Foothills Area Mobility System

Foothills Area Mobility System (FAMS)The Foothills Area Mobility System (FAMS) was initiated in 2009 by the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission and Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services (RRCS-AAA) based on a recommendation from the region's Coordinated Human Services Mobility (CHSM) Plan.  The plan, funded by the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, created a regional vision for human services mobility and identified strategies to address common mobility and access issues for older adults, individuals with disabilities and low-income residents in the region. 

The initial CHSM plan identified five goals and strategies to address mobility issues including enhanced regional mobility coordination, information and education on mobility options, support for existing transit providers, expanded use and coordination of volunteer transportation services, and expanded inter-county and inter-regional transit routes, where feasible.

The formation of FAMS was a direct result of the planning process, and allowed for development of additional transit routes within and outside the region, as well as the implementation of the FAMS Call Center.  The FAMS Call Center provides free, person-centered information and referral on all available public, private and volunteer transportation, in addition to free travel training, trip planning, gas card vouchers and taxi cab vouchers.  FAMS has also coordinated with various local volunteer transportation programs within the Rappahannock-Rapidan region to streamline the volunteer driver application process, enhancing efficiency and collaboration of locally-run programs. 

Funding to support the FAMS program and One-Call Center has been received from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 & Section 5317 programs, PATH Foundation and from RRRC and RRCS-AAA.