Models of Rural Transportation for People with Disabilities

The most recent Transportation Act, the “Safe, Accountable, Efficient, Flexible Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” (SAFETEA-LU), was signed into law in 2005. It guides transportation policy and funding through 2009, and provides opportunities to demonstrate innovative transportation solutions for people with disabilities living in rural areas. Section 5317, the “New Freedom Program”, allocates $78 million to states for demonstration projects that “go beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act.” That is, transportation providers cannot use these funds to meet their existing ADA obligations. Section 5311c allocates funding for transportation on Indian reservations. As providers begin to develop new programs in response to SAFETEA-LU, it is important that they first consider the models that have emerged over the past several years. Rural transportation models fall into several categories: (1) public transit, (2) agency-focused, (2) cooperatives, (3) volunteer/voucher, (4) public-private partnerships, and (5) personal ownership