(upbeat music)

- [Denise Beck] Transportation
Network is really important
to the Greater Portland region
because transportation is what
people need to get around.
That's how you get to
"your doctor appointments,"
"that's how you get to school,"
"that's how you get to jobs,"
and if you don't have a car
"or you're a one-car family,"
then the Transportation
Network can really help you.
And we actually have
a pretty good transportation
in greater Portland.

- [Zoe Miller] When I started doing work
in the greater Portland region
"around transportation access,"
it was really clear to me
that we needed to have people involved
and at the table who have
lived experience of barriers.
And we were really fortunate
to find and apply for funding
through the Transit
"Planning 4 All initiative,"
which is like a perfect match with that.
Transportation Leaders Program
was a part of a larger
effort by GPCOG and PACTS
to advance the inclusion of
underrepresented communities
in transportation planning
and decision making.
"And in this context,"
"it's people of color,"
"people with limited English proficiency,"
"older adults, people with disabilities,"
and people who have traditionally
lacked representation
in transportation planning.

- [Zoe Miller] So the
Community Transportation
Leaders Program has three components.
One is focusing on helping people
with lived experience of barriers
to gain the skills and
the knowledge they need
to have an impact on
transportation decisions.
Second piece is to knit them together
with a cohort of peers.
The third piece is really about
creating a gateway into decision making
so that people can speak
directly to decision makers.

- [Mireille Kabongo] I'm an immigrant from the
République démocratique du Congo 
and I'm a person with disability.
I started to advocate
about public transportation
because I have transportation barrier.
"Going out, it was a challenge"
because I'm not driving.
"I was dependent on the people for grocery,"
"for English school, doctor"
"appointment, for everything."

- [Marcel Ntagora] Decisions used to be
made from the top down
"and most of the time, people"
who make those decisions
don't use public transportation.
"So having these people come on the table,"
they help us improve transportation
in a way that will make
this system better for them.
Because if it is accessible
"for the most vulnerable,"
then it'll work for everyone.

"- [Guy Mpoyi] That CTL Program,"
this is the place where anyone
can explain the struggle we had
and then the decision
maker gonna know exactly
"where to put the money,"
"where to serve people, and"
how we can all help them.

- [Mireille Kabongo] I
"learned how to go online,"
do different research.
I learned how to ask a question.
I learned how to be in a
"meeting, raise my hands."

- [Kat Violette] We've seen the power
of including these community members
and the impact that they can make.
We had our first cohort
that started in 2019.
Now we are with our second cohort.
"From the get-go,"
decision makers are reaching out to us
saying we wanna get
Community Transportation Leaders involved.

- [Karen Perry] Our committee
"from the first cohort,"
I was very surprised how good they were.
"They had the same complaints,"
like reading the schedule
and being able to
understand the bus drivers.

- [Kat Violette] We had Guy Mpoyi
start the Bus Ambassadors Program.
The Bus Ambassadors Program helps
community members who
are new to the community
or have limited English proficiency
learn how to navigate the transit system.

- [Guy Mpoyi] The goal
"with Bus Ambassadors,"
"we want those person to live freely,"
to do everything by their own.
They can go to their doctor appointment.
They can go to school.

- [Marcel Ntagora]
"Underrepresented communities,"
they have experience. They have knowledge.
This is something that
we need as planners.

- [Karen Perry] I think we've accomplished
a lot since the beginning.
They're more open than they were
because they want to hear from us.

- [Mireille Kabongo] We are
a part of the community.
I want to encourage everybody
to include everybody
because our voice are also
important like anybody.
(upbeat music)