Statewide, only 3.5 percent of families receiving public assistance own automobiles. The state developed Job Ride in 1989 to respond to the emerging transportation need for welfare recipients. This innovative van pool program, last year alone, served more than 1,100 job placements in Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. During it's eight-year term, it has recorded more than 72,000 trips to work. Mo. FTA's Livable Communities Initiative, too, has had a profound impact on access to jobs.
Effective transportation can improve the quality of life for everyone in the community.
A particular focus of the Livable Communities Initiative has been developing transportation in Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities areas often in dire need of access to jobs. Technical Assistance FTA is developing a technical assistance program and an information clearinghouse to assist localities with welfare to work transportation solutions. Planning and Service Coordination FTA is working with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop guidance on how to more effectively coordinate the planning and provision of the wide range of public and specialized transportation services available in urban and rural areas. The emerging need for enhanced employment transportation services will undoubtedly require a very high level of coordination among stakeholder transportation agencies.