Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan

The Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has developed a coordinated human services transportation plan for all Federal Transit Administration (FTA) human services transportation programs. These programs focus on transportation services for persons with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with lower incomes.

The Plan
The planning process included a one-day workshop to identify a vision, list existing services, determine gaps, and prioritize actions to help the area move towards its vision. In addition to providing guidance on how to improve transportation services, the plan is a requirement for the area to access certain federal funding sources. 

After a public review period, the MPO's Transportation Advisory Committee adopted the Coordinated Plan (PDF, 1.4 MB) on May 28, 2008. 


JARC / New Freedom Projects
Projects Funded in 2009The Transportation Advisory Committee of the Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) awarded $224,168 in grant funding from FTA to area transit providers at their May 21, 2009 meeting.

JARC Projects

  • 24/7 Employment Transportation (Guilford County Transportation and Mobility Services) - TAMS proposal  consist of purchasing (1) van and funds to support opertaions. Funding awarded: $43,840 capital and $33.640 operating.
  • Career Express (GTA) - GTA requests JARC support of the Career Express service that provides transit service to and from employment sites in the Airport Area. Funding awarded: $62,126, operating.

New Freedom Projects

  • Greensboro Area Travel Education (GATE) (Joy A. Shabazz Center for Independent Living) - GATE requests support of operations and the production of a "How To Ride" booklet to supplement existing information to persons with disabilities who use public transportation. Funding awarded: $19,121, capital.
  • SCAT (GTA) -  GTA requests to purchase additional Mobile Data Terminals for paratransit vehicles to improve the opertaional efficiency and effectiveness by using ITS technology. Funding awarded: $65,441, capital. 

Funding will be allocated using a competitive selection process as described in the adopted Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan.


Projects Funded In 2008
The completion of the Coordinated Plan in 2008 made some FTA funds available for the area under the Job Access & Reverse Commute and New Freedom grant programs. The MPO accepted project proposals through May 12, 2008 that were consistent with the instructions and specifications in the Coordinated Plan and its appendices. Funded projects are summarized below; these projects will use funds from federal fiscal years 2006, 2007 and 2008. The MPO expects to conduct another call for projects after federal funding allocations for fiscal year 2009 are announced.

JARC Projects

  • 24/7 Employment Transportation (Guilford County Transportation and Mobility Services) - TAMS proposes to provide employment transportation services on a 24 / 7 basis utilizing direct transportation, bus tickets and gas reimbursements. The project will target persons with lower incomes and persons with employment transportation needs from urban centers, rural and suburban areas to suburban employment opportunities, as well as persons from rural and suburban areas to urban employment centers. Funding awarded: $190,515, operating.
  • Purchase of Smaller Wheelchair Equipped Mini-Vans (City of Greensboro / GTA) - GTA requests JARC support to purchase two (2) wheelchair equipped mini-vans to improve operational efficiency and mobility, particularly for SCAT riders who work or seek employment in the outlying employment sites. Funding awarded: $72,000, capital.

New Freedom Projects

  • Greensboro Area Travel Education (GATE) (Joy A. Shabazz Center for Independent Living) - The Joy A. Shabazz Center for Independent Living, Lifespan, and Transportation Advocacy Center will collaborate to establish a travel training program in the Greensboro Urban Area which provides information, advocacy, and travel training for individuals with disabilities. This will include training people with a variety of disabilities to use demand response and/or fixed route transportation which may cross public transportation service boundaries. Funding awarded: $15,818, capital.
  • Mobile Data Terminals for Paratransit Vehicles (City of Greensboro / GTA) - GTA requests New Freedom support to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the paratransit service using Intelligent Transportation Systems technology. Funding awarded: $192,000, capital.
  • Shepherd’s Wheels Southeast (Guilford County Transportation and Mobility Services and the Shepherd’s Center of Greensboro) - TAMS and SCG propose to establish a satellite location of the Shepherd’s Wheels service in the southeast section of Guilford County. The trips will be for non-medical transportation to older adults 60 years old or older for one appointment per week to the grocery store, bank, post office, beauty shop, and / or to visit loved ones in nursing homes or hospitals. Funding awarded: $5,830, operations.