Human Services Transportation Coordination Workshop July 23-24, 2013

1. Human Services Transportation Coordination WorkshopJuly 23-24, 2013 Prepared and Presented by: Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development Public Transportation Section and

2. Presenter • JD Allen, AICP, Executive Vice President Alliance Transportation Group, Inc.

3. Workshop Agenda • Day 1 • Introduction to Coordination • Regional Plans • Coordination Resources • Day 2 • Challenges and Opportunities • Statewide Coordination Efforts • Discussion and Next Steps

4. Who is Here? • DOTD • MPO • 5311 Provider • 5310 Provider • JARC Provider • New Freedom Provider • Other

5. Who is Here? Shreveport Monroe Alexandria Baton Rouge Lake Charles Lafayette New Orleans Houma-Thibodaux

6. Do Any of These Apply to You? • You have requests for transportation that you can’t fulfill. • There are times when you can’t provide your agencies services to persons who need them because those individuals cannot get transportation to your facilities. • It’s difficult to serve some persons with special needs, such as persons who use large wheelchairs. • There are times when your drivers and vehicles are not used to their full capacity. • You could provide more or better transportation if there was another organization willing to help share the costs.

7. Do Any of These Apply to You? • There are times when you would like to turn the responsibility for operating transportation services over to someone else. That the need to manage drivers, maintenance, dispatching, funding, billing, vehicle acquisition and storage, and all the rest just seems like a great big hassle. • The costs of providing transportation are a concern for you. • You need to hire more drivers but you don’t have enough funding.

8. Do Any of These Apply to You? • You need help in grant writing. • You see a need to become more competitive in applying for transportation funds that now give more weight to coordinated applications. • You see a need for additional driver training and don’t know how to get it. • You need help in recruiting and retaining volunteers. • You would like to extend your service hours or service area.

9. Coordination Applies • If any of the above apply then: Coordination can help!

10. Coordination Applies • If none apply then: It’s the Law!

11. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required in Metropolitan Transportation Planning  • 49 USC 5303(g)(3) • "Under the metropolitan planning process, transportation plans and TIPs shall be developed with due consideration of other related planning activities within the metropolitan area, and the process shall provide for the design and delivery of transportation services within the metropolitan area that are provided by--(A) recipients [of Federal transit assistance]; (B) governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations (including representatives of the agencies and organizations) that receive Federal assistance from a source other than the Department of Transportation to provide nonemergency transportation services; and (C) recipients of assistance under section 204 of title 23 [i.e., the Federal Lands Highway Program].”

12. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required in Statewide Transportation Planning • 49 USC 5304(e) • "In carrying out [statewide transportation] planning under this section, each State shall consider, at a minimum...coordination of transportation plans, the transportation improvement program, and planning activities with related planning activities being carried out outside of metropolitan planning areas and between States."

13. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required for Urban Public Transit • 49 USC 5307(c)(5) • "[Each recipient of a grant under this section shall] ensure that the proposed program of projects provides for the coordination of public transportation services assisted under section 5336 of this title [i.e., formula-based grants for public transportation in urbanized areas] with transportation services assisted from other United States Government sources."

14. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required in Designing and Providing Transportation for Elderly Individuals and Persons with Disabilities • 49 USC 5310(d)(2) • "[Each] grant recipient under this section shall certify that--(i) the projects selected were derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan; and (ii) the plan was developed through a process that included representatives of public, private and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public." 49 USC 5310(e)(2): "A State shall submit annually to the Secretary [of Transportation] for approval a program of projects [to be supported with funds apportioned to the State under this section]. The program shall contain an assurance that the program provides for maximum feasible coordination of transportation services assisted under this section with transportation services assisted by other Government sources."

15. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required for Rural Public Transit • 49 USC 5311(b)(2)(C) • "The Secretary [of Transportation] may not approve [a State's] program [of projects to be supported with funds apportioned to the State under this section] unless the Secretary determines that...the program provides the maximum feasible coordination of public transportation service assisted under this section with transportation services assisted by other Federal sources."

16. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required in Designing and Providing Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation Services • 49 USC 5316(g) • "The Secretary [of Transportation] shall coordinate activities under this section with related activities under programs of other Federal departments and agencies...A recipient of funds under this section shall certify to the Secretary that...the projects selected were derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan...and the plan was developed through a process that included representatives of public, private and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public."

17. Coordination – It’s the Law • Coordination is Required in Designing and Providing New Freedom Transportation Services for Persons with Disabilities • 49 USC 5317(f) • "The Secretary [of Transportation] shall coordinate activities under this section with related activities under programs of other Federal departments and agencies...A recipient of funds under this section shall certify to the Secretary that...the projects selected were derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan...and the plan was developed through a process that included representatives of public, private and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public."

18. SAFETEA-LUMandates • Projects selected must be “derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan.” • Plans must be “developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public.”

19. MAP-21Mandates • Coordination with human services will remain a requirement for FTA grantees across the range of all non-rail FTA programs. Coordination with human services continues to be a requirement of statewide and metropolitan transportation planning, and coordination of service delivery continues to be a requirement in all three core FTA grant programs as authorized by MAP-21: Section 5307, 5310 and 5311.

20. What is Coordination • An opportunity to identify mobility needs • An opportunity to develop a ‘shared understanding’ – the Big Picture • A shift away from providing rides toward managing mobility

21. What is Coordination • A process in which two or more organizations (that may not have worked together previously) interact to accomplish their transportation objectives. • A technique for better resource management. • Improved organization strategies achieve greater cost-effectiveness in service delivery. • A way to stretch scarce resources and improve mobility of everyone.

22. What is Coordination • Coordinating transportation services is like any ‘political process’ - It involves changing environments, conflicts regarding power and control over resources, and competing goals or personalities. • Shared Power • Shared responsibility • Shared management • Shared funding • Shared benefit

24. Coordination Requirements • Coordination requires building trust relationships. • Coordination requires diligence and a continued commitment to the process by ALL parties. • Without ongoing active participation by all members, coordination efforts will fall apart. • Alliances will disintegrate. • Progress will halt.

25. Coordination Requirements • Open-minded approach • Willingness to do things differently than before • Significant investment in time and effort before you see real benefits

26. Purpose of Coordination • Improved utilization of resources • Reduction or elimination of duplication • Reduction in operating costs • Shared maintenance • Shared dispatching • Shared administration • Reduction in capital expenses • Simplified access for users • Enhanced quality of service

27. Coordination Benefits • Lower trip costs for travelers • Lower overall costs for human service agencies • Expanded human services provided • Alternatives to institutionalization • Alternatives to high routine medical costs in the emergency room • Increased local economic development through better access to jobs

28. Coordination Benefits • Expanded/extended service hours • Expanded service areas • More trips made by persons needing transportation • Services more responsive to customers’ schedules, points of origin, and destinations • More door-to-door service • More flexible payment and service options

29. Key Coordination Strategies • Increase labor productivity • Eliminate overlapping driver assignments • Drivers from different agencies traveling same routes at the same time • Combine other administrative functions • Transportation Director • Dispatchers • Bookkeepers • Office Staff • Maintenance Personnel

30. Key Coordination Strategies • Coordinate dispatching • Centralized dispatching can increase overall level of productivity (the number of seats filled on the vehicles) • Decrease the administrative staff required • Reduced vehicles needed to serve the area • Fewer computers • Fewer phones and phone lines • Less office space

31. Key Coordination Strategies • Expand service hours • Offer weekend or evening hours • Shared responsibility for expanded hours (alternating shifts) • Expand service areas • Client needs don’t generally end at jurisdictional boundaries • Options other than ‘trip denial’

32. Key Coordination Strategies • Increase funding opportunities • Funding priorities giving to coordinated services • “Two heads are better than one” – new federal guidelines for collaborative efforts • Joint maintenance • Especially where larger transit agencies can service smaller agency vehicles

33. History of Coordination • 1990s: • Inter Agency Transportation Coordination Committee (IATCC) formed in 1992 under Gov. Edwards and was continued by Gov. Foster. Tasked with collecting data on transportation services & making recommendations for coordination of those services. • IATCC Died with Governor Blanco • DOTD develops Statewide Coordination Opportunity Plan (SCOP) – identified statewide areas of need • Louisiana adopts Vision 2010 Plan

34. History of Coordination IATCC Challenges Met: • Mid-level managers from various state agencies began working to solve problems • Some coordination occurred • Good recommendations made in report to Governor IATCC Challenges Unmet: • Lack of support from the Governor • Mandated to collect data, but no sense of urgency • Recommendations went unanswered by Gov/legislature

35. History of Coordination Louisiana Vision 2020: The success of the state’s workforce development initiatives, welfare reform, and motor vehicle insurance requirements depend on the availability of public transportation service to all citizens regardless of where they reside. Public transportation is necessary for access to education, training, and employment, particularly for people in the lower income levels (i.e. those without automobiles and those who cannot afford insurance).

36. History of Coordination • 2003: • Transportation Service Coordination Summit A listening meeting to gather information from transportation providers from across the state regarding barriers to effective coordination. • Rayville coordination Meeting DOTD and DSS met with representatives of nine parishes to discuss public transportation issues. • Survey of State Agencies DOTD gathered data from state agencies regarding expenditure of funds for transportation services.

37. History of Coordination • 2004: • Federal government initiated a new program aimed at coordinating transportation for disadvantaged populations: United We Ride • FTA created a self-assessment resource tool:A Framework for Action – Building the Fully Coordinated Transportation System • President Bush signed EO establishing the Interagency Transportation Coordination Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) – mandates eliminating duplication and overlap in federal programs funding transportation services and facilitating access to the most appropriate & cost effective transportation services available

38. History of Coordination • 2005: • United We Ride: Task Force met several times in 2005 and completed the Self-Assessment for States. Resulted in a statewide plan: Louisiana Action Plan for Statewide Transportation Coordination

39. History of Coordination • 2005: President Bush signed into law the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users act SAFETEA-LU • 2006: FTA published guidelines for Sections 5310, 5311, 5316, and 5317 that required that all projects: “be derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan”

40. History of Coordination • 2007: • DOTD created a state-wide coordination plan for human services public transportation • DOTD assisted 8 regions of the state to each create a “locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan” • 2008: • DOTD conducts 2 day workshop on coordination • DOTD updates statewide coordination plan

42. Shreveport Monroe Alexandria Baton Rouge Lake Charles Lafayette New Orleans Houma-Thibodaux

43. History of Coordination • 2011: • Louisiana Legislature passes HCR 131 • DOTD holds coordination workshop in Marksville • 2011/2012: • DOTD forms HSTC Work Group

44. Break 15 minutes

45. Regional Plans • Steps to developing a plan: • Identify the issue, challenge or problem to be addressed • Evaluate the issue • Background, need, constraints, resources available and needed • Develop a mission statement • Create goals • Construct action steps

46. Regional Plans • Steps to developing a plan: • Where are we? What is our current situation? • What do we have to work with? • Where do we want to be? • How do we get there?

47. Regional Plans • Federal Regulations Required Elements: • An inclusive planning process • An assessment of available services • An assessment of needs • Gap analysis – resources vs. needs • Strategies to address gaps for target populations • Method for prioritizing strategies • Action Plan for implementing coordination

48. Who is Participating • Likely suspects include: • Metropolitan Planning Organization • Regional Planning Commission • DOTD Public Transportation • Section 5311 providers • Section 5310 providers • Section 5307 providers

49. Who is Participating (cont.) • Likely suspects include: • Council on Aging (likely a 5311 or 5310 provider) • Area Agency on Aging (likely a 5311 or 5310 provider) • Local Area Arc (likely a 5311 or 5310 provider) • Department of Children & Family Services (Social Services) • Department of Health and Hospitals

50. Who Should Be Participating • AARP representative • Local nursing homes • Local Hospitals • Local United Way representative • Local State Legislators (or at least their representative) • Local Elected Officials • Local Workforce Investment Board