Tompkins County Transportation Equity & Access Project

Tompkins County Area Transit Inc. (TCAT) operates a partially electric bus fleet serving Tompkins County communities, however any fixed route transit has inherently limited-service areas. TCAT and partners propose developing a suite of coordinated services supported by transit-oriented public-private-philanthropic partnerships to expand electric mobility services, particularly focused in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Services include the deployment of a community-driven, on-demand transport infrastructure including electric carsharing and electric bike sharing services; digital integration of clean, multimodal transport alternatives; the development of loan loss reserve and credit enhancement programs to incentivize second-hand electric vehicle acquisition, and the creation of cross-sector economic incentives to improve economic mobility. This combination of new services will create a replicable travel assurance model for all, especially transportation-vulnerable.

This project will consist of a community survey and series of focus groups to garner community input. Based on survey results, it will bring together existing transportation options - on-demand, car/bike sharing, and green  -  and expand them to increase access and availability, reduce costs to the consumers, and improve economic stability and opportunity.