iTNAmerica (Independent Transportation Network America)

Where is the case study from?

iTNAmerica began in Maine, but has spread to include numerous US states.

What triggered the innovation?

Katherine Freund (founder of iTNAmerica) was inspired to develop a model for dignified mobility for older people after her 3 year old son was seriously injured in a car crash where the driver was 84 years old. She realised that accidents happened as a result of the transportation system failing to meet the needs of an aging population.

What is the nature of the innovation?

iTNAmerica is the first and only national non-profit transportation system for America's aging population. The model marries the power of information technology and the strength of local, grassroots support. The goal is to create an efficient and financially sustainable solution to the transportation needs of seniors and their families throughout the world. ITNAmerica provides rides with door-through-door, arm-through-arm service to thousands of seniors nationwide. The service may be used for any purpose, as it is realised that senior citizens may wish to travel for many reasons. It provides choice and freedom as well as providing independence.

It operates using a credit system.  Service users open a personal account and join a local iTN association.   The account allows people to combine various forms of assets, including:

• Liquidated capital assets (e.g. an old car can be traded for credits);
• Credits accumulated through volunteering for an iTN service when younger;
• Credits donated by friends and family as a result of their volunteering (this includes the ability to volunteer in one state and donate credit to a friend or relative in another state);
• Credits accumulated through a scholarship programme for low income individuals (whereby credits accumulated by individuals can be donated for charitable purposes).

Some communities have developed collective schemes to support older people through scholarship programmes, whereby municipalities, non-profit organisations or other groups recruit volunteers and those volunteers put their credits into their group's community account to help pay for rides for low income seniors in that community.

Other complementary schemes have emerged, such as Ride & Shop, whereby merchants - such as super markets and shopping malls - help to pay for rides in order to bring older people to their retail outlets.  Some health providers also pay for similar schemes.

iTN affiliate communities may use up to 50 per cent public funds in the first 5 years or service. However, this money is used as venture capital, and the expectation is for services to be sustainable not tax payer subsidised.

What are the key lessons?

• Must be consumer oriented, mirroring the private transport experience as closely as possible; otherwise people will not pay for it.
• Getting the technology right and a bank account that allows diverse assets were key innovations.
• iTNAmerica's approach has been rolled out across a number of states.  Achieving this scale required a degree of standardisation of the essential components of the approach. Without this scale cannot be achieved.

The goal of ITNAmerica is now to create an efficient and financially sustainable solution to the transportation needs of seniors and their families throughout the world. They aim to support sustainable, community-based transportation services for seniors throughout the world by building a senior transportation network though research, policy analysis and education, and by promoting lifelong safety and mobility.

Further information and contact

http://www.itnamerica.org/

http://blog.itnamerica.org/

Katherine Freund

Founder and President

ITNAmerica^®

Katherine.Freund@itnamerica.org