Virginia Transportation Navigator receives $100,000 for expansion

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation received $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration this month to expand and enhance Virginia Transportation Navigator, a one-call, one-click directory of public and human service transportation, as well as mobility management and travel training services.

Transportation Navigator is Virginia’s most thorough database of public transit, human service, and specialized transportation providers, programs, and services. The free Virginia Transportation Finder widget can be placed on any website — hosted by a state agency, transportation provider, nonprofit, community partner, business, or other organization — that wants to help connect citizens to transportation providers in the Commonwealth.

“Because transit is an important lifeline for many people to access services and needs in their communities, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation created Transportation Navigator to improve coordination of transportation,” said Jennifer DeBruhl, acting director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “DRPT appreciates this funding from the federal government to help us improve and expand this tool making vital services more accessible.”

DRPT is one of 17 projects that received funding for projects aimed at improving public transportation for underserved groups, with a focus on health and wellness. FTA’s Innovative Coordinated Access & Mobility Pilot Program — which received millions more in funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — increases access for Americans all over the country by building partnerships among health, transportation, and other service providers.

DRPT launched Transportation Navigator in October 2021. The service is funded through the FTA’s Mobility for All grant program and the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s Innovation and Technology Transportation Fund.