Mobility Management resources available

Over the past two years, the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments (CWCOG) Mobility Management Program has established some important resources for area residents. Some of the projects that have been brought to fruition are the CWCOG Mobility Management webpage, an ongoing public transportation five-county provider route inventory, reflective slap bands and educational material to improve safety at public transportation flag stops, a youth transit focused activity book, and a new trip assistant website. The CWCOG created the program after its inclusion as an unmet need in consecutive versions of the regional Coordinated Public Transportation –Human Services Transportation Plan. The plan is available for review here

The Mobility Management Program is intended to assist in managing and delivering coordinated transportation services to customers, including older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with lower incomes. It is a process focusing on a customer-based approach that addresses individual needs through a wide range of transportation options and service providers. The CWCOG Mobility Management Program is a facilitated referral service that provides education and training and matches an individual’s transportation needs with available accessible transportation. In Cowlitz County approximately 14.6 percent of the renter population is without a vehicle to assist in meeting basic needs.

There are more initiatives and projects on the horizon throughout the new, four-year funding cycle. One of the most notable is the series of How to Ride videos in collaboration with RiverCities Transit and KLTV. Eight planned videos will soon be available for public use on the CWCOG website under the Programs tab. Comparable videos will be prepared for other transit agencies in CWCOG’s five-county region as well.

Throughout the program, staff have attended 14 community events and hosted 23 training sessions to provide resources and assistance to people wanting or needing to use public transportation! The community events include back to school nights, hiring events, resource fairs, and more. These events enable CWCOG staff to meet the community and provide information not only about the Mobility Management Program, but about the available transportation and mobility options. The CWCOG offers training events for members of the five-county Public Transportation Stakeholder Committee, human service agencies, and the general public. In addition, a series of Accessible Transportation Resources training courses were held virtually, and staff are in the process of creating short videos that cover the same information as the live events. The videos will be available on the CWCOG website on the Mobility Management page under Travel Training.

As it moves into its new funding cycle, several projects are in the works to build additional momentum of the program to assist people in accessing public transportation. This includes projects to build interagency coordination, further inform the public about transportation services, and gather information on the needs of transit dependent populations to inform future efforts.

Many of the projects have a common theme of education. Whether it is sharing project updates at the quarterly Public Transportation Stakeholder Committee meeting, hosting a training event during a lunch at a senior center, or handing out the youth activity book at a back-to-school event, it all accomplishes the goal of sharing information to support better understanding and use of our regional bus and transit operations.

Please share information on the Mobility Management Program with employees and others you may know that are facing mobility challenges. Lauren Read, Mobility Management project specialist is available to assist your employees and other groups. Feel free to reach out to her for additional information or you can explore the resources at www.cwcog.org.

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