Analysis of Employment Transportation Services for the JobLinks Program

Affordable and reliable transportation to work is a critical requirement for successful employment outcomes of low-wage workers. Employment Transportation services are specially funded services to transport low-income individuals to employment locations and other destinations that support work, such as job-training centers and childcare facilities. ET services have been funded by a variety of sources including the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation, with match from other sources. ET services in a region are developed by means of Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP), a planning mechanism to identify the transportation needs of mobility-disadvantaged individuals, including low-wage workers, seniors, persons with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups, in coordination with public, private and non-profit organizations involved in their well-being. The objective of this report is to examine the role of workforce development agencies in the CHSTP process and to present findings regarding the labor market and mobility outcomes of low-wage workers who use ET services to access jobs and job training sites. The analysis is based on primary data collected from surveys of lead organizations responsible for developing the CHSTP and partner organizations (including workforce development agencies), in 24 urban, small urban and rural areas located in 10 federal regions. Representatives of these organizations provided insights regarding their activities relating to plan and project development. Program managers and users of a total of 26 transit-based ET services operating in these areas were also surveyed, providing insights into the nature of service operations and labor market and transportation outcomes experienced