Travel Management and Coordination Center: Strategies for Coordinated Transportation and Mobility Management

1. 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

2. Lower Savannah COG • LSCOG is a regional planning and development organization, serving six counties in south-western 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.

3. Our Region • Two-thirds of our population lives in un-incorporated, 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.”

4. 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!

5. 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.

6. 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 atime! • 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.

7. How Did We Get Here? • SCDOT designated us as the state’s first regional coordination lead agency and gave us funding to carry out coordination and transportation development work. • Formed a Regional Transportation Management Association (RTMA) in 2000, involving local elected officials and coordinating human service and public transit providing agencies. • Brought key providers of human service and public transportation together to plan, work together, build trust and begin thinking as a TEAM! • 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 • careful planning • appropriate technology • inclusiveness • teamwork

8. 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!

9. 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

10. Lower Savannah COG/ADRC • ADRC Programs currently include • 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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!

15. 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.

16. Back to the Big Picture...

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. Mobility Management • These funds will provide the technology equipment and related costs andmobility 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

21. 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)

22. 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

23. 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

24. Better Management/Better Customer Service! • 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 • 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

25. 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

26. 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.

27. 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!

28. For More Information… Lynnda Bassham Director, Human Services Lower Savannah Council of Governments PO Box 850 Aiken, SC 29802 lbassham@lscog.org 803 649-7981