Lack of transportation after an older adult can no longer drive, is huge barrier to getting the services we need, maintaining connections to others and being able to live independently. Stop for a moment and think about how you would live your life if you couldn’t drive anymore.

In Washoe County, nearly 20% of people who depend on public transit are over the age of 65. The highest densities of elders currently served by RTC are in central Sparks and Reno, Mira Loma, pockets in west Reno and southeast Reno and near the Peppermill. Cold Springs, the area south of Spanish Springs, and most of south Reno are not currently served by RTC. The RTC ACCESS van system serves disabled residents countywide. If you live, plan to live or know a senior/disabled person who lives in any of these unserved areas, your advice to RTC is urgently needed now.

Every four years the Washoe Regional Transportation Commission is required to revise its long-term plan for services to seniors and those with disabilities. It’s called the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (CTP for short). RTC is seeking public comment on the draft CTP through January 2024. You can find it online at https://rtcwashoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CTP-2024-FINAL-_ACCESSIBLE-Edit.pdf.

The CTP is required by federal law Title 49 USC 5310 that provides funds to RTC to use for our senior/disabled community, called “the Section 5310 Program”. These days, RTC uses these federal grant dollars internally, but created an identical grant fund using local tax dollars to award local grants that have less strings and reporting, and ability to use up to 100% of the funds for daily operations (ex: drivers) rather than capital improvements (ex: vehicles). These 5310 grants can go to state or local government (ex.: state agencies, county, cities, GIDs, tribes, etc.) or private nonprofits (ex.: N4, United Cerebral Palsy, Sanford Center, Seniors in Service, Access to Healthcare, churches, etc.) or operators of public transportation that receive a Section 5310 grant indirectly through a recipient (ex.: taxi companies, Lyft, Uber that provide rideshares to the general public on a regular basis).

The CTP addresses ways to maximize the use of existing resources and increase the efficiency of transportation service delivery among various agencies and organizations through private, non-profit, and public sectors and specifies the types of grants RTC can fund. Overall, this is an opportunity to identify unmet needs for seniors and people with disabilities, reduce duplication of services, improve the coordinated transportation system in the region and describe ideas for RTC grants. Many stakeholders gave input to the current draft plan, but more ideas are needed. Through January 17, 2025, you can give your ideas to RTC Planning Manager Graham Dollarhide at [email protected] or 775 332 9519.

Mr. Dollarhide said, “The top five priorities in the draft plan include: expanding RTC service to currently unserved areas, providing more information and training to the senior/disabled community; improving existing options with higher service such as door-through-door-service, creation of a coordinating council of all transit providers for meetings and an information clearinghouse and finding better ways to use existing funds.”

You can also attend and make comments about the CTP at the next RTC Commission meeting on January 17, 2025 (third Friday) at 9am at RTC’s 1105 Terminal Way offices. You can also send your comments to that meeting by emailing [email protected]; or leave a voicemail (limited to three minutes) at (775) 335-0018.

If you know of a group that fits any of these categories that currently has or would like to apply for a Section 5310 grant to start a transportation service for the seniors/disabled population it serves, please have them read the CTP and email or phone Graham Dollarhide at RTC. For more information you can always contact me at [email protected] or 775 240 2745.