Tribal Transportation Across America

Charles Dickson

Associate Director

Community Transportation Association of America

Tribal Characteristics

565 Federally Recognized Tribal Governments in the United States Self Governing Tribal Sovereignty Self Determination

Pass and Enforce Laws Tax Establish Criteria for Membership Regulate Activities

Tribal Characteristics – Part 2

Demographics of the Indian Population About 2.9 million total population – slightly less

than 1% of the total population of the U.S. About 50% of tribal population lives on, or near

“American Indian Areas” formerly “reservations” Poverty rate of 26% compared to 12% for total

U.S. population Overwhelmingly Rural

U.S. Government and Indian Tribes

Sovereignty Recognized in the Constitution Supreme Court Rulings Executive Order Bureau of Indian Affairs

Oversees government Indian Reservation Roads Program Indian Trust Funds

Tribal Transportation Programs

Only a small number of tribes operate public transportation systems

Operate under the same funding rules as other programs

Obstacles to providing transportation include Lack of funds Remote locations of tribes Lack of coordination in using tribal resources

Rural Transit Funding in the US

Federal funding from rural transit comes from the omnibus surface transportation act – SAFETEA-LU Section 5311 - $250 million - $450 million

Indian set aside $8 million - $15 million Section 5310 - $90 million - $133 million Section 5316 - $125 million - $165 million Section 5317 - $78 million – 92 million

Other Sources of Funding For Tribal Mobility

Head Start Programs Indian Health Service Medicaid Tribal Elder Programs Substance Abuse Programs Tribal Governments (casino revenue) Colleges and Universities

Examples of Tribal Transit Programs - Navajo

Covers 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers in southwest US

Started in 1979 – one of the first tribal transportation programs

Runs 7 fixed routes each from 50 to 100 miles long

Funded by tribal revenues, federal government

Chickasaw Nation Transit

A “non-reservation” tribe Covers 13 counties (7,600 square miles) in

southern Oklahoma – only 70,000 acres are tribally owned

Operates a general public system – tribal members only

Has expanded and coordinate with non-tribal operations

Examples of Tribal Transit Programs - Zuni

Zuni Pueblo – small town in western New Mexico

700 square miles, 10,000 population Public Transit Run by social service agency

(ZEE) Demand-response within the pueblo Rides to work

Help for Tribes

Tribal Technical Assistance Program Operated by the Community Transportation

Association Funded by the Us Department of Agriculture

Planning Assistance for: Facility Development Service Improvements System Start Up

Example: Sitka Tribe of Alaska

Helped to: Identify Transportation Providers Conduct Needs Analysis Recognize key issues (medical, employment)

Results: New Fixed Route Service Funding through Employment Transportation

Program