Accessible Rural Transportation: An Evaluation of the Traveler's Cheque Voucher Program

This article reports on a study that examined the effectiveness of a voucher model of rural transportation for people with disabilities. The authors stress that the lack of transportation is one of the most significant and frequently reported problems affecting people with disabilities who live in rural communities and those who serve them. Ten community programs in ten states operated the voucher program over a four-year period to provide transportation to 588 adults with disabilities. Participants took a total of 92,587 rides covering a total of 1,018,391 miles at an average cost of 39 cents per mile. The rides were used primarily for employment and employment preparation, with 171 individuals securing either part-time or full-time employment through the program. The article outlines the use of the Traveler's Cheques used for vouchers, the funding details, and how the rural towns were able to organize the program. The authors conclude that the voucher program appears to be highly effective in helping people with disabilities in a wide variety of rural areas to develop and secure transportation. Simple, flexible, and easily implemented, this program respects consumer skills and creativity, and the community's capacity to respond to need. The authors also briefly report the perspectives of focus groups of participants who used the services.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00103829
• Authors:
  • Gonzales, Linda
  • Stombaugh, Dennis
  • Seekins, Tom
  • Kasnitz, Devva
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 106-115
• Serial:
  • Community Development Journal
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Community Development Society
  • ISSN: 0010-3829

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communities; Mobility; Persons with disabilities; Physical disabilities; Public transit; Quality of life; Rural areas; Transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Financial aid; Voucher programs
• Subject Areas: Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01108936
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 22 2008 8:42AM