Identifying and Overcoming Transportation Barriers: a 7-Step Guide

This 7-step guide can help you navigate transportation systems, discover resources, and connect with experts in your community. It was developed by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center.

Community transportation systems are often available to help people with disabilities and the elderly find transportation, but they may not be well-advertised and finding them can be difficult and time-consuming. These 7 steps can help you empower consumers with transportation choices.

7 Steps to Identifying and Overcoming Transportation Barriers

  • Identify transportation needs up front

    Explore your consumer’s transportation needs and eligibility requirements for resources.

  • Connect to a local mobility manager

    Find your local transportation expert and discover resources.

  • Cast your net widely to learn about transportation options in your community

    Identify who to develop relationship with to get transportation assistance.

  • Understand the transportation options you’ve discovered

    Learn more about common transportation choices.

  • Help older adults and people with disabilities build their own transportation support system

    Empower your consumers to be active participants in developing their transportation plan.

  • Prepare clients to answer eligibility and scheduling questions and to ask questions about service limitations

    Use the planning guide “Preparing to Talk to a Transportation Provider”.

  • Influence transportation on a community level

    Get your and your consumers’ voices heard to raise awareness about and remove barriers to transportation.

Learn More about the 7 Steps

Identifying and Overcoming Transportation Barriers (PDF)

Best Practices

This guide also includes provider examples and best practices from the field. The examples illustrate some of the ways various agencies and organizations around the country are making transportation information easier to access.

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