Clean Public Transportation Is Taking Indian Country the Extra Mile

Commuting to work. Attending a medical appointment. Buying groceries. Going to school. Transportation touches almost all aspects of daily life. And for those who do not have regular access to transportation, simple necessities become a complicated endeavor. Indigenous People in the United States are more likely than any other racial demographic to lack reliable transportation for daily living. Because of this, public transit options in Tribal communities are vital but have been chronically underfunded. It’s clear that Tribal communities critically need well-funded public transit systems—and it's even more beneficial when transit vehicles are pollution-free. 

Historically, there has been a significant lack of public transit options for Tribes due to limited resources and funding. In 1999, the Community Transportation Association of America reported that only 18 of the then 562 federally recognized Tribes received any funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s program for rural transit. In the 25 years since, that number has grown, with well over 100 Tribes now having implemented successful transit programs, due to an increase in funds and programs that Tribes are eligible to apply for. While this progress is a good start, there is still a long way to go before Indian Country has adequate transportation options for their community members—a problem that is increasingly being addressed through clean public transportation as more funding becomes available. 

The importance of increasing transportation access in Indian Country

The list of reasons why Tribal communities require better transportation options is directly connected to many of the disparities that Indigenous People experience in general. On average, 9 percent of households in Tribal areas do not have a vehicle, which is more than twice the national rural average of 4 percent of households. And for those who do own vehicles, driving can be costly, especially given the high and volatile gasoline prices paired with the long driving distances in rural areas. Because of this, access to public transportation in Indian Country is absolutely essential. Nevertheless, Indigenous communities frequently face unique barriers implementing it.

Indian Country is often located in more remote, rural areas, where public transit programs face specific challenges. For example, rural Tribal communities often face hazardous road conditions, lower ridership for fixed transit routes, complex and overlapping jurisdictional authority among federal, state, and Tribal roadways, complications across longer distances, and accessibility issues. Due to the remote nature of many reservations, necessities such as grocery stores, medical facilities, jobs, and schools may require greater distances to reach. In fact, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spatial analysis revealed that only 25.6 percent of individuals living in Tribal areas were within walking distance of a grocery store, less than half the national average of 58.8 percent. Native Americans on average also travel the longest distance to reach hospitalization services, out of any racial demographic in the United States. Without reliable public transit options, these essentials can remain out of reach for many Indigenous People.

According to a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2022, American Indian and Alaska Native adults are more likely than any other racial group in the United States to lack reliable transportation for daily living at 17.1 percent, compared to the national average of 5.7 percent. Having access to reliable transportation is crucial for economic mobility, which is especially important for Indigenous communities who face the highest poverty rates out of any racial or ethnic population in the country at 24.1 percent—almost twice the national average.

Furthermore, access to public transportation is a safety issue for Native communities and is directly related to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People crisis (MMIWG2S). The MMIWG2S situation encapsulates the epidemic of disproportionate violence and murder that Indigenous women and girls face compared to other ethnicities in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Indigenous women and girls are 10 times more likely to be murdered than women of any other ethnicity in the country. However, having access to safe forms of transportation can help minimize these risks. A report published in 2022 by the Transportation Research Board states, “With limited access to cars—and few, if any, auto mechanics in rural reservation communities—Native women and girls resort to hitchhiking, which places them at risk. The forms of travel for Tribal people are sometimes affected by a lack of access to reliable mode choices provided by the Tribal transportation agencies, such as public buses and other ride-sharing and transit for rural communities.” 

Safety issues stemming from a lack of public transportation do not stop there. Indigenous People also face the highest traffic fatality rates of any racial demographic in the United States. In Tribal areas with limited transportation options, people must often walk along roads with no pedestrian infrastructure, increasing the risk of pedestrian fatalities. In fact, Native Americans are 4.2 times more likely to be killed by a vehicle while walking than their white counterparts—again, the highest rate of any racial demographic in the country.

These statistics displaying the overwhelming disparities that Indigenous communities experience are not just numbers. They are inexcusable injustices that Indigenous People across the country face every day due to centuries of intentional systemic oppression and neglect. But they are solvable, and they demand continued strategic investments, programs, and attention to address the consequences of our nation’s past. While increasing access to transportation options will not solve all these problems overnight, it is a crucial part of a well-rounded solution.

Tribes are taking advantage of historic clean transportation funding

While public transportation of any sort is helpful for Tribal communities, clean transit takes it a step further by bringing a wide range of economic, climate, and health benefits. In recent years, a historic amount of funding has become available, specifically for clean transportation that Tribes can continue to utilize. Tribal transit has seen a rise in federal funding over the past decade, with a 30 percent increase in just the four years between 2013 to 2017. And with landmark legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, federal funding for clean public transit has increased dramatically.

Along with an increase in funding, other barriers to implementing projects have started to be addressed. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) created the Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program, which allows participating Tribes more decision-making authority over funds for transportation projects. This program streamlines the implementation process, reduces administrative burdens on Tribes, and can cut down on costs that come from previous lengthy contract negotiations, fund transfers, and much more. State funding for public transit has also seen significant increases in recent years in certain states. Legislation passed in California (2023) and Colorado (2024), for example, is unlocking hundreds of millions of state dollars annually to grow investments in public transit. 

As more funding opportunities for clean public transportation have become available to Tribes, many have been able to successfully implement a slew of projects. In 2023, the Yurok Tribe’s Transportation department received $977,058 from the California State Transportation Agency’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program to purchase four electric transit vans and four charging stations. The addition of these vehicles allows for a permanent extension of the Yurok transportation program’s transit route. This has ensured more frequent and consistent travel opportunities for rural Tribal members to Eureka, Oregon—a journey of up to 140 miles round-trip—where they can access cheaper groceries, a wider range of vital medical services, employment opportunities, and much more. According to Brandi Natt, the Yurok Tribe’s Transportation program director, this clean transportation project has been a welcome and needed improvement for Yurok Tribal members. “People are very, very happy about it. They immediately started using it,” she says.

This project is certainly not the first of its kind. The Metlakatla Indian Community in Alaska was awarded $402,257 by the Federal Transit Administration in 2022 for an electric bus that expands transit routes, connecting the ferry terminal to the community, which is a commute of 28 miles round-trip. Cherokee Nation also received 1.5 million dollars from DOT grants to bolster its transit operations with public electric buses to be used by Tribal members. “Taking care of our land, our water, and our air has always been important to Cherokees,” said Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner. “Replacing traditional transit buses with eco-friendly vehicles is a great way to reduce the carbon footprint we are leaving on the earth.” Many more projects are currently underway, proving the successes that clean transit can have in Tribal communities and making the case for more funding to be provided.

Tribal transportation has historically not been supported by federal and state funding opportunities, an issue that is especially severe given the unique transportation needs and disparities that Tribal communities face. While there needs to be continuous funding for Tribal public transit of any kind, this recent influx of dollars for clean transportation opportunities is expanding Tribes’ ability to carry out successful transit programs and projects—connecting Tribal members to everyday essentials while keeping their communities healthy. This historic increase in transportation funding does not correct decades of abandoning Tribal transportation needs but is an overdue start in realizing a future where Indigenous People throughout the country have choices for transportation that are both cost-effective and clean.