Title
Recommendation to Request City Council to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Six-Year Service Provider Agreement with Eden Information & Referral, Inc. for an Amount Not to Exceed $700,000 to Provide a Transportation Network Company (TNC) Concierge Service as Part of the City’s Paratransit Program (Action)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Commission on Persons with Disabilities
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff is requesting City Council approval to enter into a Service Provider Agreement with Eden Information & Referral, Inc. (Eden I&R) as the provider of a pilot curb-to-curb transportation service for low-income Alameda residents. Eden I&R would work with Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft to provide a reduced fare concierge service for low-income Alameda residents who are enrolled in East Bay Paratransit (EBP) to facilitate same day trips within Alameda County. EBP does not provide same day trips, and medical return trips are difficult to pre-schedule with EBP due to timing. In Alameda County, Eden I&R is the provider of the 211 social services help line, provides a TNC concierge service for the City of Hayward, and also recently won a Caltrans grant to expand their paratransit mobility management system, which will help to further coordinate paratransit resources and streamline services throughout Alameda County.
BACKGROUND
Measures B and BB provide the City of Alameda (City) with dedicated funding sources for non-mandated, locally based transportation services for people with disabilities and for seniors, which are not required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). EBP provides the ADA required and mandated paratransit service that supplements AC Transit and BART’s fixed route services. As required by the funding agency - the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) - the City uses the Measure B and BB paratransit funds to improve mobility for seniors and persons with disabilities. Information about the City transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities is available at: www.AlamedaParatransit.com <http://www.AlamedaParatransit.com>.
The City paratransit program includes the following locally developed solutions to address the mobility challenges of older adults and people with disabilities:
• Free Alameda Loop Shuttle (www.AlamedaLoopShuttle.com <http://www.AlamedaLoopShuttle.com>);
• Free AC Transit bus passes for qualifying Mastick Senior Center members, Alameda Point Collaborative residents, and Alameda Housing Authority residents;
• Curb-to-curb transportation services through third-party providers for travel assistance or meal delivery (Purpose of this staff report);
• Group trips: monthly Mastick Senior Center trips for seniors, bi-weekly Leisure Club trips for adults with developmental disabilities, and an annual picnic for Skilled Nursing Facility residents;
• Customer service, materials, outreach and promotions; and
• Staff and consultants to ensure that these programs are effectively managed.
As part of the Countywide paratransit program - not the City’s program - Emergency Wheelchair Services are now provided by Easy Does It. The Fast Accessible Safe Transportation and Emergency Repair (FASTER) service is available if a wheelchair, scooter or other mobility device breaks down while the user is away from home in the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville, Hayward, Oakland, San Leandro and San Lorenzo; in such instances, community members may call Easy Does It at 510-704-2111 or may refer to the webpage: <https://easydoesitservices.org/faster/>.
The purpose of this staff report is to seek City Council approval to proceed with Eden I&R as the provider of a pilot curb-to-curb transportation service for low-income Alameda residents. Eden I&R would work with TNCs such as Uber and Lyft to provide a reduced fare concierge service for low-income Alameda residents who are enrolled in EBP to facilitate same day trips, which are difficult for EBP to cover such as the return trip of a medical appointment due to timing.
DISCUSSION
City staff worked with Alameda CTC, EBP and Eden I&R staff to craft a pilot program that potentially could expand. The following section highlights the program parameters, EBP active riders in Alameda, the Eden I&R provider background and an outreach process for the program. Since the annual budget will begin at $75,000, the City is expecting to serve initially up to 80 EBP riders when estimating the average trip cost at under $10 and restricting the number of one-way trips to a maximum of 5 per month. The City’s previous taxi program that focused on medical return trips - Medical Return Trip Improvement Program (MRTIP) - provided service to approximately 25 EBP riders; however, it was forced to discontinue in January 2020 due to competition from Uber/Lyft services. Thus, City staff is hoping that this new TNC concierge program would provide a similar service as the previous taxi program, which is for same day trips that are difficult for EBP to cover since EBP requires advanced reservations.
TNC Concierge Program Parameters
The parameters for the Alameda pilot program are as follows:
• Restrict the TNC concierge program to EBP adult riders who are low-income Alameda residents on a first-come first-serve basis with a waiting list after an estimated 80 participants for the initial program.
• Restrict the TNC concierge program to trips within Alameda County including all cities and unincorporated areas.
• Initially, limit the TNC concierge program to weekdays, 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Expand the program to include both weekdays and weekends with exact hours to be determined and then further expand the program to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (note that 211 dispatch is open 24/7 but does not schedule Uber/Lyft rides).
• Limit program participants to no more than 5 one‐way trips per month to focus on medical return trips and other essential trips.
• Require program participants to pay the first $4 for each trip, which is the same cost of an EBP trip for 12 miles or less, and to pay for any costs over $20 for each trip.
• Require participants to use a credit card, family credit card or a pre-paid debit card.
• Provide access to people speaking multiple languages.
• Provide performance metrics such as wait time, trip cost and other data requested by Alameda CTC.
• Provide training on the 211 system for Mastick Senior Center staff so that City staff can be a better “front door” to 211 services for Alameda residents.
• Launch program to participants in fall 2021 with potential to extend an additional five years.
• Expand program beyond the $75,000 annual budget to up to $150,000 annually.
EBP Active Alameda Resident Riders
To better understand who EBP serves in the City, EBP staff provided the information about active riders since October 2020, which is five months of data all during the pandemic and totals 119 active Alameda resident riders in the following age categories:
Age Under 65 Results:
• Total Trips = 1,238
• Total Unique Riders = 46
Age 65-74 Results:
• Total Trips = 850
• Total Unique Riders = 34
Age 75+ Results:
• Total Trips = 827
• Total Unique Riders = 39
Eden I&R as TNC Concierge Provider
After seeking bids from the two TNC concierge providers in the county - GoGo Technologies and Eden I&R - City staff is recommending that the City contract with Eden I&R since it is the contractor in Alameda County for the 211 social services help line - <https://www.211.org/> - and also is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The 211 network in the United States responds to more than 14 million requests for help every year. Most calls, web chats and text messages are from people looking for help meeting basic needs like housing, food, transportation and health care. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 211 as the 3-digit number for information and referrals to social services and other assistance in 2000. The 211 service is provided by more than 200 local organizations that are committed to serving their communities. Many different kinds of organizations operate the 211 service, including United Ways, Goodwill, Community Action Partnerships and local crisis centers.
In Alameda County, Eden I&R is the provider of the 211 services, provides a TNC concierge service for the City of Hayward and also recently won a Caltrans grant to expand their paratransit mobility management system, which will help to further coordinate paratransit resources and streamline services throughout Alameda County. The City of Alameda’s pilot TNC concierge program would build on the services that Eden I&R provides for the City of Hayward. Alameda’s program would have similar hours and fee structure as the City of Hayward program so as to facilitate Eden I&R operator training and program integration with the 211 help line. The Eden I&R option supports a local, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization keeping the monies in Alameda County and facilitating more knowledge base about City of Alameda customers since there are fewer dispatchers than GoGo Technologies making it a more personal experience and more customer oriented. Additionally, the Eden I&R staff are willing to provide 211 training opportunities for Mastick Senior Center staff so that City staff can be a better “front door” to 211 services for Alameda residents. Plus, 211 offers more than TNC concierge but other resources beyond transportation with its 211 contract, which acts as a one-stop shop for local resources and services.
Another option is to use a private-sector for-profit provider called GoGo Technologies (also known as GoGo Grandparent), which would be cheaper; however, it would not be the local option. A comparison of the two provider options is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: TNC Concierge Provider Comparison
|
|
Concierge Fees |
Uber/Lyft Fares |
Total |
|
Eden I&R |
$38,200 |
$36,800 (does not include the $1,840 savings estimate for non-profit agencies) |
$75,000 |
|
GoGo Technologies |
$33,192 |
$43,558 |
$76,750 |
Program Outreach and Evaluation
As part of the Alameda CTC paratransit annual program review in early 2021, City staff presented the City’s paratransit program - including this new TNC concierge program concept - to the Social Service Human Relations Board, Commission on Persons with Disabilities and the Recreation and Park Commission. The TNC concierge program concept also was described in the Annual Report on Transportation (January 2021), which the Transportation Commission and City Council approved in early 2021. Status reports related to the TNC concierge program will be included in the City’s Reports on Transportation in January, May and September of each year, and in the City’s annual paratransit program review to City boards and commissions, which occurs in January and February each year. The outreach for the TNC concierge program will focus on EBP riders who are low-income Alameda residents. Outreach could include postcards, letters or other notifications to all active Alameda EBP users, and would enroll participants based on a first-come, first serve basis with a wait list, if needed, for any enrollees beyond the initial capacity of the program. City staff will work closely with Eden I&R and the program participants to ensure that the actual use and education is properly in place.
ALTERNATIVES
The alternatives include to
• Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract as recommended;
• Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract with revisions determined necessary by the City Council; and
• Not authorize the City Manager execution of the contract and direct staff to work with another provider to provide similar services.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The TNC concierge program is a budget neutral request, and is part of the City’s Measures B/BB paratransit program, which the City Council approves in the two-year budget as Fund 287, Program 4225287. The TNC concierge program is recommended to begin at $75,000 as a pilot and would grow to up to $150,000 annually over a six-year period. The $75,000 budget provides $36,800 for Uber/Lyft rides and $38,200 for Eden I&R services including phone specialists, management team and concierge system, and future year budgets would have no more than 51 percent of the budget for TNC concierge fees. Alameda CTC administers the Measures B/BB program, and also will need to approve the expenditure plans each year as part of the annual program plan review process. There is no impact to the General Fund.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The City’s transportation program for seniors and people with disabilities 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.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant impact on the environment. The agreement to provide transportation services as part of the City’s Paratransit Program is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common-sense exemption, because the activity does not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no direct climate impacts from authorizing the City Manager to execute a Service Provider Agreement with Eden I&R. The TNC concierge program was developed to discourage excessive single occupant vehicle trips by limiting the number of trips that each participant could take each month and by limiting the service only to EBP riders so as to focus on same day trip needs, which EBP does not provide. Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, City staff will work to ensure the program participants continue to use EBP, which are shared trips, when possible.
RECOMMENDATION
Request City Council to authorize the City Manager to execute a Six-Year Agreement with Eden I&R, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $700,000 to provide a TNC concierge service as part of the City’s Paratransit Program.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. Eden I&R Work Scope
2. Eden I&R Budget
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager