Title
Approve City of Alameda Paratransit Program Plan for FY 2016/2017
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
Re: Approve City of Alameda Paratransit Program Plan for FY 2016/2017
BACKGROUND
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires transit agencies to offer transportation services (paratransit) for persons certified as unable to use regular fixed route transit. Paratransit services must be made available to eligible users within three quarters of a mile of the existing fixed transit routes during normal operating hours. The mandated paratransit service in Alameda is provided by East Bay Paratransit (EBP).
Measures B and BB, Alameda County’s combined one-cent sales tax for transportation, provides a dedicated funding source to local jurisdictions for non-mandated, locally-based paratransit services for individuals with disabilities and seniors, which is not required under ADA.
Information about the various City of Alameda Paratransit Program services is available at: <http://alamedaca.gov/public-works/city-alameda-paratransit-services>. Detailed program information can be found in the recently updated Rider Guide: <http://alamedaca.gov/sites/default/files/department-files/2015-12-03/riderguide_december_2015_final.pdf>. The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), which administers Measure B/BB funds, requires each jurisdiction to annually submit a program plan application to them to receive the local funds.
DISCUSSION
The City’s proposed Fiscal Year 2016-17 Alameda CTC paratransit funding application for $532,000, is approximately equal in size to last year’s application. The program proposed for the current fiscal year (2015-16), however, had a budget that was over double that of the previous year, due in large part to the new Measure BB funding source, and it included significant expansion of the program. Several of the newly proposed and expanded programs are starting to be implemented now, and some of them will be implemented in the coming fiscal year. As noted below, staff are in the process of hiring an on-call consultant with expertise in paratransit programs to assist with program evaluation and implementation, to ensure that the greatly expanded paratransit program is implemented effectively and best meets customer needs.
This program plan (for FY 2016-17) is being developed with input from key stakeholders and program participants, and four City Commissions: Transportation Commission, Recreation and Parks Commission, Commission on Disability Issues, and the Social Services Human Relations Board. The section below describes the City’s proposed paratransit program, the results of its annual paratransit program survey, and a service cost analysis.
Proposed Alameda Paratransit Program:
Alameda Paratransit Shuttle ($170,000): In 2009, the City Council approved the initiation of the Alameda Paratransit Shuttle service with the goal of reducing motor vehicle trips by seniors and individuals with disabilities and reducing the dependence on paratransit taxi services within the City. The shuttle service is open to the public yet the primary purpose of the shuttle is to serve individuals with disabilities and seniors by providing access to major shopping destinations and medical facilities around the City. The driver may assist riders with boarding and exiting the shuttle, securing wheelchairs and carrying up to five bags of groceries or a folding shopping cart. The shuttle operates from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and has a one hour frequency.
The shuttle routes are as follows:
• Tuesdays: West Loop (between Alameda Landing and downtown Alameda)
• Wednesdays: East Loop (between Bay Farm Island, downtown Alameda and Mastick Senior Center)
• Thursdays: Central Loop (between downtown Alameda, Shore Line Drive and Bridgeside Center)
Recommended changes:
Serve Fruitvale BART and Increase Shuttle Service Frequency. These changes, considered essential, were proposed for the current fiscal year, however staff have not yet implemented them this year, due to staff limitations and planning efforts underway. Staff will work with the new on-call paratransit consultant to evaluate the current shuttle service, determine how to best serve Fruitvale BART, and how to increase ridership overall, which will include increasing frequency and may include revising the current system of three different loops on three days. In addition, the shuttle service will be evaluated as part of the Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan that will be developed this year, and changes may be recommended to better integrate this service with other existing and new services.
Medical Return Trip Improvement Program - MRTIP ($25,000): The Medical Return Trip Improvement Program (MRTIP) is available only to Alameda residents who are East Bay Paratransit-certified riders. MRTIP provides transportation for individuals returning home from medical appointments, thereby eliminating the uncertainty of coordinating return trips with East Bay Paratransit. Since it is difficult to predict when a medical appointment might end, MRTIP offers the option of calling the City of Alameda’s transportation provider for a trip home at the time participants need it. Participants are eligible to receive ten MRTIP vouchers per month. Vouchers must be purchased in advance for $2.50 each, and expire after one year. The voucher covers the cost of transportation within Alameda County.
Recommended changes: This program is quite under-utilized. Staff, with the on-call paratransit consultant, will evaluate what changes could be made to make sure customer needs are being met, including possibly having other taxi providers also provide this service, and returning the program to being free, as it was in the past. Staff will monitor the budget to ensure an adequate supply of MRTIP vouchers is available for the entire fiscal year.
Premium Taxi Service ($35,000): The Premium Taxi Service provides a 50 percent discount for taxi rides with the City of Alameda’s transportation provider. This service is open to East Bay Paratransit customers as well as to seniors age 70 and older. The service is available for all types of trips in Alameda County. It is especially valuable as a convenient backup option for East Bay Paratransit or for travel on short notice. Discount travel vouchers, which must be purchased in advance, are worth $5.00 toward taxi fare, but cost the user only $2.50. Multiple travel vouchers may be used per trip. Taxi drivers are not allowed to provide change. Individuals are limited to a maximum of 20 travel vouchers per quarter (every three months).
Recommended changes: None. Staff will monitor the budget to ensure an adequate supply of Premium Taxi Service vouchers is available for the entire fiscal year.
Volunteer Driver Program ($15,000): This program will supplement the current volunteer driver program, offered by Mobility Matters, to expand the service in the City of Alameda. The program assists ambulatory, home-bound seniors in Alameda with door-through-door rides provided by volunteer drivers. This new program, which was proposed for the current fiscal year, is in development and should be implemented within the next few months.
Recommended changes: None.
Group Trips ($25,000): This program provides financial assistance toward transportation expenses for the Mastick Senior Center’s monthly trip program. Travel destinations may include various Bay Area locations (i.e. San Francisco, Livermore, etc.). Funding also supports the driver and van for the Alameda Recreation and Park Department’s Leisure Club. The Leisure Club is a social recreation program offered for young adults, 18 years or older, with special needs. The Group Trip program also subsidizes a portion of the transportation expense to/from Crown Memorial Beach for the Annual Nursing Home Picnic. A low-floor shuttle bus has been ordered by the Mastick Senior Center and will be delivered within the next few months. It will be used to transport developmentally disabled adults to/from Leisure Club programs (instead of using the ARPD van), and also to launch other senior center day trips. The funds from this program will also be used to cover the maintenance costs of the newly purchased shuttle.
Recommended changes: None.
Scholarship Program ($25,000): Matching funds are available to assist individuals with Premium Taxi Service and MRTIP expenses totaling $2,500. To be eligible, individuals must be Alameda residents, be certified for the Premium Taxi Service or MRTIP, and meet the very low-income requirements. A limit of $50 in matching funds per household is available each fiscal year as long as funding is available. A new program, working with Alameda Point Collaborative seniors and individuals with disabilities, to provide them with subsidized monthly AC Transit passes, was proposed for the current fiscal year. Due to staff limitations, this program is just now starting to be developed and implementation is expected in this fiscal year. This scholarship program will act as a pilot program for other potential fixed route transit pass subsidies. A second new program, for Alameda Family Services senior clients receiving case management services through Mastick Senior Center, was also proposed for this fiscal year, however staff identified another funding source for this service, so it is not a part of this Scholarship Program.
Recommended changes: None.
Capital Program - NEW ($100,000): This new budget line item will cover the cost of purchasing and installing new bus benches, poles, signs and sign racks to be placed at any new shuttle stops, or to upgrade current stops. For example, staff recommend installing shuttle schedules at major stops. In addition, the program will cover, as needed, the installation of curb ramps, truncated domes, accessible trail improvements, accessible pedestrian push buttons or accessible on-street parking spaces throughout the city based on priorities in the City’s Pedestrian Plan.
Customer Service and Outreach ($86,600): This program funds a part-time staff person at the Mastick Senior Center who is responsible for customer service and public outreach. The outreach program includes printing schedules and flyers, advertisements, coordinating advertisements, banners and producing informational mailings. As a service to East Bay Paratransit customers in the City of Alameda, staff also sells East Bay Paratransit tickets.
Recommended changes: Staff had proposed last year to significantly increase outreach to promote the more frequent shuttle service with the goal to increase shuttle ridership. Since this service expansion did not occur, the expanded outreach did not either. Staff recommend doing a large outreach effort in coordination with the roll-out of the expanded services described in this proposed Paratransit Program Plan.
Program Management ($50,400): This amount funds the Public Works Department staff to provide program oversight, to complete the Alameda CTC application and reporting requirements, review program data and invoices, participate in Alameda CTC’s paratransit committees, renew or establish new contracts, conduct outreach meetings, and coordinate with the transportation providers and Mastick Senior Center staff. This also covers the on-call paratransit consultant, who will assist in evaluating and implementing the overall paratransit program, as described in this memo.
Recommended changes: None. Annual Paratransit Survey:
To ensure the City’s paratransit program meets the community’s needs, staff from Mastick Senior Center and the Public Works Department conduct an annual survey of people registered with the program. This year’s survey was conducted in December 2015/January 2016. A total of 945 surveys were distributed and 68 were returned. Feedback from users was generally positive: 96 to 100 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the city-provided services. Some respondents described problems with the MRTIP taxi program, which the City plans to address, as indicated previously. Finally, very few people indicated that they knew about the existing scholarship program, so staff will look into promoting this program more and possibly making it easier to use.
Service Cost Analysis: The cost for the shuttle service averages about $14 per trip while the MRTIP taxi program averages about $30 per trip and the Premium Taxi Service averages about $10 per trip. The shuttle service cost per trip is less than the $20 maximum specified in the Alameda CTC’s Paratransit Program Implementation Guidelines.
In the past fiscal year (2014/2015), the shuttle ridership averaged 430 trips per month, which was an over 25 percent increase from the average of 340 trips per month in the previous fiscal year. There were about 92 taxi trips per month in FY 14/15, as compared to 71 trips per month in the previous year, a 30 percent increase. (See Figures 1 and 2.) A total of 610 individuals are registered participants in the City of Alameda paratransit taxi program, which is 62 more than the previous year.
Figure 1: Alameda Paratransit Shuttle - Boardings per Month
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Transportation Services - Paratransit Program Application (Fund 287, Program 9161103), as outlined above, totals $532,000. The program will be funded from the following sources (all at projected amounts): Alameda CTC Measure B/BB (Funds 215.4 and 215.41) paratransit funding allocation ($359,165), fund balance ($217,000), EBP ticket sales ($6,000) and sales of travel vouchers ($8,000). The remaining unallocated funds ($58,165) will be placed in reserves for future years. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Municipal Code/Policy Document Cross Reference
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. The City’s Paratransit Program supports the General Plan Objective 4.1.5 “Consider the transportation needs of the community, including those with limited mobility options”, and the General Plan Policy 4.1.5.b: “Continue to support the Paratransit program.”
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the application for Measure B/BB Paratransit funding in the amount of $532,000 for FY16-17.
Respectfully submitted by,
Rochelle Wheeler
Transportation Planner
Exhibit
1. Paratransit Program PowerPoint