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Building Equitable Transportation Alliances for Texans with Disabilities and Low-Income Citizens

Our mission is to organize Texans—individuals with disabilities, seniors, and low-income citizens—towards achieving equitable transportation via local and statewide alliances. We focus on reauthorization of key programs, promoting public transportation coordination, and advocating for specific policy improvements. Through grassroots campaigns, strategic partnerships, and community engagement, we aim to enhance transit services and create lasting relationships that support our goals. Join us in transforming transportation into a community asset for all.

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Building Equitable Transportation Alliances for Texans with Disabilities and Low-Income Citizens

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  1. is to organize people with disabilities, seniors, low-income citizens, and other concerned Texans for equitable transportation through local and statewide alliances. Our mission:

  2. State/Federal Alliance: • Reauthorization • $5 million in JARC programs • State and Local Media Campaigns • Mandated Public Transportation Coordination (funding and services) • Changed State DOT Rules: • More local funding flexibility • More support for alternatives • Specific policy improvements • Gas Taxes paying for Public Transit (including Health/Humans Services)

  3. Local Alliance and Campaign Activities Lubbock Local Alliances: Transit Campaigns Transit Planning  Transit Coordination MPO Certification  Housing and Urban Development  Travel Training  New Job Access $ Pedestrian Audits  Ambassador Program

  4. Elections • Imply a relationship of support for “x” issue or candidate. • Too often a campaign is a blunt approach to a basic marketing objective. • Campaigns should be about winning the hearts and minds of voters. • How can we do a better job of building relationships of support?

  5. A different way . . . • Three examples – Austin, Lubbock, Tarrant Co. – of building a solid foundation on which campaigns are a confirmation. • Activities that create an atmosphere for relationship building. • Highlight the key lessons learned.

  6. Prompt Awareness & Creativity Get a Street-Level View Small Group Problem Solving Find Consensus Capital Metro - Community Connections • Making amenities a community asset. • Teaching agency staff a different way to related to customers and community. • Building a “can do” image. Staff Elected officials Users Community leaders

  7. Capital Metro – Investment as an Incentive • Building strategic relationships early • Building a winning team for commuter rail and economic development. • Champions, Junkets, and a Challenge • Regionalism

  8. Lubbock • CitiBus proposes cutting Saturday service and routes. • Citizens get council to to reject the proposed changes – now what? • Understanding the challenges. • Getting an ESPA/CTAA planning grant. • Opportunity for stakeholders to learn. • Process for articulating each interest. • Time to build trust and empathy.

  9. Richland Hills • Richland Hills files for an election to decide if it will continue to have a $.05 sales tax for transit. • The-T provided a TRE station and per capita the highest level of transit services in the area. • Why? • Walmart moved to North Richland Hills!

  10. Keys to HELPING your transit agency discover that TRANSIT can be a COMMUNITY ASSET Relationships are not built over night Research Process is important Values clear and direct actions Message and messenger is important Closing the deal

  11. Research • Focus Groups • Survey • Intuition • Talk to key people/communities/customers • Listening sessions • Don’t forget to follow-up and measure!

  12. Process • Review operations, activities, investment that it already makes for innovations. • Look for ways to improve customer/community involvement and their investment in the outcome. • Look for give participants a sense of accomplishment and meaningfulness. • Education, relationship building, image refinement can be second tier objectives.

  13. Lead with values • Good stewart of the public trust • Customer service is our mission • A reliable partner • Humility • Empathy • “Virtue is always bold” Shakespear

  14. Message • Use research to develop strategy, message, targets; then stick to the plan. • The best message has substance supporting it. • It takes time to help people understand, appreciate, feel good about, or want something. • Connecting through existing trust relationships is a short cut to customers, neighborhoods, communities, and to voters.

  15. Closing • You can do all this awareness, education, relationship building and feel good stuff AND get nothing. • The close, has to be part of the plan. • In an election - ask for the vote. • In relationship building – ask for mutual respect. • Converting respect to a yes, is much easier than converting unawareness into yes.

  16. Conclusion • May sound like a lot of work, BUT: • NGO’s are uniquely qualified • Agencies will pay a fair wage for these professional services • The alternative – losing an election – is harder and more distasteful.

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