By Janine DavisRecord Staff WriterWarren Country residents who need a ride to the grocery store or to medical and other appointments soon will have more options.County officials were briefed on a simple one-call resource that will arrange trips for those in need via a new “mobility manager.”They hope to have a manager for the program filled and the service in place by early 2014.During a meeting last week at the Booneslick Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), officials from the Eastern Missouri Transportation Coordinating Council (EMTCC) laid out plans for a mobility manager, who will act as a central clearinghouse and coordinator for individual transportation needs. The manager will also help do more with existing resources as funding is stretched.The program is aimed at older adults, people with disabilities and individuals with lower incomes who lack transportation.Vito Lucido, chair of the EMTCC, said that the plan is for multiple transportation providers to be incorporated into the mix of options, including social service agencies and senior and volunteer programs that have vehicles; non-emergency medical providers; existing Rideshare and CarShare programs; van-pooling groups; church buses and taxi companies.“The position will coordinate transportation needs for people in six counties: Warren, Lincoln, Montgomery, St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson Counties,” said Lucido.Representatives from municipal and county governments, Head Start, St. Charles Community College, OATS, BRPC and other entities participated in the transportation forum Oct. 24. Teri Miller, State of Missouri Governor’s Council on Disability, also attended the meeting.Funding for the position will come from several grants that have been approved, reported Lucido. Two of those grants are the New Freedom grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation, and a Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council planning grant. The group hopes that a third grant will be approved soon.New Options in Era of Declining FundingLucido explained that the EMTCC is a voluntary council established to address the need for mobility management and transportation coordination in the region. Made up of community and agency leaders throughout the area, it was started in June 2012 by a group of citizens who recognized the need for increased transportation options in an era of declining funding.“Our mission is to help people in the area get where they want to go,” said Lucido.EMTCC case statement explains that creating the position of a mobility manager “reduces costs and increases efficiency through coordination,” filling more available vehicles and allowing people greater access to their community.BRPC Planner Krishna Kunapareddy explained the need for a mobility manager and more public transportation options for the area, citing large populations of senior citizens (age 65 and older), significant low-income households (19 percent in Warren County meet the state standard of incomes 150 percent below-poverty-level), and nearly 15,300 people with disabilities.“Less than 1 percent of the population uses public transportation,” said Kunapareddy, underscoring the limitations of current systems.Lucido said that while there are pockets of organizations that provide transportation for specific groups, such as seniors, people with disabilities and veterans, there’s something that’s missing in managing these resources in a coordinated way.“We’re not taking ownership of these individual programs, but bringing them together to work together, especially in an era of declining funds at state, federal and even local levels,” said Lucido. He said he had attended a state conference where mobility management was discussed as a way to do more with existing resources, and that reception of the concept was widely and enthusiastically received.Single Point of ContactForum leaders said that the plan is to offer people a one-call resource as a single point of contact to learn about their travel options, modes and prices. The resource will be housed at the BRPC offices.A good example of how the program will work, said Kunapareddy, would be an agency bus heading to a destination with 2 or 3 people, or someone traveling for work.“There likely are other people in the area who need to go to that same destination for some other reason,” said Kunapareddy. “Now, they will be able to call and ride along.”Lucido said that Enterprise is exploring expanding its WeCar program in this area, which would help the program further. The program enables licensed and insured drivers to use the car or vehicle for short trips.Program to Provide More Transportation Options