The CCRTA Travel Training program is for people with disabilities and older adults who want to learn to travel safely and independently using public transportation. Travel training is a FREE self-paced process where an individual, regardless of ability or age, can learn to ride CCRTA’s fixed-route system.
Page Contents
What is Travel Training?
Welcome to Independence
Welcome to the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) Travel Training Program. Our program promotes greater independence and the confidence to travel anywhere CCRTA buses go, anytime they operate, and is offered at no cost. As an independent traveler, you can rely less on family and friends for transportation and have the freedom to plan your trips according to your own schedule.
All CCRTA buses are easily accessible to persons with disabilities and older adults. Ramps and lifts are available on all vehicles for your convenience. CCRTA has more than 1,400 bus stops at shopping malls, neighborhoods, colleges, transit centers, and entertainment and employment centers throughout Nueces County and beyond.
With the confidence and skills to travel independently, you are on your way to enjoying the benefits of riding with CCRTA. Welcome aboard!
Who Should Participate?
Individuals with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities and older adults who wish to gain travel independence and confidence by familiarizing themselves with CCRTA’s bus system.
- Participants experience an increased sense of confidence and self-reliance as a result of learning to travel independently.
- Parents and care providers can benefit too. Providing a child or aging parent with the knowledge to use CCRTA buses provides independence, saves time and lowers expenses.
- The community benefits as well. With a newfound ability to travel with CCRTA, individuals will be able to visit family and friends, shop more often, gain access to employment and education, and participate in recreational activities that enhance their quality of life.
Where Can I Learn to Travel?
Anywhere! You can learn how to go to your work, school, community center, church, a friend’s house, your doctor’s office or the mall. You can even go to the beach.
How Is Travel Training Accomplished?
Your personal travel trainer will customize the learning experience to meet your individual needs. The step-by-step process emphasizes safety, while building confidence and travel skills. Travel training involves a series of steps from initial one-on-one instructor assistance to gradual empowerment of the individual, and finally to confident, independent travel.
Individuals who need assistance to learn the public transportation system can receive the following types of travel training:
Travel Training for Older Adults
More than half of all non-drivers age 65 and older stay at home and often become isolated largely because transportation options are limited, particularly in rural and smaller communities. That’s why CCRTA is proud to offer mobility training that puts people in control of their schedule, their time and their life. Mobility training allows older adults to rely less on others for their transportation, increase confidence and independence, and provide the freedom to go where they want, when they want. As part of the training, older adults learn how to navigate CCRTA’s fixed-route system and master the skills necessary to ensure an enjoyable trip. Whether it’s a visit with family and friends, a dinner date, or a trip to the shopping center, CCRTA’s fixed-route service is affordable, easy to use, and best of all, it’s available without an appointment.
Travel Training for People with Disabilities
This type of training can be tailored to the trainees needs and can be delivered both individually or in a group setting. The goal of the individualized program is to train individuals with disabilities to travel independently to a regularly visited destination and back using CCRTA’s fixed-route buses. Group training allows a trainer to work with several trainees at one time to familiarize the trainees with fixed-route services, and provide them with the tools to explore the transit system independently.
What Skills Are Learned?
You will learn travel skills including, but not limited to:
- Identifying transportation options
- Reading maps and schedules
- Planning the trip
- Buying and using fare media
- Identifying the appropriate bus to ride
- Boarding, riding, and exiting the buses
- Crossing the street
- Maintaining appropriate behavior
- Learning safety skills
- Handling unexpected situations or problems
- Planning for emergencies
What Are the Benefits?
- Cost effective
- No need to make advance reservations
- Greater independence and same-day travel
- CCRTA buses get you where you need to go
- Pleasant, safe travel
- Enhanced mobility options
- Easy and accessible travel
- Access and Inclusion to opportunities within the community
Contact Us for Training as an Individual, or as a Provider Organization
Instructor Skillset
Travel Training instructors are skilled in assisting older adults or persons with physical or developmental disabilities. Instructors assist trainees in overcoming barriers and building confidence so they can use the least restrictive mode of public transportation to the fullest extent possible.
Contact Our Customer Service Advocate
Please contact the Customer Service Advocate for more information on how to obtain travel training for yourself, or how staff from your agency or organization can learn to deliver travel training.