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WILL RODMAN NELSON\NYGAARD CONSULTING ASSOCIATES Mobility Management Strategies for Rural Areas
W I L L R O D M A N N E L S O N \ N Y G A A R D C O N S U L T I N G A S S O C I A T E S
Mobility Management Strategies for Rural Areas
What’s Needed First?
Unmet Needs
Community Transport Resources
Regional Coordinating Committee
Mobility Manager
Look in your Regional Coordination Plan
The Mobility Management Infra-Structure
Regional Coordinating Council
• Prioritizes and advocates for mobility management efforts
• Provides guidance to and reality check for Mobility Managers
• Works with other RCCs to promote coordination
The Mobility Management Infra-Structure
Mobility Manager
• Serves as staff to RCC (herds cats) • Provides planning, advocacy, outreach and policy • Implements and evaluates prioritized strategies • Provides training and technical assistance • Provides information and referral (I&R) services • Provides management and oversight for some
strategies
Top 9 Rural Mobility Management Strategies
1. Centralized Information & Referral (One Call/One Click)
2. Volunteer Driver Programs
3. Vehicle-Sharing Program
4. Flex Voucher Programs
5. Taxi Rider Subsidy Programs
6. Joint Driver Training Programs
7. Coordinated Funding and Grant Writing
8. Joint Procuring and Resource Sharing
9. Centralized Call Center
Strategy 1: Centralized Information and Referral
• Centralized repository of information on available community transportation resources
• Customers can obtain triaged and actionable information to help themselves get a ride
• One Call/One Click Center / 211 and 511 Services • Why Open Source? Community-owned and maintained!
What is it?
• Simplifies access to information • Uses community resources effectively • Establishes a unified voice for future transportation initiatives
Benefits
Strategy 1: Centralized Information and Referral
• Gathering and maintaining accurate information • Establishing protocols • Obtaining capital and operating funding • Developing evaluation methods
Potential Challenges:
• Basic web-based resource = $10k-$25k • More enhanced trip planner = $25k-$50 • Cost of 211 or 511 might be covered!
Costs:
Strategy 1: Centralized Information and Referral
Examples: Denver Regional Mobility
and Access Council
Searchable directory “Get There Guide”
Marin Transit, CA
One-call/one-click transportation information and referral service
Southeast NH Regional Coordination Council
The Community Rides online director
Strategy 2: Coordinated Volunteer Driver Programs
• Volunteer drivers provide transportation services • Some programs provide vehicles; others don’t • Current programs often operated in conjunction with meal
delivery services, or other support services
What is it?
• Enables more efficient program management • Reduces competition (for drivers!) • Provides common training, standards and policies, marketing,
liability insurance
Benefits
Strategy 2: Coordinated Volunteer Driver Programs
• Volunteers drivers may not work for certain services
and/or riders • Recruiting and retaining volunteers is hard! • Insurance can be an issue but is not insurmountable • Reaching agreement on standards and processes
Potential Challenges
• Mobility manager: 15% FTE • Labor costs are high, but after initial start-up costs
go down Costs:
Strategy 2: Coordinated Volunteer Driver Programs
Examples: Ride Connection, Portland, OR
Ride Together Road to Discovery Trained Ride Ambassador Veterans helping Veterans
Volunteer Transportation Program
The Beverly Foundation Database with 400 volunteer
driver programs TRIP Volunteer Friends in
Riverside, CA YCCAC Paratransit service in
York County, ME
Strategy 3: Vehicle-Sharing Programs
• Provider-oriented strategy designed to reduce unnecessary vehicles • Paring providers together who can share vehicles • Can be operated in a variety of ways depending on who owns the
vehicle and how its shared
What is it?
• Enhances existing community transportation resources • Reduces capital investment • Reduces operating costs • Enhances ability to obtain capital grants (5310 loves coordination)
Benefits
Strategy 3: Vehicle-Sharing Programs
• Different agencies have different policies • Gaining agreement on cost sharing • Establishing protocols • Shared vehicles accrue more miles, may
need to be replaced sooner
Potential Challenges
• Mobility manager: 10% FTE • One time cost = $10k-$20k
Costs
Strategy 3: Vehicle-Sharing Programs
Examples King County Metro, Seattle WA
Provides non-profit agencies with accessible vans, maintenance and driver training
BerkshireRides, Berkshire County, MA
Vehicle sharing pool to transport school kids to after school programs
Jefferson Union High School, Daly City, CA (JUHSD)
Shared between the high school and Daly City and other municipalities
Strategy 4: Flex Voucher Programs
• Issued or sold to eligible individuals • Used to purchase trips from public or private
transportation providers • Can be used to reimburse volunteer drivers • Sponsoring agencies subsidize the cost of the trips
What is it?
• Maximizes use of existing transportation services • Offers riders great(er) flexibility – they choose • Makes existing resources more affordable
Benefits
Strategy 4: Flex Voucher Programs
• Requires subsidy ($$$$) • Requires an agency to manage program • Measures must be taken to prevent
fraud
Potential Challenges
• Mobility Manager: 5% FTE • Start-up costs = $10k • Subsidies vary
Costs
Strategy 4: Flex Voucher Programs
Examples Weber County Human Services
Coupons to pay family members, friends, neighbors, and taxi operators
Utah Council for the Blind
Discounted coupons paid for through grants
Rehabilitation Services Administration (U.S. Dept. of Ed.)
Traveler’s Cheque model
Sponsoring agency that provides administration
Strategy 5: Taxi Rider Subsidy Programs
• Arrangement between sponsoring agency and taxi companies
• Subsidies provided for taxi trips
What is it?
• Enables immediate, same-day, unanticipated travel • Enables travel during evening and weekend hours • Enables travel beyond boundaries of service area • Can reduce paratransit demand and subsidy per trip
Benefits
Strategy 5: Taxi Rider Subsidy Programs
• Need subsidy ($$$$) • Requires well-managed taxi and livery companies • Accessible vehicles are essential • Non-employee drivers must not “lose” • Requires good communication • Need anti-fraud mechanisms
Potential Challenges
• Mobility Manager = 5% FTE • Start-up cost: about $10k • Trip subsidy varies
Costs
Strategy 5: Taxi Rider Subsidy Programs
Examples Linn County (IA) CABS
Service
Used when regular paratransit service is not operating
DuPage County (IL) Pilot II Subsidization Taxi Service
Provides users with $5 vouchers towards taxi service
Soldotna-Kenia (AK)
Accessible taxi subsidy program funded through 5310 funding
Strategy 6: Joint Driver Training
• Coordinated driver training provided through one entity • Multi-program curriculum “enhancement”
What is it?
• Reduces cost of training • Pools resources/curriculum among transportation providers • Improves quality of service • Paves way to consolidation/coordination • Streamlines policies and procedures • Improves safety and can reduce insurance premiums
Benefits
Strategy 6: Joint Driver Training
• Potentially difficult to convince providers to cede responsibility
• Need to ensure that curriculum is applicable to individual provider needs
Potential Challenges
• Mobility Manager = 5% FTE • Start-up = about $10k • Costs vary based on scope of training
services
Costs
Strategy 6: Joint Driver Training
Examples
Massachusetts Rural Transit Assistance Program (Martap)
Driver training for all Mobility Assistance Program vehicles
Free of charge, both paid and volunteer drivers
Strategy 7: Coordinated Funding and Grant Writing
• Single agency prepares and manages grants for several agencies • Lead agency develops co-sponsored grant applications and fosters
multiple agency grants • Creates opportunities for leveraging existing funds to meet grant
matching requirements
What is it?
• Provides wider access to range of funding programs • Reduces regional costs for pursuing grants • Provides access to more specialized grant writing staff • Improves success rate • Facilitates more centralized planning and management of resources
Benefits
Strategy 7: Coordinated Funding and Grant Writing
• Maintaining relationships between partners requires effort
• Agencies may focus on protecting own turf – must overcome competition!
• Requires protocols and policies in place
Potential Challenges
• Dependent on the type of coordination effort Costs
Strategy 7: Coordinated Funding and Grant Writing
Example:
North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, Fort Collins, CO
Prepares, files and manages unified grant applications on behalf of transportation providers
Strategy 8: Joint Procuring & Resource Sharing
• Volume deals on insurance, maintenance, fuel, and contracted specialty services (e.g., driver training)
• Purchasing support services (e.g., maintenance) from other agencies
What is it?
• Reduces cost and improves efficiency • Enables agencies with limited resources to access full services • Serves communities with a higher level of expertise • Creates opportunities through Section 5310 for funding
partnerships • Provides additional source of revenue for the “have” agencies
Benefits
Strategy 8: Joint Procuring and Resource Sharing
• Formal interagency agreement is needed • Calculating cost of agency service is often
a challenge • Difficult to establish a fair,
understandable and reliable system
Potential Challenges
• Mobility Manager: 5%-10% FTE • Start-up costs = $5k-$10k • Primarily admin costs
Costs
Strategy 8: Joint Procuring & Resource Sharing
Examples: DARTS, Dakota County, MN
Maintains vehicles for 80-90 organizations located in the Twin Cities region
Kanawha Valley Regional Transit Authority, WV
Bulk purchase fuel program
Non-profit Insurance Program, WA
Joint insurance purchases program
Strategy 9: Centralized Call Center
• One agency assumes responsibility for reservations and scheduling (and possibly dispatching) vehicles of multiple agencies
• Would likely involve computerized systems
What is it?
• Enables passengers to make one call and access services provided by several providers
• Improves productivity and efficiency with higher volumes and co-mingling of ridesharable trips
• Enables providers to orient resources to filling gaps
Benefits
Strategy 9: Centralized Call Center
• Need to establish and maintain accurate database • Establish protocols to provide customers with
good quality service and follow up procedures • Need to overcome “control” issues • Need protocols for joint dispatching
Potential Challenges
• Costs vary depending on implementation Costs
Strategy 9: Centralized Call Center
Examples
Department of Aging, Madison, WI
Mobility Manager assists transit agencies with joint scheduling of passenger trips
Association for Community Transportation, Colorado Springs, CO
Four non-profit providers will combine into joint scheduling
Other Ideas? Questions?
THANK YOU!
Will Rodman
Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates
10 High Street, Suite 700
Boston, MA 02110
617-521-9405
