Peter Appel, the Administrator of Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), recently wrote about the grand opening of Aiken, South Carolina's Aging, Disability & Transportation Resource Center (ADTRC), a project of the United We Ride/RITA sponsored Mobility Services for All Americans program.   You can read Administrator Appell's observations here.

Administrator Appell's comments focus primarily on the implications of the Intelligent Transportation Systems technology employed in the Aiken Resource Center and how technology can improve coordination and the customer experience.  Meanwhile, the opening of the ADTRC, operated by the Lower Savanah Council of Governments, has another major implication for coordinated transportation solutions.

Many communities around the country have Aging and Disability Resource Centers, funded by the Administration on Aging (AoA).  Though many of these centers will handle transportation issues, frequently they are only able or permitted to transport customers of AoA programs.  Aging and Disability Resource Centers have long been outstanding partners in the coordination process at the local level, but the opening of the Aiken ADTRC marks the first time that the broader community transportation resources and services have been incorporated with the aging and disability services under one roof, literally!  The Aiken ADTRC has combined funds from the Administration on Aging, Department of Transportation, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Systems Transformation Grant program — truly a coordinated service and funding model.

The goal of the Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) initiative is to improve transportation services and simplify access to employment, healthcare, education, and other community activities through advanced technologies like Intelligent Transportation Systems, and by extending transportation service partnerships with consumers and human service providers at the federal, state, and local levels across various modes of transportation, social welfare programs, and geographic areas.  The ADTRC is one of three national demonstration one-call centers funded by the MSAA initiative. The Purchase Area Transportation Coordination Center in Paducah, Kentucky, opened this spring.

For more information about the Mobility Services for All Americans -program, visit RITA’s website.  You can also visit the Aiken ADTRC website for more information on their programs.