511 & 211Working Together
San Luis Obispo
Regional Rideshare
About San Luis Obispo
• Rural county – population 246,681 (2000 Census)
• Located on the Central Coast, between Los Angeles and San Francisco
SLO Regional Rideshare
• Mission: To decrease vehicle trips/miles• Division of the San Luis Obispo Council of
Governments (MPO)• Programs:
– Safe Routes to School– Rideshare Employer Program– Senior Transportation Options– Regional Mobility Management (JARC Grant 09)– 511 Telephone and Web (Summer 2009)
SLO Regional Rideshare, cont.
• Services: – Personalized Trip Planning– Online rideshare matching– Online bus trip planning– Summer Break Pass– Lucky Bucks– Emergency Ride Home– Bike Month– Rideshare Week– Campaigns: Low Carbon Diet, Don’t Just Wear
Green, Be Green
SLO 211
• Since 1970• SLO County's only free comprehensive
information, referral, support and crisis intervention service
• Volunteer staffed, 24 hours/day (English & Spanish)
• Implemented three-digit number in November 2007
• In 2008, received over 19,355 calls – 57% increase from year before
511 Cont.
• Project began in December of 2007• Projected Go-Live is July 08 (subject to grant
funding period)• Telephone and web component• Telephone menu options
– Road conditions– Public transportation– Ridesharing– Roadside assistance– Live Spanish speaking assistance
About 511 SLO
• First rural 511 service in California– Little focus on “traffic”– Large focus on public transportation, rideshare and bicycle
commuting• First 511 to be implemented by a TDM Program
– Added telephone service: road conditions, roadside assistance– Website with live travel conditions– Rebrand of Rideshare/511
• Valuable service– Five fixed route transit operators, numerous Dial-a-Ride phone
numbers, Senior Shuttle operators– Opportunity for cohesive, consolidated transportation information
source
511 & 211 Working Together
• Worked together from the beginning• Spanish speaking component
– Limited Spanish voice recognition technology– 211 has Spanish speaking staff 24-hours
• Same clientele– 511 will become unnecessary for a majority of
commuters – 511 will quickly become a key resource for
underprivileged and underrepresented populations– Increased mobility for 211 and increased social
services assistants for clients of 511
Why work together, cont.
• Cohesive messaging– Cooperative marketing to dispel confusion– “For transportation information call 511, for
everything else call 211”– Reach same target groups
• Grant opportunities– New Freedom Grant for ongoing 511
operations– Grant opportunities for 211
211, cont.
• In July 2000, Federal Communications Commission assigned the three-digit dialing code 211
• Currently, 209 active systems operating in all or part of 41 states, reaching roughly 192 million Americans, or approximately 65% of the US population.
• Implemented three-digit number in November 2007
• In 2008, received over 19,355 calls – 57% increase from year before