Disadvantaged say improvements needed in public transportation

Members of the disadvantaged population-those disabled from birth, from an accident or because of age-face many barriers to leading a normal lifestyle, including access to transportation. A survey by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute to find how well the transit service needs of the disadvantaged are being met in North Dakota found that while respondents are largely satisfied with transit services, a higher percentage of disadvantaged North Dakotans reported transportation problems than the national average.

North Dakota has a disadvantaged population of over 98,000 which amounts to just over 15 percent of the total population. The survey shows more than half the disadvantaged earn $15,000 or less per year. Many live in rural areas where there is a lower tax base to fund public services. Counties with lower population densities actually tend to have higher concentrations of disadvantaged. Slope County, for example, has the lowest total population in the state and the highest percentage disabled population at 28.3 percent. A large percentage of the disadvantaged population is made up of the elderly, a segment that continues to grow.

Mobility, the ability to go to work or school, obtain medical help, go shopping or interact with friends and family, plays an important role in allowing the disadvantaged to participate in the social and economic system.

Respondents indicated various sources for transportation, including driving themselves, a personal auto with a driver, public transportation, and riding with friends or family members. Driving by themselves and riding with family members were the most common means of transportation, followed by public transportation. Some do not want to ride public transportation; many have spent their lives in rural areas and have no experience with public transportation. Others would use public transportation if it were available to them.

Most respondents, 88 percent, had a short distance to travel, five miles or less, to a community where they conduct most of their business. This may suggest there is limited public transit available to respondents in rural areas.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation subsidizes many types of public transit throughout the state. The choice of transit varies because different counties have also sought out federal funding assistance. The disadvantaged are eligible for subsidized travel assistance in all counties, including taxis in some counties.

Demand response rather than fixed route is the most common type of transit available and may occur as a senior center bus, paratransit, county bus or van. This type of service is flexible enough to offer door-to-door service.

Respondents were asked if they had any unmet transportation needs, and nearly 61 percent indicated they did. The most requested improvements in service included increased service hours, lower fares, more convenient scheduling and reduced riding time. There is especially a need for increased transportation for weekends and holidays. Advance time required to reserve a ride, often one to three days, was considered too long by many respondents.

In general, respondents agree that transportation providers in North Dakota are doing an acceptable job of serving their clients. Expanded service, primarily on weekends and holidays, is the major concern. Fares are always an issue, with customers wanting them lower and providers feeling they need to be higher to meet costs of doing business. Most systems in the state are already subsidized by federal funding.

Coordination by all agencies involved in providing transportation to the disadvantaged may be the best solution to meeting the need for expanding hours of service, and may also help with scheduling and the number of trips providers can make. Maximum use of federal funding and coordinating services are two probable means to provide increased transportation services to the disadvantaged in North Dakota.