Region V illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota Department of Transportation (2039)

Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, Inc. (521)

AEOA Rural Rides (473)

Location: Arrowhead region (MN)

Type: Information-Based Services/Mobility manager

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: Mobility Management project working under the Rural Rides program. Three full time Mobility Managers and one part time Mobility Manager coordinate rides and provide client transportation service in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota. One Program Manager oversees the Rural Rides program.

Evaluation: The Program Manager leads all monitoring and evaluation activities and currently keeps Rural Rides program data sheets illustrating the number of rides, mode of transportation, destination, volunteer driver information, persons served, location of service, and other program information. All Rural Rides participants are enrolled into Rural Rides through "Visions,” an internet-based data tracking system that Minnesota Community Action agencies use to measure the impact of certain service programs. This tracking system allows Rural Rides Mobility Managers and the Program Manager to monitor the quality and quantity of service provided to individual participants.

Accomplishments: AEOA has been very successful in connecting low-income persons with employment at Fortune Bay Casino and Resort, located on Lake Vermillion, approximately 25 miles from the Quad City (Virginia, Mt. Iron, Gilbert, and Eveleth) area. Because of staggered shifts there are not a significant numbers of person traveling from the Quad City area to Fortune Bay at the same time. This makes a bus route impractical. Rural Rides has provided temporary volunteer drivers to new and at risk employees who lack transportation to and from work. Once a work schedule has been established, Rural Rides advocates work with the program participant to establish a ride share situation. AEOA has increased the percentage of program participants who have found or maintained employment from 61% in 2008 to 84% in 2009. 

Lessons learned: Some job counselors have been over anxious to place persons in jobs and haven't considered the job seekers ability to maintain reliable transportation to and from work after JARC support ceases. We have taken steps to insure that each participant has a long term plan for maintaining employment and in unrealistic situations we confer with job counselors.

Clay County Rural Transit (376)

Heartland Industries Route (336)

Location: City of Moorhead (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Demand response

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: Clay County Rural Transit provided bus service transportation for people with disabilities in the City of Moorhead. The bus service picked up people at their homes and brought them to work in the morning, with a return trip in the afternoon. The Heartland Industries route enabled people who were low-income and with disabilities to go to work at sheltered workshops throughout the community.

Evaluation: The project is evaluated by how many rides were provided and the by the number passengers per hour. The organization also tried to provide rides to people who were low-income and had disabilities. The route provided over 21,000 trips and 6.9 rides per service hour.

Accomplishments: Clay County Rural Transit successfully increased ridership to their transit system in 2009. The routes enabled people who were low-income and with disabilities to go to work and obtain meaningful employment. The route increased ridership over the course of the year.

Lessons learned: In developing a partnership with a client service based industry for transportation, it is important to be clear on the responsibilities of the project. A designated contact for the partnership should be required. This contact person should be responsible for the daily schedule changes for the route. By providing proper transfer of information for each client, a more efficient transit route is established.

Duluth Transit Authority (680)

DTA JARC Route 18 (786)

Location: City of Duluth (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Expanded geographic coverage

Service description: Route 18 is a fixed route in the City of Duluth. This is a new route that connects the University of Minnesota Duluth Hub with the Millerhill Mall lines. It also serves several major employers in a more suburban setting, as well as housing complexes of below average income people.

Evaluation: This route is measured by the number of riders per hour and whether total ridership meets or exceeds the set goals of the project. The goal of the route was to have 33,750 rides and 15 riders per hours during the first nine months of the route. Ridership for the year totaled 67,372 and ridership per hour was over 23 passengers.

Accomplishments: Providing more transit opportunities in the City of Duluth for students and workers. Exceeding the total ridership goals and matching the number of riders per hour goal were also a major accomplishment. Ridership continued to grow with more employment trips made.

Lessons learned: This was the second year of this service that is heavily used by college students. The students knew about the service and made housing decisions with it in mind. They also looked for the employment opportunities provided by the route. It is important to market this type of service in the spring as well as the fall.
It takes time to develop a new route, even with strong ridership potential. The economic downturn has had a negative impact to this route. Less available jobs in the Miller Hill Mall area have reduced a higher ridership potential.

DTA JARC Route 20 (788)

Location: City of Duluth (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Expanded geographic coverage

Service description: Route 20 is a typical reverse commute fixed route. The route starts in the downtown Duluth area and then goes out to United Health, Air Park, and Cirrus. In September, the DTA added a park and ride lot on this route and marketed the express nature of the route.

Evaluation: This route is measured by the number of riders per hour and whether the total ridership meets or exceeds the set goals of the project. The total ridership goal was 18,750 and ten riders per hour during the first nine months of 2008. Ridership for 2009 was 42,714, which also exceeded the hourly goals for the route.

Accomplishments: Route 20 serves areas where the potential ridership has been forced to drive for many years. Through August of 2008 ridership increased every month. The route exceeded ridership goals and matched projections in 2008. The total number of riders for this route during the first nine months of 2008 was 21,788, with 9.9 rides per hour. In 2009, the connections to the route were improved and the express service was marketed. Ridership continued to grow, although not at the original business that the route was focused on.

Lessons learned: The economic downturn and job losses at some of the employers on this route continues to affect the ridership. Even with these factors, the route was able to exceed the goals of the projected ridership. Of the two JARC projects, the number 20 Route took longer to reach the ridership goals because this route is more geared to the general working population than other routes that focus on college ridership.

Kandiyohi Area Transit, JPB (375)

Willmar Industrial Park Route (339)

Location: City of Willmar (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Flexible routing

Goal: Improved system capacity

Service description: The Kandiyohi Area Transit (KAT) Work Route using vehicle #81, is a deviated route service that provides residents in the downtown, south, and southeast portions of Willmar (within the city limits) transportation on a new bus to access jobs in Willmar’s Industrial Park and to downtown employers. Bus stops are identified by bus signs at highly populated areas and utilizing a bus shelter located in downtown Willmar. This service is available Monday through Friday, 5:45 AM-8:45 AM and 3 PM-6PM. The deviated route provides direct transportation from highly-populated, low-income residential areas of Willmar to major employers located in the industrial park.

Evaluation: Evaluation is done by surveying passengers, employers, and analyzing ridership trends and times.

Accomplishments: KAT being able to provide some regular riders with a more direct and efficient routing to their employment. The growth in ridership from 0 passengers to 285 passengers in five months. KAT offered a free week of fares for promotion of the route.

Lessons learned: Promotions are very important. If people do not know about the service, they cannot use the service. Continue the route to ensure that it is reliable; people want to make sure that they can trust the service before they will use it consistently.

Metropolitan Council (748)

Metropolitan Council Van-GO (1014)

Location: Isanti, Chisago, Polk, St. Croix, Pierce, Goodhue, Rice, LeSueur, Sibley, Mcleod Wright, and Sherburne counties (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Vanpool (service only)

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: Van-GO! is a regional vanpool program providing rideshare opportunities utilizing a coordinated van fleet provider program. This program matches riders and drivers who benefit from the same vanpool. By vanpooling in Minnesota, congestion, fuel expense, emissions, the number of parking spaces used, and employee out of pocket expenses are all reduced.

Evaluation: Vanpool rosters are maintained and regularly audited to ensure that program requirements of five or more riders per vanpool are being met. Each participant who is registered in the regional rideshare database is assigned to individual vanpool rosters upon which each vanpool reports monthly ridership by registered rider. This accounts for how many people are participating, the patronage of each vanpool, how many empty seats are available, and number of active pools operating at any given time.

Accomplishments: Metropolitan Council formed three new vanpools in 2009 and started the year with 66 active vanpools . By December, there were only 58 active Vanpools . The decrease in program use is attributed to recession in the Twin Cities economy and sweeping layoffs within suburban area employers who actively participated in the Vanpool program. As a result of these economic factors, annual patronage declined by 8% and employer outreach declined accordingly in 2009 with fewer companies sponsored commuter fairs for their employees.

Commuter Challenge promotions were held April through June to fewer participating employers than last year. In late 2009, a new online Vanpool reporting system was implemented, providing Vanpool administrators a streamlined “paperless” system linked to the regional rideshare database. The region also embarked on a Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategic plan study to learn how TDM activities in the region are conducted, what the results are, how TDM Programs are funded, and to understand areas of strength and areas needing improvement to successfully implement TDM strategies in Minnesota. 

Lessons learned: Economic factors have impact on creating and operating a Vanpool program. The number of jobs available and fuel prices affect the success of the program. Technology is also an important factor for managing a program. Having the proper computer software can lead to success for matching riders. Nonstop marketing is vital to maintaining the needed ridership to sustain the program.

Moorhead Metropolitan Area Transit (749)

MAT Summer Mid-Day (1008)

Location: City of Moorhead (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Extended hours/ days of service

Service description: Prior to the JARC grant, four of Moorhead's six daytime fixed routes changed from 30-minute frequency to 60-minute frequency, midday, during the summer weekdays from Memorial Day until late August. One bus traveled on two 30-minute routes from approximately 9:00 AM to 3 PM. Routes 1 and 4 interlined, as did routes 3 and 5. The JARC project eliminated the summer schedule and continued 30-minute frequency on all routes year-round during peak and off-peak hours. This added three hours of service to four routes Monday through Friday during the summer, for a total of 756 new hours per year. These new routes have provided passengers new opportunities to use the bus service to go to jobs throughout the City of Moorhead.

With only hourly midday service in the summer (prior to the JARC grant), not all of the six Moorhead routes met for timely transfers every 30-minutes. This left a 30 minute layover at the transfer point in order to continue travel between some of the MAT routes. These inconvenient layovers made travel time longer and provided a barrier for many riders traveling to work, school, etc. Adding service midday brought continuity in the frequency of service and provided a higher level of confidence in public transit. Travel time was reduced, making public transit a viable transportation mode to work commuters.

Evaluation: Evaluating ridership during the summer midday hours with information retrieved from the electronic registering fareboxes. This information is reviewed by the Metro Area Transit Coordinating Board.

Accomplishments: MAT increased ridership during the summer midday and maintained ridership year round. In 2009, ridership on MAT summer midday during the new service hours increased by 9%, from 12,583 in 2008, to 13,755 in 2009 during the same time period.

Lessons learned: Continuity in hours of service year round provides passengers with confidence that MAT can be their primary mode of transportation to work. Eliminating passenger confusion regarding schedule changes during the summer was beneficial in obtaining and maintaining new riders year round.

PossAbilities of Southern Minnesota (674)

Possabilities Travel Training (766)

Location: City of Rochester (MN)

Type: Information-Based Services/One-on-one transit training ("travel training")

Goal: Improved customer knowledge

Service description: Recognizing that public transportation is critical to the success and integration of individuals with disabilities into the workplace and the fabric of our communities, PossAbilities sought to establish a mobility management program focused on preparing, training, and equipping individuals with disabilities to safely and effectively use public transportation, specifically the city bus, for their commute to and from their jobs.

The desired outcome of PossAbilities’ mobility management project was multi-dimensional: -

- Individuals with disabilities would be able to reduce or eliminate their dependence on less-efficient and more-expensive transportation to access employment through use of public transportation

- The assumption of door-to-door transportation automatically being provided would begin to change across the community of service providers and individuals with disabilities

- Ridership on our city bus system would increase, thus more effectively utilizing mass transit within our community

- Individuals with disabilities would enjoy increased access to their entire community
Creation of two Community Transportation Specialist positions increased use of public transportation by:
- Providing customized supports and bus training for individuals with disabilities
- Conducting training and providing support for agency staff in gaining an understanding of our city bus system, the importance of access to public transportation in the lives of those with disabilities, and their role in supporting people with disabilities in their use of public transportation
- Creating public awareness of the mobility management project among community members 

Evaluation: In addition to the basic goals laid out in the grant application, we identified timelines for implementation of grant components, sought feedback from within PossAbilities, conducted informal surveys with individuals who received training, compared initial goals with actual accomplishments, and identified ways in which we could have been more effective in our implementation, things left undone that should be included in subsequent years and those which could (and perhaps should) remain so.

Accomplishments: From the March 1 official start of our grant through September 30, we were able to train and transition five individuals with disabilities who had never ridden a city bus and fully dependent on PossAbilities for their transportation to and from work, to fully independent individuals using the city bus for that same commute. Their personal transformation as they gained the skills and confidence in using the city bus and became independent riders was amazing and inspiring to watch. During that same period, we provided training to 12 individuals with disabilities who were current bus riders to learn new routes, had many others in the planning phase, and provided consultation to program staff and agencies on how we could provide services for their clients. In addition to training individuals, we provided training to roughly 90 staff of PossAbilities to explain our grant project, establish or increase their understanding of our local bus system, the importance of its use in the lives of those they support, and their role in making it a reality for individuals with disabilities. This training was a critical factor in overcoming resistance and changing a mindset within the organization.

One of our programs provides day services to individuals who are among the most severely disabled in our community. After the management and staff of this program received training focused at understand our local bus system and, more importantly, addressing and overcoming their own fears, biases, and assumptions, a commitment was made to utilize the city bus for some portion of day outings taken with their clients.

As a program with a community integration focus, their severely disabled clientele were provided an opportunity to routinely experience and engage in their community in an entirely new fashion, opening up opportunities to make connections within their community. This startup project allowed us a rare opportunity: changing a mindset of assumption that individuals with disabilities will be provided door-to-door transportation. It is now accepted by DT&H programs, County Social Services, and our high schools that use of the city bus system by individuals with disabilities should be considered and tried first.

We were able to more clearly identify the extent of barriers faced by individuals with disabilities in using the city bus for their transportation. The lack of bus service to all parts of the city, with enough routes running throughout the day, evening, and Saturdays, and the complete absence of Sunday service leaves many who are capable of using the city bus for some of their transportation needs with no access to it.

Lessons learned: Working with staff to overcome resistance to something that was different than established routines, perceived as inconvenient, or not feasible for individuals with disabilities was far more challenging and time-consuming than anticipated. The Vulnerable Adult Act of the State of Minnesota creates far more time-consuming challenges than anticipated. Addressing the relevant issues slowed down the process considerably, sometimes by weeks and months. Far more time and effort is required than anticipated to address the concerns of an individual’s entire support team (includes parents/guardians, social workers, group home management and staff, program staff, and others involved in supporting the goals of the individual) through assessments, in Abuse Prevention Plans, in creating training plans, and certainly in the day-by-day challenges of communication during training. Conducting the actual training with an individual was by far the easiest—and certainly the most rewarding—part of the process.
A well-defined distinction between the role of the travel trainer versus that of program or support staff and support team is an important factor in the ability to train a significant number of individuals. Asking a travel trainer to participate in planning meetings with the support team keeps decisions and advance arrangements more properly with those experienced in and responsible for them. This allows the travel trainer to focus on their role in assessing needs, planning for and conducting training, and creates a program environment in which the travel trainer can work with a greater number of individuals.
What advice would you give to someone else starting a service like yours? Professional education from organizations experienced in setting up programs such as this should be done as early as possible for new program staff. The two staff hired for this project received training through Easter Seals five months into a 10-month grant period. Had this happened more immediately, they would have been far better equipped to set up the program.
A small-but-dedicated advisory team involved in an intensive manner for the earliest months and tapering off to a more standard advisory capacity will short-cut the work of setting up a new program, and allow new staff to become truly productive and effective far sooner. Advisory team makeup should include:
- Key management staff who understand organizational operations and are able to remove unnecessary internal barriers
- Experienced program staff from within the organization
- Representatives from the wider community of those providing services to and supporting individuals with disabilities, and
- Perhaps a few knowledgeable volunteers with time available to assist new program staff in the earliest months
Their assistance will be invaluable in areas such as:
- Knowing who to involve early on to clearly identify needs and objectives, and define the parameters of the program
- Creating a framework of operation
- Developing specifics for communication, processes, tracking and reporting
- Answering logistical questions, anticipating barriers and developing strategies for dealing with them, and removing barriers wherever possible, both real and artificial
Create mentoring relationships with organizations experienced in setting up similar programs to provide guidance and act as resources for those setting up new programs.

St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit (717)

St. Cloud METRO BUS Route 75 (969)

Location: St. Cloud (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Extended hours/ days of service

Service description: Route 75 supports a major south St. Cloud corridor in the Metro Bus service area. This route provides service to a number of businesses and many large multiple housing units with connections to St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and downtown St. Cloud. The majority of the service is used for work commutes, transportation to and from St. Cloud State University, and to the downtown Transit Center for connection to the rest of the service area.

Evaluation: Route 75 is evaluated by a measure of passengers per hour. This route has exceeded expectations and is filling a service gap that previously was provided by a limited public Dial-a-Ride availability. Fixed route service offers greater reliability and convenience for workers, students, and older riders along this route. Route 75 provides an average of eight passengers per hour, which meets the expectation for this suburban service area.

Accomplishments: Being able to extend fixed route service along the Route 75 corridor was a major accomplishment for Metro Bus, since this corridor was identified several years ago in our long range plan for fixed route service, but was only able to be served by Dial-a-Ride. Previous public Dial-a-Ride availability was inadequate to meet the demand for transit service along this route corridor in the past. Ridership has averaged eight passengers per hour since inception in January 2008; right on target for this type of suburban fixed route service.
A marketing campaign was created with the assistance of a local advertising agency to create direct mail campaign. The campaign consisted of three over-sized postcards mailed during the spring of 2009. The postcards included the route map and schedule, as well as free ride coupons, of which slightly over 100 were redeemed.

Lessons learned: Route 75 performance can be improved by extending the days and hours of the route to include weekday peak hour, evening, and weekend service, including extending the route all the way to the SCSU campus and downtown Transit Center. Planning for this will was included in the 2035 Long Range Transit Plan Update adopted in the fall of 2009.
In a rider survey of Route 75 passengers taken some time after the route began, 37% of Route 75 passengers earn less than $10,000 per year; 63% earn less than $25,000 per year.

St. Cloud METRO BUS Sunday Service (886)

Location: St. Cloud (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Fixed route

Goal: Extended hours/ days of service

Service description: This JARC project allowed Metro Bus to begin Sunday fixed route service starting May 2009 for the first time since the 1950s. Metro Bus service has become a seven-day-a-week community for workers and people of all economic levels. Providing fixed route service on Sunday has been the number one request from Metro Bus riders for nearly the past two decades. Currently, Metro Bus operates 13 routes on Sunday. By offering more convenient fixed route schedules during the day versus Dial-a-Ride at a lower cost per trip for the rider of today ($1 versus $2), many more low-income individuals and families who are transit dependent or single auto households now have a transit service option on Sunday to them with greater convenience.

Evaluation: The primary benchmark Metro Bus uses to evaluate performance of our Sunday fixed route service effectiveness is passengers per hour. Each individual route is evaluated along with the total fixed route Sunday operation. Sunday fixed route service has far exceeded expectations and has been very popular for riders who previously only had public Dial-a-Ride to use on Sundays for work related transportation. Sunday fixed route now averages 15 passengers per hour.

Accomplishments: Being able to offer Sunday fixed route service for the Metro Bus area is a major accomplishment. Due to the JARC program, successful Sunday fixed route service is feasible, allowing many people to access jobs in the St. Cloud area on Sundays when they may not have been able to get to. Many of the riders use the routes to go to work at retail and service-related business locations. Without the Sunday routes being available, people would not be able to go to work at these locations.
Lessons learned: Metro Bus staff has learned that Sunday fixed route service is a very important component of Metro Bus’ overall array of services for workers of all income categories who use transit as their means of transportation. Businesses rely on employees to get to work and having affordable and reliable Sunday fixed route transit options allow workers to access those Sunday jobs. We wish we would have set aside more money for marketing Sunday fixed route service. However, the Sunday service marketing and having route information available is very important in people finding out that fixed route service is available on Sunday.

Trailbazer Transit (637)

WORKSMART (691)

Location: Sibley and McLeod counties (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Demand response

Goal: Improved system capacity

Service description: The JARC service operated by the Trailblazer Joint Powers consists of one 17-passenger bus in operation from 7 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. The service is anchored by a route operating between Winsted, Dassel, and Cokato for individuals working at the Adult Training and Habilitation Center (ATHC) in Winsted. The route operates in both directions in the morning and the afternoon, transporting individuals with disabilities back and forth between group homes, ATHC, and various other job sites. During the middle of the day, the JARC vehicle also provides Dial-a-Ride service to the ATHC workers and to the general public within McLeod County, primarily on the eastern edge of the county.

Evaluation: None

Accomplishments: Trailblazer’s biggest accomplishment relative to the JARC program was that the service started in January 2009, even though Trailblazer did not receive a 5316 vehicle until September 2009. Trailblazer relied on its 5311 fleet to provide the JARC service while the 5316 vehicle was ordered, built, and delivered.
From a customer’s standpoint, the response from both ATHC and its workers has been extremely positive. There are numerous stories about how the service has changed people’s lives. One notable response originated from a mother of an adult worker who believes the JARC service has given her son reason to live because he now goes to work on a public transit bus just like a “normal” person.

Lessons learned: The JARC implementation was well planned and executed, so there were not a lot of problems. Trailblazer certainly reaffirmed that the hard work invested into planning pays off when the time comes to implement and execute. However, Trailblazer did have some difficulty trying to figure out how the bookkeeping system would work for JARC with respect to the financial structure, the farebox collections, and the passenger and operating statistics. Trailblazer was able to accommodate the necessary accounting and procedural changes, but the transition into a system that accounts for 5311 and 5316 programs operating side-by-side was quite challenging.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. (522)

Tri-Valley Bus JARC Routes (474)

Location: Northwest Region (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Demand response

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: The Tri-Valley Opportunity Council Transportation Program requested JARC funds to operate commuter routes in northwest Minnesota. Three routes provided commuter service between Crookston, Minnesota and surrounding communities; one route between Crookston and East Grand Forks; one route between Crookston and Bagley; and one route between Crookston and Thief River Falls. Routes were attempted between Thief River Falls and surrounding communities, but due to lack of ridership the routes didn’t continue. These routes provided job access to older adults, low-income, and persons with disabilities.

Evaluation: Evaluation measures were based on the number of riders who utilized the commuter buses. In 2009, 5,598 riders used the commuter buses to attend work/and or training. This benchmark was considered both an economic impact for the riders by saving on transportation costs as well as an having an environmental impact on the communities, by putting less vehicles on the roads and using less fossil fuels.

Accomplishments: The greatest accomplishment of the JARC commuter buses in 2009 was the number of riders who utilized the service. Marketing information about the commuter routes raised awareness throughout the service area. Radio, television stations, and newspapers ran articles, news clips, and program information as a new service available to the public.
Lessons learned: When starting a commuter route project, be sure to have the 50% local match secure before starting. Many businesses were in support of the commuter routes at the beginning, but due to the downfall in the economy they quickly changed their support when funding support became the discussion point. When planning the commuter routes, the price of fuel was at an all time high; though it quickly decreased after the project was funded. This changed the minds of many consumers to continue to use their own vehicles as fuel was not as cost prohibitive as when the project was in the planning phase.

VINE Faith in Action, Inc. (524)

VINE People to Jobs (1133)

Location: City of Mankato (MN)

Type: Trip-Based Services/Flexible routing

Goal: Improved access/connections

Service description: VINE provides a six-month transitional program for low-income people who are in need of safe and reliable work transportation. The service also allows for the needs of parents to bring their children to daycare and school. Partnerships with local employment services along with marketing to the public provide referrals for the program. The program focuses on providing transportation when or where traditional transit is not available.

Evaluation: Customer service surveys are completed. VINE's Board of Directors review performance measures of the number of riders and destinations. Each month the Board also reviews the partner participation of the program and the revenues versus the cost of the project.

Accomplishments: Creating a safe and reliable transportation service for people to become more self-sufficient. Partnerships with local employment services and the local public transit agency have made it possible to provide some transit training opportunities for those who have not used the services or for immigrant populations. Provide the opportunity to empower employers to positively encourage their staff to ride share. Being able to utilize our Transportation Advisory Committee provides an open communication for needs that arise within the community.

Lessons learned: Being able to provide information on the public transit system is important for those who can use the service but have not ever read a bus schedule or ridden the bus. Working with the low-income means that the people we are serving are also the first to lose their job status in the negative economy. This can drastically change the programs progress. Having an open and strong relationship with the other transportation providers in the area is a great resource when needs in the community arise.