Tribal Transportation Across America

1. Tribal Transportation Across America Charles Dickson Associate Director Community Transportation Association of America

3. Tribal Characteristics • 565 Federally Recognized Tribal Governments in the United States • Self Governing • Tribal Sovereignty • Self Determination • Pass and Enforce Laws • Tax • Establish Criteria for Membership • Regulate Activities

4. Tribal Characteristics – Part 2 • Demographics of the Indian Population • About 2.9 million total population – slightly less than 1% of the total population of the U.S. • About 50% of tribal population lives on, or near “American Indian Areas” formerly “reservations” • Poverty rate of 26% compared to 12% for total U.S. population • Overwhelmingly Rural

5. U.S. Government and Indian Tribes • Sovereignty Recognized in the Constitution • Supreme Court Rulings • Executive Order • Bureau of Indian Affairs • Oversees government • Indian Reservation Roads Program • Indian Trust Funds

6. Tribal Transportation Programs • Only a small number of tribes operate public transportation systems • Operate under the same funding rules as other programs • Obstacles to providing transportation include • Lack of funds • Remote locations of tribes • Lack of coordination in using tribal resources

7. Rural Transit Funding in the US • Federal funding from rural transit comes from the omnibus surface transportation act – SAFETEA-LU • Section 5311 - $250 million - $450 million • Indian set aside $8 million - $15 million • Section 5310 - $90 million - $133 million • Section 5316 - $125 million - $165 million • Section 5317 - $78 million – 92 million

8. Other Sources of Funding For Tribal Mobility • Head Start Programs • Indian Health Service • Medicaid • Tribal Elder Programs • Substance Abuse Programs • Tribal Governments (casino revenue) • Colleges and Universities

12. Examples of Tribal Transit Programs - Navajo • Covers 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers in southwest US • Started in 1979 – one of the first tribal transportation programs • Runs 7 fixed routes each from 50 to 100 miles long • Funded by tribal revenues, federal government

14. Chickasaw Nation Transit • A “non-reservation” tribe • Covers 13 counties (7,600 square miles) in southern Oklahoma – only 70,000 acres are tribally owned • Operates a general public system – tribal members only • Has expanded and coordinate with non-tribal operations

16. Examples of Tribal Transit Programs - Zuni • Zuni Pueblo – small town in western New Mexico • 700 square miles, 10,000 population • Public Transit Run by social service agency (ZEE) • Demand-response within the pueblo • Rides to work

21. Help for Tribes • Tribal Technical Assistance Program • Operated by the Community Transportation Association • Funded by the Us Department of Agriculture • Planning Assistance for: • Facility Development • Service Improvements • System Start Up

22. Example: Sitka Tribe of Alaska • Helped to: • Identify Transportation Providers • Conduct Needs Analysis • Recognize key issues (medical, employment) • Results: • New Fixed Route Service • Funding through Employment Transportation Program