As part of the Berkshire Blueprint 2.0, 1Berkshire created a Transportation Strategy Group to explore the concept of creating a comprehensive and cohesively networked public/private transportation system in the Berkshires. Previous studies have identified limited access to public transportation and first/last mile connections as major transportation barriers in the Berkshires. To overcome these transportation barriers, the concept of a Berkshire County Transportation Management Association to provide demand responsive micro-transit was explored.
A typical TMA is a membership based, public-private partnership of businesses, institutions & municipalities that are joined together under an agreement for the purpose of providing and promoting transportation options for commuters/employment-based transportation that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
Over the past year, BRPC has worked with the Transportation Strategy Group to hire a consultant to conduct a feasibility study of what TMA would look like in the Berkshires. Below is the link to the report as prepared by TransAction, the consult that assisted in conducting this study. The report includes a regional assessment of existing resources and stakeholders, a survey of public input, an overview of existing rural TMA models, and an implementation plan to establish a TMA in the Berkshire region. This report will serve as basis for the next steps in establishing a Berkshire County TMA and BRPC is eager to move this initiative forward to implementation.