The Employment Access and Coordinated Human-services Transportation (EACH) Plan
Everyone benefits when transportation planning is done in a coordinated way. Without coordinated planning, some areas or groups may get plenty of transportation services while other needs remain unmet. The goal of the Employment Access and Coordinated Human-services transportation (EACH) plan is for local organizations to determine which are the most important human services transportation projects for Whatcom County and put them in priority order. The EACH planning process resulted in a locally-ranked project list and high priority projects from the list became eligible for funding from state and federal public transportation grant programs.
In 2006, WSDOT directed all Regional Transportation Planning Organizations to convene a representative stakeholder group to prepare and adopt a local EACH plan. WCOG worked with a wide range of human services providers to develop the EACH plan.
The 2010 update of the EACH plan has been approved by the RTPO Board.
Several projects identified in the 2007 EACH plan were awarded grant funds from the Washington State Public Transportation grant program:
Lummi Nation Transit Service Fixed-route transit operated by the Lummi Nation began in 2007 and has assisted hundreds of special needs travelers to access medical care, social services, jobs, and education.
Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) 
Specialized transit services were awarded funds for equipment and operations to maintain and increase services for special needs transportation in Whatcom County.
Travel Training WCOG expanded its contacts with the special needs community to find out what types of transportation information were needed and to provide that information in accessible formats. WCOG published the North Sound Connections Guide brochure and established the North Sound Connections trip planner website to assist seniors, veterans, and others to travel to Seattle area hospitals for medical appointments and other special needs.
Mobility Management WCOG received funding to increase awareness of transportation options for daily trips for special needs travelers and their families through the Whatcom Smart Trips program. 
The following projects in the 2010 EACH Plan were funded:
WTA Paratransit Service: Purchase and operations funding to allow expanded Flex-route and Para-transit service for people with disabilities.
Passes and Tokens for Special Needs: Funding to augment the number of bus tokens and free-ride coupons available for social service agencies to provide to people with special needs. These tokens will ensure that transportation is not a barrier for people accessing essential services such as food, shelter, job training, and medical care.
Lummi Transit: Funding allows Lummi Nation to purchase, maintain, and operate transit equipment to serve people living, working,attending school, and accessing services on the Lummi Reservation.
Organizations and agencies interested in participating in the EACH stakeholder group may contact WCOG by e-mail or by calling 676-6974.
Selected EACH Stakeholder Links