Transcript Breaking New Ground: Lower Savannah Model for Coordinated

Travel Management and
Coordination Center: Strategies for
Coordinated Transportation and
Mobility Management
Lynnda Bassham
Lower Savannah Council of Governments
Aiken, South Carolina
April 23, 2009
Pennsylvania Public Transportation
Association Spring Conference and Expo
Lower Savannah COG
• LSCOG is a regional planning and development
organization, serving six counties in southwestern South Carolina.
• Our region has a land area of nearly 4,000
square miles and a total population of only
300,800.
• We have two larger counties and four small,
very rural ones.
Our Region
• Two-thirds of our
population lives in unincorporated, rural areas.
• 13% of our population is
elderly and 24% have a
disability.
• Unemployment in three
counties is above 12%,
and in our poorest county
it tops 24%.
• 5 of 6 counties are
“health professional
shortage areas.”
Where We Started… 2000
• Six rural counties - higher than average poverty, disability; low population
density ; one little sliver of “large urban” territory
• 1 “sliver” of large urban area; we operate that system via contract
• No public transit in 4 of 6 counties
• Autonomous human service agencies were providing transit to meet
many local needs
• Medicaid non-emergency transit WAS provided by one human service
agency for each county – good basis for adding coordinated trips!
• Funding streams provided vehicles for human service agencies, with little
incentive to coordinate
• Duplication in trips to out-of-county work and medical destinations
• Many un-met needs
• Deficits = a good environment for change!
What We’re Doing
• LSCOG is in the process of implementing a Travel
Management and Coordination Center (TMCC), as
one of three grantees in America under the United
We Ride/Mobility Services for All Americans
initiative!
• This center will offer mobility management services
to help people link to rides and provide coordination
among a network of autonomous human service and
public transit providers.
• It will integrate with our one-call center for human
services and benefits information and assistance.
LSCOG ‘s Definition…
• Mobility managers help customers find ways to move from
place to place according to their need, and they help
transportation providers maximize the utilization of all their
resources.
• Mobility Management requires a state of mind that
emphasizes moving people instead of a fleet of vehicles –
helping one person at a time!
• It can involve planning, coordinating within the community,
developing and operating a one-call center like the TMCC
and/or offering one-on-one assistance to help customers
find the right individual transportation solution.
• It is now an allowable capital expense under many FTA
titles and a priority activity in national transit policy.
How Did We Get Here?
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SCDOT designated us as the state’s first regional coordination lead agency and gave
us funding to carry out coordination and transportation development work.
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Formed a Regional Transportation Management Association (RTMA) in 2000,
involving local elected officials and coordinating human service and public transit
providing agencies.
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Brought key providers of human service and public transportation together to
plan, work together, build trust and begin thinking as a TEAM!
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2003 - developed a vision for a one-call or one-click center to assist consumers in
finding and arranging transportation AND a regionally, coordinated network of
transportation providers, enabled by
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careful planning
appropriate technology
inclusiveness
teamwork
Working Toward the Vision
• RTMA transit providers identified communication as
a major obstacle to coordination and efficient
operation
• LSCOG acquired funds from an FTA Demonstration
program to equip 100 partner vehicles with 800 MHz
radios
• SCDOT helped us to become the first region to test
and use Route Match scheduling, dispatching and
reporting software.
• We escalated our quest toward our vision!
Stars Aligning!
• LSCOG also
– Began developing South Carolina’s 1st Aging and Disability
Resource Center in 2003 and one of the 1st 10 in the US
• This enabled us to
• become a one-call center with certified information
specialists
• put in place a web-based resource data base (SC Access)
• solidify new partnership agreements with local agencies
• broaden our focus and become known as a reliable source
for information and assistance
Lower Savannah COG/ADRC
• ADRC Programs currently include
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Area Agency on Aging
Long Term Care Ombudsman
Family Caregiver Support
Medication Assistance Program
Information and Assistance
Benefits Counseling, including Medicaid Managed Care and
Medicare Part D enrollment and trouble-shooting help
Assistance to apply on-line for LTC Medicaid eligibility
Medicare Fraud Patrol
Rental Assistance
Legal Service Referrals
Mobility Information and Assistance
Targeted assistance to people on waiting list for Medicaid HCB
waiver services
Big Picture/Local Action
• While pursuing the regional vision, LSCOG staff also
focused on local transit development issues.
• Allendale County is the smallest and poorest county
in the region and in the state.
• Only 18 jobs each year turn over in the county.
• The population is about 73% minority and nearly
35% live below the poverty level.
• The only employment transportation in the county
was to a beach resort - 2.5 hours commute each
way.
Allendale “Scooter”
• After nine months of meetings, LSCOG helped
local leaders to develop a new public transit
system in Allendale County with NO new
vehicles.
• The system used existing human service
agency vehicles and travel patterns, filling
available seats with passengers from the
general public.
Allendale Scooter = Coordination
Success!
• Agencies providing human service
transportation agreed to pool their vehicles in
the coordinating system. These include
– Local Disabilities and Special Needs Board
– Allendale County Office on Aging (also the
Medicaid non-emergency transportation provider)
– Local rural health center
The Allendale “Scooter”
& How It Works…
• Agencies found they could transport other passengers on
their demand-response “routes” and agreed on a uniform
reimbursement price per passenger mile.
• Local mobility manager answers calls from the public and
matches them with participating agencies in the “Scooter”
network – passenger buys tickets $2.00/10 miles and agency
is reimbursed per passenger mile for non-client passengers.
• LSCOG helped to secure additional funding to help with
operation cost.
• Palmetto Breeze RTA, in a neighboring region, employs
mobility manager and handles billing and reimbursements.
• 109 new, regular riders can go anywhere the providers go – in
or out of county to medical, work, shopping, etc. 95% trip
request compliance – a big success!
Success Spreads
• The Scooter’s success led to more local requests for help!
• LSCOG helped to develop a similar system in Bamberg County,
which shares a mobility manager with the Scooter.
• Worked with SCDOT and local leaders in our last two counties
without public transit
• launched a similar model there in March
• beginning with coordinated demand response service
• later phase will offer downtown area fixed route system, will incorporate
service for four institutions of higher learning
• Will link to a new commuter bus service into and out of our capital city.
• One important part of our overall work is to build a regional
network of coordinating transportation providers with capacity to
meet current and future needs. We take an inclusive approach.
Back to the Big Picture...
Integrating ADRC and Mobility
Management
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) gave SC a Systems Transformation Grant in
2005.
• Enables LSCOG to begin development of the TMCC.
• TMCC will be integrated with our ADRC to offer much
with one call!
• Next, sought and received one of 8 national United
We Ride/MSAA Phase I Technology Planning grants –
enabled us to do our technology design for a
coordinated transportation network and for the
Travel Management and Coordination Center.
Mobility Services for All Americans
• (MSAA) and United We Ride Phase I Planning
assistance came at the perfect time and were
a perfect fit to meet our needs in this area!
• The MSAA grant provided needed technical
expertise and structure to produce a far better
technology design than we would have been
able to do on our own.
MSAA Phase II
• The eight Phase I grantees competed for
implementation funding through competitive
proposals – LSCOG was honored to be selected as
one of three implementation grantees at the very
end of 2008!
• Our Phase II grant will combine with our CMS grant
funds and FTA/SCDOT program funds to help
implement and operate the TMCC.
Mobility Management
• These funds will provide the technology
equipment and related costs and mobility
management staff necessary to implement both
the Travel Management Coordination Center
(TMCC) and the coordinated transportation
network of our 2003 vision!
• Funds from the Administration on Aging will also
help to support the integrated ADRC/TMCC,
which will provide both human services and
transit and mobility information and assistance
and transit coordination
TMCC Technology Will Include
• Regional Reservations, Scheduling & Dispatch System
– Will ease scheduling, dispatch, trip verification, customer tracking and
billing processes
– Will help to track operational data more accurately
– Will have a fixed route application where needed
• Mobile Data Computers
– Automated Vehicle Location - know where vehicles are in real time
– Data Management (Electronic Manifests, which can be made flexible
and responsive to customer needs throughout the day)
– Reduces driver manual record keeping, improves accuracy
• Regional Telephony System
– Voice Over IP ( Enables local transit provider staff to link in as virtual
Agents as needed)
TMCC Technology Will Include
• IVR – Integrated Voice Recognition
– Voice Recognition
– Reservations
– Day before reminders, automated option for trip cancellation, ride is
on the way automated reminders, emergency reverse calling
communications
• Fixed Route CAD/AVL
– Schedule Adherence, Passenger counting,
• Medicaid Broker Data Integration – help make provider’s work easier –
now burdensome
• Regional Billing System
– Fare Management Electronic Verification
– Coordination
TMCC Technology Will Include
• Consumer Based On Line Reservations
• Provider Based On Line Transportation
Management
• Data Management
– Better and more reliable data
– Good management tools
Better Management/Better Customer
Service!
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One number to call for transportation
Automated pick-up reminders and
ride confirmation calls
Where’s my ride information in real
time
Automated, timely weather and
cancellation or change outbound
communications
Reduction in costly “no-shows”
Ability to track vehicle/driver
performance ( on-time, speed,
adherence to schedule, location by
time, etc.)
Mobility managers help consumers
and service providers find and access
transit resources
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Driver manifests flexible all day,
communicated by on-board mobile
computer
Less advance time for reservations
and ability to meet last-minute
requests
Less time on radio communications
Accurate and streamlined service
tracking and reporting
Ability to coordinate trips among
providers
Less duplication and waste = more
capacity for meeting unmet needs
Filling more seats on vehicles means
that transit providers can better
contain costs
And Down the Road…
• Travel training for target groups who are reluctant or who
need special help to use transit
• Help to form carpools and van pools
• Multi-modal approach to meeting individual needs
• Integration with volunteer driver programs
• Advocacy for riders who are not being well served
• Tracking customer service and unmet needs
• Business development for regional provider
network/meeting new and escalating needs for transit
• Development of regional fare system
• Continued planning and enhancements of regional transit
services
Challenges…
• Maintaining POSITIVE momentum with ALL
stakeholders; having faith in our design and ourselves
• Engaging front line operations staff fully in new
practices and protocols and use of new technology
• Dealing with budget changes due to external factors
and fitting all of the pieces and parts together to make
a seamless “whole”
• Actually MAKING the change we planned and
embraced as a region
• Working with Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation
system in SC – changed to out-of-state broker in 2007.
Next Steps!
• Implementation phase will be a busy year
• Acquisitions, installations, training, protocol
development and testing and marketing March,
2009 – March, 2010
• Center fully operational and generating
evaluation data by Spring 2010
• Quality monitoring and customer surveys already
designed, more self-evaluation planning to come.
• We expect to make a difference for people in
our region – it’s all about them!
For More Information…
Lynnda Bassham
Director, Human Services
Lower Savannah Council of Governments
PO Box 850
Aiken, SC 29802
[email protected]
803 649-7981