Transportation options in Pierce County and regionally are what the Travel Ambassador program is all about.
Travel Ambassador, developed by Catholic Community Services, provides information on transportation options for elders, individuals with disabilities, students, and other community members who face barriers to transportation.
Presenters at a recent seminar in Lakewood included representatives of transportation agencies and services that coordinate transportation. Topics to be covered included:
• How to take a bus and get route-planning locally and regionally.
• The ORCA card –what it is and how to use it.
• Volunteer driver transportation services in Pierce County.
• How to get a “Bus Buddy” for one-to-one help with using the bus.
• Medicaid Paratransit service and Shuttle service, and who is eligible for them.
• Beyond the Borders, a free transportation service in rural areas of Pierce County.
• Puget Sound Educational Services District Work First transportation.
• United Way’s 2-1-1 travel information service.
CCS and other transportation-related agencies and businesses educate the public on transportation as members of the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Coalition. An offshoot is the Travel Ambassador program, which was created to provide user-friendly information for customers, social service organizations and non-profit agencies about transportation that’s available to low-income workers, people with disabilities and seniors.
According to the coalition, a lack of transportation can diminish a person’s self-sufficiency. In particular, access to transportation is critical for senior citizens to maintain physical, social, economic and psychological well-being.