Embark mobility management reports grant wins, software rollout and rising demand for nonemergency trips

Marilyn Dillon, director of Embark’s mobility management division, briefed the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority on May 2 about growing demand for senior and nonemergency medical transportation, recent grants, and a new mobility software rollout intended to improve coordination across Embark’s network.

Dillon said senior services are funded through an Older Americans Act grant in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the area agency on aging. Through March 2025, Embark had distributed an additional 38,000 bus passes to partner agencies after receiving supplemental budget authority.

She told trustees the mobility-management team completed 8,700 partner trips through March for organizations including ReMerge, Hope House and Palomar, and that an innovative Climb program—funded by a $1,500,000 replication grant with Pivot—now serves 50 transition‑age youth living in a tiny‑home community. Dillon said the program helped participants secure higher-paying jobs and educational opportunities: one youth told staff, “I had a 5 year plan to stabilize myself, but it was gonna take me 5 years because I was working at bronze. But now I work at Amazon…My 5 year plan just became a 2 year plan.”

Dillon outlined federal and philanthropic funding streams: Embark received a $10,000 grant from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to support Embarkwell; the agency is applying for Section 5310 funds from the Federal Transit Administration (Dillon said the agency’s current-year apportionment is $1,200,000), and staff expect to present a program of projects for the 5310 funds in July. Dillon also said Embark won an ICAM (Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility) grant in FY2024 to support call-center soundproofing and other customer-experience improvements tied to a South May Street remodeling project.

On technology, Dillon said initial implementation of new mobility software is complete and a customer mobile app for scheduling trips is expected after the start of the fiscal year in the fall. She acknowledged “growing pains” moving data from legacy systems but said software will enable better coordination and that some agencies will buy vehicles and software through recent 5310 awards.

Dillon credited staff and partners for running programs efficiently: she told trustees Embark was asked by the state to reduce the cost of the Climb program by 10% but that program managers Adrian Harrell and Latanja Roberts ran the program under budget and absorbed the reduction without service cuts. Trustees had no formal vote; the presentation was heard as part of the public meeting that lacked a quorum.

Dillon closed by inviting questions and said staff will return with additional details and agreements related to Section 5310 awards and upcoming program contracts.