Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES— Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) has finalized the Public Transit Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan, and it is now available on MRPC’s website. A coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan identifies the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults and people with low incomes, provides strategies for meeting those local needs and prioritizes transportation services for funding and implementation.

In 2007, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) contracted with regional planning commissions and councils of governments to develop public transit- human services transportation plans. In 2012 and 2017, MoDOT contracted the same organizations to complete five-year updates to the 2007 plan. MoDOT has a long history of working with regional planning commissions that dates to the mid-1990s. Regional planning commissions have developed transportation advisory committees and have been coordinating transportation planning at the local level for many years.

The plan provides an assessment of available transit services that identifies current transportation providers, an assessment of transportation needs for individuals with disabilities, older adults and people with low income, opportunities to achieve efficiencies in service delivery; and priorities for implementation based on resources, time and feasibility for implementing specific strategies. All projects selected for federal transit funding must be outlined in a plan.

Transportation needs were compiled through four meetings held throughout the 2017-18 year and a needs survey that was sent out to clients of transportation, transportation providers and non-transportation service providers.  The needs that received high importance status were:

• Funding for public transit;
• Coordinating services and communities;
• Preparing for growing baby boomer population producing more need for services;
• Lengthen hours of operation for all uses including employment and more flexible scheduling;
• Expanding public transit services to include life enhancement, such as recreational activities, educational and lifelong learning needs;
• Funding that allows for job-related transportation services;
• Removing barriers to service;
• Expanding service for medical calls/rides for people with intellectual and physical disabilities;
• Developing private partnerships to support transit services with employers and retailers, or large employers;
• Resolving insurance/liability issues to allow for sharing of vehicles between agencies; and
• Increasing options to assist with van purchases and to assist local agencies with 20 percent match for vehicles.

The plan was approved by MRPC’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), which presented it in front of the MRPC full board where it was approved.

For a full copy of the document, visit www.meramecregion.org/publications.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 23, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

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