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For Jefferson and Oswego Counties, the challenge wasn’t just gathering input but ensuring it came from those most impacted by transportation barriers, including:

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• Limited mobility options – Residents struggled with infrequent or inaccessible transit services, making it difficult to reach jobs, healthcare, and essential services.

• The transition from public assistance to employment – Transportation costs often became a financial burden when individuals moved from public assistance to work, limiting their ability to remain employed.

• Medical transportation gaps – Missed appointments and poor follow-up care due to unreliable or unaffordable transport.

•  Lack of trust in the process – Previous public input efforts felt disconnected from real action, leading to low engagement from both residents and key decision-makers.

 

They needed an efficient, inclusive, and actionable public input process to address these challenges.

We designed and facilitated a structured, solution-focused public input session to ensure that feedback was not only heard but translated into meaningful, actionable insights.

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How We Gathered Input & Engaged Stakeholders

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 Open Space facilitation – Allowed participants to lead discussions on the most pressing transportation issues they faced.
Breakout sessions categorized key barriers into four themes:

• Underserved Populations

• Employment & Education Access

• Medical Transportation Gaps

• Other Community-Specific Concerns

Guided solution-building – Instead of just identifying problems, participants collaborated to develop real-world solutions.
Seamless technology & process – Eliminated post-it notes, flip charts, and messy data processing by capturing structured, ready-to-use insights in real-time.
Inclusive & accessible participation – Ensured that individuals from all backgrounds could contribute meaningfully, leading to a more representative plan.

By creating an environment where participants could speak openly, we gathered critical insights that had previously been overlooked:

 

 Transportation affordability is a top concern.

• Many residents reported that transit costs prevent them from taking advantage of job opportunities.

• Suggested solutions included transportation stipends, employer-subsidized transit, and improved marketing of existing assistance programs.

 Medical transportation gaps are a systemic issue.

• Residents miss critical medical appointments due to unreliable transit options, leading to worsening health outcomes.

• Participants proposed expanding non-emergency medical transport services and coordinating with healthcare providers to reduce scheduling conflicts.

 Rural areas need better transit coordination.

• Many people in outlying areas lack regular or predictable service, making it hard to plan commutes or errands.

• Recommendations included expanding rideshare partnerships and creating a volunteer driver network to supplement existing services.

 Stronger communication is needed between transit providers and the public.

• Many residents weren’t aware of the transportation services already available.

• The group recommended clearer transit marketing, real-time route updates, and community ambassadors to help people navigate the system.

 ➡A Revised 5-Year Coordinated Transportation Plan – The final report incorporated key barriers, solutions, and stakeholder recommendations from the session, directly influencing policy and funding priorities.

 ➡ Higher engagement – Many participants stayed longer than planned because the session felt valuable.
➡ Faster decision-making – The final structured output reduced staff workload and ensured insights could be implemented quickly.
➡ Community-driven solutions – The counties now have clear, actionable strategies directly informed by those most impacted.