Where were you in 1986? Think back. How much has the world changed during the past decade and one half? Maps of the world reflect new nations, presidents and political systems have come and gone, the emerging computer age is now a full-fledged techno-revolution, and our youth-oriented culture appears to be shifting and slowing to one more oriented to meeting the needs of the aging baby boomers. We, and the world around us, have experienced and changed much. So too has the public transportation picture in Vermont.

Before 1986, little formal public transportation was available to Vermonters. CCTA’s urban system had begun operating in 1973 along with a handful of upstart local non-profits to begin to address the pressing need for transportation to vital services for Vermont’s citizens who did not own autos or could not drive.

Opportunities to obtain access to health care and other social services were limited. Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) caseworkers arranged rides for their clients and Medicaid recipients primarily relying on taxis and a few volunteers for client transportation. Several areas of the state had no taxi service and, therefore, no transportation available. It became clear that the social services, training, and employment available were of little value if citizens could not get to them. Access was key. It was at this point that the visionary members of the fledgling public transit community and Vermont’s policymakers joined forces to solve a problem. In the course of that effort, The Vermont Public Transportation Association emerged.

VPTA’s mission then, as now was to encourage the use, development, and support of public transportation through provision of coordinated services and to promote planning, development and use of public transit systems. The members of the Association have proven that their mission statement now is a reflection on 15 years of work to make that goal a reality.

Vermont has one urban and thirteen rural public transit systems. They creatively serve the public using a variety of vehicles from volunteers who drive literally millions of miles annually, to small vans and mid-size buses that travel the state’s back roads. They are very proud of the effect that their work has had on improving the quality of life of those citizens who are unable to drive due to age or disability. Our members also work to accommodate visitors who arrive here by air, rail, and motor coach. They provide access to jobs that assists workers and employers.They help to maintain our clean air while at the same time facilitating economic development without the traffic problems that now plague much of the rest of the country.

As our 15th year comes to a close we can report that the Public Transit Advisory Council begun in 1998 continues to work on achieving the goals of the Policy Plan developed by the KFH Report. During 2001, a statewide process for the development of updated short-range public transit plans began and the Council continues to work toward expanded funding, accelerated capital replacement, connections with Air, Rail and Inter-state bus transportation, and increased coordination among human service programs.

VPTA’s coordinated Medicaid transportation program continues to serve thousands of Vermonters and has logged more than 380,000 one-way trips this year. Training programs during the year focused on health and safety, customer service, and enhanced transit management. Details of these excellent courses are in our report on the Rural Transit Assistance Program on subsequent pages.

The Vermont Rideshare Program entered the electronic age adding carpool information and registration to our worldwide website. And the users of the program can now go directly to car and van pool information with theinception of a separate uniform resource locator at www.vermontrideshare.org. Four sites are beta testing the new Rideshare statewide database as this report goes to press. We believe it will meet our objective of a streamlined and simplified reporting process, improved statistical data analysis, and will improve our ability to match riders in car and vanpools around the state.

Commitment to mission and the persistence of VPTA’s members and staff is the source of our progress. As we work hard every day to make excellent public transit service available to residents and visitors to our beautiful state, we look forward to the exciting changes and challenges that our next fifteen years hold.