
- Agencies focused on aging, employment, education, and housing
- Community-based and nonprofit organizations
- Local businesses and national businesses with chapters located in the community
- Local and state health departments and departments of health and human services
- Public and private transportation agencies
- Rural and national philanthropic organizations and foundations
- State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs)
- Tribal agencies
Some examples of implementation steps for building rural transportation partnerships and/or collaborations include:
- Identify relevant partners
- Plan meetings and start the process for formalizing the partnerships
- Identify the transportation needs of the community and population being served
- Engage in strategic planning surrounding the shared goals of the partnership, anticipated outcomes, and allocation of resources; determine the process and strategies for moving forward
- Use technology to facilitate data sharing
- Implement the coordinated services and build partnerships
- Plan for evaluation and sustainability efforts
Resources to Learn More
A
How-To Manual for Building a Rural Transportation Coalition
Document
Presents best practices and examples of rural transportation communities who were awarded the Accessible
Transportation Community Initiative (ATCI) grant to improve coordination and collaboration to address
transportation needs.
Author(s): Gleason, S.
Organization(s): Easterseals, Inc.
Date: 12/2021
National Center for Mobility Management
Website
Serves to improve mobility options by assisting communities to overcome transportation barriers through
mobility management by encouraging innovation, supporting sustainability, offering usability information
for customers, and incorporating customer feedback in the evaluation process.
Transportation
Coordinated Resources
Website
Offers linked and annotated resources and reports on coordinating transportation services at the federal,
state, and local levels.
Organization(s): National Center for Mobility Management
Urban-Rural Collaborations Help Eliminate Transit Deserts and Improve Mobility Equity
Document
Highlights a partnership between rural and urban counties in Washington state and how they are working
together to expand access to the urban transportation services.
Author(s): Windler, B.
Organization(s): Route Fifty: Connecting state and local governmental leaders
Date: 4/2023