tribal transportation across america charles dickson associate director community transportation...
TRANSCRIPT
Tribal Transportation Across America
Charles Dickson
Associate Director
Community Transportation Association of America
Tribal Characteristics
565 Federally Recognized Tribal Governments in the United States Self Governing Tribal Sovereignty Self Determination
Pass and Enforce Laws Tax Establish Criteria for Membership Regulate Activities
Tribal Characteristics – Part 2
Demographics of the Indian Population About 2.9 million total population – slightly less
than 1% of the total population of the U.S. About 50% of tribal population lives on, or near
“American Indian Areas” formerly “reservations” Poverty rate of 26% compared to 12% for total
U.S. population Overwhelmingly Rural
U.S. Government and Indian Tribes
Sovereignty Recognized in the Constitution Supreme Court Rulings Executive Order Bureau of Indian Affairs
Oversees government Indian Reservation Roads Program Indian Trust Funds
Tribal Transportation Programs
Only a small number of tribes operate public transportation systems
Operate under the same funding rules as other programs
Obstacles to providing transportation include Lack of funds Remote locations of tribes Lack of coordination in using tribal resources
Rural Transit Funding in the US
Federal funding from rural transit comes from the omnibus surface transportation act – SAFETEA-LU Section 5311 - $250 million - $450 million
Indian set aside $8 million - $15 million Section 5310 - $90 million - $133 million Section 5316 - $125 million - $165 million Section 5317 - $78 million – 92 million
Other Sources of Funding For Tribal Mobility
Head Start Programs Indian Health Service Medicaid Tribal Elder Programs Substance Abuse Programs Tribal Governments (casino revenue) Colleges and Universities
Examples of Tribal Transit Programs - Navajo
Covers 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers in southwest US
Started in 1979 – one of the first tribal transportation programs
Runs 7 fixed routes each from 50 to 100 miles long
Funded by tribal revenues, federal government
Chickasaw Nation Transit
A “non-reservation” tribe Covers 13 counties (7,600 square miles) in
southern Oklahoma – only 70,000 acres are tribally owned
Operates a general public system – tribal members only
Has expanded and coordinate with non-tribal operations
Examples of Tribal Transit Programs - Zuni
Zuni Pueblo – small town in western New Mexico
700 square miles, 10,000 population Public Transit Run by social service agency
(ZEE) Demand-response within the pueblo Rides to work
Help for Tribes
Tribal Technical Assistance Program Operated by the Community Transportation
Association Funded by the Us Department of Agriculture
Planning Assistance for: Facility Development Service Improvements System Start Up
Example: Sitka Tribe of Alaska
Helped to: Identify Transportation Providers Conduct Needs Analysis Recognize key issues (medical, employment)
Results: New Fixed Route Service Funding through Employment Transportation
Program