Strategies to Increase Coordination of Transportation Services for the Transportation Disadvantaged (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 17-30
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From page 17... ...
For example, organizations that do not usually operate transportation services could include the following: • State-level human services agencies • State departments of transportation • Regional or local human services agencies • Advocacy groups • Community organizations (such as United Way or American Red Cross) • Faith-based organizations • MPOs or Regional Planning Agencies • Public transit agencies that contract for services Organizations that operate transportation services could include the following: • Public transit agencies • Private nonprofit transportation providers • Private for-profit transportation companies • Regional or local human services agencies • Community organizations • Faith-based organizations
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From page 18... ...
Listed in the first block at the top of the column are the coordination activities that might be pursued among organizations that do not operate service directly, by transportation operators, or by a combination of both types of organizations. These are also actions that will not change the separate nature of transportation services or programs.
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From page 19... ...
United Way has partnered with the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minneapolis for assistance in evaluating its efforts and assessing results. United Way's goal is a coordination model that includes a network of four to five experienced nonprofit transportation providers that are able to provide needed services throughout the region and are supported by services such as centralized Blended Transportation Programs Separate Transportation Programs Transportation advocacy, Coalition building Information and referral Joint planning, decision making Coordinating council Sharing technical expertise Use or subsidize services for client travel Travel training Mobility management Provide vehicles Provide technical assistance Joint grant applications Joint driver training Shared vehicle storage/maintenance facilities Joint procurement of vehicles, insurance, maintenance, fuel, hardware, software, technology Vehicle sharing Centralized functions (reservations, scheduling, dispatching)
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From page 20... ...
Henry Community Health Center/Delta Area Rural Transit System • Greater Twin Cities United Way • • • King County Metro Community Partnerships Program • • Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Action Plan on Aging and Mobility • • • Massachusetts Human Service Transportation Office • • Michigan Welfare to Work Program and Midland County • • RIDES Mass Transit District • Space Coast Area Transit • • • Baldwin Rural Area Transit System (BRATS) • • Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services • • Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG)
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From page 21... ...
the provision of retired paratransit vehicles, free vehicle maintenance, and limited operations fundProvide Vehicles Provide Technical Assistance Joint Grant Applications Joint Driver Training Joint Procurement of Vehicles, Equipment Vehicle Sharing Centralized Functions Purchase or Contract for Service Brokerage Consolidation of Transportation Programs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Blended Transportation Programs Both Types of Coordination Partners: Do Not Operate Service Transportation Operators Working Together TABLE 3 (Continued)
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From page 22... ...
. Transportation managers from the state's Medicaid, Public Health, Mental Retardation, and Job Access agencies, among others, jointly drew new district boundaries, standardized procurement procedures, and began to contract with RTAs for the brokerage of coordinated client transportation services.
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From page 23... ...
ACCESS Transportation Systems ACCESS Transportation Systems, Inc., has been providing brokerage services for PAT, which is the Pittsburgh area's public transit provider, since 1979. ACCESS has sponsorship agreements with over 120 local agencies, including PennDOT, which provides state lottery revenues for senior transportation, and the County Office of the Bureau of Federal Programs, which is responsible for Medicaid transportation.
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From page 24... ...
York County Transit Authority/rabbittransit York County Transportation Authority, or rabbittransit, is known as a leader in the field of public transportation coordination, providing a variety of services ranging from traditional fixed-route to demand-responsive service, as well as flexible services, such as route and point deviation, and park-and-ride shuttles. It also is well known for its coordinated approach to program funding, utilizing a wide range of funding sources.
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From page 25... ...
In Alabama, the Baldwin County Public Transportation Coalition was established in response to welfare reform, but is now working to develop expanded public transportation services for seniors, tourists, and employees. Similarly, a coalition of agencies working together in the Toledo area, under the guidance of TMACOG to obtain JARC funding for welfare-to-work transportation is now tackling issues related to improving housing for disadvantaged families in addition to transportation services.
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From page 26... ...
• A state-level coordination initiative. Efforts such as North Carolina DOT's sponsorship of the development of the Cross County Transit system to coordinate out-ofcounty medical trips, or the centralization of the purchase and management of human services client transportation in the new Massachusetts HST, can change the manner in which transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged are delivered or offer real opportunities for coordination.
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From page 27... ...
One reason that planning efforts continue to proceed in parallel is that the planning processes that recipients of federal transit funding are required to follow are often unfamiliar to human services agencies, while the planning requirements associated with health and human services programs are diverse and usually unfamiliar to transportation providers. The case studies, however, illustrate the value of joint transportation planning to a successful coordination effort.
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From page 28... ...
In addition to the major grant programs administered by transportation and human services agencies at the federal and state levels, public and private foundations and other nontraditional funding sources can be resources for local organizations that are planning or implementing coordination activities. For example, Greater Twin Cities United Way relies on both traditional and nontraditional funding sources to support its series of pilot transportation coordination projects.
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From page 29... ...
Current Challenges Most of the themes or trends that emerged from the case studies dealt with effective strategies or key ingredients for a successful coordination effort. Two themes, however, spotlight challenges faced by many organizations that have been involved in recent efforts to coordinate transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged -- sustainability and building trust.
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From page 30... ...
• Communication among entities considering or engaged in coordination activities is vital. • Time and effort will need to be devoted to developing trust among partners and addressing concerns about control.
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