State of the State: Transportation
Coordination Efforts in Kansas

January 2020

About the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM)
The National Center for Mobility Management is a national technical assistance center funded through acooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, and operated through a consortium of threenational organizations—the American Public Transportation Association, the Community Transportation
Association of America, and Easterseals Inc. The mission of the Center is to promote customer-centered mobility
strategies that advance good health, economic vitality, self-sufficiency, and community.

1Overview
Over the past nine years, Kansas has made efforts to better coordinate transportation services across the state.
As part of the 2010 state law titled “Transportation Works for Kansas” (T-WORKS), a focus on efficient andexpansive regional transit was pursued. In 2012, KDOT developed the Regional Transit Business Model Volume III. The document outlined strategies for the provision of transit services throughout rural Kansas that make themost efficient use of additional transit funding made available by T-WORKS. Implementation of the transit
coordination efforts is led and managed by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). One of the mainfeatures of the Regional Transit Business Model are the coordinated transit districts (CTDs), in which stakeholder
teams of transit providers, city and county officials, medical providers, and human service agencies werecreated. These CTD are then able to meet local needs with specific strategies and elements. In the BusinessModel, the following broad strategies were suggested as options for many CTDs:•Regional routes – that allow multiple providers to coordinate, combine, and share trips, while
preventing duplication• Coordinated scheduling – utilizing GPS, vehicle-based tablets, and scheduling software to informproviders with knowledge and details of other trips in their area
• Mobility management – gives transit providers a regional resource to provide driver to rider training,facilitate connections between transit providers, employers, medical centers and human service
agencies• Regional governance structure – provides a framework to make service and funding decisions related toregional transit including oversight, financial participation, legal context, and regional branding• Branding elements – convey the connection between the provider, the CTD, and KDOT’s public
transportation program to the public
Each CTD must develop a coordinated plan to strategically serve the target population of seniors, disabled, andlow-income individuals. The goal is to bring together 5310/5311 providers and human service agencies to better
serve the needs of these populations in each CTD.
Role and Responsibilities of Mobility Managers in Kansas CTD ModelAt the customer level, mobility managers can serve as a clearinghouse for all available transportation services intheir respective CTDs. The mobility manager has access to the range of options and schedules for travel and ischarged with the responsibility to assist customers in securing the appropriate transportation service for theirneeds. In some cases, this may involve scheduling the trip on behalf of the customer with the appropriate
provider(s). The mobility manger will also be able to provide information regarding service costs and service
policies.
At the system or organizational level, the mobility manager would be responsible for working within the service
area to identify gaps and help to close those gaps by facilitating interorganizational agreements andrelationships, such as between transportation providers, major employment and medical providers, and cities orcounties; identifying additional resources; or bringing additional transportation partners together. Mobilitymanagers might work at a community, county, or regional level to help improve transportation services. The
main responsibility of mobility managers in CTDs is to identify and collaborate with each and all of thetransportation providers in their region and other CTDs.
The Business Model outlines three main goals of mobility managers in CTDs:
1) Creating partnerships between a diverse range of community organizations (public, private, non-profit,for-profit, etc.) to ensure that transportation resources are coordinated effectively2) Using these partnerships to develop and enhance travel options for customers in the community or CTD23) Developing ways to effectively communicate those options to the public to inform customers’ decisionmaking, focusing on enhancing customer service
The graphic below illustrates the supportive role mobility managers provide in regional coordination anddecision making.

Source: KDOT

Geographic Scale: Statewide coverage, broken down into regional CTDs (see below)

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Lead Agency: Kansas Department of Transportation
Establishing Authority: T-WORKS Legislation (2010)
Funding Sources: 5310/5311 can be used to fund mobility managers, with 5311 used most frequently.
The KDOT Regional Transit Business Model states that funding and administration of a mobility management
position can come in several forms. KDOT has committed to funding a mobility manager position within each
CTD at 100 percent for the first year, and then 90 percent for subsequent years. The local match can begenerated through funding agreements either directly with a regional coordination board, or indirectly throughmultiple transit agencies, cities, and counties through an agreed-upon formula. The overall cost of the position—
including salary, benefits, and administration—may be lower if the position is hired through an existingorganization such as a transit agency or city or county government. In this scenario, even though a single agency
may have “hired” the mobility manager, funding, duties, and oversight for the position could come from a
regional coordination board made up of regional representatives. Stakeholders at regional meetings discussed
possible organizations that would house a mobility manager for their CTDs. In addition, conversations were heldwith those organizations to determine their ability and willingness to house a regional mobility manager.
Current status of network (July 2019): There are currently three mobility managers active in Kansas (see sources
below) and KDOT has indicated that three more positions are actively in development. Mobility managers holdquarterly meetings at the state level to stay informed and aware of coordination activities across the state. Onown, each mobility manager reports to regional coordination council on varying frequencies (see CTD Meeting
Info and Contacts List below). At the state level, KDOT is increasing coordination efforts with state agencies.
Currently, KDOT is partnering with Kansas Department of Health + Environment to coordinate cancer
partnership pilot with the cancer research center in downtown Salina. Kansas State Highway Safety Plan is also
looking at how to service older drivers who may no longer be able to drive.
Resources:
For this information, NCMM Interviewed four MM-related staff in-state:•One state-level stakeholder at Kansas Dept of Transportationo Jon Moore, Public Transportation Manager, KDOT
• Three mobility managers in Kansas’ CTDso Mike Spadafore, Mobility Manager, Topeka Metro (CTD #1 – Topeka/Shawnee)o Mike Wilson, Mobility Manager, aTa (CTD #4 – Flint Hills)
o Claire Mullen, Mobility Manager, OCCK (CTD #7 - North Central)
Web links
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KDOT Public Transit Web Page
Kansas Regional Transit Business Model Volumes I-II
Kansas Regional Transit Business Model Appendix
KDOT Statewide Coordination Public Transportation Plan Slides (July 2017)
CTD Meeting Info and Contacts List (August 2019)

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM; www.nationalcenterformobilitymanagement.org) is a national technical assistance center created to facilitatecommunities in adopting mobility management strategies. The NCMM is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, and is operated
through a consortium of three national organizations – the American Public Transportation Association, the Community Transportation Association of America, and Easterseals.
Content in this document is disseminated by NCMM in the interest of information exchange. Neither the NCMM nor the U.S. DOT, FTA assumes liability for its contents or use.

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