TMAs/TMOs are typically non-profit, member-controlled organizations that are fundamentally public-private partnerships, bringing together businesses, local government, and sometimes residents and other organizations to manage transportation demand within a specific area. Providing an area-wide basis for TDM planning improves messaging, communications, and efficacy of TDM implementation in the broader community. A TMA can both assist employers and conduct community-based planning customizing mobility education and outreach for specific groups to promote non-driving options like transit, biking, and walking.
TMAs help coordinate transportation demand management activities across multiple employers, property owners, and organizations. By providing centralized trip planning, education, incentives, and rideshare support, TMAs can increase participation in transportation programs that reduce single-occupancy vehicle travel.
For more details, see CAPCOA, T-23. Provide Community-Based Travel Planning, pg. 176-178 for VMT reduction quantification.
Equity-focused travel planning should be tailored to the specific needs of each community, using multilingual materials, culturally relevant outreach, and partnerships with trusted local organizations. Strategies should prioritize low-income neighborhoods, rural communities, and historically underserved groups by offering personalized mobility support, including route planning, transit training, and bicycle education.
Development of a TMA/TMO would primarily require staff and organizational resources. Potential funding sources include Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants and CMAQ funds. StanCOG already funds and administers regional TDM activities through StanisCruise, and CMAQ funding is specifically available for transportation demand management, rideshare, and vanpool programs.
The 50 Corridor Transportation Management Association is a nonprofit organization serving workplaces and residential communities in the Sacramento region. The TMA works with employers and community members to encourage walking, bicycling, carpooling, vanpooling, and transit use. Its services include carpool matching, free transit passes, personalized trip-planning assistance, guaranteed rides, bicycle events, and workplace membership programs. This provides an example of a regional public-private organization coordinating transportation demand management services across multiple employers and communities.
StanCOG transitioned to its own regional TDM program, StanisCruise, in 2023 to better address the transportation needs of the Stanislaus region. The program supports trip planning, carpooling, vanpooling, and other sustainable transportation options and is being expanded to provide additional employer and commuter services.
