Human Services Transportation Coordination

Human Services Transportation Coordination Plans

At the request of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and with guidance and input from human services agencies and public and private transit operators in each county, SEWRPC facilitated the planning process and prepared Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Coordination Plans (“Coordination Plans”) for each of the seven counties in the Region.

The Coordination Plans were prepared under the requirements of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), which requires that a locally-developed public transit-human services coordination plan be developed every four years. Transit projects using funds from the Federal Transit Administration’s Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program (Section 5310) must be derived from a locally-developed plan for public transit and human services transportation coordination. Project eligibility for the Section 5310 program includes the purchase of specialized transit vehicles used to serve seniors and people with disabilities, mobility management, non-vehicle capital purchases, and operating expenses for transportation projects that exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation utilizes the Coordination Plans to determine project eligibility for Wisconsin Employment Transportation Assistance Program (WETAP) funding.

The Coordination Plans are intended to provide a framework to assist community leaders, human services agencies, and public transit agencies to improve transportation services in each county and between counties. The 2021 Coordination Plans assess the existing transportation needs and services in each county, identify unmet needs or service gaps, and present a prioritized list of strategies to address those needs in a cost-effective manner. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Commission staff were unable to conduct an in-person workshop. In lieu of an in-person meeting, public transit agencies and human services providers, including agencies that intend to apply—or who have applied—for funding through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) or the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, other interested parties, and members of the public were invited to participate in an online survey intended to assist in the coordination of human services transportation and transit strategies for seniors, disabled, and low-income populations in Southeastern Wisconsin. In addition, the identified needs and strategies for the coordination plans were further developed in consultation with these representatives at a virtual regional coordination meeting held in April 2021. 

Additional Information 

Each County’s coordination plan may be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the links to the right. For more information on the Coordination Plans or to request paper copies of the plans, or if you need the documentation in an accessible format, please contact Joe Delmagori (jdelmagori@sewrpc.org) or Jennifer Sarnecki (jsarnecki@sewrpc.org) of the Commission staff at (262) 547-6721.