Study Shows Strengths and Gaps in Transportation Services in Northeast Indiana

An assessment released Thursday shows that residents of northeast Indiana would benefit from counties working together to provide accessible public transportation throughout the region.

About 23% of survey respondents said they skip doctor visits if they don’t have transportation. Justin Clupper, executive director of the Community Transportation Network, said it’s concerning because it lines up with a national report produced last year by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute.

“It’s scary for people because you don’t get regular check-ups. If you miss these early indicators of health problems, you will miss the opportunity to deal with the problem quickly and possibly recover much faster,” Clupper said.

The network, in collaboration with funders and partners, released an assessment of transportation needs for the Northeast Indiana region on Thursday. Jared Helge, chairman of the Community Transportation Network board, said the agency decided to continue the assessment about four years ago. Data were collected for over a year.

The community transportation network was created after a 1998 assessment in Allen County found transportation gaps. The organization’s board conducted a new study in 11 northeast Indiana counties to assess needs on a much larger scale.

The study was commissioned with financial support from more than a dozen foundations and organizations, and the Community Transportation Network worked with 15 providers across the region. The chain hired RLS & Associates, which gathered more than 4,200 interviewers and conducted 17 public meetings, 14 focus groups and 12 interviews with suppliers.

Respondents were of all ages and abilities. Of the 4,223 study participants, 16% were 65 years of age or older, 21% were pregnant or had been pregnant within the last 18 months, 21% had committed an offense that prevented them from driving, and 24% were disabled or lived with someone with a disability. has a disability or other physical or cognitive limitation that affects the ability to drive.

Counties included are Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.

The report found that around 28% of respondents felt that transport services were not available and 27% said that timetables were inconvenient. All counties offer transportation services, so Clupper said raising awareness of these services will likely help.

The report contains nine recommendations. Some of these are regional in scope, such as the creation of a regional planning and shipping software initiative and the design of a regional transportation network.

Northeast Indiana would also benefit from more non-emergency medical transportation providers and the creation of a vehicle-sharing program in which providers could lease or rent vehicles for individual or group trips.

Two recommendations were made for specific areas. Expanding on-demand public transportation in rural Allen County would help increase transportation options for all residents, especially low-income residents and people with disabilities.

The second recommendation concerns Kościuszko County, where, according to the assessment, the Kościuszko District currently serves calling residents. However, creating a fixed route would help passengers who want to travel without making a reservation.

Some of the recommendations did not focus on public transportation, such as the creation of a regional rideshare/vanpool program. The survey also found that helping with personal vehicle maintenance costs and parts and increasing participation in the Medicaid Family Member and Associate Transportation Provider program will make it easier for people to use private vehicles to get to appointments and other services.

More services will cost more because many providers don’t have enough money to expand. Clupper said providers “need greater investment from everyone,” including local, state and federal governments.