Community Supported Workforce Transportation

In a time where efficient and affordable transportation is crucial for workforce stability and economic growth, a new initiative supported by Greater Dubuque Development aims to enhance employee's commuting options in the Greater Dubuque region. Working with key partners including the Regional Transit Authority (RTA 8) and Enterprise, an inaugural community-supported workforce transportation program will bring together public and private sector entities to offer a new flexible, point-to-point transit solution for employees. These most recent efforts build on the commuter routes developed in collaboration with the City of Dubuque's Jule transit system in 2023 to address transportation as top employment barrier as cited by regional employers through our 250+ annual BR&E interviews.

RTA 8 has been instrumental in piloting this opportunity in the Greater Dubuque region, recognizing the need for offering an adaptable and streamlined transportation option to serve the needs of our regional workforce. Partnering with Enterprise, an industry leader in transportation solutions, ensures that the program will be both efficient and user-friendly. Together, these partners are committed to providing a transportation option that addresses gaps in the current system to ease typical public transportation commute times while supporting current and potential workforce needs.

To launch the pilot program, Greater Dubuque Development is sharing this initiative with the employer community to recruit two employers located in the RTA 8 region (Delaware, Dubuque, and Jackson counties) to participate for up to one year. As a committed program partner, RTA 8 is investing in a three-way cost share for the service alongside the employer and the employee(s). To learn more about the new workforce transportation solution, contact Nic Hockenberry, Director of Workforce Programming at nicolash@greaterdubuque.org or 563-557-9049.