Opportunities for Better Special Needs Transportation Coordination

House Transportation Committee Work Session

February 8, 2007

Washington StateDepartment of Transportation

Paula Hammond WSDOT

Mike HarbourIntercity Transit

Lynn Moody Hopelink

A Report from the Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation

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Discussion Outline

• ACCESS Transportation System Model– Special needs transportation coordination– Washington Brokerage System

• Coordination Strategies and Opportunities– Automated billing and reporting – Centralized One-Stop customer service– Coordination between providers– Customer information

• Recommendations– Coordinate billing and reporting standards– Enhance 211, 511, and Travel Options– Share operations data and costs– Share customer data, rides, and costs

• Was created in 1998 to promote coordination as a key to improving transportation resources for persons with special needs.

•The council provides a forum for agencies and organizations to improve special needs transportation services.

•ACCT Terminates in July of 2007 and the legislation is repealed in June of 2008.

February 8, 2007 House Transportation Committee Work Session: HB 1694

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ACCESS Coordination Strategies:Include sharing information

• Automated billing and reporting

• Centralized One-Stop customer service

• Coordination between providers

• Customer information

Business information

Service information

Operations information

Eligibility information

These ACCESS strategies were identified by the Federal Transit Administration. Each strategy is related to sharing specific types of information.

Successful coordination means sharing information.

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ACCESS Coordination Strategies: Equal results

Business information

Service information

Operations information

Eligibility information

• Coordinated performance reporting

• Access to services

• Increased capacity utilization

• Reduced cost per trip• Cost Allocation

ACCESS Pittsburgh is able to achieve coordination goals because they are sharing specific information.

Sharing information supports coordination goals.

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Medicaid Brokers and Brokerage Regions

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Automated billing and reporting

Washington Projects:Washington does all billing and reporting by program. Each transportation

provider and broker manages their own system.• Transit Agencies

– 28 systems• Brokers

– 8 organizations• Community Transportation Providers

– 33 transportation WSDOT grantees

Opportunities

Standardizing agreements and reporting requirements.

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Centralized One-Stop customer service

Washington Projects :– 211 is a statewide information and referral line for social services

including transportation. Launching spring 2007.

– Travel Options is a statewide trip planning program which collects and manages transportation service information– from Amtrak and Greyhound to local transit and taxi services. Launching spring 2007.

– 511 is a statewide road and travel information which provides transit call center numbers.

Opportunities– Support investments in 211, 511, and Travel Options.

– Enhance interoperability of these systems by providing resources for sharing information and “direct connect” services.

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Coordination between providers

Washington Projects :– Travel Options provides information to call centers and the public about

services available in the area. Reduces secret transportation.– METRO Community Vans places lift-equipped vans in community

organizations and, depending on ADA usage, pays some operating costs.– www.FindARide.org coordinates travel information for special needs

services and makes them available to the public.– Beyond the Borders is a project of Pierce Transit and Paratransit

Services, Inc., a Broker, which uses demand response service to increase access to fixed route service.

Opportunities– Coordinate information, customers, and service so more customers can

access existing services.– Develop an implementation plan to build on existing call centers and

customer information from each service type.– Reciprocal eligibility for service.

February 8, 2007 House Transportation Committee Work Session: HB 1694

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Customer information

Washington Projects :– Brokered Transportation in rural areas. The broker knows the cost of

the service, the needs of the clients, and the area the vehicle is in.

– Common Ground is a project that has limited sharing of customer trip and eligibility information between Medicaid brokers and Pierce Transit.

Opportunities

– Share eligibility information between ADA paratransit, Medicaid, senior programs, and disabilities programs; make it easy to put as many people as possible on whatever vehicle is part of the system.

– Develop a full cost allocation model so that each program, whether transit or social service, pays the actual cost of transportation services used.

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Recommendations

• Reauthorize Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation

– Increase ACCT’s role in coordinating Washington investment in special needs transportation.

– Increase crosscutting accountability through comprehensive tracking and reporting to ACCT.

• Increase role of coordinated planning at the regional level

– Reinforce regional accountability and investment.

– Support local assessment of needs and resources.

• Share information about:– Business– Service– Operations– Eligibility– Cost allocation

• To achieve: – Increased capacity utilization.– Access to services.– Reduced cost per trip.– Response to increasing demand.– Increased accountability.– The greatest possible leveraging

of state and federal funds.