Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Six-Year 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. (Planning, Building and Transportation 20941741)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
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 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) grant to expand its 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 for people who are unable to use regular buses or trains because of a disability or a disabling health condition. 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’s 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 and Alameda Point Collaborative 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 County-wide 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. This service would include booking trips for people in wheelchairs using Uber’s WAV service, which is new and becoming more reliable for same day accessible vehicle trips.
DISCUSSION
City staff worked with Alameda CTC, EBP and Eden I&R staff to craft a pilot program that could expand in the future. 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 would 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 services like Uber and Lyft Thus, staff expects that the new TNC concierge program would provide a service similar to the MRTIP taxi program with a specific goal of addressing same day trips that are difficult for EBP to cover since EBP requires advanced reservations.
TNC Concierge Program Parameters
The proposed parameters for the City’s pilot program are as follows:
• Provide a reduced fare concierge service to facilitate same day trips that would involve booking and monitoring trips, including for people in wheelchairs.
• Restrict the TNC concierge program to EBP 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 not for Uber/Lyft rides at this time).
• 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 or a pre-paid debit card.
• Provide services in 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 staff can be a better “front door” to resources for Alameda residents.
• Launch program to participants in Fall 2021.
• Extend up to an additional five years if the program is successful at reaching the program parameters and performance metrics.
• 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 included below about active riders between October 2020 and March 2021. This information represents five months of data 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 Alameda County, GoGo Technologies and Eden I&R, City staff is recommending that the City enter into a Service Provider Agreement with Eden I&R since it best meets the City’s needs using the above program parameters and the preference to use a local non-profit organization. Eden I&R is the contractor in Alameda County for the 211 social services help line (<https://www.211.org/>) and 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 Way, 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 its paratransit mobility management system, which will help to further coordinate paratransit resources and streamline services throughout Alameda County. The City’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 staff have agreed to provide 211 training for Mastick Senior Center staff so that staff can be a better “front door” to 211 services for Alameda residents.
Another option is to use a private-sector for-profit provider called GoGo Technologies (also known as GoGo Grandparent), which would be a less expensive alternative providing more Uber/Lyft fares; however, among other differences, it would not be the local option and would not have the ability to link people and resources beyond transportation. A cost 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, 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. In March, City staff presented the proposed city-based paratransit program to Alameda CTC’s Paratransit Advisory and Planning Committee (PAPCO), which is the community advisory committee that provides recommendations to the Commission for items related to paratransit funding. Anthony Lewis is the PAPCO member representative for the City of Alameda and was nominated by Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft. In Spring, both PAPCO and the Alameda CTC Commission approved the City’s proposed city-based paratransit program, which included the TNC concierge program. During this time, City staff also worked with Alameda CTC staff and PAPCO on the program parameters and communicated to them the preliminary recommendation to select the local non-profit organization as the provider. Furthermore, staff presented this proposal to contract with Eden I&R to the Commission on Persons with Disabilities in June 2021, and the Commissioners provided positive feedback about the program and requested staff to monitor trips for people needing accessible vehicles.
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 and is ultimately requested for approval by Alameda CTC’s PAPCO and the Commission in spring of each year. The outreach for the TNC concierge program will focus on EBP riders who are low-income Alameda residents. Initially, outreach will include postcards, letters, or other notifications to all Alameda EBP users, and staff will 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. Staff will expand outreach beyond current EBP users after the initial launch of the pilot program. 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 the following:
• Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract with Eden I&R, as recommended;
• Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract with revisions determined necessary by the City Council; or
• 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 part of the City’s Measures B/BB paratransit program budget, which the City Council approved in the FYs 2021-23 two-year budget (Org Code 20941741). 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, for a total contract amount not to exceed $700,000. The initial $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
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.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager concurs with the staff recommendation. The agreement would be for a six year term not to exceed $700,000 cumulatively.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Annie To, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Service Provider Agreement
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager