Mayor Conger and Jackson Transit Authority Take Steps to Make Transportation More Accessible
Jackson, TENN— A new app is making it easier for residents to use public transportation in the city.
“When the Mayor’s anti-poverty task force started identifying economic obstacles, we were able to confirm that transportation is consistently a barrier to success,” said Lauren Kirk, director of performance management, City of Jackson. “We discovered that our goal of affordable and accessible transportation is also shared by AARP. We value their partnership and are honored to have been selected for this grant.”
In September, AARP awarded the City of Jackson with a $35,000 grant as part of their Community Challenge Initiative. Jackson was 1 of 184 municipalities selected from across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The purpose of the “quick-action” grant is to improve the city’s transportation accessibility and communications by creating a smartphone app that provides real-time information about public buses.
This month, the City of Jackson and Jackson Transit Authority launched the TransLoc app to fulfill the grant. The app will allow users to track buses, get real time location of your vehicle, view and favorites tops and get estimated arrival times.
TransLoc can be downloaded from the app stores and is compatible with both android and iOS systems.
About the Community Challenge:
The Community Challenge funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as transportation, public spaces, housing, smart cities, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.
It’s all part of AARP’s nationwide work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties across the country to become great places for all residents. AARP believes that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.
To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge across the nation – including all 184 granted projects this year, visit www.aarp.org/CommunityChallenge You can also view an interactive map of all Community Challenge projects and AARP’s livable communities work at www.aarp.org/livable.