Yielding to Transportation Needs

In this Article

  • The Growing Need
  • Transportation Programs a Jumble
  • Is Coordination a Solution?
  • A New Old Idea
  • Happier Customers
  • Caution
  • Need Not Going Away
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September 2007

By Matt Sundeen

Getting around is central to life in America. On a daily basis, we travel to work, school, medical appointments, the grocery store, movie theaters, sporting events, piano lessons and church. For many people, mobility is only as difficult as finding the keys to the car. But for a significant number of Americans  without access to a car because of old age, disability or poverty, getting around can be an ordeal. Although some can use the subway, bus or rail, they aren’t avaliable for everyone, including rural populations and people hampered by a physical impairment.

As baby boomers age, more Americans will begin to look for alternatives to cars and public transportation. States will face fiscal and logistical challenges to finding ways to keep a significantly older population mobile.