Arrowhead RTCC: Bringing stakeholders together to share and respond

Arrowhead RTCC meetings provided a platform for traditional and nontraditional transportation stakeholders to share agency updates, challenges, and resources. During the pandemic, meetings helped the participants to communicate best practices and resources for safety, rider trust, and agency collaboration.

Eight northeast counties on Minnesota map

Thanks to its partnerships, the RTCC also shared vital information about transportation options with communities. It distributed its transportation provider directory to health care agencies in the region, helping them identify active transportation providers during the pandemic. The RTCC also distributed to agencies in the region 2,000 copies of the guide How to Use the Bus, developed in partnership with the Duluth Transit Authority (DTA).

A focus group with members from Arc Northland’s People First inspired the guide when they talked about their first experiences with transit and their thoughts on essential information for new transit riders. The DTA provided photos and general information on using their buses.

In another initiative to communicate the region’s transportation options, Arrowhead RTCC also launched a website that includes a comprehensive transportation provider directory, transportation resources, information on volunteer drivers, park-and-ride locations, and active transportation resources.