| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kelly Taft
Communications Manager
(602) 452-5020 Transportation Plan Receives National AwardPHOENIX (March 23, 2009) – Regional efforts to help transportation disadvantaged populations are receiving national acclaim. The Federal Transit Administration notified Governor Jan Brewer that the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Human Services Transportation Coordination Planning Program won the 2008 United We Ride Leadership Award in the category of major urbanized areas. The region earned the award for successfully implementing plans to coordinate transportation for older adults, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes. “The strategies presented in the plans include action steps to help people access transportation more efficiently through the use of technology, innovative partnerships, and best practices,” says Phoenix Councilmember Peggy Neely, who serves as chair of the MAG Regional Council. The program is supported by the Federal Transit Administration through the city of Phoenix, the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, and by extensive and diverse networks of human services providers, transportation agencies, and people served by these programs. This active engagement helped to create the plans that have been hailed as a model for the rest of the country. In coordination with stakeholders, MAG developed the 2007 MAG Human Services Coordination Transportation Plan and the 2008 Update. “This region was really ahead of the curve because we already had extensive collaborations with the human services community,” says Chandler Councilmember Trinity Donovan, who chairs the MAG Human Services Coordinating Committee. “For years, we have been involved with human services policy, funding and programming. That gave us an edge to develop responsive plans to coordinate human services transportation.” The coordination plans are developed in response to federal legislation as a requirement to receive funding for human services transportation programs. The federal Safe and Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) first implemented this requirement in 2007. This region was one of the first to respond, thanks to efforts already underway in the area of elderly mobility. Even before receiving this national award, regional representatives had been invited to present the plans at national conferences throughout the country. The early development of these plans also contributed to the region being one of the first to receive new and highly competitive mobility management funding. For additional information or questions about the MAG Human Services Transportation Planning Program, contact Amy St. Peter, Human Services Manager, at (602) 452-5049. # # # | 
