Minnesota Council on Transportation Access
About the council
The Minnesota Council on Transportation Access (MCOTA) works to make transportation easier to use for everyone in Minnesota—especially older adults, people with disabilities, individuals with low incomes, and others who may face barriers getting where they need to go. Established by the Legislature in 2010, MCOTA’s charge is to “study, evaluate, oversee, and make recommendations to improve the coordination, availability, accessibility, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety of transportation services provided to the transit public.”
MCOTA is led by staff from the MnDOT who work with partner agencies, organizations, and stakeholders to continue to reduce barriers in the transportation system.
Mission
The mission of MCOTA is to remove obstacles that prevent the successful coordination of transportation programs and resources among their respective customers.
Vision
Minnesotans will have access to coordinated transportation services to meet their mobility needs.
Goals
- Identify and reduce transportation gaps.
- Develop effective and streamlined access to transportation.
- Provide more transportation options.
- Provide support and technical assistance to local partners.
- Share best practices and build coalitions.
- Identify and respond to research needs.
- Engage in responsible education, communication, and advocacy activities.
Resources
- 2024 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2023 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2022 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2021 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2020 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2019 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2018 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2017 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2016 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2015 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2014 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
- 2013 MCOTA Annual Report (PDF)
March 26, 2025
- March 2025 meeting agenda (PDF)
- March 2025 meeting minutes (PDF)
- MCOTA Driver Shortage Survey Analysis (PDF)
Jan. 22, 2025
- January 2025 meeting agenda (PDF)
- January 2025 meeting minutes (PDF)
- goMARTI Presentation (PDF)
- Greater Minnesota Transit Plan Update (PDF)
Nov. 20, 2024
- November 2024 meeting agenda (PDF)
- November 2024 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Minnesota Commercial Driver Workforce Study Presentation (PDF)
Sept. 25, 2024
May 22, 2024
- May 2024 meeting agenda (Word)
- May 2024 meeting minutes (PDF)
- May 2024-FY 2025 Work Plan Development Discussion (PDF)
- Greater Minnesota Transit Plan Presentation (PowerPoint)
March 27, 2024
Nov. 15, 2023
- November 2023 meeting agenda (PDF)
- Draft November 2023 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Transportation Equity and Disability Justice presentation (PDF)
- Mobility Management update (PDF)
Sept. 27, 2023
- September 27, 2023 meeting agenda (PDF)
- September 27, 2023 meeting minutes (PDF)
- CCAM presentation (PDF)
- Minnesota Mobility Managers’ Workshop Presentation (PDF)
- Volunteer Drivers Needs Statement
July 10, 2023 Senior Leadership Meeting
- July 10, 2023 meeting agenda (PDF)
- July 10, 2023 meeting minutes (PDF)
- July 2023 Senior Leadership meeting slides (PDF)
- Strategic Plan 2020-2024 (PDF)
May 24, 2023
- May 24 meeting agenda (PDF)
- May 24 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Complete Streets presentation (PDF)
- 2022 Local Coordination Plans (PDF)
- Volunteer Driver Appreciation Act: List of Supporters (PDF)
March 22, 2023
- March 2023 meeting agenda (PDF)
- March 2023 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Draft MCOTA Policy and Legislative Development Process (PDF)
- RTCC and TCAP Program Update (PDF)
- Draft revised member guide (PDF)
Jan. 25, 2023
- January 2023 meeting agenda (PDF)
- January 2023 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Driver’s Licenses for All bill information (PDF)
- Metropolitan Council presentation on Waiver Transportation (PDF)
- Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility presentation (PDF)
Nov. 16, 2022
- November 2022 agenda (PDF)
- November 2022 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Age-Friendly Minnesota presentation (PDF)
- MCOTA Work Teams presentation (PDF)
- Mobility Management presentation (PDF)
- Region 6W RTCC presentation (PDF)
Sept. 28, 2022
- Agenda (PDF)
- September 2022 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Hop Scott Presentation (PDF)
- Newtrax Presentation on Bear Tracks AV Shuttle (PDF)
- RTCC and TCAP Update (PDF)
July 27, 2022
- Agenda (PDF)
- Meeting minutes (PDF)
- Work Team Updates (PDF)
- Communications and RTCC and TCAP Updates (PDF)
May 25, 2022
- May 25, 2022 Meeting Agenda (PDF)
- May 2022 Meeting Minutes (PDF)
- Mobility Management Update for RTCCs and TCAPs (PDF)
- MCOTA Work Team Updates (PDF)
- Request for all MCOTA Regular and Senior Leadership Meetings to include ASL and CART (PDF)
March 23, 2022
- Agenda (PDF): 39164733 March 23, 2022 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Save the date for Volunteer Driver Forum (PDF)
- Communications Team Update (PDF)
- Request to Proactively Standardize Accessibility for Regular MCOTA Meetings (PDF)
- RTCC and TCAP Update (PDF)
- Region 5 RTCC Presentation (PDF)
- Mid-Minnesota RTCC and Central Community Transit Presentation (PDF)
Jan. 26, 2022
Nov. 17, 2021
- November 2021 meeting agenda (PDF)
- November 2021 meeting minutes (PDF)
- MCOTA Proposed 2022-23 Work Plan Priorities (PDF)
Oct. 1, 2021
- Senior Leadership Meeting MCOTA Senior Leadership Meeting Agenda (PDF)
- MCOTA Senior Leadership Meeting Minutes (PDF)
- Top Challenges and Opportunities from Members (PDF)
- Senior Leadership Meeting slides (PDF)
- Public comment from Jason W. Swanson, Executive Director, Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging®, Inc. (PDF)
Sept. 22, 2021
- September 2021 meeting agenda (PDF)
- September meeting minutes (PDF)
- Statewide Pedestrian Plan MnDOT (PDF)
- “Walking Audit” MDH (PDF)
- Communications Work Team Update (PDF)
- Mid-Minnesota RTCC Volunteer Driver Marketing Initiatives (PDF)
July 28, 2021
- July 28, 2021 meeting agenda and materials (PDF)
- July 2021 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan Presentation (PDF)
- Volunteer Driver Coalition request for MCOTA support for changing charitable mileage reimbursement rate for volunteer drivers (PDF)
May 26, 2021
- May 2021 meeting agenda (PDF)
- May 2021 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Public comment on NEMT (PDF)
- RTCC & TCAP Program/Grants Update (PDF)
March 24, 2021
- March 2021 meeting agenda (PDF)
- March 2021 meeting minutes (PDF)
- Highlights from Volunteer Driver Virtual Forum Series (PDF)
Jan. 27, 2021
- Agenda (PDF)
- January minutes (PDF)
- Logic model for performance measures/indicators for RTCC Phase 4 Work Plan (PDF)
Nov. 18, 2020
- Agenda (PDF)
- Minutes (PDF)
- MCOTA Operations Work Team Update (PDF)
- SmartLink Scott/Carver County TCAP Presentation (PDF)
- Central Minnesota RTCC/Region 5 Report on Phase 2 (PDF)
Sept. 10, 2020
July 24, 2020
- Senior Leadership Meeting Agenda (PDF)
- Minutes (PDF)
- RTCC and TCAP Program Summary & Status (PDF)
- MPTA Volunteer Driver Legislation (PDF)
July 15, 2020
June 24, 2020
May 27, 2020
April 22, 2020
Feb. 26, 2020
Jan. 22, 2020
Meeting minutes from 2017-2019
2019
- December 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
- November 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
- October 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
- May 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
- March 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
- February 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
- January 2019 meeting minutes (PDF)
2018
- November 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- October 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- September 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- July 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- May 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- March 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- February 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
- January 2018 meeting minutes (PDF)
2017
- Ellen Pillsbury (Chair) – Active Transportation Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Health
- Sarah Ghandour (Vice-Chair) – Director, Office of Transit and Active Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation (interim MnDOT designee)
- Jon Benson – Deputy Director for Program Services, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
- Peter Brickwedde – Assistant Commissioner of Government and External Affairs, Minnesota Department of Commerce
- David Fenley – ADA Director, Minnesota Council on Disability
- Kelly Garvey – Transportation Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education
- Brandon Nurmi – Director, Minnesota Public Transit Association
- Diogo Reis – Director, Health Improvement and Benefit Design Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services
- Maureen Melgaard Schneider – Chair, Minnesota Board on Aging
- Jeffrey Schnobrich – Executive Budget Officer, Minnesota Management and Budget
- Gerri Sutton – Director, Metropolitan Council
- Vacant – Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
- Vacant – Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs