House Bill 3588, enacted by the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003 requires regional coordination of service planning to fill service gaps and eliminate overlaps in public transportation services. House Bill 3588 added Chapter 461 to the Texas Transportation Code ([1]) that requires TxDOT to:
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- Identify overlaps and gaps in the provision of public transportation services, including services that could be more effectively provided by existing, privately funded transportation resources;
- Identify underused equipment owned by public transportation providers;
- Identify inefficiencies in the provision of public transportation services by any public transportation provider; and
- Encourage public transportation providers to agree on the allocation of specific services and service areas among the providers.
In response to House Bill 3588, TxDOT requires each region in the state to develop a coordinated plan for public transportation and human services transportation. TxDOT defined regions by the boundaries of the 24 councils of governments (COG) in Texas. In conjunction with this requirement, TxDOT also requires that each region establish a lead agency and designate a steering committee to guide and improve regional coordination in order to enhance service delivery, customer satisfaction, efficiency and effectiveness, and integrate systems-based and client-based approaches to transportation.[2]
At the federal level, since 2005 the Safe, Accountable, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), required locally developed, coordinated public transportation and human services plans for many federal-aid transportation programs. 49 U.S. Code § 5304 explains the duties associated with being a lead agency ([3]). In addition, the Federal Transportation Authority’s guidance states that regional transportation coordination plan updates occur every four years for non-compliant area and every five years from compliant areas.
In addition, the Federal Transportation Authority’s guidance states that regional transportation coordination plan updates occur every four years for non-compliant area and every five years from compliant areas.
As part of this locally driven planning process, stakeholders in communities across Texas come together to develop five-year public transit-human services transportation plans for their respective parts of the state. These regional plans address transportation needs for a cross-section of people in the state, including these priority population groups:
- Individuals with disabilities
- Individuals 65 and older
- People with low incomes
- Individuals with limited English proficiency
- Children
- Veterans
- People lacking transportation to and from employment
- Members of the general public
Federal transit law requires that projects selected for funding under the Enhanced Mobility for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) Program be “included in a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan,” and that the plan be “developed and approved through a process that included participation by seniors, individuals with disabilities, representatives of public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and other members of the public” utilizing transportation services.
[1]Texas Transportation Code 461. 2003. Retrieved August 23, 2010, from http://law.justia.com/texas/codes/tn/006.00.000461.00.html.
[2] Text adapted from Coastal Bend Regional Coordination Plan 2022, https://transitplanningtx.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/coord-plan-2017-pr20.pdf.
[3] 49 U.S. Code § 5304. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2008-title49/pdf/USCODE-2008-title49-subtitleIII-chap53-sec5304.pdf.