Several state and local agencies have partnered to form Mobility Ohio, a pilot program that aims to make transit easier and more efficient in Coshocton, Guernsey, Muskingum, and Tuscarawas counties.
The program will be a hub that will use software tools and agency coordination to allow people to conveniently schedule trips by phone or online.
Mobility Ohio Committee members are Ohio Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and the Ohio departments of Aging, Developmental Disabilities, Health, Jobs and Family Services, Medicaid, and Transportation.
The partners used a $2.8 million Federal Transit Administration’s Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility program grant to create and fund Mobility Ohio.
State agencies nationwide develop their own programs and policies. In Ohio, 14 state agencies spend a minimum of $500 million annually to provide transportation services that are funded by 12 federal agencies and 130 federal programs. Each county administers funds at the local level, and more than 3,600 organizations deliver services.
The goal of Mobility Ohio is to allow agencies to combine trips and ensure they are paid by the correct funding source.
“We’re taking a complicated and cumbersome process and building a new and efficient system that can be a model for the nation,” Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks said.
If the pilot program is successful, it will be launched statewide.