Blog

Transit Desert? Not in this rural Texas community.

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 6, 2024

Paris, a small city in Northeast Texas is connecting its residents through public mobility services. Supported by the community, this service is providing much needed access to healthcare, grocery shopping and socialization. Federal transportation funding in the United States is primarily allocated 80% for highways, 20% for public transit. In rural areas like Paris’s Lamar County, which has a population density of 55 people per square mile, this has led to a lack of mobility options for residents who don’t have access to a car.

Promising Practice

Medical Transportation Using Multiple Programs

With a combination of Title 3 funding and private donations SeniorCare operates a volunteer driver program for medical transportation, using AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteers. They also set out to become knowledgeable about other transportation options in the region, and to share that information with their riders.

Promising Practice

Outreach to Older Adults

On the Go: Enticing Seniors to Try Salina’s Public Transportation program began in 2022 as a partnership between the Salina Senior Center, OCCK Transportation and the Mobility Manager for North Central Kansas. The goal of the program is to increase the number of senior citizens using Salina’s public transportation system.

We’d love to hear from you!

Have more mobility news that we should be reading and sharing? Let us know! Reach out to Sage Kashner (kashner@ctaa.org).

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