Mobility Management
Source: FTA-funded Technical Assistance Center Photo Gallery
Overview
Mobility management is an innovative approach for managing and delivering coordinated transportation services to customers, including older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals of low income. Mobility management focuses on meeting individual customer needs through a wide range of transportation options and service providers. It also focuses on coordinating these services and providers to achieve a more efficient transportation service delivery system.
Funding Mobility Management
Mobility management is an eligible capital expense under several U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) programs, including:
- Urbanized Area Formula Grants (Section 5307);
- Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310);
- Formula Grants for Rural Areas (Section 5311);
- Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Pilot Program (ICAM).
This means FTA can fund 80 percent of mobility management expenses. For the remaining 20%, Federal Transit Law ((49 U.S.C. § 5307(d)(1)(D); 49 U.S.C. § 5310(d)(3)(B); 49 U.S.C. § 5311(g)(3)(D) and (E)) allows non-DOT federal transportation funding or service contracts to meet matching requirements.
Federal Transit Law (Section 5302) defines mobility management as a capital project, “consisting of short-range planning and management activities and projects for improving coordination among public transportation and other transportation service providers carried out by a recipient or subrecipient through an agreement entered into with a person, including a governmental entity, under [chapter 53] (other than section 5309); but excluding operating public transportation services.”
Examples of mobility management activities eligible for funding include:
- Coordinating transportation services for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and individuals of low income, and ensuring their involvement in the process;
- Convening stakeholders and supporting multisector state and local partnerships to better coordinate transportation services;
- Participating in the development and implementation of coordination plans;
- Providing travel training and trip planning activities for customers;
- Developing and operating call centers to coordinate travel information, manage eligibility requirements, and arrange customer travel;
- Operating transportation brokerages to coordinate service providers, funding resources, and customer needs; and
- Planning and implementation activities related to the purchase of intelligent transportation technologies to operate a coordinated system.
- Funding mobility manager salaries.
Eligible mobility management costs may include activities that appear operational in nature; however, eligibility is limited to coordination and management functions and excludes expenses associated with operating transit services.
Mobility Managers
Mobility managers serve as conveners, policy coordinators, operations service brokers, and customer travel navigators. As conveners, Mobility Managers bring together stakeholders with a shared interest in transportation to identify barriers and problem-solve solutions. As policy coordinators, mobility managers help communities develop coordination plans, programs, and policies, and build local partnerships. They also work to promote land-use policies that favor transit-oriented development, public transportation, and safe pedestrian access. As brokers, they coordinate public transit and human services transportation among all customer groups, service providers, and funding agencies. Finally, as travel navigators, they work with human services agencies and/or workforce centers that coordinate the travel and trip planning needs of individuals who receive human services program assistance.
Resources
The following resources are publications and e-learning courses related to mobility management, produced by FTA, the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM), and/or FTA-funded technical assistance centers.
Relevant Publications
- 2023 – 2026 CCAM Strategic Plan
- National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
- FTA-funded Technical Assistance, Training, and Research Resource Programs
Relevant Courses
- FTA-funded Technical Assistance, Training, and Research Resource Programs