In January 2007, the Delaware County Transportation Management Association (DCTMA) set out to promote the use of public transportation and improve the mobility of non-English speaking residents in Upper Darby Township, the largest township in the state. We would do this by organizing area stakeholders, residents and elected officials, determine the gaps and necessary tools for improvement. The end goal was to provide language-specific transportation information and assistance to Upper Darby residents in an effort to increase public transportation ridership and improved the quality of life for these non-English speaking residents.

English as a second language (ESL) is an issue affecting communities all across the country. At the DCTMA, we believe it is our job to provide residents with the tools necessary to understand their options when it comes to alternative modes of transportation. We work to eliminate the single occupancy vehicle wherever possible, by promoting and providing information on alternative modes of transportation.

The DCTMA is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the transportation network serving the county. The mission of the DCTMA is to provide a forum where employers; local, county, and state agencies; and transit authorities can cooperatively address transportation issues and coordinate cost-effective and efficient strategies for the county. Through coordinated planning and cooperative efforts, the DCTMA helps to promote a cleaner, healthier environment, sustain the quality of life, and enhance the economic vitality of Delaware County.

With our mission in mind, we wanted to provide better access to schedules, route and fares to all residents, in an effort to better the environment and improve the transit system in the area. In order to be successful, we knew we needed to expand the current transit outreach in order to respond to the specific needs of our changing communities. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, nearly 48,000 Delaware County residents indicated that they speak a language other than English at home, with 37% of them reporting that they speak English less than “very well”.

We chose Upper Darby Township as the township for the pilot program because Upper Darby is the largest township in the state. According the same census information, 17% of residents (13,000 out of a total population of 76,000) report they speak a language other than English at home, with 45% reporting that they speak English less than “very well”.

In early 2007, the DCTMA first organized and hosted several meetings with a variety of local stakeholders to determine a program that targeted the non-English speaking residents of Upper Darby (including those who speak English but are less than fluent) with information and support to aid their use of public transportation to access jobs and necessary services. Next, the team held a focus group of ESL Upper Darby Township residents in order to understand where gaps in public transit information and communications existed. Many of the focus group participants expressed their confusion on route & fare information due to language barriers, and said this leads them to often find other modes of transportation that are less environmentally friendly. It was clear a project or program was needed to increase the use of public transportation among ESL residents. The DCTMA took the challenge and set out to create a dynamic and easy to reproduce outreach effort.

After many meetings and iterations, the final project resulted in the development and distribution of “How to Ride Guides” in Upper Darby’s three most prevalent languages - Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish, in addition to English. These guides included specific instruction on how to access key employment and social services center in Delaware County and surrounding areas, and information about alternative forms of transportation (walking, biking, employer shuttles, and carpooling) and how to use them safely.

Also part of this program was the development of curriculum for a program to train job coaches and caseworkers in assisting clients in using public transportation for their mobility needs. A “Mobility Manager Toolkit” was developed, which included a curriculum and useful materials which job coaches and caseworkers could reproduce and walk through with their constituents. The “How to Ride Guides” and the “Mobility Manager Toolkit” (both attached) were printed and distributed to a variety of public and private facilities (libraries, police station, bus terminal, churches, municipal offices, schools & colleges, and other public service agencies). The Delaware County Office of Employment and Training, CareerLink, the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, Community Action Agency, the County Assistance Office, and Family and Community Services also benefited from using these materials.

The DCTMA also hosted three “Train the Trainer” sessions for those who would be sharing the information with constituents. A total of 30 area stakeholders / individuals were trained. Based on feedback from curriculum user and focus group participants, the overall project resulted in a greater self-sufficiency of residents and improved economic stimulus for the local transit authority. It also brought a variety of stakeholders together from around the County, some for the first time, and joined them together with the common theme of improving the quality of life of non-English speaking residents.

These materials have become an integral part of the resources used by job coaches and caseworkers as they assist non-English speaking residents with locating employment, accessing social services, and meeting their daily needs for mobility throughout the community and region. An added benefit to this pilot program is that the “How to Ride Guides” and the “Mobility Manager Toolkit” and curriculum and toolkit were designed in a way that they can be modified and expanded easily in order to meet similar needs in other Delaware County communities. By promoting the use of public transportation, we know that congestion on the county’s roads and the air pollution produced by private vehicles can be reduced, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the quality of life in Delaware County.