JARC Projects
TriMet awards $1 Million in federal funds to improve access to jobs in the region. Grants awarded for programs to aid low-income residents in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.
TriMet has awarded $1 Million in Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) grants to non-profit programs that connect low-income residents to jobs and job-related services. The federal funds flow through TriMet to the community and TriMet matches the amounts with in-kind transit services.
The JARC program was established to address the unique transportation challenges facing low-income residents seeking to obtain and maintain employment. It leverages transportation and social service resources to improve access to jobs and job-related activities.
The JARC grants fund existing transit commute services derived from the Portland Regional (Urbanized) Employment Transportation Services Plan. These programs improve access to areas with entry-level employment opportunities, many of which are located in suburban areas not well-served by transit. Many entry level-jobs also require working late at night or on weekends when conventional transit services are either reduced or non-existent.
The following projects were selected through a competitive process, with participation by the Jobs Access Advisory Committee in the selection. Recipients may use their grant award over the course of three years (Fiscal Years 2015-17). Service contracts will begin July 1, 2015 and end June 30, 2017. These awards are the final remaining federal transportation funds available for the Portland Regional (Urbanized) area under the 2005 SAFETEA-LU Federal transportation reauthorization bill and make up the final round of disbursement.
Tualatin Chamber of Commerce’s Tualatin Shuttle - $295,026
Tualatin - Transit Commute Service
The Tualatin Chamber of Commerce has successfully operated the Tualatin Shuttle since 1997. Although Tualatin has north-south transit service near the town center, it severely lacks east-west service to the Northwest quadrant of town identified by TriMet as a “Target Employment Area for JARC Funded Projects.” This area of Tualatin has the greatest concentration of jobs that is not directly served by TriMet. It attracts significant traffic due to the concentration of jobs, location between I-5 and Highway 99W, and lack of TriMet service.
“Approximately ninety percent of Tualatin’s 21,000 employees commute from other areas outside of Tualatin,” said Tualatin Chamber of Commerce CEO Linda Moholt. “This service is the result of many community efforts to improve local transit service.”
In an effort to provide service to the NW Employment center, the JARC grant will be used to continue vital demand-response peak hour weekday shuttle service that is free to riders.
Swan Island Business Association’s Swan Island Evening Shuttle - $307,487
Portland -Transit Commute Service
The Swan Island Evening Shuttle provides a last-mile shuttle service between the Rose Quarter Transit Center and the Swan Island employment area via Basin Avenue weekday evenings between 6:30 p.m. and midnight.
Swan Island Business Association Executive Director Lenny Anderson champions the phrase, “Swan Island: 10,000 great jobs, minutes from MAX.”
The Swan Island Evening Shuttle, which serves shift times when TriMet service is not offered, connects to all four MAX lines, Streetcar and six TriMet bus lines on Swan Island at Anchor Street (Line 72), at the Albina/Mississippi MAX station (Yellow Line & Line 35) and at the Rose Quarter Transit Center (Red, Blue & Green lines; bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, and 77; and C-Tran 157).
“The Swan Island Evening Shuttle has provided an essential link to good paying 2nd and 3rd shift jobs on Swan Island since 2000,” said Anderson. “80 times every weeknight an employee at UPS, Daimler, Vigor Industrial or one of the many smaller employers on Swan Island gets a lift to work or home.
Clackamas Community College’s (CCC) Green Line Shuttle - $90,000
Clackamas County - Transit Commute Service
“The Clackamas Community College (CCC) Green Line Shuttle provides a transit lifeline to many of our students who otherwise would not have the time or money to attend college,” said College Services Vice President Courtney Wilton. “These students are constantly juggling work and class demands.”
The CCC Green Line Shuttle runs express service between the college’s main campus in Oregon City and the MAX Green Line terminus at Clackamas Town Center. It is full during rush hours. Seventy-two percent of incoming CCC students receive financial aid; slightly over half of these students live below the federal poverty level and 42 percent work more than 20 hours a week. The shuttle service provides a direct trip that is not available on TriMet and connects the MAX infrastructure to the under-served area around Clackamas Community College.
“The time and money saved by riding the shuttle helps them immensely. The college is thankful to TriMet for the JARC funding that supports this endeavor,” Wilton stated.
Ride Connection’s Forest Grove, Cornelius and Tigard Connector Service - $307,487
Forest Grove - Transit Commute Service
Ride Connection’s Connector Service provides transportation service to low-income areas that do not have transit service, helping individuals traveling for employment, job training or employment-related activities. Riders are able to connect to and utilize the TriMet system and create local community connections. Last-mile connector service will be made available in urbanized areas in Forest Grove, Cornelius and Tigard.
TriMet/Grant recipients comply with Title VI of Civil Right Act of 1964
TriMet is committed to complying with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The agency prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age or disability in all of its federally funded programs and activities.