Tribal Transportation Across America
description
Transcript of Tribal Transportation Across America
Tribal Transportation Across America
Charles DicksonAssociate 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