Travel Training Best Practices

May 2015, Updated May 2025

It's no secret that transit systems can seem complicated and intimidating to new customers. Riders may have trouble understanding and navigating system route maps and schedules, and may be overwhelmed by transit options. According to a 2009 study in the Transportation Research Record, only 5% of seniors use public transit. The study also found that the main reason for this lack of use was a widespread unfamiliarity with public transit, and a lack of confidence in using its services. 

Travel training is one method that transit agencies have used successfully to bridge the learning gap for new riders, especially seniors and persons with disabilities. Travel training can give new riders the skills to:

  • Understand trip planning software
  • Read route maps and schedules
  • Locate bus and train stops
  • Flag down buses
  • Calculate and pay fares
  • Obtain and use transit passes
  • Recognize when the desired stop has been reached
  • Indicate to the bus driver to stop
  • Obtain service updates
  • Use mobility devices safely on vehicles
  • Tell if a vehicle is equipped for mobility devices

The hope is that by engaging inexperienced riders in using transit systems, they can become more comfortable and eventually use transit independently. This can generate more active lifestyles for riders, and allow them to function fully as part of their communities.


One innovative use of travel training is teaching persons with disabilities who would otherwise use costly paratransit service to use fixed-route service. Two studies conducted by Easter Seals Project ACTION in 2012 found that travel training services had the potential to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in net savings to transit agencies. (See Research Pays Off: Can Travel Training Services Save Public Transportation Agencies Money?).

Travel training is fully customizable to the agency’s resources and community’s needs. It can be run by paid employees, volunteers, or both. Intercity Transit, based in Olympia, WA, began their travel training program in 2000. Anyone can sign up for the program, which trained about 100 people in 2014. Intercity's travel trainer is a paid employee who initially meets with new riders and does the orientation training. One of its unique features is the volunteer rider component, Bus Buddies, who are volunteers that ride with customers needing special assistance shopping or running errands. Intercity's travel training and Bus Buddies programs are separate, so riders can opt for one program and not the other depending on their needs and abilities.


Attracting volunteers may be a stumbling block for transit agencies who would like to start travel training programs. Many travel training programs, such as the MST Navigators program run by Monterey-Salinas Transit, offer incentives to ensure that volunteers work a set number of hours a month – often free transit rides or passes. What's important is that the transit agency has enough dedicated travel trainers to serve the community's needs, whether they are volunteers or paid staff. 

Travel training can also be enhanced by technology. King County Metro has offered free travel training services for over 15 years, including destination-specific, system, group, and lift/ramp trainings. "We have developed a software program that helps us to administer, track and report on all of our employee and client training data in a very consistent and efficient manner," said Amanda Bryant, Program Manager for King County Metro. "The new transit instruction software program works in conjunction with the paratransit Trapeze software. All of our transit instructors use tablets in the field."


Beyond just using technology in the training sessions, there are several ways it makes transit travel easier for new customers.  GPS-based smartphone apps such as Wayfinder give riders visual and audible cues to help them ride transit independently.  Transit websites such as Olympia's Intercity Transit and Portland, Oregon's TriMet offer trip planning to help customers anticipate any transfers they may have to make, as well as giving information about fares, routes, and delays.  However, technology options are not useful for every potential rider, so programs like Bus Buddies will still be very useful in the future.


No matter how a travel training program is structured or carried out, the key to success depends on how well the program responds to community needs. "The secret to the success of the Metro Bus Travel Training program is the strong community outreach component," said Berta Hartig, Marketing and Communications Manager for the St. Cloud Metro Bus of St. Cloud, Minnesota. "Metro Bus has developed mutually beneficial relationships within the network of care providers, senior living facilities, social service agencies, and organizations that support people with disabilities and seniors. Because these agencies understand the benefit to the individual, agency, and the overall community, and have seen the success individuals have in learning how to ride and become more independent, they continue to refer people to our program."

Case Study: GetThere Travel Training Program

Travel training is designed to teach individuals, especially those with disabilities or other specific needs, how to navigate public transportation systems safely and independently. It involves personalized instruction on how to read bus schedules, use bus routes, and understand safety protocols.  The goal of the program is to build confidence, enhance mobility, and empower individuals to gain greater independence and access to more opportunities.


The New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) funded a Getthere Travel Training program through the RHN in Central NY Region 2 (which is mostly rural) beginning in 2020 and has plans to branch out and cover the entire state.  Getthere was originally established as the Broome-Tioga Mobility Project in 2011 and has also been known as Mobility Management of South Central New York.  Julie Fehely began working for the Rural Health Network of SCNY, Inc. (RHN) as its Travel Training Coordinator in 2021.


Getthere Travel Training has since expanded to Alleghany County. Soon the program will be expanding to Warren County and Saratoga County.  The program started with 8 travel trainers and currently has 18.  Since 2021, 94 riders have been trained to date. The goal is to have one trainer in each of the 62 counties in the state.  


Julie trains new travel trainers through a Zoom train-the-trainer curriculum, which includes a binder and videos.  That way travel trainers can adjust the travel training program to their community’s unique needs.  “Once trainers begin doing it, it becomes second nature!” states Julie.


The Getthere Travel Training program advisory committee meets quarterly.  The travel trainers are invited to join the committee and get to know each other and share best practices.  Riders who completed travel training may be given information about joining their transit agency citizens’ advisory groups, it available. Travel training effectiveness is tracked by a questionnaire that asks questions such as, “Is there anything else that can make you more comfortable about using transit?”


A Travel Training Referral Form enables people who are interested in becoming a travel trainer or being travel trained to get in contact with Julie. If someone is interested in becoming a travel trainer, Julie will contact them and start the process. She will also refer riders looking for travel trainers to their local transit system if they have a travel trainer on staff, or if not, Julie or one of the existing travel trainers will conduct the training.


Getthere clients include seniors and people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities.  The program also does outreach to colleges and universities, as new students may not know how to take the bus to get around town.  Julie promotes the program through conferences, including the New York Public Transit Association and Association of Travel Instruction Conferences.  She attends various events throughout the state to make connections.  Some of the counties covered are very rural and do not have public transit available, so the program also trains on how to use Uber, Lyft, taxis, etc., how to work with Medicaid or doctors to fill out forms needed for transportation, and even safely crossing pedestrian crosswalks.  The program also incorporates innovative transportation technology including a trip planner and a smartphone app.


Getthere was originally funded completely through the CDD.  Now it is funded through FTA 5311 (Formula Grants for Rural Areas) and 5310 grants (Enhanced Mobility of Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities).  Local match includes local United Ways, community foundations, and private donations.


Both the travel trainers and the riders love the program. “Before travel training, I was nervous about taking the bus on my own. But now, I feel confident and I don’t have to rely on anyone else to get around anymore,” says Belinda, a travel training client.


Case Study Photo: Julie Feheley, Travel Training Coordinator for Getthere, A program of the Rural HealthNetwork of SCNY (right) provides travel training to a passenger. Photo Credit: Getthere


Conclusion

With the myriad ways that travel training can be achieved, there is no reason for anyone to be excluded from their community because of unfamiliarity with using transit.  As the US population ages, travel training programs will be vital in giving people the independence they need to live full lives, and the versatility of travel training programs means that every transit agency can respond to their community's needs, whether by using volunteers, technology, or community organizations to best reach out to potential new customers.

Additional Resources


This document was prepared by National RTAP with the financial assistance of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The contents do not necessarily represent the opinions or policy of any agency of the U.S. Government, and the U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. It does not have the force and effect of law and is not meant to bind the public in any way.