Coordinated Transportation

1

• Coordinated Transportation
• More Rides for more people to more places they
  need to go

2
Transportation, the key to community

• increase transportation for people with
  disabilities, focusing first on Burnett, Sawyer
  and Washburn Counties
• Assess rural transportation resources
• Build buy-in
• foster collaboration
• Pilot increased access through a shared
  transportation program

3
Challenges Washburn County

• Rural
• 16,000 people
• 853 square miles
• Less than 4,000 live in 2 cities and 2 villages
• Less than 20 people per square mile

Source US Census 2000
4

• Transportation challenges Washburn County
• 19.3 People with disabilities
• 18.5 65 yrs over
• Median household income 8,000 below US Average

Source US Census 2000
5
ASSESSMENT

• COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS 2005
• Sawyer County
• Burnett County
• Washburn County

6
ASSESSMENT

• COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS 2005
• Building buy-in
• Meetings with key providers and stakeholders
• foster on-going relationships
• Help distributing surveys
• Help publicizing results
• Continuing collaboration

7
ASSESSMENT

• Burnett County 660 surveys
• Sawyer County 557 surveys
• Washburn County 661 surveys

8
ASSESSMENT

• Key Findings
• Sufficient seat capacity to meet needs
• Importance of updating systems for improved
  communication between riders and providers
• Concern over increasing costs of fuel,
  maintenance and insurance
• Limited opportunity for riders to evaluate the
  transportation system
• Inconsistent driver training programs
• Inconsistent driver qualification checks
• Most services limited to between 6 am-5 pm
• Concerns paperwork and reimbursements

9
COLLABORATION

• Northwest Wisconsin Transportation Summit, March
  22, 2006

10
Transportation Summit

• More than eighty participants attended in the
  first-ever Northwest Wisconsin transportation
  summit on March 22nd.
• Presenters highlighted both good news and
  challenges for Human Services transportation here
  in the North.

11
Transportation Summit

• Rural Transit, Vouchers, Volunteers, three-county
  survey results
• Participants want to do it again next year!

12
Results New Services

• Washburn County Mobility Planning Services Team
  April, 2006 and on-going
• New service Spooner, Shell Lake, Springbrook,
  Hayward, Rice Lake
• New service Siren-St. Croix Falls, Rice Lake
• New service 2 county voucher program

13
WHY NOW?

• Multi-county long term care reform planning in
  progress. Transportation is a provided service
• Increased Federal transportation funding
  2006-2010 includes coordination plans

14
WHY NOW?

• Elderly and disability transportation presently
  serves less than 10 of those eligible
• More and more Wisconsin Residents are elderly and
  disabled
• 700,0002002,
• 1.3 Million by 2030

15
WISCONSIN

• FUNDING INCREASES
• 2005-2007 6M Dollars increase for elderly
  disabled transportation
• Other new or increased dollars for rural transit,
  people with disabilities under new Federal
  SAFETEA-LU
• Unprecedented flexibility in matching requirements

16
FEDERAL SAFETEA-LU

• Federal Transit Act reauthorized 2005, increased
  funding
• New Freedom Initiative
• Special Transportation Rural Assistance Program
• People with disabilities and seniors
• Job access Reverse Commute

17
FEDERAL SAFETEA-LU

• New Freedom Initiative
• Section 5317, Transportation options that go
  beyond ADA requirements
• 2006 rural Wisconsin appropriation set at
  358,000.00
• Will fund vouchers, volunteer driver more
• Significant increases each year 2007-2009

18
FEDERAL SAFETEA-LU

• Funding for rural transportation 11,329,041. 
• Section 5311 is the largest share of rural
  transportation funding headed for Wisconsin in
  SAETEA-LU
• funding for non-urbanized areas with populations
  of less than 50,000.
• Significant increases 113 from 2005-2009

19
FEDERAL SAFETEA-LU

• Funding for people with disabilities and
  seniors  1,923,928.00 
• Section 5310 Transportation funding for capital
  equipment for people with disabilities and the
  elderly. 
• Significant increases 139 from 2005-2009

20
FEDERAL SAFETEA-LU

• 2006 Job Access and Reverse Commute
  program 470,773.00
• Funding for transportation to employment for
  people with incomes below 150 of the federal
  poverty level.
• Significant increases 2006-2009

21
FEDERAL SAFETEA-LU

• Wisconsin also receives 2 Million/ yr. for rural
  transportation projects, (STRAP) funding for
  2006-2009
• As of 2007 all 5310, New Freedom and JARC funded
  projects need to be part of a Human Services
  transportation coordination plan.

22

• Transportation Program More Rides for more
  people to more places they need to go through
  collaboration

23

• Whats next
• Northwest Wisconsin Transportation Summit, 2007
• Voucher program pilot to build coordination,
  provide more rides with present resources
• Rural Transportation Toolkit spring, 2007
• Northwest Wisconsin Transportation Updates via
  email
• ncilbob_at_superior-nfp.org

THANK YOU