Pittsburgh, PA Where coordination makes mobility possible

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Pittsburgh, PAWhere coordination makes mobility
possible!
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Wherever you are going
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We need transportation in every stage of our
lives
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Life is more than going to the doctor.

• Every trip is important
• Personal independence
• Life beyond driving

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Importance of the Service

• Recent AARP national survey
• Transportation most requested service
• Nearly every respondent cited need
• Life doesnt end when no longer able to drive
• Supports existing services and local economy

• Personal freedom mobility independence
• I can go where I want
• I dont have to ask for help
• Enables people to remain at home

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ACCESS Transportation Systems Pittsburgh, PA

• Sponsored by Port Authority of Allegheny County
• ACCESS serves as broker since 1979
• 1.8 million rides provided annually in the
  coordinated system
• Over 125 sponsoring agencies
• Service provided by 8 private companies from 10
  locations, non-profit and for profit

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2005 United We RideNational Leadership Award

• Awarded to ACCESS for
• Coordination of Human Service Transportation

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An Aging City

• Industrial roots
• Population decline
• Old infrastructure
• 23 of population over 60
• Transit dependent
• 45th largest city
• 14th largest transit system

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ACCESS Service A seat for everyone

• ADA Paratransit
• 65 Plus Program PA Lottery
• Area Agency on Aging
• Medicaid Transportation
• Churches
• Nursing/personal care homes
• Veterans Administration
• Community based human service agencies
• JARC access to work
• Protective service, prisoners, community
  emergency
• Vanpool emergency ride home

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Create a systemCoordination is the foundation

• Transportation system vs. senior service
• Holistic
• Uses all modes in the community
• Focus on ride, not purpose
• Variety of attributes
• Responds to stated needs
• Multiple sponsors
• Leverage funds
• Create unique program offerings
• General Public non-affiliated seniors

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Brokerage Model
Funding Programs
Broker

• Service providers

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How does everyone get rides?Cost Sharing
Agencies and Consumers

• Agencies that buy in are sponsors
• Instead of operating service, purchase from the
  coordinated system
• Sponsors pay a share
• Sponsors subsidize part or all of customer fare
• Customers may have multiple sponsors

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ACCESS Ridership
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Distribution of ACCESS ridership
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ACCESS Revenues
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If its such a great idea, why isn't everyone
doing it?

• Tradition
• Control / turf issues
• Perception
• Of service
• Of costs
• Of restrictions (funders)
• Of flexibility
• You dont do what we need.

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Whats provided now?Agency Owned Vehicles

• Agency mission / purpose
• probably not transportation
• Transportation is support service
• Understand / admit fully allocated costs?
  Perceived as cheap.
• Capacity limited
• Not rides for everyone, but according to vehicle
• Accessibility issues
• Flexible
• Used for multiple purposes
• Significant vacant time
• Sometimes double standard - quality

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Wed like to use your service, BUT
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My riders are different

• What you provide wont work for us
• You dont understand what we need
• You cant do what we do

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Your service is terrible

• Its always late
• People have to
• Wait forever
• Ride forever
• Wait on hold

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It costs too much

• Your service is too expensive
• My budget is limited

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ACCESS approachEach sponsor is a customer

• One size does not fit all
• ACCESS offers sponsors a menu of services
  including
• Sponsor decides eligibility of people and trips
• Sponsor requires cost sharing, if any
• Invoicing as requested, accountability
• Sponsor may request special accommodations
• For clients
• For service design
• Sponsors pay their fair share including portion
  of administrative cost

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How May We Serve You?

• Transportation is not just a ride
• Prioritize critical elements
• Low cost most rides possible?
• On time performance
• Responsiveness to individual needs
• Service area

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Cost sharingAgencies and consumers

• Agencies that buy in are sponsors
• Sponsors pay a share
• Sponsors subsidize part or all of customer fare
• Customers may have multiple sponsors

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Basic entree

• Point to point service
• Advance reservation
• Established driver qualifications
• Safety and training programs
• Insurance
• Maintenance
• Accessibility
• Communication - driver and dispatcher
• Supervision
• On time service standards

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Ala Carte - Amenities

• Offerings based on capacity to provide amenities
• Service delivery enhancements
• Additional assistance
• Managing eligibility
• Cost sharing fare collection
• Invoicing
• Super Saver limited budget

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AmenitiesAssistance

• Driver assistance
• Door to door
• Door through door
• Hand to hand
• Packages
• Assistant on vehicle
• Assistant beyond
• Children / car seats

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AmenitiesService Delivery

• On time performance
• On time windows
• Advance Reservation
• Capacity constraints
• Ride time
• Routine routes, drivers, seating
• Days, hours, service area

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AmenitiesEligibility / Fares

• Eligibility
• People
• Trips
• Cost sharing / fare collection
• Customized invoicing

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AmenitiesSuper Saver

• Most rides for the dollar
• Limited budget
• Expanding need
• Design economical service offerings
• Marginal cost of empty seats

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Area Agency on Aging

• Limited budget
• Senior centers and outings
• Grocery shopping
• Limited medical service
• Gap filling
• Service levels based on trip type
• Cost sharing

• Design group rides
• Group vs. individual prices
• Driver assistance
• Off peak service
• Eligibility codes
• Type
• Price
• Number rides
• Fare Colllection
• Planning data

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Adult Day HealthFrail Seniors

• Consumers have Alzheimer's / dementia
• Cant be left alone
• Cant tolerate long rides
• May have difficult behaviors
• Only certain clients

• Hand to hand assistance
• Safety net emergency backup procedures
• Regular, set exclusive runs
• Eligibility
• Driver training

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Implementing the Super Saver

• Evaluate productivity of current agency van
• Identify current excess capacity
• Strategies ways to improve productivity
• Forecast average cost
• How many rides can the agency buy for 10,000?
• How can they get more rides for same money?

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Pennsylvanias Shared Ride Program

• Lottery funds subsidize paratransit and fixed
  route for those aged 65 and over administered
  by PennDOT
• Eligible programs may act as third party sponsors
  over 100 participate locally
• Public transportation vs. human service
• Maintaining service efficiency provides cost
  recovery through fares
• 13 million to ACCESS in FY06

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Providing the kind of service seniors want

• No trip purpose priorities
• Personal safety
• Door to door
• Driver assistance
• High quality, reliable
• Affordable average fare 2.00 one way
• County-wide 7 days per week, 365 days per year,
  6 AM-midnight
• No trip caps or limits

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Public Transit vs. Human Service

• No affiliation required
• Ease of registration 175 community sites
• No income limits age only criteria
• No trip purpose restrictions
• No trip priorities
• No trip denials all demand accommodated
• No trip caps
• Fares distance based recover costs
• Efficiency ride sharing

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Person Centered Solutions
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Door to door vs. curb to curb

• Door to door makes the service usable
• Dwell time
• Waiting or helping?
• Coordination carrot
• Driver assistance
• They do it anyway.
• Policies that serve to keep people at home
• Same people who cant get to the bus cant wait
  at the curb
• ACCESS is a 27 year model

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Adult Day HealthFrail Seniors

• Consumers require supervision
• Door through door, hand to hand assistance
• Partners
• Area Agency on Aging
• PDA Waiver Program
• Easter Seals Adult Day Care

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Allegheny CountyArea Agency on Aging

• First agency to join coordinated system
• Providing 540,000 rides per year
• Unique Cost Sharing
• Transportation supports all AC/AAA services
• Senior centers
• Adult Day Health
• Home and community based waiver programs
• Health care and medical appointments
• Senior employment

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Senior CentersPeople on the move

• 70 AAA senior centers
• Anywhere, for any reason
• More than they could do on their own
• High productivity lower cost

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Neighborhood based service Elder Express

• Community circulator
• Links to transit stops senior center, shopping
  and activity centers
• Small co-pay
• Partners
• United Jewish Federation Foundation
• Ladies Hospital Aid Society
• Jewish Community Center
• PennDOT
• Port Authority/ACCESS

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Non Traditional Sponsors

• Worship cited as important
• High ridership
• ACCESS Sunday AM peaks
• Congregations help support
• Other community programs
• Trips to worship
• Used to supplement volunteer programs
• Can leverage lottery funds
• Offers accessibility, flexibility

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Family Friendly Solutions

• Grandparents as primary caregivers
• Disability may prevent use of bus
• No car in family
• Caring for several young children
• Lending car seats
• Car seats remain with vehicle

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When the need is immediate

• Immediate response, accessible vehicles
• Protective Service
• Community Emergencies
• Prisoners, victims
• Cost effective
• 5310 funds - acquire accessible taxis
• Partners
• Port Authority / ACCESS
• Yellow Cab
• PennDOT
• Pennsylvania PUC
• Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, Department
  of Human Services

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Getting startedDesigning the Foundation

• System design structure
• Planning and oversight authority
• Lead agency
• Management
• Operations
• Pricing / Funding
• How to ensure cost recovery
• Fare structure or contract rates
• Safety net funding when the unforseen occurs
• Determining fully allocated costs
• How funding flows - Flexible funding when
  possible
• Administrative vs. transportation costs
• Policy making and implementation

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Who will make the rules?

• Agreement on essential policies and procedures
  that define the service
• Sufficient flexibility for diverse sponsors to
  add individual elements
• Cost sharing
• Eligibility
• Who is ultimately responsible
• For implementation and accountability
• For cost recovery and fare setting

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Honor each sponsors goals

• Increase or decrease ridership
• Least expensive most effective
• Budget constraints
• Access other services
• Quality vs. cost
• Goals sometimes in conflict
• Broker must understand and accommodate sponsor
  goals and limitations

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Obstacles Faced

• Desire for control
• Each agency paying its fair share
• Initial agreement value of transportation
• ADA unfunded referrals
• Payer of last resort
• Getting agencies to understand (and admit) fully
  allocated costs
• Program vs. person funded transportation
• Honest evaluation of consequences of doing
  otherwise
• Human and financial costs
• Long term effect on community value of a vital
  transportation system (bond ratings, investment)
• How to measure success
• What are realistic, measurable, ,meaningful goals

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Whats in Store?Trends

• More customers with disabilities
• Longer trip lengths
• More demanding customer base
• Comparing paratransit to responsiveness of
  driving
• Increasing costs
• Fuel / Insurance
• Qualified workforce - Labor costs
• Efficiency less ride sharing
• Increasing demand on agencies / budgets
• Balancing multiple / diverse needs
• Flexibility - responsiveness

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OutcomesRising tide lifts all boats

• Resulting system is greater than the sum of all
  its parts
• Improved driver standards
• Accessibility, reliability
• Economies of scale achieved
• Benefit to unaffiliated consumer previously
  underserved or unserved
• Collaborative community network developed
  advocacy in many areas

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Welcoming everyone aboard
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Making sure you are safe
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Proud of who we are
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ACCESSA community working together
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Connecting people to life