The first 12-month period of the program is the Concept Development phase, which is the first of three phases. The proposed deployment will provide enhanced and equal access to healthcare options for all in Dallas County. Specifically, the program will emphasize focus on underserved communities, including rural, veterans, persons with disabilities, low-income, older adults, and persons with limited English proficiency. HIRTA’s LEP plan can be found at www.ridehirta.com/policies.

The Complete Trip - ITS4US Deployment Program will make up to $40 million available for projects, and serves the purpose to showcase partnerships, practices and technologies that encourage independent mobility for all. The overall goal is to increase mobility options across transportation modes while addressing the obstacles of planning and completing trips. The Complete Trip program is intended to develop local partnerships and deploy mobility solutions to achieve complete trips for all travelers.

HIRTA’s Executive Director Julia Castillo says, “This project is an amazing opportunity for HIRTA and can be life changing for those in Dallas county. HIRTA was one of five projects selected to receive this funding. Our ‘Health Connector for the Most Vulnerable: An Inclusive Mobility Experience from Beginning to End’ project will focus on the complete trip, not just pickup and drop off. Part of the success of the project will be to replicate it in our other communities, so this will be a far-reaching project once all the phases are complete. We have an amazing group of people who will be part of this every step of the way. One requirement includes HIRTA working with local partners to make this possible, which is a huge positive.”

HIRTA would like to thank the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for this opportunity and would like to express excitement for the positive impact this will make for our communities.