Human Services Transportation Coordination

Updated March 2013

Many federal, state, local and private entities provide or support special transportation services for people who have challenges accessing transportation options due to income, disability or age. The dispersion of numerous specialized programs across agencies, however, can lead to ineffective and inefficient services. Many stakeholders have advocated for improved coordination across agencies and programs as a strategy to combat these problems and make specialized transportation easier to use. NCSL has partnered with the Federal Transit Administration and U.S. Department of Labor to track coordination efforts. This page provides links to key NCSL resources on transportation coordination.

Key Topic Areas and NCSL Resources

General Coordination

• A Mission to Serve: State Activities to Help Military Veterans Access Transportation (2013). This book-length report details state-level activities that facilitate access to transportation mobility for all military veterans, including coordination of transportation services.
• NEW! Transportation Access and Mobility Legislative Database (beginning in 2013, regularly updated). This searchable, online database tracks legislation in the states and territories that aims to improve transportation access and mobility for people who have challenges accessing transportation options due to income, disability or age.
• State Transportation Coordination Database (through 2012). This searchable, online database tracks bills, executive orders and statutes related to coordination, study and funding of special transportation programs.
• On the Move: State Strategies for 21st Century Transportation Solutions (2012). This 2012 report explores innovative surface transportation reform laws, policies and programs, including those related to transportation coordination.
• The Transportation Coordination Quarterly Newsletter (2010 to 2012) highlights current policy actions and news concerning human service transportation coordination. To subscribe, contact Jaime Rall.
• Coordinating Transportation Services (2010 LegisBrief) is a quick, absorbable 2-page overview of transportation coordination.
• Human Service Transportation Coordination and Legislative Oversight (2009 report) reviews transportation coordination, including steps legislators can take to effectively oversee coordination programs.
• Yielding to Transportation Needs (2007 article) and The Special Transportation Needs Crisis: Is Coordination the Solution? (2007 LegisBrief) describe coordination approaches and benefits.
• Coordinated Human Service Transportation: State Legislative Approaches (2005 report) is an in-depth, foundational resource on coordination issues, including relevant legislation in all states and D.C.

Coordinating Councils

To better coordinate human services transportation activities, as of January 2013, at least 28 states and the Northern Mariana Islands had created state-level coordinating councils and 29 had reported having councils at the regional level.  These councils facilitate cooperation among governmental agencies and stakeholder groups. These resources offer up-to-date information about coordinating councils and similar efforts:

• Regional Human Service Transportation Coordinating Councils: Synthesis, Case Studies and Directory (2012)
• State Human Service Transportation Coordinating Councils: An Overview and State Profiles (2010 to 2012).  This page includes an overview of state coordinating councils nationwide, as well as in-depth profiles of coordination efforts in Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.