This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(September 2018) |
Company type | Nonprofit Organization |
---|---|
Industry | Transportation |
Founded | Portland, Maine, United States (2005 ) |
Founder | Katherine Freund |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | 12 U.S. States |
Website | www |
The Independent Transportation Network of America (ITNAmerica) is a nonprofit transportation network for seniors and people with visual impairments in the United States. It was founded in 2005 by Katherine Freund, the organization's current President. [1]
INTAmericas main service is a network of affiliated nonprofits nationwide that offers ride services to the older people and visually impaired people [2] . Roughly 40 percent of ITN rides come from volunteer drivers, though the model uses paid drivers as well.
They served their 1 millionth ride in May 2018. [3]
ITNAmerica operates through an affiliate system, with 13 affiliated organizations in communities across 12 states as of July 2018. Affiliates are independent 501c3 nonprofits, each with their own board of directors. The ITN model is designed to work in communities with a population of at least 200,000. ITNAmerica helps communities develop their own local ITN service, supporting affiliates on an ongoing basis, and provides access to ITNRides, a proprietary software system for running the service. The network helps all affiliates to achieve sustainability. [4]
ITN affiliates rely on the services of volunteer drivers, but often employ the use of paid drivers. Most drivers are in their fifties and sixties. Each member rider with ITNAmerica's transportation service has a Personal Transportation Account, which eliminates the need for on-site transactions during transportation. Rides with ITN cost about half the taxi fare for an equivalent distance and are locally subsidized by funding from businesses, philanthropic organizations, and other sources other than taxpayer dollars. Payments for rides are drawn from rider's transportation accounts, which ITNAmerica tracks through a payment system accessible to all its affiliates. [4]
ITNAmerica's payment options allow drivers to plan for their future transportation needs by accumulating credits in a Personal Transportation Account by participating as volunteer drivers. Family members and friends who volunteer to drive for ITN can use these credits to pay for future rides.
The CarTrade program allows ITN members to trade their no longer used cars to pay for their rides. Credits from trading a car are also tracked through the Personal Transportation Account.
ITNAmerica has facilitated more than 1 million rides to date throughout the affiliate network. [5]
The organization grew out of an accident in 1988 involving Freund's son, who when he was 3-years-old was struck and injured by a car driven by an 84-year-old man. Instead of lashing out at the driver, however, Freund recognized older people face limited mobility options. Normal changes in vision, coordination and reaction times make it harder to drive, but the American transportation system is largely designed around private car ownership. The issue, Freund saw, was not older drivers, but a transportation system unable to keep pace with the natural process of aging.[ citation needed ]
Thus ITN was born. It started in Portland, Maine, in 1995, and then a decade later began incorporating affiliates nationwide. It was then that ITN became ITNAmerica.
ITN works largely with older people, both as volunteers and as riders. Many people post-retirement find themselves with extra time on their hands and in a position to volunteer. ITN recruits these people as drives. And in driving those who are unable to drive themselves, these volunteers earn Ride Credits for every mile they drive. They can then bank those credits their own transportation future, give them to someone else or donate them.[ citation needed ]
In order to meet the real world needs of older adults, the ITN model must maintain flexibility. Most drivers, for example, do not give up driving all at once. Often, night driving is the first place where people notice difficulty, so they arrange their schedule to drive only during daylight hours. A driver might be perfectly safe at noontime but have trouble seeing after sunset. The ITN model is built to accommodate such transitions, even if they unfold over years. The driver who sees well in daytime but struggles in low light might volunteer as a driver during the day and be an ITN rider in the evening. Alternatively, an ITN volunteer might use the service for have a medical appointment that necessitates a ride home after. The ITN model allow people to be earning their ride miles even as they use the service, being both part of the transportation solution and a beneficiary of it. [6]
The age of membership with ITN is age 60 (though it can vary by affiliate) and is not contingent upon whether the person is still driving or not.[ citation needed ] ITN offers "dignified transportation," using private vehicles to transport people rather than shuttle buses. Many riders use the front seat rather than the back, and rides are more similar to a trip with friends than a taxi fare. No money is exchanged at the time of the ride, and there is no tipping. Drivers offer "arm-through-arm, door-through-door service," meaning they meet the rider at their door and escort them to the vehicle, and do the same from the car to the destination. Riders will also assist with packages or bags. ITN vehicles are not equipped for electric wheelchairs or other specialty equipment. Riders must be able to transfer themselves in and out of the vehicle with limited assistance.
The ITN model uses Ride Credits to help alleviate the financial constraints that might keep some people from otherwise accessing adequate mobility. The ITN CarTrade Program, for example, allows people to trade in their unused vehicles in exchange for Ride Credits, turning a depreciating asset into mobility. The ITN affiliate sells the vehicle, and the value of the sale gets transferred into the member's Personal Transportation Account. The member can then either use those credits, share them with someone else, or donate them.[ citation needed ]
Ride Credits also work across the ITN system: A volunteer can spend time driving for one affiliate, and the credits they earn through driving they could then send to a friend or family member in an entirely different part of the country, provided that other community is also covered by an ITN affiliate. The reciprocity of Ride Credits across the ITN network is one of the hallmarks of the ITN system. It is modeled after the Japanese system of Fureai Kippu. [7]
ITNAmerica offers senior transportation and sustainable community mobility resources to students, researchers, policymakers and family members everywhere. The 50 State Policy Project is a policy database for transportation in all 50 states. It focuses on policies that create incentives or remove barriers to the use of private resources for sustainable transportation.
Rides in Sight is a nationwide information and referral service that helps seniors and visually-impaired adults find transportation options in their local area. Built by ITNAmerica, Rides in Sight features both an online, publicly available searchable database as well as a line that people can call to learn about the transportation options in their area. Each caller's situation is taken into account before transportation referrals are provided—visual impairment, mobility devices, age, length of trip—to ensure the best referral. Rides in Sight is a program of ITNAmerica. [8]
ITNAmerica is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The organization is funded via multiple avenues: revenue from local affiliates, corporate sponsorship, grants, private and individual donations and research revenue. The ITN model does not rely on government funding. Affiliates can accept government support initially, but within the first few years they are expected to develop a sustainable business model free from reliance on public money.
The ITN Nationwide Network, which ITNAmerica supports, includes 13 independent nonprofits in 12 states stretching from Maine to Florida to California. In previous years the network grew as large as 25 affiliates.
Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to follow the established road and traffic laws in the location they are driving. The word driving, has etymology dating back to the 15th century and has developed as what driving has encompassed has changed from working animals in the 15th to automobiles in the 1800s. Driving skills have also developed since the 15th century with physical, mental and safety skills being required to drive. This evolution of the skills required to drive have been accompanied by the introduction of driving laws which relate to not only the driver but the driveability of a car.
A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous car (AC), driverless car, robotaxi, robotic car or robo-car, is a car that is capable of operating with reduced or no human input. Self-driving cars are responsible for all driving activities, such as perceiving the environment, monitoring important systems, and controlling the vehicle, which includes navigating from origin to destination.
Private transport is the personal or individual use of transportation which are not available for use by the general public, where in theory the user can decide freely on the time and route of transit, using vehicles such as: private car, company car, bicycle, dicycle, self-balancing scooter, motorcycle, scooter, aircraft, boat, snowmobile, carriage, horse, etc., or recreational equipment such as roller skates, inline skates, sailboat, sailplane, skateboard etc.
Carpooling is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves. Carpooling is considered a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) service.
Driving under the influence (DUI) is the offense of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs, to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely. Multiple other terms are used for the offense in various jurisdictions.
Traffic psychology is a discipline of psychology that studies the relationship between psychological processes and the behavior of road users. In general, traffic psychology aims to apply theoretical aspects of psychology in order to improve traffic mobility by helping to develop and apply crash countermeasures, as well as by guiding desired behaviors through education and the motivation of road users.
The terms "designated driver" and "designated driving" refer to the selection of a person who remains sober as the responsible driver of a vehicle whilst others have been allowed to drink alcoholic beverages.
A motorcycle taxi, or cart bike or bike taxi, is a licensed form of transport in some countries. The taxi typically carries one passenger, who "rides pillion" behind the motorcycle operator. Multiple passengers are common in some countries.
Vehicular automation involves the use of mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and multi-agent systems to assist the operator of a vehicle such as a car, lorries, aircraft, or watercraft. A vehicle using automation for tasks such as navigation to ease but not replace human control, qualify as semi-autonomous, whereas a fully self-operated vehicle is termed autonomous.
Shared transport or shared mobility is a transportation system where travelers share a vehicle either simultaneously as a group or over time as personal rental, and in the process share the cost of the journey, thus purportedly creating a hybrid between private vehicle use and mass or public transport. It is a transportation strategy that allows users to access transportation services on an as-needed basis. Shared mobility is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of transportation modes including carsharing, Bicycle-sharing systems, ridesharing companies, carpools, and microtransit.
The correlation between old age and driving has been a notable topic for many years. In 2018, there were over 45 million licensed drivers in the United States over the age of 65—a 60% increase from 2000. Driving is said to help older adults stay mobile and independent, but as their age increases the risk of potentially injuring themselves or others significantly increases as well. In 2019, drivers 65 years and older accounted for 8,760 motor vehicle traffic deaths, and 205,691 non-fatal accidents. Due to their physical frailty, older drivers are more likely to be injured in an accident and more likely to die of that injury. When frailty is accounted for and older drivers are compared to younger persons driving the same amount the over-representation disappears. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a senior citizen is more likely than a younger driver to be at fault in an accident in which they are involved. The most common violations include: failure to obey traffic signals, unsafe turns and passing, and failure to yield.
Fureai kippu is a Japanese sectoral currency created in 1995 by the Sawayaka Welfare Foundation so that people could earn credits helping seniors in their community.
Driver rehabilitation is a type of rehabilitation that helps individuals facing challenges caused by a physical or cognitive impairment or age to achieve safe, independent driving or transportation options through education or information dissemination. Professionals who work in the field use adaptive equipment and modified vehicles to help people attain independent community mobility.
A robotaxi, also known as robot taxi, robo-taxi, self-driving taxi or driverless taxi, is an autonomous car operated for a ridesharing company.
Katherine Freund is an American activist for community based non-profit transportation for older adults and people with special needs. She founded the Independent Transportation Network (ITN) in 1995, which in 2005 grew into ITNAmerica, which leads a national network for sustainable community-based transportation grounded in policy, research, education and technology. ITNAmerica promotes lifelong mobility for seniors.
Mobility as a service (MaaS) is a type of service that enables users to plan, book, and pay for multiple types of mobility services through a combined platform. Transportation services from public and private transportation providers are combined through a unified gateway, usually via an app or website, that creates and manages the trip and payments, including subscriptions, with a single account. The key concept behind MaaS is to offer travelers flexible mobility solutions based on their travel needs, thus "mobility as a service" also refers to the broader concept of a shift away from personally-owned modes of transportation and towards mobility provided as a service.
Smart Columbus is an innovation organization in Columbus, Ohio. The initiative is led by the City of Columbus and the Columbus Partnership, a nonprofit organization for development in Central Ohio. Smart Columbus was founded in 2016 to utilize $50 million in grant awards toward technology, transportation, and environmental developments.
Homobiles is an American nonprofit organization founded in 2011 which provides rides primarily to the San Francisco LGBT community on a pay-what-you-can model. Lynn Breedlove founded the organization as an alternative to taxi services and public transportation in order to counter discrimination against drag queens, transgender riders, and other members of the LGBT community. Rides are arranged through phone call, text message, or mobile application similar to other transportation network (ridesharing) companies.
The impact of self-driving cars is anticipated to be wide-ranging in many areas of daily life. Self-driving cars have been the subject of significant research on their environmental, practical, and lifestyle consequences and their impacts remain debated.
Autonomous mobility on demand (AMoD) is a service consisting of a fleet of autonomous vehicles used for one-way passenger mobility. An AMoD fleet operates in a specific and limited environment, such as a city or a rural area.