Industry Transportation Website www.itnamerica.org Headquarters Portland Type Nonprofit organization | Area served 15 states Founder Katherine Freund Founded Portland | |
How to start an itn in your community
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.
Contents
- How to start an itn in your community
- Itnamerica community based transportation service for seniors and adults with visual impairment
- Overview
- Rides in Sight
- Funding
- References
ITNAmerica takes a creative approach to transit solutions that will help seniors adequately plan for and navigate the transition from driving their own vehicles to utilizing alternative means of transportation. It mobilizes volunteer drivers and encourages seniors to redirect their expenditure from the costs associated with individual transport for use in the shared yet dignified transportation alternatives ITN offers.
ITNAmerica is the first and only national nonprofit transportation network for seniors and people with visual impairments.
Itnamerica community based transportation service for seniors and adults with visual impairment
Overview
ITNAmerica operates through an affiliate system, with 27 affiliated communities as of June 2015. Affiliates are independent 501c3 non-profit organizations, each with a 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, supports 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.
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.
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 also allocate the credits they earn to a rider to help them pay for 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 750,000 rides to date throughout the affiliate network.
Rides in Sight
Rides In Sight is an online database and toll-free hotline operated by ITNAmerica. Rides In Sight helps visually impaired and older adults find transportation options within their local areas that meet their needs.
Funding
ITNAmerica is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Revenue from local affiliates accounts for about half the budget of ITNAmerica – the national entity that develops and maintains the network’s infrastructure, carries out promotions for the network, and engages in research to improve service delivery to its target demographic.