Action Plan | Public Transportation

Written by: Karol Jia, Kunj Pandya, Runmin Li, & Nikhil Mummaneni

1. COTA ambassadors will address the public transportation barriers for refugee populations by providing a familiar & trustworthy source of information via leaders and helpers throughout refugee communities.
2. Our end goal is to decrease barriers to knowing about and accessing services offered by COTA. Language differences result in many barriers and create large information gaps, COTA ambassadors would help decrease this gap.
3. We chose the ambassador program to create a flow of information from COTA to community leaders then to whole communities as refugees aren’t aware of services and how to use them.

Measurables

• Identify COTA workers who can specialize in outreach
• Find refugee community leaders from places of worship, grocery stores/markets, different neighborhoods
• Create an education plan on COTA services that is easily digestible
• Create avenues for reciprocal feedback — will help in gauging success

To effectively enhance the accessibility and comprehensibility of public transit services, the primary task is to identify and develop Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) employees who can specialize in community outreach. These individuals will serve as a bridge between the company and the community, particularly for refugee communities from diverse cultural backgrounds and linguistic environments. One approach I propose is to achieve this goal while assisting refugees. For instance, we can foster refugees who are capable of learning or are willing to learn. Once they have mastered English or some of them have acquired adequate English proficiency, they could become formal employees of COTA and act as a conduit for communication with the refugees. This method appears to be more cost-effective than creating specialized positions and hiring translators.

Furthermore, it is essential to identify community leaders at key gathering places for refugees, such as places of worship, grocery stores, markets, and different residential areas. These leaders usually hold esteemed positions within their communities and can assist us in better understanding the specific needs of community members and effectively disseminate information about transit services. The words of these leaders often carry significant weight and credibility. Moreover, our lack of understanding of the refugee groups could make widespread contact potentially offensive. Therefore, direct interaction with the leaders of a group can minimize misunderstandings and reduce time costs.

Subsequently, developing an educational plan regarding COTA’s services is crucial, and the plan must be concise and easy for community members to understand. This means we will need to use simplified language, clear illustrations, and practical examples to introduce the services, how to use them, and how to benefit from them. Herein lies the importance of cultivating capable refugees to serve as communicative bridges for COTA, as previously mentioned. Even the most knowledgeable translators cannot understand a community as intimately as those living within it.

Additionally, establishing an effective mechanism for reciprocal feedback should not be overlooked. This will not only allow us to hear the voice of the community, understand their needs and suggestions but also provide us with a standard to measure the success of our educational efforts. Regularly collecting and analyzing feedback will enable us to continually adjust and improve our services.

Attainability

Create an educational plan for refugees:

1. Understanding the usage and services offered by COTA (i.e. handbooks, videos, workshops)
2. Holding speech/presentation among the living places of refugees, allow refugees to know COTA through their native speakers (COTA ambassadors)
3. Creating paths for organic growth from ambassadors simply sharing information
4. Provide references to solidify information presented through ambassadors
5. Opportunity for review/feedback sessions between ambassadors and COTA project managers

Organizations:

1. CRIS ohio(Community Refugee & Immigration Services)

2. US together

3. ETSS(Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services)

4. Cultural orientation resource exchange

5. Jewish family services

People:

1. COTA translators
2. COTA project managers
3. Refugee Students
4. Representatives and leaders of refugee community

• Local store owners and spiritual leaders
• Volunteers in community and places of worship
• Individuals who are already helping neighbors and elders

Risks:

1. Making sure to implement refugee languages that are not mainstream
2. User security on buses, people might be afraid to ride after facing unexpected situations
3. COTA ambassadors have the potential to cause more confusion amongst refugees without proper leadership

Relevance

Through the ambassador program, we aim to help refugees solve their transportation issues brought on by language barriers, lack of knowledge on COTA services, and lack of confidence/trust.

• Minimize communication barriers through trusted individuals
• Less confusion and more trust
• Greater knowledge of COTA services and confidence in accessing them

For COTA: Receive information and gain insights on how to improve services for all customer segments

COTA ambassadors would serve as a supplement to the already existing COTA informational services (over the phone translators, helplines, interactive maps, park and ride locations etc.)

Time

1. Identifying project leaders and community leaders/helpers would take a little to moderate amount of time

Our first step is to find people who can lead and assist us in this mission. This part won’t take long because we believe there are community members who are willing to step forward and help out. We will start by reaching out to people who we know are passionate about this cause and who have the skills and experience necessary to help us achieve our goals. We will use marketing campaigns to get the word out and to encourage others to join our team.

2. Creating digestible educational content would take a small to moderate amount of time.

We want to make sure the materials we create are simple and easy to understand. This might take a bit of time, but it’s important to us that the information is clear and useful.

To achieve this:

• Use plain language and avoid jargon. Use simple words and phrases that are easy to understand, and avoid technical terms or acronyms that people may not be familiar with.
• Break down complex information into smaller, more manageable pieces, making it easier for people to understand and remember the information.
• Use visuals and examples to illustrate key points.
• Complete pilot runs with the material. This will help us to identify any areas that are unclear or difficult to understand, and make changes accordingly.

3. Delivery of content through COTA ambassadors would take moderate to heavy amount of time

COTA ambassadors are the trusted members of the community who can help share information in a way that is culturally appropriate and sensitive. However, it can take some time to reach every corner of the community through this method.

4. Receiving feedback would take a small to moderate amount of time.

Collecting feedback is an ongoing process and will take some time. This is how we make quick improvements to our services. We value what the community has to say, and we will make sure it is easy for them to share their thoughts.

We collect feedback through a variety of channels, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups. We also encourage users to submit feedback directly to us through our website or social media pages.

Once we have collected feedback, we analyze it to identify trends and patterns. We then use this information to make changes to our services.