Hello newsletter readers,

NCMM is happy to announce the second iteration of our Issue Focused meetings. Communities from across the country have used this opportunity to dive into issues like emergency transportation management and coordination of transportation resources. It's a great chance to dive into a topic with partners in your work, with meetings facilitated by NCMM staff, and come away with some next steps in making mobility easier in your neck of the woods. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, look for the RFP further in the newsletter. Contact Bill Wagner if you have any questions.

In personal news, this will be my last week at NCMM. I've accepted a position as a transit planner, a job title I've wanted since I was a kid, with the state of Maryland and based in my home city of Baltimore. I'll be working with communities across the state to improve their transit and mobility offerings, along with helping to administer federal and state transit funds.

As my time directly working within the world of mobility management comes to a close, there are a few things that will stick with me in my new position- things that I think those working within transit should ponder:

I'm sure there's things that I haven't thought of are equally important, and I'm sure some that you too could add to this list. But one thing is for sure: being able to support people get around their communities, a human right, is incredibly fulfilling and why we do this work.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Be well,

Kirby Wilhelm

(202) 489-6020

Here are the poll results regarding newsletter subscribers' experience and background coming into mobility management from July's Newsletter.

NCMM is seeking letters of interest from communities who would like to have NCMM facilitate a one-day meeting with mobility management practitioners and their partners to try to solve a particular perplexing mobility issue that requires cross-agency coordination. These meetings will take place in-person between October 2022 and January 2023. NCMM will work closely with the selected communities to co-design these one-day meetings to ensure they effectively address the communities' goals. NCMM will cover costs associated with this meeting. Find out more information about the opportunity and application instructions here.

Did you know about the public-private partnership in Pittsburgh, Pa., to provide free transportation to low-income residents? Or the city of Oakland, California's planning for an e-bike library to cut congestion and emissions? How about the state of Virginia's recent launch of 5311(f) funded intercity long-distance public transportation routes? Checking NCMM's Daily News page daily allows you to stay up-to-date on the latest mobility happenings. Add it to your bookmarks tab today!

NCMM partnered with Community Living Campaign, a San Francisco nonprofit, to share their work with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to reduce social isolation among older adults and people with disabilities through transportation subsidies, leading to improved physical and mental health outcomes for this population. This report showcases the fully subsidized taxi rides program that the Community Living Campaign implemented in San Francisco. Read the brief here.

Bill Wagner, Deputy Director for NCMM, recently spent time in Ohio with Chillicothe Transit, a current Pilot phase grantee as they work to provide better service to residents of Chillicothe and Ross County both now and in the future through a new on-demand service. Read Bill's write-up of his time in Ohio and the good work happening in Chillicothe.

NCMM is pleased to announce the availability of PolicyMap's premium version to the NCMM audience. PolicyMap provides a wealth of demographic and other data that can be used to justify need in targeted areas for funding applications. NCMM will provide access to PolicyMap's premium version for up to 12 months for the first 49 qualified applications received. NCMM is able to offer this limited time opportunity thanks to funding provided by the Federal Transit Administration. If you feel your organization can benefit from the use of PolicyMap for funding applications or improved services you may be working on, please respond to the survey below to be considered.

Check out the new Mobility Management Connections Book Club, the last Monday of the month at lunch time 12:30 p.m. CST. The first book covered will be New Mobilities: Smart Planning for Emerging Transportation Technologies by Todd Litman in August and September. Find out more here. Please have your fare ready, your book bag and let's take a ride on the MMC Book Bus!

On Sep. 21 at 12:30 pm ET, transportation consultant Meredith Greene will discuss how changes per the census data will impact mobility in your community. Questions explored will include: will there be a need for more innovative development of mobility options offered, is there a need for different type of Mobility Management programs based on the shift in demographics, and what should future transportation coordination and planning (growth = demand) consider? You can register for the webinar here.

Every month, NCMM's Technologist, Kevin Chambers, creates a compilation of important mobility and transportation technology news. Published towards the end of the month, the tech updates gives a quick synopsis of each article curated by Kevin, with the link to the article for further reading. Visit July's with over 25 articles and stay tuned for August's which will be released soon.

NCMM is pleased to have been part of a three-part workshop, "The Potential, Promise and the Pain of Public Transportation: A Primer on Accessing, Funding, and Advocating for Transportation" provided in conjunction with the VisionServe Alliance. The three sessions, available to view here, take a deep dive into the world of public transportation and how individuals, organizations and communities can work together to make much needed improvements.

Mobility Management is all about connections. Connecting to your community, partner organizations, and even other mobility managers gives you the opportunity to create better outcomes for the individuals you serve every day. A main goal of NCMM is to facilitate these connections, which is why we have created MyNCMM, our new networking tool.

By creating an account, or updating your existing one on our website, you can start your journey with a MyNCMM account. Easily search for other mobility management professionals across the country to securely connect and chat, or search for those who are implementing programs like yours.

NCMM has created state groups for each of the 50 states and US territories. You can now use that platform, make it your own, and communicate easily with other mobility management practitioners in your state. Join Utah, Oregon, and others in taking advantage of this opportunity.

MyNCMM is also your platform for signing up for the NCMM e-newsletter, MMC Connections, and NCMM's e-learning.

To join, head to NCMM's homepage and click Register in the upper right hand corner. If you already have an account with NCMM, simply update your profile in your account's settings. We look forward to connecting with you!

NCMM wants you to submit Promising Practices from your community! A database of current and recent mobility management practices from across the country is in the works, showcasing implemented programs and services that have introduced a new or enhanced method of delivering mobility management and improved people's ability to travel around their communities. If you're interested in sharing Promising Practices you know about, you can fill out the survey found here.

On June 14, 2022, FTA and FHWA held a joint webinar on "Flex Funding for Transit Access: What is Flex Funding?" The broad authority to transfer funding between federal agencies. For transit agencies, the funding can be used for access improvements to and around transit such as pedestrian and bike access, signage, enhanced access for persons with disabilities to public transportation, bus shelters, and lighting. View much more about the ability to flex FHWA funds for transit by viewing related resources and the archived recording of the webinar, scroll to "Additional Resources" at the bottom of the page.

On March 7, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order directing each federal agency to evaluate ways to promote voting registration and participation. Public transportation plays an important role connecting millions of Americans to jobs, vital services, and civic participation, including voting. FTA acknowledges some of the approaches transit agencies have taken to increase access to voting, suggests more ways transit can help Americans vote, and invites you to share ideas and success stories on the new Transit Programs Increase Access to Voting webpage.

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) is now accepting applications for transit agencies to receive one-on-one technical assistance through the Center's Strategic Technology Technical Assistance Teams (STTATs). N-CATT will work with up to three transportation providers to navigate a technology challenge or opportunity that results in a useful starting product for the agency, such as an implementation plan or ready-to-go technology solicitation. Please submit your application in one document in PDF format to Marcela Moreno.

The Seattle Department of Transportation has published two summaries related to their work with Transit Planning 4 All from their inclusively designed Mobility On-Demand pilot. The summaries explore the lessons learned from inclusively planning the pilot and the lessons learned from implementing a new mobility on-demand service. You can visit these summaries here.

The Shared-Use Mobility Center has recently published a new Mobility Learning Center case study featuring a sliding-scale NEMT program in South Dakota. River Cities Public Transit and Avera St. Mary's Hospital in Pierre partnered to offer a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) service. This case study provides an overview of this project, some lessons, and a video interview with Chuck Quinn, who oversees implementing this pilot.

Mobility Management News is the newsletter of the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), which is operated jointly by the Community Transportation Association, the American Public Transportation Association and Easter Seals under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration.