Managing Mobility in Portland CalACT Conference September 27, 2010 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Managing Mobility in Portland CalACT Conference September 27, 2010

Transit Facts TriMet serves 570 square miles of the urban portions of the tri-county area.

Transit Facts (cont.) TriMet ridership has outpaced population growth and daily vehicle miles traveled for more than a decade. Portland is the 24 th largest metro area in the U.S., but transit ridership is 7 th per capita.

Transit Facts (cont.)

Transit Facts (cont.) Operating costs per boarding ride: Bus - $2.89; MAX Light Rail - $1.91; LIFT Paratransit - $27.45

Mobility Options for the 1.TriMet fixed route options include: Bus MAX Light Rail WES Commuter Rail Portland Streetcar (operated by TriMet) 2.TriMet LIFT paratransit service 3.Ride Connection provider network

Fixed Route Accessibility • First transit agency in North America to use low-floor light rail vehicles • Over half of bus fleet is low-floor • Automated stop announcements on about one-half of fleet • “Transit Tracker” used on transit mall and stations to display arrival/departure info • Continually working with local jurisdictions to improve stop accessibility and pedestrian network

LIFT Paratransit Service Ridership (FY10): 1,072,705 Total Customers: About 24,000 Total Active Customers: About 9,500 No. of vehicles: 252 buses & 15 sedans Average cost per ride: $27.45

Ride Connection Private non-profit organization that coordinates transportation operations of 33 small community-based providers of elderly and disabled transportation. • Geographically located providers in all three counties • Services are individually designed for neighborhood • Areas without private non-profit providers, Ride Connection operates the service • About 100 accessible vans and buses and volunteer-owned vehicles • About 600 drivers (2/3 are volunteers) • Travel training and transit orientation

Ride Connection Provider Services • Service coordination between partners • Driver training and continuing education • Call center information and referral services • Fundraising and Advocacy • Grant writing and service as conduit for state and federal funds • Volunteer recruitment and placement • Equipment purchases • Coordination of shared use vehicle programs; offers vehicle insurance • New service design • Contract administration, technical assistance and performance reporting, customer service monitoring

Strategies to Manage Demand • Educate the community and promote the use of fixed route:  Community outreach  RideWise Travel Training Program • Expand and develop new community-based transportation options:  Vehicle Only Program  Community Partners Door-to-Door  Community Shuttle  Donated Vehicle Program

Community Partners Door-to-Door Ride Connection and network provide about 190,000 rides a year: • Medical, shopping, exercise, social trips • Volunteers remain with customers at medical appointments • Nearly all are paratransit-eligible

Community Shuttles • Ride Connection operates seven shuttles to serve elders and people with disabilities • 35,000 rides provided in FY08 • Saved TriMet LIFT paratransit service about $370,000 in operating costs • Two additional shuttles started with New Freedom funds

Donated Vehicle Program TriMet and Ride Connection donate their retired vans and shuttle buses to non-profit organizations and churches to provide rides for elderly and people with disabilities. Again, many of these rides would have been provided on paratransit.

Funding Sources • TriMet provides about $950,000 a year to support these services • Oregon Special Transportation Fund and federal Title XIX funds provide funding • TriMet saves about $1.2 million a year in LIFT service costs

Community Outreach and Travel Training • Ride Connection is often the first contact for public outreach to community about services for the elderly and/or people with disabilities • Ride Connection’s RideWise program provides individual and group travel training program for fixed route

Promoting use of fixed route: Many people with disabilities will be dependent on paratransit unless they learn to use fixed route. Ride Connection’s RideWise program teaches individuals with cognitive, vision and multiple disabilities how to safely use the fixed route services.

How is RideWise Funded? • State of Oregon Special Transportation Funds (STF) provides partial funding • TriMet replaced LIFT vehicles every ten years instead of every eight and used savings to help provide other funding

Transit Mobility Center 13

Goals To utilize a centralized Transit Mobility Center where we can: evaluate the LIFT applicant’s functional abilities to determine the most appropriate mode of travel, educate any potential transit user on the services available based on individual ability, and maximize our resources by meeting the needs of both the applicant and the agency on the initial contact. 14

New LIFT Eligibility Process - March 2010 Four features: 1. In-person interviews for the majority. 2. Functional assessment of abilities to use transit (as needed). 3. Establish a recertification period of three years and recertify all active LIFT clients. 4. Begin to Implement trip-by-trip eligibility based on conditions of eligibility (future). 1 2

In-Person Evaluation - New Applicants TriMet Accessible Transportation Program Staff  Complete in-person interview  Evaluate mobility device (measurements/combined weight per ADA common wheelchair criteria)  Determine need for further assessment  Require functional assessment as needed at same appointment 17

Mobility Device Evaluations 20

Functional Assessments (as needed) Contractor: Medical Transportation Management  Physical – Simulated and/or actual fixed route trip  Cognitive – Administer Easter Seals Project Action’s Functional Assessment Cognitive Transit Skills (FACTS) Test 22

Assessment Center 23

Curb and Street Crossing

Stairs and Fixed Route Lift

FACTS Test – Cognitive Skills

Transit Education Contractor: Ride Connection RideWise Program Staff  Transit Orientation  Travel Training (individual and group)  Introduction to Other Services - Rider’s Clubs, Shuttles, etc.  Transit Safety Instruction 30

Low-floor Bus Mock-up

Is the strategy working?

Questions?