For More Info
For more information about LIFT, call the Dodgeville office at (877) 798-5438 (SWT-LIFT). The Web site, which is under construction, is www.SWT-LIFT.org. The office is located at 201 S. Iowa St. in Dodgeville.
MONROE - Seniors and disabled people who don't have ready access to transportation soon will be getting a lift.
The Southwest Wisconsin Transit Team of Green, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Richland counties is kicking off a new program called Leadership in Innovative Flexible Transportation, or LIFT. The program will act as a clearinghouse, providing a single point of contact for those needing transportation services in southwest Wisconsin, according to Phil Anderson, LIFT director.
Anderson said the program is the result of a grant from the federal government to encourage better access to transportation.
"The Southwest Transit Team got together to take advantage of the grant to start new transit services in lesser-served areas," Anderson said.
"The program will coordinate existing transportation systems, making it more efficient for those in need of transportation receive the services they need," he said.
Anderson said there's a lot of room for improvement in current transportation systems.
"It's sort of a patchwork transit system," he said.
For example, aging commissions, as well as health and human services departments in the five counties, offer some form of transportation for elderly and disabled patrons. But problems can arise if someone lives in one county and needs transportation to another. And shuttle service can be canceled if there's fewer than four riders, Anderson said. By sharing resources, LIFT will be able to increase ridership and get more vehicles on the road to provide transportation.
The program is just starting, but within the next few weeks, Anderson anticipates coordinating existing ridership and getting the program's infrastructure in place. Some things, such as billing of transportation costs, need to be ironed out.
Eventually, the program could include more methods of transportation.
"We'll try to bring in carpooling and ridesharing," Anderson said, an idea that will appeal to people interested in saving gas money and reducing their dependence on fossil fuels. "The green movement is a big thing."
Regardless of the method, the program has a "long-term commitment to providing transit options to everyone," Anderson said. "Our goal is to make it easy for people to find transportation."
The Southwest Wisconsin Transit Team of Green, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Richland counties is kicking off a new program called Leadership in Innovative Flexible Transportation, or LIFT. The program will act as a clearinghouse, providing a single point of contact for those needing transportation services in southwest Wisconsin, according to Phil Anderson, LIFT director.
Anderson said the program is the result of a grant from the federal government to encourage better access to transportation.
"The Southwest Transit Team got together to take advantage of the grant to start new transit services in lesser-served areas," Anderson said.
"The program will coordinate existing transportation systems, making it more efficient for those in need of transportation receive the services they need," he said.
Anderson said there's a lot of room for improvement in current transportation systems.
"It's sort of a patchwork transit system," he said.
For example, aging commissions, as well as health and human services departments in the five counties, offer some form of transportation for elderly and disabled patrons. But problems can arise if someone lives in one county and needs transportation to another. And shuttle service can be canceled if there's fewer than four riders, Anderson said. By sharing resources, LIFT will be able to increase ridership and get more vehicles on the road to provide transportation.
The program is just starting, but within the next few weeks, Anderson anticipates coordinating existing ridership and getting the program's infrastructure in place. Some things, such as billing of transportation costs, need to be ironed out.
Eventually, the program could include more methods of transportation.
"We'll try to bring in carpooling and ridesharing," Anderson said, an idea that will appeal to people interested in saving gas money and reducing their dependence on fossil fuels. "The green movement is a big thing."
Regardless of the method, the program has a "long-term commitment to providing transit options to everyone," Anderson said. "Our goal is to make it easy for people to find transportation."