Comment now on the OVRDC Regional Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan
For the last year and half, OVRDC hosted Regional Transit Coordination Council (RTCC) meetings of community stakeholders from the counties of the region with the goal to review and approve information for the plan as presented by the Region 7 Steering Committee.
The steering committee was made up of mobility managers and transportation/transit representatives who are closest to the transportation issues of the region and are able to identify areas for improvement, based on trip generator research and identifying unmet needs and challenges in our region. The steering committee helped ensure comprehensive input was gathered, which helped shape the decisions and composition of the regional coordinated plan.
The meetings to craft the Regional Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan were organized and led by OVRDC’s Regional Transit Specialist Marlana Hopkins who has over eleven years’ experience working on transportation-related issues. With a background in mobility management and transit, Marlana has seen the challenges people who lack transportation face in her work as a past supervisor for transportation providers.
“Regional Coordination is crucial to help people gain access to local services and cross- county transportation. We worked on this coordinated plan to connect the whole region and strategically plan to eliminate gaps in transportation. This will allow individuals of our communities’ better access to jobs and important medical appointments outside of their own counties. As well as provide access for daily essential services like the grocery store, bank or church activities within their own community,” Marlana Hopkins, OVRDC Regional Transit Coordinator.
Through this regionalization process, mobility managers and transportation providers of the region have begun to work together to improve mobility options and ensure people can attend essential appointments across county lines.
Another offshoot of this project was the Region 7 Transportation Guidebook that included listings and contact information for all the transportation options available in each county. It will be an important resource for both residents and visitors to help to improve access and navigate the transportation options available in the region.
All feedback will be reviewed for inclusion in the final plan. Once the public feedback period ends on July 31st, the final version of the plan will be presented at the August meeting of the OVRDC Executive Committee for approval of the resolution and adoption of the plan.
Click here to review the plan and provide feedback on the plan to Marlana Hopkins via email, mhopkins@ovrdc.org by Thursday, July 31, 2025.
