There are currently 62 federal programs that fund services for people lacking transportation. These programs are under the jurisdiction of 9 different federal departments, often administered and operated independently. This article discusses how intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can be used to help coordinate these human service transportation efforts. ITS applications can improve delivery of human service transportation by boosting service productivity, facilitating service coordination and enhancing system accessibility. The U.S. Department of Transportation is leading two concurrent initiatives related to the enhancement of human service transportation: United We Ride (UWR) and Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA). UWR defines the wide range of issues, challenges and obstacles, while MSAA enables technologies that empower stakeholders to overcome some of the identified issues and obstacles. The UWR/MSAA joint venture, which is still in the design phase, should produce replicable and scalable models of ITS-enhanced human service transportation systems that promote mobility, accessibility and coordination of services. The models should also achieve more efficient use of federal transportation funding.
Abstract