Over the last year, the Oregon Transit Association Board of Directors has formed a special committee on Senior and People with Disability (SPD) Transportation. The intention of the group was to assist the ODOT/DHS budget note working group and to formulate our own grassroots effort and strategy above and beyond what is instructed by the budget note to secure increased funding for SPD Transportation.
The ODOT/DHS budget note was inserted into the Department of Human Services budget during the final days of the 2007 legislative session. The transit lobby team worked hard for additional Senior and People with Disability Funding during 2007 and we had the hearts and ears of many legislators throughout the session, but the dollars just weren’t there. The budget note was an attempt to keep momentum and make sure that this critical issue would be revisited in 2009.
So, as instructed by the budget note, DHS and the Department of Transportation have “…investigate(d) sources of new revenue to enhance funding for elderly and disabled transportation services, with consideration of both urban and rural Oregon.” The result is an excellent report with convincing data that money is drying up and the need is rapidly going up.
Our job, as an advocacy association is to tell “the rest of the story.” It’s not news to you that the need for Senior and People with Disabilities Transportation is rapidly growing and funds are stagnate or decreasing. We need you to tell that story to your legislators. They need to hear about our crisis!
On our website, you will find some helpful tools to help you get in touch with your legislators and convince them of the need in your area. You will find a template “Profile of Independence,” a link to contact information for your legislators and a one or two page fact sheet about the need statewide.
Please contact your legislator and tell your story. Let me know if you have any questions and please e-mail or call with notes from your conversations with your lawmakers. It is important for those of us lobbying in the capitol to know whose vote we can count on.
Background Information
Funds are allocated through the Special Transportation Fund Program to
Transportation Districts, counties, and Indian Tribal Governments in Oregon to deliver
or contract with providers to deliver transportation services to seniors and people with
disabilities.
Special Needs Transportation is supported by state revenues (cigarette tax, ID Card
fees, and Transportation Operating Fund) and federal funds, including the FTA New
Freedom program that provides funds for services benefiting individuals with
disabilities. Seventy-five percent of the state money is distributed as formula grants
based on population. The other 25 percent of the state money and federal funds are
distributed as discretionary grants based on need and merit.
Our Message…
Nationwide, the baby boom is approaching retirement. In the next 25 years, the senior population in Oregon is expected to more than double. Transit providers are having difficulty keeping up with demand. Without additional resources fixed-route and demand response transit service cannot meet rider’s needs. In some cases budget gaps are forcing service cuts of up to 15-20%.
The Issues and Trends…
Baby boom tsunami
Washington County’s older adult population is estimated to grow at 52% in the next ten years and triple in the next 25 years.
Curry County’s older adult population is currently 28% of the population. In the next 25 years, they will be close to 40%.
Deschutes County older adult population is expected to grow by over 60% over the next 10 years and more than double in the next 20 years.
The challenge of independent living
Transit agencies and their partners provide transit service for many older adults and people with disabilities. Grandparents, aging parents, people in wheelchairs and other mobility devices, and the medically fragile all use accessible buses and light rail trains, paratransit and other services to get where they need to go. These services are vital for:
Trips to the doctor for dialysis and other critical care
Keeping people in their homes
Social contact
Job access
Low or fixed income individuals who can’t afford taxis
Older drivers who give up their driving privileges
Transportation costs are skyrocketing
There are over 3.8 million demand response and complementary paratransit rides provided in Oregon each year.
Many older adults and people with disabilities lack adequate transportation and are therefore not making trips. If these unmet needs were met travel would increase and estimated 26%.
It costs $47.5 million annually to provide demand response trips to older adults and people with disabilities, and by 2030, this figure could grow to $246 million, not accounting for inflation.
Costs for this service is expected to increase 7.5-12.3% PER YEAR in the future.
Based on low estimates and current funding, by 2030 the gap between costs and revenues for this service will be $167.3 million per year.
Transit agencies today
The provider’s goal is to attract older adults and people with disabilities to ride fixed-route bus and rail. They’ve developed innovative approaches that include:
Removal of environmental barriers
Added bus shelters at stops near senior centers and improved bus stops for wheelchairs
Organized travel clubs, reimbursed carpool and other low cost service
Automated stop announcements on buses and trains and easy to understand customer information
Free travel training and individual transportation plans
Collaboration with older adult and people with disability advocacy organizations
Donated used vehicles to non-profit organizations that transport clients
Our Solution…
Currently, a 2 cent per pack cigarette tax is devoted to the Department of Transportation for elderly and disabled transit. The Governor has proposed a 2.5 cent increase in his Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009. While OTA is grateful for the Governor’s support and recognition, the onetime increase will soon be lost to inflation and the cost of increased service.
The Oregon Transit Association is asking the 2009 Legislative Assembly for a onetime 7 cent increase, and an inflationary increase of 4 cents every two years thereafter through 2016. This proposal would increase the state share for demand response service to approximately 1/3 of total cost.
The Oregon Transit Association is working towards bipartisan support in the Oregon Legislature and is looking forward to working with other groups concerned about the future of older adults and people with disabilities.
If you have questions about how to reach your legislator or need further information, please
contact Kelsey Wilson, OTA, 503.636.8188 or kw@oregontransit.com.