First, see if coordination applies.  Next, decide which kinds of coordination would work best.

Coordination doesn't apply to all transportation problems in all communities. To determine if coordination could improve the transportation services in a particular locality, transportation planners should gather data about the potential transportation service users and the current transportation providers.  The effectiveness and efficiency of current services in meeting the service population's needs must also be analyzed.  Coordination can be an effective local action strategy if there is:

• Substantial unused vehicle time,
• Substantial unused vehicle capacity, or 
• A lack of economies of scale in planning, administration, operations, purchasing, or maintenance.

Unless these conditions exist, other strategies (such as investing more resources and providing more services) would more readily improve transportation services.

Many levels of coordination are possible.  Each community should be striving for that level of coordination that best suits local needs and preferences.  Among the range of strategies to consider are

• Informal information sharing,
• Formal (written) coordination arrangements involving vehicles, scheduling, etc.,
• The management of transportation services by one agency, and
• The consolidation of all local transportation services under one provider agency.

As communities progress up the ladder to consolidation, some benefits become larger but some potential partners may become more reluctant to relinquish control over services to their clients.