MMP strongly believes that there are multiple methods for approaching a Travel Buddy program and that just as with other types of travel training, one size may not necessarily fit all.
A program designed for seniors may look quite different than the same program designed for individuals with cognitive disabilities. MMP stands firmly by their method of customizing a Travel buddy program to meet the specific needs of each group participating.
By utilizing a variety of program methods, we are providing opportunities for individuals to choose which way they want to learn:
- Small Group trainings led by professional Travel Trainers teach all the skills needed to safely access public transit. This method allows participants a valuable opportunity to learn and network with each other whereby they can establish their own “travel group” for future trips without a Travel Trainer present.
- “Train the trainer, peer-led training” is another model whereby participants are formally trained on training other individuals how to ride transit.
The main goal of either model is to provide participants a chance to meet like-minded people who want to use public transit to access their communities. In our many years of offering travel training programs in Southern California, we have learned that for some individuals, having the opportunity to travel in a group is much more enticing than traveling alone and leads to life-long retention and successful use of the skills they learned in the trainings.