Ride Connection, a private, non-profit organization who collaborates with a network of over 30 partners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties to provide quality transportation services primarily for older adults and people with disabilities has launched their newest transportation program.
Residents in Multnomah and Washington counties in need of transportation will now find it easier to request rides from someone they know like their friends or neighbors. Ride Together, a new program of Ride Connection, is designed to empower riders by allowing them to recruit their own volunteer drivers. Here’s the bonus: Ride Connection will offer their driver mileage reimbursement.
The Ride Together program was created for older adults and people with disabilities who are unable to use public transportation for all or some of their trips. The concept of the program is simple: find a friend, ask them for a ride, and start riding together.
In order to ensure customers are receiving safe rides all volunteer drivers will go through the same approval process as any other volunteer in the Ride Connection network. This means a DMV and criminal background check will be processed for all drivers, in addition to on-going vehicle training and classes.
The program’s goal is to expand current capacity by allowing customers to schedule rides outside of the networks current program parameters. All rides will be scheduled directly between the customers and drivers which gives the option of arranging same-day rides rather than having to call in days in advance like other programs. The funds for reimbursement are being provided by New Freedom dollars.
Customers can call the Ride Connection Service Center at 503-226-0700 for more information about this program.
Ride Connection, a private non-profit organization, and its network of service partners work in collaboration to provide vital services that strengthen our region’s current transportation services. For over 25 years, the Ride Connection network has provided customer-focused, safe, reliable transportation options for individuals in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. Our services are aimed at maintaining an individual’s independence. Whether it’s door-to-door transportation, travel training using public transit, helping low income job seekers get to an interview or providing general public services in rural communities, Ride Connection delivers transportation options for those in need: older adults, people with disabilities, rural residents, and low income job seekers.
Ride Connection would like to thank Helen Kerschner, Richard Smith and the TRIP organization of Riverside, California for their invaluable input, guidance and use of materials in the process of creating the Ride Together program.
Twenty people from an Oregon Department of Transportation conference saw first-hand earlier this week how a special tactical team neutralizes a hostage situation, the Marion County Sheriff's Office reported.
On Tuesday, members of the sheriff's SWAT team were invited to demonstrate their technique at an ODOT safety conference on the Oregon Coast, said Lt. Sheila Lorance, a sheriff's spokeswoman.
Western Bus Sales, Inc., a Boring-based bus distributor, provided a new 27-foot passenger bus for the team to use in their demonstration.
Twenty volunteers -- taken from the 250-some people who attended the annual conference in Seaside -- agreed to act as hostages on the bus.
After a suspect entered the bus and pretended to take the volunteers hostage, the SWAT team quickly surrounded the vehicle, took out the suspect and safely removed each of the passengers.
Many of the hostages said it was amazing how fast the team boarded the bus and took control, Lorance said.
Seventeen of the 24 members of the interagency SWAT team participated in the demonstration, including two officers from Woodburn Police Department.
Twenty people from an Oregon Department of Transportation conference saw first-hand earlier this week how a special tactical team neutralizes a hostage situation, the Marion County Sheriff's Office reported.
On Tuesday, members of the sheriff's SWAT team were invited to demonstrate their technique at an ODOT safety conference on the Oregon Coast, said Lt. Sheila Lorance, a sheriff's spokeswoman.
Western Bus Sales, Inc., a Boring-based bus distributor, provided a new 27-foot passenger bus for the team to use in their demonstration.
Twenty volunteers -- taken from the 250-some people who attended the annual conference in Seaside -- agreed to act as hostages on the bus.
After a suspect entered the bus and pretended to take the volunteers hostage, the SWAT team quickly surrounded the vehicle, took out the suspect and safely removed each of the passengers.
Many of the hostages said it was amazing how fast the team boarded the bus and took control, Lorance said.
Seventeen of the 24 members of the interagency SWAT team participated in the demonstration, including two officers from Woodburn Police Department.
Higher taxes could weigh heavily on businesses during the recession. But the district argues that the extra revenue would be vital to keeping LTD — and the local economy — rolling.
The district is backing House Bill 2120, which is Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s call for more transportation spending. The governor’s Jobs and Transportation Act would spend $1 billion in the coming biennium to improve roads, bridges, public transit and more, his office said.
The bill would let LTD and Portland-based TriMet raise their tax on business payrolls to 0.7 percent in 2011, three years earlier than allowed under current law. The rate would equal $7 per $1,000 of company payroll, LTD spokesman Andy Vobora said.
The payroll tax rate now is $6.50 per $1,000 in company payroll. State law sets out when and by how much transit districts can raise the payroll tax, and the rate will rise to $6.60 on Jan. 1, Vobora said.
The pending bill also would authorize LTD and TriMet to gradually increase the tax to 0.8 percent — or $8 per $1,000 in company payroll — over 10 years.
The district’s personnel costs are rising because of contractual increases in union wages and benefits, payments to employee retirement accounts, and increased demands for bus service. Raising the payroll tax rate would generate the extra money necessary for the district to meet increased ridership and the transportation needs of people training for new jobs or cutting back on gas expenses, Vobora said.
The payroll tax increases would in effect force businesses to pay more to fund LTD wages and benefits at a time when businesses might be freezing or cutting their own wages and jobs. But Vobora said the additional burden on each business is relatively minor compared with the collective benefit to LTD and public transportation.
“We understand that it’s hard for businesses to write that check sometimes, but (the payroll tax) is spread out over 16,000 or 17,000 taxpayers,” Vobora said. “It is a shared responsibility and it really helps maintain the service to the community.”
The payroll tax, paid by all businesses and the self-employed, is LTD’s financial backbone, pulling in 75 to 80 percent of operating revenue. Fares and other income make up the balance. In the current fiscal year, the tax is expected to bring in $23.5 million.
Payroll tax revenue had been growing at about 4 percent annually, helping to cover LTD’s ever-increasing operating expenses. But now, job losses are shrinking company payrolls and revenue to the district. The district expects no growth or a drop in payroll tax revenue in the near term, Vobora said.
Meanwhile, personnel costs — which take up 75 to 80 percent of operating revenue — are climbing about 5.5 percent annually. Without new revenue, Vobora said LTD would have to make “dramatic” cuts in the coming years.
Among Lane County’s 9,800 business taxpayers, the average payroll is $500,000, and companies with payrolls near that average are paying about $3,250 annually in payroll taxes.
If the bill is approved, the increase to the $7 rate would mean an average of an additional $200 annually in payroll taxes per company, once the rate increased next year, Vobora said.
There also are about 8,000 self-employed taxpayers who pay varying amounts of tax, depending on their income.
While officials wouldn’t expect to tax at the $8 limit until the end of another 10-year period, Vobora acknowledged that lawmakers could again try to raise the tax rate earlier.
“We would be watching the economy to be sure there is a finding of economic recovery before we look at ever” raising the rate, Vobora said.
The local business community is lukewarm on the bill.
Members of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce support the earlier date for raising the payroll tax rate, said Jared Mason-Gere, director of business advocacy. But businesses are “nervous” about raising the overall ceiling on the tax to 0.8 percent, and the chamber opposes that part of the bill, Mason-Gere said.
“Right now, in particular, our members don’t feel like it’s a good time to be increasing a lot of taxes on people,” he said.
Dan Egan, executive director for the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber’s position could hinge on how federal stimulus money and the state budget for 2009-2011 affect the community.
“We’re all struggling, but we still invest in things that bring value,” Egan said. “That’s what we look at — is the investment bringing back value to the business community?”
State Rep. Terry Beyer, a Springfield Democrat who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said Thursday that she supports both payroll tax increases.
Businesses might rebound before the increases take effect, and at any rate, Beyer said, LTD’s decision to increase the rate would likely follow a healthy community discussion on whether it’s warranted.
Hearings on the bill aren’t likely before the week of April 20. It’s too soon to say what committees will hear the bill first and whether it will be split into its components, Beyer said.
“Our problem with transit is finding dollars for operations,” she said. “Payroll tax is the only alternative.”
The program provided me with mobility, independence and a vital link to the people around me at a time when I was unable to use regular bus service.
Unfortunately, the cost of transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities is rising due to a number of factors, including higher demand, rising fuel prices and longer trips.
It costs an average of $24 to provide a ride on RideSource, but federal law limits the one-way fare that passengers can be charged to double the cash fare for the bus. Even at that rate, the fee is a burden for users who pay upwards of $30 a week for transportation to and from school or work.
Funding for paratransit for seniors and people with disabilities comes from LTD’s general fund, while funding for projects such as the expansion of bus rapid transit routes comes from specially designated federal and state capital grants. Because of this fact, money for paratransit services cannot be found, for example, by diverting project funds from the Gateway EmX Extension.
Since 2000-01, state funding for LTD’s paratransit programs has remained flat at about $600,000 annually, and this year that funding will be reduced. Costs have risen each year, placing greater pressure on LTD’s general fund.
The district faces bigger and bigger budget shortfalls — the gap is expected to be $3.5 million in 2009 — forcing LTD to scale back fixed-route bus services.
The problem is not limited to LTD. Sixty percent of the $47.5 million Oregon transit providers spend on paratransit programs comes from local transit districts. That means that districts must make cuts elsewhere to cover these programs, which are mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. By 2016, the cost of paratransit programs in Oregon is expected to rise by an estimated 180 percent, to $133.2 million.
The state’s current funding contribution comes from a 2-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes. State Rep. Terry Beyer, D-Springfield, who heads the House Transportation Committee, supports a cigarette tax increase of 7 cents per pack, which would help reduce the pressure on the general funds of transit providers, allowing them to provide more service.
LTD supports this proposal, which would result in the state funding approximately one-third of the cost of these programs and help prevent the district from having to further scale back its services.
So far, LTD has managed to avoid having to eliminate too many routes, with the exception of three express routes that were cut recently. Additional changes will occur in the fall, when riders will see a 3 percent reduction in services.
The bitter irony is that there will be fewer buses available at a time when ridership demand is soaring.
If paratransit programs are so expensive, you might ask, why not just get rid of them? The answer is that these programs are federally mandated and provide important services.
LTD is required to offer “complementary paratransit service” within the metro area, which means that LTD must provide curb-to-curb service where and when LTD operates its fixed-route service.
However, paratransit services do more than just fulfill a mandate. They offer freedom and self-sufficiency to a population that is often neglected.
As the country’s baby boomer population continues to grow older, these services will only become more vital and in demand, making it all the more important that we shore up funding for these programs.
Paratransit programs also play a role in Oregon’s status as a national leader in community-based residential care for seniors and people with disabilities — a fact we can be proud of, because it promotes self-reliance and saves state money by keeping people out of more expensive care facilities. Paratransit service allows seniors and people with disabilities to go to the store, visit the doctor, and lead active and independent lives.
Despite the cost of paratransit services, they are a worthwhile investment. Rather than viewing it as a competitor for funds, I prefer to think of it as something that complements existing fixed-route services.
I also think it is worth mentioning that the majority of seniors and people with disabilities — an estimated 73 percent — rely on fixed-route service. They, too, will feel the pain if LTD is forced to reduce its routes.
I am joining LTD and other Oregon transit providers in calling on our legislators and the governor to help provide a permanent and stable funding source for transit services for seniors and people with disabilities.
Funding these programs will help put LTD and other transit districts on the road to solvency at a time when Oregonians clearly want and need public transportation.
Ed Necker is a member of the Lane Transit District board of directors and also serves on the Accessible Transportation Committee (formerly LTD’s Special Transportation Fund Advisory Committee).
"This grant program establishes the transit industry as a leader in reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, addressing global climate change and creating green jobs," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Projects will compete for a portion of the funds on the basis of how much their capital investment is expected to reduce either energy consumption or greenhouse gases, or both, the department said.
Transit agencies may apply under the grant program, the department said. In addition, other public agencies such as state departments of transportation may submit consolidated project proposals on behalf of transit agencies. Grants will be made for particular projects directly to public transportation agencies.
In addition to the expected reduction in energy or greenhouse gasses, the department will rate projects based on their return on investment, readiness to implement, the capacity of the applicant, the degree of innovation, and their national applicability.
The Federal Transit Administration will post application instructions, answers to common questions, and a calculator to assist in developing information on energy consumption or greenhouse gas emission reduction on its Web site at www.fta.dot.gov.
Potential applicants may also register for updates to program information at this site.
The free service is the product of a partnership between the college and Sunset Empire Transportation District, which operates The Bus, the brightly-colored buses that have been providing service throughout Clatsop County for more than a decade.
To ride for free, all a student needs is an I.D. card from CCC with a winter-term bus sticker attached to it. Faculty and staff need only their I.D. cards.
"We're thrilled. We think it's a great idea. This will benefit the college, the economy and the environment," CCC President Greg Hamann said. "It creates an opportunity for our students to change the way they travel here and at the same time really reduces the parking pressure that we have on this campus. It's a great campus and we don't want to take it up with cars."
The college will pay SETD a flat rate for every registered student and every faculty and staff member the college employs, Cindy Howe, the transportation district's executive director, explained. SETD has the same agreement with Tongue Point Job Corps, where about 500 students ride the bus every day. Howe said they will all be able to ride free, using regular fixed routes, which have recently been updated and expanded to better serve Knappa and South County.
Although this term is the first time for free bus service, SETD had been offering CCC students a $65 per term bus pass - a third of the regular price - for the last five years. And now, with new construction on campus eating up parking spaces for faculty and staff, the college is also paying SETD to shuttle employees from parking lots at the Red Lion Inn and the Performing Arts Center. Although the college is picking up the tab for the free service and the shuttle service, Hamann considers it a bargain compared with the $15,000 per parking space he said it would cost to build a parking structure.
"I always thought it made more sense for everyone to have access to public transportation," Howe said. "For us, it's ridership. It costs us the same whether it's two riders or 30." Howe said the SETD's ridership has increased by 25 percent since September and is now up to 5,000 rides a day. She expects an even bigger increase in the next couple of months with the free service for CCC.
State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, made a trip to Astoria on Monday to be part of the kick-off event for the new bus service. She said it's good for the environment, good for the college and good for building ridership on The Bus.
"I think it's a wonderful partnership," Johnson said. "It'll move people up here expeditiously without all the parking problems, it utilizes a community resource and it alleviates the congestion up here."
Even while the free bus service proposal was still under discussion, Marcia Fenske, president of the SETD board, said college students told her they were excited about it. "There's no parking. The parking's all gone in this area," Fenske said, noting that spaces are especially scarce now that the college's major campus renovation project is underway. "We're trying to get people out of their cars and onto the bus."
As gas prices rise and the economy plummets, switching from cars to public transportation is the trend nationwide. It's especially true for college students, according to Andrew Clark in an Oct. 4, 2008, story on the ABC News Web site. College students all over the country are walking, biking and taking buses and trains to save money, Clark wrote, and college administrators are helping them by providing alternative transportation options.
Citing statistics from the American Public Transportation Association, Clark wrote that in 2007, 10.7 percent of public transit riders were students and that public transportation ridership in general increased by 140 million rides in 2008 compared to the previous year.
Howe said Sunset Empire Transportation District wants to be the model for the rest of rural Oregon and its partnership with Clatsop College is making that possible. "It means ridership to Sunset Empire, it means going green," she said. "The state of Oregon is all about going green and this is our part and we want to be a model transit system for the rest of the rural transit systems throughout the state."
Johnson said SETD is already leading the way. "It's one of those win, win, win situations and I really credit the leadership of Cindy Howe and President Hamann and their respective boards in coming to the conclusion that this kind of partnership makes good sense," Johnson said.
"This is terrific."
Democrats also swept statewide races. Kurt Schrader, former Ways and Means Co-Chair, cruised to victory in Oregon’s open 5th congressional district over Republican Mike Erickson. Kate Brown, former Senate Majority Leader, won the Secretary of State race and State Senator, Ben Westlund was triumphant in the State Treasurer’s contest.
And finally, after being too close to call until Wednesday night, former Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley was declared the winner over Senator Gordon Smith in one of the most expensive and negative senatorial campaigns in the nation. Oregon’s other Senator is Ron Wyden, a Democrat. Oregon’s Congressional delegation remains 4 Democrats and 1 Republican.
Tuesday’s election results give Democrats indisputable control of the levers of power in Oregon, from the Governor’s office to both chambers of the Legislature. That control carries expectations from core Democratic constituencies to deliver increased funding for K-12 schools, health care reform and job stimulus legislation to combat the economic recession.
Oregon voters rejected a change to a top-two primary, four of five initiatives authored by Bill Sizemore and two by Kevin Mannix. Sizemore’s Measure 64 is narrowly failing with Multnomah county votes still to be counted which will likely put the nail in the coffin and make Sizemore 0 for 5. Voters approved several Oregon legislative referrals, including a constitutional amendment to eliminate the double majority requirement on May and November elections.
Oregon voters tended to oppose ballot measures with big price tags or those that may have worsened the state’s budget situation. They approved a legislative referral that increases prison sentences for repeat property crime offenders, while emphasizing substance abuse treatment for first-time offenders. That referral came in response to a Mannix initiative that imposed stiffer mandatory minimum sentences and would have been more expensive.
Tribal Planner Jim Beard said it is estimated that there are more than 300 employees and residents living in these outlying areas that can benefit from transit services. The expansion has been in the works for several years and was approved by the CTUIR Board of Trustees in October of 2007.
“But the timing of putting the rubber on the road is fortuitous considering the recent increases in the cost of fuel,” said Beard. “The expansions to the outlying cities are designed to accommodate commuters, but also provide multiple opportunities for visits to the Tribes’ institutional and commercial properties.”
The service, which eventually could connect Hermiston, Walla Walla and Tri-Cities, has so far been divided into three lines with separate schedules.
The “Cayuse Commuter” bus will pick up riders in the Cayuse, Thornhollow, Weston, Athena and Adams communities. The bus will stop at the Post Office in each town. In areas that do not have a Post Office, the bus will stop at the main group of mailboxes in that area.
Working with Community Connections in La Grande, the “LaGrande Arrow” will offer bus service three times a day between La Grande and Mission. Connections to other destinations within the Mission community and Pendleton area will be available by transfers to the Mission Metro Bus.
The “Pilot Rocket” bus will provide service between Mission and Pilot Rock and, like the others, will have service three times a day – in the morning, at noon and in the late afternoon.
At this time, the buses will run Monday through Friday with no service on major holidays.
The schedules were designed to accommodate employees that work on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, including Tribal government, Wildhorse Resort and Cayuse Technologies.
Because of a variation in work hours at different work places, the schedule could not accommodate everyone, Beard said.
The new routes are being funded by the Federal Transit Administration Tribal Transportation Program. The CTUIR intends to operate the service a minimum of two years to determine if there is enough ridership to make the routes permanent.
For additional information and/or bus schedules, go to www.umatilla.nsn.us or contact the Tribal Planning Office at 541-966-2590.
Then there's the slap on the wrist from our betters across the pond: Europeans scoff at our sticker shock and gas-guzzler habit. They pay $6, $7, close to $10 a gallon! Of course some of their cars approach a fuel efficiency of 60 miles a gallon, and everyone from Swedes to Spaniards enjoy tighter urban development patterns, a high-functioning public transit infrastructure, and subsidized health care (oops, different story).
But the gas-burning question stateside imperils a favorite American pastime: Are we looking at the imminent demise of the road trip, our freewheeling, open-ended, go-where-I-want, when-I-want credo? "Let's hit the road, honey; I think we have enough cash to make it to the end of the block."
Or could we just be looking at a revision of a classic?
Enough of complaining that we don't have a web of high-speed rail connections, buses that run everywhere every few minutes. What do we have? What would Jesus, I mean, an Australian backpacker, do? Or an American sightseer, for that matter?
A few months back, on the bus from Port Townsend to Seattle (having sold my car to save money), I heard a fellow rider talking loudly, as folks sometimes do on the bus.
"You say this bus goes to Poulsbo?" I recall him asking the driver. "That other one to Brinnon? Maybe I'll take a ride to see Hood Canal." And then: "I bet you could get halfway across the state on local buses."
Light bulb.
Jackie Smith recently reported in The Seattle Times on a local romp from Kirkland to Golden Gardens on Metro Transit, and others have detailed mini bus vacations in the Northwest over the years — around the San Juan Islands, to Port Orchard and Poulsbo. Could these short jaunts be expanded? How far could I get? Where would I end up along the way? What would I see? Could I take an honest-to-God-and-apple pie road trip by local bus?
The quest began.
But this was meant to be a road trip. The longer and more roundabout, the better. Would other people want to repeat the trip? Hardly. I'm on my own, no kids. I can't picture a family of four complete with diaper bags and DVDs getting on and off three buses a day just for an adventure. "Are we there yet?" Please. Where's the aspirin?
Thanks to the Internet and some old-fashioned paper maps, I quickly discovered that a trip to visit my sister in northern California wouldn't take forever. Just a week and a half (though I extended that by backpacking through the redwoods).
It took all of a few minutes' research to see that I wouldn't get stranded, say, in Shelton, Wash. A half day more of Googling county names and "transit" resulted in a route complete with bus schedules all the way to California.
Even better, the buses followed the coast! Goodbye eye-glazing I-5, hello ocean vistas. Buses linked Washington and Oregon across the four-mile bridge at the mouth of the Columbia River. There were smooth connections from Coos Bay in southern Oregon to Arcata, Calif.
I was on my way.
(A brief note: Recently launched Google Transit promises even more ease in trip planning, as soon as more service areas are included — only one of the 11 bus systems I took is currently on board.)
What to do? Hitchhike? That idea didn't go over so well with friends, let alone my mom. Take my bike along? Too much to lug around. That left walking. I'm a hiker. Could I walk the gaps?
Well, yes. Oregon boasts a coastal trail of white-sand beaches and cliff-hugging forests, with sea lions and sea stacks offshore. "Trail," however, is a liberal interpretation of the route where it follows US 101.
Optimistically, I decided that if cyclists bike 101, surely I could walk a little bit of it. This turned out to be less appealing when actually standing on 101's microscopic shoulder with RV mirrors winging past at 60 miles an hour. I would determine pretty early on that there are worse things than hitchhiking.
As a bus user in a small town, I was also curious about who rides rural buses, for what reasons. The newspapers are full of stories about increased transit ridership in metropolitan areas. In the first quarter of this year compared to last, there were 6 percent more boardings on King County Metro Transit and 2.6 percent more riders on Portland, Ore., TriMet buses and MAX trains. Even car-is-king California isn't immune: In January through March 2008 in Los Angeles, rail use increased by as much as 16 percent and bus use by 8 percent over the same period a year prior.
But what about in the sticks? Are more people riding in and around small towns? Is there even service? After all, rural buses don't usually travel commuter routes.
Most of all, though, this Washington-to-California trip promised a version of the open road without owning or renting a car, without the ka-ching ka-ching cash-register soundtrack at the gas pump. All told, transportation cost me $177, about $80 of that on local buses and the rest on Amtrak.
Let me say that again: Three weeks, more than 2,000 miles, and $177 spent on getting myself around.
(Full disclosure: Dinner conversation at a youth hostel turned into a long hitch the next day, saving me $55 because the driver wouldn't take money for gas — yes, I offered, three times. And though not strictly a part of transportation costs, accommodations were on the cheap — hikers and cyclists pay only $4 a night to camp in Oregon State Parks.)
So I spent approximately what it would take to drive the route in a Prius at $4 a gallon. But I don't have a Prius. What I did have was a road trip. Care-free adventure. Freedom. Simplicity. If you can call 48 buses simple.
"We coordinated with the emergency operations center to get people to shelter sites for food and care," said Cindy Howe, Sunset Empire Transportation District. "After we got one phone operational in Astoria, we were able to offer demand response (where a customer calls and requests a specific ride) and transport a few people to the grocery store and to shelter sites."
In the meantime, Howe worked with the local radio station – as soon as it was operational – to get the word out to residents that public transit was available.
"I can tell you that each of my employees attempted to come in and do his or her part, only to be intercepted by the high winds, road debris, slides and flooding," said Matt Mumford, general manager of Tillamook County Transportation District. "I’m so proud to be associated with public transit on the Oregon coast."
Cynda Bruce, with Lincoln County Transit, said her crews worked wherever they could even though many were without electricity from Saturday through Wednesday during the storms.
"I had to shut down services on Monday because we had so many impassable roads," she said, "My staff, however, was unstoppable, with everyone who could make it showing up for work."
"I am extremely fortunate to have such wonderful folks working for the transit district," he said.
Howe added, "I am really proud of our staff. I can’t tell you how great it is to work with these people."
Introducing customers with disabilities to accessible fixed-route service used to be about creating choices and providing independence. While it still accomplishes these things, the reality is that a primary goal of increasing the use of fixed-route service has rapidly become the bottom-line, one that is growing at exponential rates as more and more active seniors and people with disabilities use paratransit services at increasingly higher levels.
Fueled by the beginning of baby boomer retirements, greater community accessibility and greater educational, work and recreational opportunities, seniors and people with disabilities are starting to use public transit. For many, this means paratransit service. Couple the increased demand with the increased cost to provide such service, and you have the perfect storm. Trip lengths are increasing as communities grow, vehicle wait times are increasing as more trips are medical related, and more young and active people with disabilities are using paratransit services on a regular basis. As all transit providers know, the cost for providing these essential services falls squarely on our shoulders. Transit providers face annual double-digit cost increases that appear to have no end in sight. At Lane Transit District (LTD), the costs associated with paratransit service have increased more than 300 percent over the past decade, but more alarming is the fact that these trends are not slowing, which means that difficult budget decisions lie ahead.
Demand for all public transit services is growing. Funds already are being stretched by rising fuel and personnel costs. Whats the answer?
Unfortunately, it appears that part of the answer positions paratransit services against fixed-route services. With only so many service dollars to go around, paratransit becomes the heavyweight, while fixed-route service battles to stay in the fight. With the Americans with Disabilities Act in its corner, complementary paratransit services will be funded, and there is little question that they should be. However, at a time when demand for fixed-route service is at an all-time high, this situation is most challenging.
LTD has long been an advocate for service to seniors and people with disabilities. It achieved 100 percent fixed-route accessibility in 1985. Innovative programs like travel training and transit hosts have been in place for many years, and a strong relationship with local agencies and advocates has established a foundation of collaboration and coordination. LTD hopes to create an opportunity to realize new efficiencies and is in the process of instituting a centralized transportation call center. The Lane Council of Governments Senior & Disabled Services Department has dedicated case management positions to serve as call takers for Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation trips for Lane County residents for a very long time.
LTD is taking the ambitious step of creating a call center combining the Medicaid transportation program and all other human services transportation options and programs (such as ADA, Lane County Developmental Disability services, services to a local pre-school program for children with disabled parents) into a one-stop shopping call center for eligible participants. When the call center is operational, customers will have a single telephone number to call to arrange their transportation, regardless of how the services are funded or what program they are affiliated with. A great concept, but the devil is in the details.
It is unlikely that this or any other single strategy will be the silver bullet that districts are looking for to solve this complicated problem. The answer likely will involve a range of strategies, and it will be different for different properties. Whether or not creating a call center will yield the desired efficiencies LTD is seeking will not be known for a couple of years a couple of years when the demand and cost for paratransit services will continue to rise. As an industry, we must continue to ask these questions: