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Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services (2004)

Chapter: Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts

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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Suggested Citation:"Section II: Implementing New Coordination Efforts." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2004. Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13751.
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Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

Section II Implementing New Coordination Efforts 41 IMPLEMENTING NEW COORDINATION EFFORTS This part of the Toolkit can be considered the “I think I’m interested in coordination, how do I do it?” section. Here we are talking about (1) what steps need to be taken in what order to establish successful coordinated transportation services and (2) what issues are commonly encountered in establishing such services. This section begins with “building blocks” for coordinated transportation. The implementation steps are presented in enough detail to provide the information you need to proceed but with enough flexibility to explicitly recognize the large variety of local circumstances which exist in rural communities. (Perhaps more so in rural America than anywhere else, the concept that “one size fits all” is truly inappropriate.) The second chapter in this section provides answers to some frequently asked questions about coordination, including issues such as funding and potential partners. Section II

Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 43 HOW TO IMPLEMENT NEW COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES INTRODUCTION Coordinating transportation services takes careful, deliberate, proactive planning. In the planning process, local officials with a stake in successful transportation services come together to determine how the community’s needs can best be met and how the skills and resources available to them can best be used to this purpose. The process should be managed by a steering committee or task force of interested parties that defines roles and responsibilities among the agencies and other parties involved. Coordination of transportation services begins because an individual or small group thinks that there must be a better way to provide transportation services in their community. Typical goals are to transport more people, save money, attract more funding, build stronger local support, eliminate duplication of services, and achieve greater operating efficiencies, among others. There are many good reasons to coordinate. Coordination requires that people and agencies, sometimes having diverse interests, understand trade-offs, make compromises, and work together to achieve a common vision. For transportation coordination to be successful, focus, consensus, and direction are critical. Focus means defining the problem(s) that will be addressed. Consensus means agreeing on the basis and framework for moving forward. Direction means the setting of goals and objectives that will guide the development of overall strategies and completion of a detailed service plan and form the basis for measuring progress in implementing a plan. Chapter 3 The process works best with defined stages where roles and responsibilities among the agencies and other parties involved in the planning are defined.

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS FOR COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION The first question usually asked is, what should we do or how do we get started? The planning process to establish coordination has a number of well-defined steps that have been described in several transportation coordination handbooks. But the coordination literature is not the only place where applicable planning processes have been described. The welfare reform movement provided new opportunities for stakeholders in local areas to address transportation issues. As in coordinating transportation generally, the need to implement new welfare programs focused on getting people to jobs. Job training, in turn, brought transportation into focus and required that local agencies work together in new and different ways. This chapter presents seven implementation steps and a discussion of how to carry them out. (Other sources have recommended different numbers of steps, but the actual content of these steps varies very little. For example, see the 11-step outline for implementing strategies to reduce run-off-road collisions [NCHRP, 2003].) The recommended implementation steps are ✦ Step #1—Initiate the Improvement Process—Form a task force or steering committee and decide to move forward. ✦ Step #2—Analyze Existing Conditions—Understand issues, needs, and circumstances; define local conditions. ✦ Step #3—Establish Focus, Consensus, and Direction—Agree on the problem, develop a consensus, and set a direction. ✦ Step #4—Design Alternative Courses of Action—Develop alternative coordination strategies. ✦ Step #5—Assess Alternative Options—Evaluate the alternatives and select the coordination option to implement. ✦ Step #6—Implement the Preferred Choice—Formulate action plans and implement coordinated transportation services. ✦ Step #7—Evaluate and Improve the System(s) Implemented—Review and evaluate progress. Whenever a need to engage in new ventures presents itself, planning is critical. In each of the implementation steps that follow, a checklist of 44 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

important activities is provided, followed by a brief discussion of each of the activities. Remember that you may have to move back and forth among the implementation steps as you move forward. Resources are cited in the appendices that accompany the individual implementation steps and at the end of this Toolkit so that you can find the detailed guidance you need to move through the implementation steps and complete each of the checklist activities. Many of the resources are available online. Implementation Step #1—Initiate the Improvement Process Checklist of Important Activities The improvement process starts with a decision that coordinated transportation may offer better services than exist at present. What can be considered “better” depends on the state of transportation services locally and what kinds of improvements are thought to be necessary. To get started ✦ Organize a core group of interested parties; ✦ Discuss problems and issues with present transportation services; ✦ Identify stakeholders; ✦ Organize a task force or steering committee and create a preliminary vision and road map. Organize a Core Group of Interested Parties The motivation to coordinate may be locally generated, or it may result from mandates or encouragement from the state. Organizing a formal Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 45 The improvement process starts with a decision that coordinated transportation may offer better services than exist at present. Form a task force or steering committee and decide to move forward

committee early is not necessary; in fact, it could be detrimental if some key people are not invited to participate. Discuss Problems and Issues with Present Transportation Services The core group should be fluid and flexible, inviting new people to join the discussion as it proceeds. At this point, it is easier to talk about problems than solutions. Out of these early discussions come the beginnings of agreement, differences, consensus, and the resolve to move forward. As discussions move forward, the group will begin to get ideas for change and for organizing and delivering transportation services differently. Care must be taken not to let ideas solidify too early, but an important outcome of these discussions should be a preliminary road map of what coordinated transportation services may be and what can be accomplished. This will provide the structure for future actions. Care must be taken, at this stage and later, not to let this early vision and road map restrict the final outcome. Its purpose is to set some early focus and direction as a guide to moving forward. Identify Stakeholders Stakeholders are agency executives, local public officials, community leaders, and advocates who have something to gain or lose if change occurs. In the case of coordination, they are likely to have a strong interest in how coordination is achieved. Stakeholders typically include the following: ✦ Social service agencies that provide service to and advocate for particular segments of the population; ✦ Transportation providers in a position to help people and agencies meet travel needs; and ✦ Elected officials (local, state, and Federal) in a position to offer program and financial assistance. Social service agencies may include the full range of organizations that provide social services to target populations in the communities that are the focus of transportation service improvements. Consider the 46 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II The core group should be fluid and flexible, inviting new people to join the discussion as it proceeds.

following agencies: children and family (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF]), rehabilitation services, Head Start, Community Action, older adult or senior citizen services, health and medical services, persons with developmental disabilities, and agencies that advocate for specific target population groups. Transportation providers may include public transportation agencies, community and county transportation services, social service agency transportation programs, private transportation operators such as taxi companies, local charter bus operators, and transportation coordinating agencies that already exist. Elected officials may include transportation planning agencies and area agencies on aging. Other groups may include advocates for the transportation of disadvantaged persons, nonprofit organizations, local civic and service organizations, and leaders from the business community. Customers should be at the table early. Local collaboration, communication, and decisionmaking are essential for coordination to succeed. These groups must work effectively together for coordination to succeed. Stakeholders need to understand and respect each other’s interests and views. Further, stakeholders should never forget that it is the customers of the coordinated transportation services that matter most. Organize a Task Force or Steering Committee and Create a Preliminary Vision and Road Map An organizational structure is essential to early progress and eventual success. A task force or steering committee, a group of manageable size, is essential to direct and oversee the planning process. The group needs to decide who should be involved and then set agendas and timetables. Leadership is equally important. Throughout the process, leadership needs to focus on being inclusive. A good way to focus roles and responsibilities for moving forward is to develop a memorandum of understanding that each participating organization or agency can execute. This provides a common statement by which all interested parties state their commitment and interest. If a group is working together for the first time, especially without a lead agency or unit of local government, a memorandum of understanding can be executed as a joint agreement among all participants. If new participants join, they may be added by amendment. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 47 Stakeholders should never forget that it is the customers of the coordinated transportation services that matter most.

To whom does this memorandum go? Is it shared with all parties or does it go to a central “authority”? Interest in planning for coordinated transportation services is likely to vary among participants. Some will have a strong interest from the beginning. For instance, a strong interest and need for involvement will exist for the agencies most likely to be working together to coordinate transportation services. Others may be skeptical. Some may not be interested at all. The level of interest will likely be related to perceptions about benefits, expected difficulties, and prior experience with coordination attempts. Some agencies with funding and monitoring responsibilities may participate from the outset, while others that do not decide early to participate should be kept informed of progress and implementation progress. Local officials who may have a variety of responsibilities also need to be kept informed. The market for transportation services is complex. People need and desire different means of transportation for different trips. A single mode, such as fixed-route bus service, may not be all that is needed for people with limited mobility to meet their travel needs. Rather, a family of transportation services should be available within a coordinated transportation service setting. Such an environment would be more responsive to the travel needs of customers. Transportation coordination, then, should focus effectively on matching specific customer needs with the best available and cost-effective transportation alternative in the community. All participants in the early discussions should recognize that people and agencies with diverse interests are coming together to begin building coordinated transportation services. They should be guided by the following: ✦ Consider and express views about transportation needs and services openly, but nonjudgmentally; ✦ Think creatively and do not let past issues or present constraints inhibit the exploration of possible changes in the delivery of transportation services; ✦ Develop an understanding of transportation needs and resources in the community that transportation coordination can address; and ✦ Work together to establish a vision of success, a mission, goals and objectives, and a plan for action to coordinate transportation services. 48 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Transportation coordination should focus effectively on matching specific customer needs with the best available and cost-effective transportation alternative in the community.

Implementation Step #2—Analyze Existing Conditions Checklist of Important Activities Coordinating travel services requires an understanding of community resources and travel needs. It is important to establish a common base of information and knowledge about transportation in the community. To this end, a number of initiatives should be taken. They are to ✦ Interview stakeholders personally; ✦ Complete telephone, mail, or Internet surveys; ✦ Hold regular task force meetings; ✦ Conduct facilitated workshops; and ✦ Report to key participants and the community. Each of these activities contributes to the understanding of transportation issues, problems, needs, and resources in the community. Each also offers opportunities for an increasingly broader group of interested parties to join the coordination discussion. Interview Stakeholders Personally It is important to elicit the views of key stakeholders with an interest and/or role to play in the outcome of the planning. Interviews are best conducted in person, either at a central location or at a stakeholder’s office. Confidentiality is very important to enable stakeholders to freely share their views of issues and problems. Stakeholders should be assured of confidentiality at the beginning of their interview, including an assurance that if quotes are used in any reporting, the quotes will not be attributed in a way that they be identified to a specific person. This helps to build trust in the interview process. Following these interviews, it is wise to report back, in written form, to the steering committee or Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 49 Coordinating travel services requires an understanding of community resources and travel needs. Understand issues, needs, and circumstances; define local conditions

group that is organizing and managing coordination efforts, so that they can begin to review the results of the interviews. See Appendix A. Complete Telephone, Mail, or Internet Surveys Surveys should focus on understanding unmet needs, assembling information on existing transportation programs to be included in coordination, vehicles and other physical resources available, levels and sources of funding available, and interest in participating in coordination efforts. Physical resources include the vehicles, other equipment, and technology that existing agencies have in place for their separate services. Financial resources mean the sources of funding from local, state, Federal, agency, and private sources that are available to support the operating and capital expenses of a coordinated transportation system. To effectively plan for and implement coordinated transportation services, it is necessary to understand the resources, both physical and financial, that the participating agencies will have available. In the case of physical resources, it is necessary to know vehicle size and condition, accessibility features, age, mileage, original cost, sources of funds for purchase, limitations on use, and so forth. In the case of financial resources, it is necessary to know whether funds are available for operating or capital purposes or both, the amount of funding available, matching share requirements, reporting requirements, and limitations on its use. The survey may be conducted by the steering committee directly, a consultant, a local university, or a participating agency willing to take responsibility and assign staff to the effort. Information should be gathered on the use of vehicle resources in delivering transportation services. This information should include data on passenger levels, vehicle miles and hours of service provided, service reliability, vehicle reliability, and safety. Information on driver training programs and maintenance programs is helpful to have at this early stage. The survey should also focus on community travel needs that are being met and those that are not. For change to occur, it is necessary to identify and understand local perceptions of the need for transportation services and changes in those services. Needs should be addressed 50 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II To effectively plan for and implement coordinated transportation services, it is necessary to understand the resources, both physical and financial, that the participating agencies will have available.

comprehensively and should take advantage of existing studies that may have been completed, including the following elements: ✦ Assessing the needs expressed by transportation service providers and social service agencies; ✦ Assessing the travel needs reported by clients of social service agency clients and residents; ✦ Assessing the needs expressed by local officials, community leaders, and other key stakeholders; and ✦ Reviewing assessments of transportation needs that may have been completed by local or state planning and funding agencies, or other local organizations such as United Way or the American Automobile Association. Finally, the survey may give an early indication of the kind of coordination activities that participating organizations may want to explore. See Appendices B, C, and D. A successful survey with an optimal response will provide a statement of the markets for transportation services, the extent to which these markets represent agency services or general travel needs, the size and character of the markets, and the area that transportation services need to encompass. What should result is a focus on areas of unmet needs and areas where existing transportation services may overlap or duplicate one another. Finally, the desire for and character of coordination begins to emerge. Hold Regular Task Force Meetings The task force organized in Implementation Step #1 should be meeting on a regular basis, providing organization and direction, at this point, to the collection and review of information on transportation issues, problems, needs, and resources, and a broader interest in coordination in the community. Depending on how quickly the group wants or needs to move forward or the tasks that are being undertaken, regular may mean weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly. At this point, in order to keep the process moving, a regular meeting calendar should exist. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 51 Hold regular task force meetings

Associated with this building block activity, the task force has several important responsibilities. First, the group is responsible for developing the interview guide that will be used for the personal interviews with key stakeholders. Secondly, the group will develop the content for the survey. Conduct Facilitated Workshops During this building block phase, it is important to share the results of the personal interviews and surveys of transportation resources and needs with a group broader than the task force. This represents the first opportunity to invite other interested parties into the development process. At this point, the workshop can be used to fill in gaps in the information, such as unmet needs or physical and financial resources that were overlooked or not reported. Workshops are best facilitated by a neutral person who does not have a vested interest in the results. See Appendix E. Report to Key Participants and the Community It is important for key members of the broader community to be kept informed of progress in developing coordinated transportation. Reporting to the community can take the form of letters to individuals; newsletters; small group meetings with key community leaders, advocates, elected officials, and/or customers; or open community meetings. Each method employed should be undertaken with a clear idea of what the objective and outcome are. Failing to report to the broader community may result in misunderstandings about the project. Reporting too often, or without clear objectives and outcomes, is not good either. Usually, quarterly reporting is a good norm. Additional special reporting would be appropriate as key milestones are reached or key actions are taken. The larger the service area, the more agencies and stakeholders involved, and the larger the base of customers to be served, the more complex the coordination planning process is likely to be. 52 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Workshops are best facilitated by a neutral person who does not have a vested interest in the results.

Implementation Step #3—Establish Focus, Consensus, and Direction Checklist of Important Activities The activities in Implementation Steps #1 and #2 have focused on organizing to develop and implement coordinated transportation services and to gather the information required for this. The following activities should be completed to put Implementation Step #3 in place: ✦ Conduct brainstorming sessions to – Discuss and refine the problem, needs, and issues. – Agree on the problem, needs, and issues. ✦ Hold a series of workshops to – Solidify consensus on problems, needs, issues, and the need to move forward with coordination. – Set direction for putting the remaining Implementation Steps in place. The activities cited above—discussing, refining, and agreeing on problems and reaching consensus and setting direction—are completed through a series of brainstorming and workshop sessions. The organizing task force still has responsibility for organizing and managing the work that is being undertaken, but all interested parties now have the opportunity to participate in the brainstorming and workshops. A neutral facilitator should facilitate them. This is advisable so that all participants have the opportunity to fully share their views and do not feel inhibited. The facilitator should be someone who can earn the trust and confidence of the group and who is not connected with the effort to coordinate transportation. It is more important that the facilitator know how to plan, organize, and conduct such sessions and workshops. There may be someone available who is with an uninvolved agency or a state-level agency or at a local college or university. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 53 Agree on the problem, develop consensus, and set a direction

Conduct Brainstorming Sessions Brainstorming sessions are held to discuss and refine the problem, needs, and issues that the community faces. Key information and insight have already been collected through stakeholder interviews and surveys. Developing strategic direction involves taking an open and unbiased look at the information that exists, the problems and needs, and existing transportation services, to uncover and develop options for improving them. Strategic thinking starts with an investigation of the strengths and weaknesses of the “internal environment” within which transportation services are provided. An easy way to think about the internal environment is to view it as the environment over which the participants have some control, such as which organizational structure to establish, how to coordinate, what kind of service to deliver, what kinds of vehicles to buy, and what technology to invest in. Strategic thinking includes looking honestly at the external environment that influences how local decisions about transportation services are made. What are the opportunities that may be available and the threats that may exist for improving transportation services? An easy way to think about the external environment is to view it as the environment over which the participants have no control. It is the part of the environment that they must accept and deal with at a given point in time. Examples include funding programs defined at the Federal or state level; levels of funding that may be available by some predetermined formula or decision process at the Federal or state level; mandated program requirements such as rules and regulations for specific program implementation; and eligibility criteria for funding. Depending on the condition or circumstances in the external environment, opportunities and threats emerge as external actions are taken. An example of an opportunity would be the chance to build relationships and improve and remake transportation services that developed as a result of welfare reform legislation and program implementation that began in the late 1990s. An example of a threat would be the budget crisis that states encountered between 2001 and 2003. Completing a strategic analysis requires an incremental approach that first focuses on understanding individual views and then uses these views to bring people together in some organized forum to begin to reach consensus about what the problems and issues are. The individual 54 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Completing a strategic analysis requires an incremental approach that first focuses on understanding individual views and then uses these views to bring people together in some organized forum to begin to reach consensus about what the problems and issues are.

views were gathered during Implementation Step #2 activities with the completion of personal interviews of stakeholders. The next step is to bring stakeholders together to share the results of the personal interviews; to discuss issues, problems, and potential solutions; and to reach a consensus on how to proceed. This step is crucial to the continued, incremental development of a plan for coordination and its implementation. Starting with a creative, brainstorming approach is generally recommended. Brainstorming is founded on the premise that all ideas are good. Do not try to decide what should be done or not done. Enable and empower all participants to express their ideas in an open, nonjudgmental way and to feel comfortable in doing so. Decisions about priorities and specific actions come later. The brainstorming works best on neutral ground, such as a library or church not associated with any of the task force members. Typically, a full day is required. Alternatively, 2 half-days may be substituted. See Appendix E. The strategic thinking or brainstorming workshop will provide the following: – A good expression of what is working and what is not working in the community with regard to transportation services, – The important transportation needs that should be addressed, – The role that coordination could take in reorganizing transportation services, and – Priorities for action. Hold Workshops The next step is to bring key stakeholders together again to do the following: – Review brainstorming results, – Create a vision of success, – Establish a mission, and – Define goals and objectives. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 55 Brainstorming is founded on the premise that all ideas are good.

What is a vision? Simply put, a vision is what coordinated transportation will look like if the strategies that are developed are implemented successfully. A mission expresses concisely what an organization will do to coordinate transportation services and who will benefit. Goals represent the general areas of coordination development upon which attention will focus. Objectives state the specific actions to which commitments are made and the outcomes that are expected within a given period of time. During these workshops, it is important to get a sense of what the most important problems, needs, issues, options, and actions may be. This can easily be accomplished at the end of the brainstorming sessions and/or workshops by having participants vote using some means such as a flip chart organized by the facilitator. A simple and nonthreatening way for people to express their priorities is through the use of colored dots. Each participant is given a fixed number of dots and asked to use them to indicate the issues about which they feel most strongly. With mission, vision, goals, and objectives established, attention can focus on developing alternative approaches that can be taken, making a choice, and developing and implementing the plan for coordinated transportation services. With the completion of Implementation Step #3, the task force has the road map and priorities to begin developing alternative courses of action that will result in the selection of a specific plan of action resulting in implementation of coordinated transportation services. See Appendix E. Implementation Step #4—Design Alternative Courses of Action Checklist of Important Activities In completing Implementation Step #4, the objective is to evaluate alternative approaches to improve transportation services through better coordination. By this time, the task force and the broader group of participants involved should have a clear idea of problems, needs, potential solutions, and priorities. This is the place where alternative 56 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II A mission expresses concisely what an organization will do to coordinate transportation services and who will benefit. Develop alternative coordination strategies

approaches are presented. The advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to addressing needs and solving problems can be considered and evaluated before a decision on a specific approach is made. Coordination of transportation services can be organized formally or informally and with highly centralized or widely dispersed service delivery. Alternative courses of action need to be addressed in the following areas: – Interagency relationships, roles, and responsibilities; – Organizational structure, management, and staffing; – Service development, delivery, and pricing options; – Maintenance, storage, fueling, and sharing of vehicles; – Financial resources—operating and capital—and associated budgets; and – Human resources—staffing and training. For each alternative course of action, the following should be prepared: – A description of the course of action, the tasks, and activities that coordination could or should involve; – An indication of who is responsible for taking and completing action; – The identity of the roles and responsibilities of all participants in the action; – A list of and a discussion of the potential benefits and possible problems that may need to be overcome; – Information on the level of activity required and the estimated costs and the likely sources of revenues (agency and program sources); – A determination of the potential sources of funding to cover expected costs; and – A description of how the course of action fulfills the mission, vision, goals, and objectives. Coordinated transportation services can be organized in a variety of ways, depending on strategic direction, the vision and mission, and the Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 57

goals and objectives that have been established. The specific strategy depends on the level of transportation needs that are being included in the coordination effort, the size and character of the market that will be served, special needs that may exist among customers to be served, the number and size of the agencies that plan to coordinate together, and the local institutional environment. Interagency Relationships, Roles, and Responsibilities Relationships, roles, and responsibilities can be broad or narrow; they can be formal or informal. It depends on the breadth, complexity, and variety of functions that could or should be coordinated and the number of agencies involved and committed to the effort. For example, if one agency is simply going to store and fuel its vehicle at another agency’s facility, a letter agreement may be sufficient. If a number of agencies are going to organize the delivery of transportation services in a significantly different way, with some continuing to operate vehicles while others cease operations, formal contracts are probably required. Organizational Structure, Management, and Staffing A key consideration in deciding on organizational structure and management is whether or not a lead organization exists that has the capability and willingness to expand and change its role and responsibility in delivering transportation services. Such an agency could be a public body providing services to the general public. But, it could just as easily be a social service agency with a long history and depth of experience in providing transportation services. Agencies may want to stop providing transportation services and contract those transportation services instead. Alternatively, some agencies may simply want to work with others to make some of their excess service capacity available to help other agencies meet their needs. If a lead organization does not exist, but the participating agencies wish to merge or consolidate some or all functions of a number of agencies, 58 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II A key consideration in deciding on organizational structure and management is whether or not a lead organization exists that has the capability and willingness to expand and change its role and responsibility in delivering transportation services.

then a new organization may be necessary. Or one of the agencies may need to accept responsibility for organizing that development through a contract with an outside for-profit or not-for-profit organization. Such an agency could simply be the broker that would coordinate the delivery of services among provider agencies delivering transportation services and agencies purchasing transportation services. Coordinated transportation services can be organized through a regional transportation authority, a unit of local government, a social service agency, or a newly created organization. Methods for delivering coordinated transportation services include cooperation, brokerage, consolidation, and mobility management. Numerous organizational, management, and staffing decisions will need to be considered: – How will agreements and understandings among the agencies and units of government be formalized? By contract? By MoU? By letter agreement? (Several typical kinds of agreements are presented in Appendix G.) – Who will have legal contracting authority? What kinds of operating and funding contracts will be required with local, state, and Federal entities? – How will coordination be organized and governed? Will governance take place through an appointed board, and with whose appointing authority? Who will have lead responsibility for organization and management? What kind of organizational structure should be used or created? – What kind of management structure is best? – Who will staff the coordinating organization? – Who will own or contribute vehicles and other assets? – How will service delivery and maintenance be organized and managed? – What funding sources will be coordinated—existing and new? – Who will be responsible for community outreach, education, marketing, and public relations? Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 59 Coordinated transportation services can be organized through a regional transportation authority, a unit of local government, a social service agency, or a newly created organization.

Service Development, Delivery, and Pricing Options Service development options are driven by a number of factors: the size, land development character, and population density of the area within which service will be provided; the inclusion or exclusion of services available to the general public; special needs of customers such as disability status; the particular needs of participating agencies and access to programs and centers that provide client services; the days and times of day that their clients require transportation; and the stability or instability in client travel needs from day to day and week to week. Specific service delivery options could include traditional fixed route; door-to-door (also known as paratransit or demand responsive); flexible routing; paid or volunteer drivers; shared riding; and voucher or user- side subsidies, among others. In most rural counties, the delivery of service in areas where customers are far apart is a significant challenge particularly because the length of travel to reach destinations is long. Consequently, travel ties up vehicle capacity for a long period of time, and the cost per passenger can be very high. A flexible coordinated travel service could mitigate these high costs. The role of technology service development and delivery is important. In a coordinated setting, an appropriate investment in technology can help with a number of tasks that are important to making coordination work effectively: – Scheduling passenger trips; – Handling rides that occur on a regular basis; – Integrating recurring rides with rides that vary daily and those that occur infrequently; – Assigning passenger trips to the transportation vehicles available within the coordinated system; – Tracking rides and service use across multiple agencies with different eligibility, billing, and reporting requirements; and – Tracking activity and performance for monitoring and reporting purposes, both within the coordinated transportation system and within the community at large. Service delivery may occur through a single agency where all services are consolidated or through a decentralized, but centrally managed, 60 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Service delivery may occur through a single agency where all services are consolidated or through a decentralized, but centrally managed, environment with a number of service providers.

environment with a number of service providers. The larger the service area, the larger the number of service providers and variety of service delivery methods that may be necessary. Consistent operating policies and procedures across participating agencies are needed—advance reservations, trip cancellations, assignment of trips to participating providers, no shows, and so on. Maintenance, Storage, Fueling, and Sharing of Vehicles Vehicle maintenance can be accomplished through a variety of means. Larger transportation services typically have their own maintenance capability. Small agencies often contract with private garages, sometimes a local gas station. Local units of government may have a maintenance capacity that they are willing to make available. Vehicle storage can vary similarly. Also, vehicle fueling through a local unit of government or through a transportation provider with a fueling capability can offer cost savings. Regardless of the complexity of the coordination effort, these options are available. Vehicles can be shared among agencies on days and at times that the agency owning the vehicles does not need them. Vehicle sharing can also be a program focus with some of the vehicles in an available fleet. For example, vehicles can be provided to local communities for their direct use in providing mobility for their residents. The local community typically provides drivers and other expenses associated with using the vehicle. Volunteer drivers can play a valuable role in this type of service delivery approach. Financial Resources Financial resources represent the funding that is available to cover operating expenses. In a coordinated setting, these are the resources that are pooled or contributed by the participating agencies. Key sources of funds include fares from passengers; contract revenues from agencies and others; grants from Federal, state, and local governments and private foundations or businesses; advertising; and investments. (Few rural transportation systems receive revenues from investments; not many systems receive significant advertising Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 61

revenues.) Chapter 4 contains detailed information on sources of grant revenues; information on the other sources is included in the Comprehensive Financial Management Guidelines for Rural and Small Urban Public Transportation Providers (Burkhardt et al., 1992). Operating Expenses Many times, local agencies that provide transportation services as part of their program service delivery mission do not accurately track transportation-related expenses or accurately attribute those expenses to specific program sources if not required to do so. In a coordinated setting, tracking and reporting is required so that participating agencies and funding agencies pay their fair share of the coordinated transportation service costs and no more or no less. This is important to maintaining confidence, trust, and satisfaction with the new coordinated system. Basic operating expense categories are vehicle operations, purchased services, maintenance, and administration. Detailed operating cost categories are shown in Appendix G. Capital Resources and Development—Existing and Future Capital equipment needs result from a review of the size of the market to be served and the capital equipment that will be available from the participating agencies. If additional capital equipment will be required, look at other resources in the community. Other agencies or private providers may participate by providing contract transportation services. Whatever the case, sufficient equipment is required to meet anticipated needs. If additional equipment is needed, then prepare an estimate of the number and type of vehicles, their costs, likely sources, whether or not a competitive procurement would be necessary, and the potential sources of funding available through agencies participating in the coordinated transportation system. Other capital needs, such as facilities and technology, should be reviewed as well. The result of this review of capital resources should be a statement of capital development needs and resources required if a particular option is selected. This statement should be shared with participants and potential funding sources. 62 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II In a coordinated setting, tracking and reporting is required so that participating agencies and funding agencies pay their fair share of the coordinated transportation service costs and no more or no less.

Human Resources—Staffing and Training Estimate the staffing requirements of each option, taking account of existing staffing from participating agencies and gaps in staffing that need to be filled. Look at management, administrative, operating, maintenance, and support areas. Training is important. Review the driver training that has been conducted by participating agencies, gaps in training, training required for new hires, and how required training could be conducted initially and on an ongoing basis. Look for training capability at neighboring transportation systems and within state-level agencies. Training should include vehicle operations, accessibility features, customer service, and customer sensitivity. The task force will need to consider the kinds of organizational, management, and staffing alternatives identified on page 57. Implementation Step #5—Assess Alternative Options Checklist of Important Activities In assessing options, stay focused on the benefits of coordination. The benefits you are trying to achieve should be expressed in the mission, vision, and goals that you have already established. Assessment activities should include the following: ✦ Assess options against mission, vision, and goals; ✦ Look at strengths and weaknesses of those options; ✦ Assess options for organizational and operational reasonableness; and ✦ Be realistic; make sure you can get started. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 63 The benefits you are trying to achieve should be expressed in the mission, vision, and goals that you have already established. Training is important and should include vehicle operations, accessibility features, customer service, and customer sensitivity. Evaluate the alternatives and select the coordination option to implement

Assess Options Against Mission, Vision, and Goals First and foremost, options should be assessed against the mission, vision of success, and goals that were established earlier in putting Implementation Step #3 in place. Look at Strengths and Weaknesses of Those Options Compare key service, operating, and performance characteristics of each option such as: – Operating expenses and their categories, revenues, and the sources of revenues (from participating agencies and outside sources); – Service area to be included—square miles, population, development character, and distribution of existing and potential passengers across the area; – Facilities that will be available; – Vehicle fleet size, variety, accessibility features, compliance with program requirements, accumulated mileage and condition, replacement timing, and cost; – Organizational, management, and staffing requirements; – Expected level of services to be provided—days and hours of service availability, vehicle miles, and hours of service; – Organizations and agencies participating or not participating and the implications for customer demand, service levels, costs, and revenues; – Technology requirements related to availability; and – Performance measures for comparison, which should include cost-effectiveness (passengers carried per mile and hour of service, operating cost per passenger carried), and cost efficiency (operating cost per vehicle mile and hours operated). 64 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

Assess Options for Organizational and Operational Reasonableness How complex is the organizational structure needed relative to the structure(s) in place today? Do the participating agencies have the will, commitment, and drive to make the organizational changes required by the option? Does community and political support exist to help with key decisions and commitments? Be Realistic; Make Sure You Can Get Started When beginning to coordinate transportation services, perhaps your most important objective should be ensuring that some coordination activities get started when the planning is done. If that means starting a bit more modestly than originally envisioned, that’s okay. Do not try to do too much too soon. Start simply; add complexity later if some of the key participants are not ready. Or be prepared to leave a few participants behind as you begin, recognizing that they can join later. You are not forming a club with only one chance to join. Some people and agencies may simply not be ready to take the plunge. It will be easier in the future to build on success than to revisit failure and have to start all over again. You have come too far to risk losing a strong opportunity to succeed. The outcome of the assessment of options is a recommended coordination plan. Appendix H presents a summary of the kind of information that should be included in such a plan. Implementation Step #6—Develop and Implement the Preferred Choice Checklist of Important Activities – Outline your broad strategy. – Review and update memoranda of understanding. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 65 Perhaps your most important objective should be ensuring that some coordination activities get started when the planning is done. Formulate action plans and implement coordinated transportation services

✦ Prepare action plans in key areas. ✦ Establish a timetable with key milestones. ✦ Communicate your strategy and plan. ✦ Implement, implement, implement. ✦ Address organization, management, service delivery, and budgets. These are the core areas of implementation. Be sure to prepare a time- line for implementation and set milestones for completion of activities and events. For change to occur and to be achieved successfully, the assessment of options must result in a local organization taking responsibility for leadership and organizing the discussion and debate that should result in improved local transportation services. Such a body is critical for the successful development of plans and actions to implement those plans. Outline Your Broad Strategy Based on the assessment completed in Implementation Step #5, you know the strategy or approach that you will be taking to coordinate transportation services. Prepare a concise statement of this strategy to help keep everyone focused as you move through the details of the coordination plan and forward with implementation. Together with your mission and vision, the statement of strategy tells everyone where you are heading and can be used to keep progress on track. Once the broad strategy is complete, a service plan is necessary. The service plan represents a written report of specifically how a coordinated transportation system will be organized and implemented. When preparing the service plan, keep in mind the following: – The need for public and agency transportation services, their magnitude, and character; – The role of the various agencies in organizing, managing, and operating transportation services; – The appropriateness of and support for using local public and agency funds to help support services; 66 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Prepare a concise statement of this strategy to help keep everyone focused.

– The appropriate roles within the transportation service area for meeting current and unmet travel needs; – The merits of using some available state and Federal funding to establish, enhance, improve, or expand coordinated transportation services; – The benefits of pooling available transportation services and existing resources (see Chapter 2); and – Perceptions about the effectiveness and efficiency of current transportation services and the improvements that are expected. Also, address the policy, regulatory, and institutional environment, including the following: – Agreements and relationships among organizations, agencies, and companies providing transportation services. – State and Federal laws, statutes, regulations, and rules pertaining to public and agency transportation services. – State and Federal sources of funding for organizing, managing, operating, and capital development for public and agency transportation services, and associated eligibility and reporting requirements. – Statutory provisions that address options for organizing the management and delivery of coordinated transportation services. Review and Update Memoranda of Understanding The original memoranda of understanding were executed to formalize roles and responsibilities for determining how coordinated transportation services would be developed and the potential roles that various participants could play in the coordinated setting. At this time, as the final plan for coordinated transportation services is being prepared, existing memoranda of understanding should be reviewed for currency of roles and responsibilities. Any changes should be incorporated into the formal documents that are necessary for coordination to move forward. Depending on the breadth and complexity of the coordinated system that will be implemented, these changes would be incorporated into formal contracts, revised MoU, or simple letter agreements. (See Appendix G.) Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 67 As the final plan for coordinated transportation services is being prepared, existing memoranda of understanding should be reviewed for currency of roles and responsibilities.

Prepare Action Plans in Key Areas Action plans to implement coordinated transportation services include organizational structure and management; service development, delivery, and pricing; capital facilities and equipment; annual and projected operating budgets; and marketing and public relations programs. Action plans in the following areas should be included: – Creating an organizational structure. – Entering into contracts for services and funding. – Providing necessary staffing. – Setting policy and procedures. – Formalizing interagency relationships. – Designing functional areas of implementation: - Service development, delivery, and pricing. - Capital facilities and equipment. - Operating budget—1-year and 5-year projections. - 5-year capital budget for replacement, rehabilitation, technology updates, and expansion. - Public education and marketing. - Program performance review and reporting. The resulting coordination plan should be organized to present the following: – The vision of success, mission, and goals and objectives for coordination of transportation services. – The rationale and focus of transportation service coordination. – The nature and size of the market for coordinated transportation service. – The recommended organizational structure through which coordinated transportation services will be organized and the 68 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

manner in which these services will be managed, administered, and staffed. – The manner in which transportation services will be developed and delivered, including prices for services. – The recommended structure for expenses, revenues, and sources of funds for operating budgets. – The recommended structure for capital facilities, equipment, and technology that are expected and supporting budgets for each. – The focus of the marketing and public relations program required for coordination of transportation services. – The program performance, review, and reporting system used to monitor the provision of coordinated transportation services and to report to coordination partners and the community. See Appendix F for a sample report format. Establish a Timetable with Key Milestones A timetable that shows clearly what actions are being implemented should be established. Highlight key milestones that will be achieved as implementation occurs. First and foremost, let people know when coordinated transportation services will begin, making sure that the start date is achievable. Do not set a start date that is too ambitious. Allow enough time especially if formal contracts must be prepared, negotiated, and executed. These contracts would include those among participating agencies; units of local, state, or Federal government; and entities that will provide contract management or transportation services. Communicate Your Strategy and Plan Regular communication, as we have pointed out before, is important so that stakeholders know what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. This communication should include milestones that have been achieved and any issues that remain to be resolved. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 69 Let people know when coordinated transportation services will begin, making sure that the start date is achievable.

Implement, Implement, Implement The coordination plan that you prepare should be action oriented. In other words, it should focus on getting things done. Thus, we are talking about action plans. Each action plan should contain – A description of what will be implemented, – A date when it will be completed, – Who has responsibility for each element of implementation of a each action plan, – What the expected cost will be, and – Who has overall responsibility for completion and payment. Implementation Step #7—Evaluate and Improve the System(s) Implemented Checklist of Important Activities ✦ Don’t wait too long to review how coordinated transportation services are doing. ✦ Decide what is important to review. ✦ Gather your information and review it carefully. ✦ Take corrective actions where required. ✦ Integrate interested, new coordination partners. ✦ Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Don’t Wait Too Long to Review How You Are Doing Measure and review your progress against your mission, vision, goals, and objectives to assess results in all areas—number, type, and other 70 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Review and evaluate progress

trip characteristics; operating revenues and expenses; customer satisfaction (complaints); on-time operations; and interagency relations. Levels of activity and performance measures are reviewed monthly, with a more detailed review performed on a quarterly basis. Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports so that interested stakeholders can keep informed about the performance of coordination efforts. Focus reports on the operating budget (revenues and expenses), operating characteristics (miles and hours of service), service characteristics (passengers carried, types of trips, customer concerns), and service and financial effectiveness and efficiency (passengers per mile and hour; cost per trip, hour, and mile; length of trips). This data can be compared over time to judge trends and changes in order to recognize when corrective actions should be taken. The data can also be used for “peer” review, to measure the local system against systems of similar size and character across the country. Use your quarterly and annual reports as a basis for developing and releasing a “report to the community.” This keeps key stakeholders and the public informed and helps to build and maintain support for transportation efforts. Decide What Is Important to Review Decide what activities you will review and how often as you are completing the plan for coordinated transportation services. This will help you establish what data needs to be collected and how frequently. Try to include as much of the data used for review and evaluation into routine data collection activities that occur on a daily basis by developing electronic reporting systems that can be integrated easily to provide the data necessary for reporting. Gather Your Information and Review It Carefully In gathering information regularly, review it for accuracy. It is easy to take corrective action if problems are discovered early enough. To the extent that you can, make data gathering part of your daily operating routine. Also, build your database on a regular basis, so when you are ready to review and evaluate, the database is ready. You do not want to Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 71 Use your quarterly and annual reports as a basis for developing and releasing a “report to the community.”

be faced with a week of database work when you are ready for your reviews. Take Corrective Actions Where Required Correct problems early. Don’t wait for a formal review. Define the problem. Understand the cause. Review your options. Take decisive action. Then, start dealing with the next problem. Periodic reviews often reveal less obvious problems or point to areas where performance may be okay, but could be better. The review, when judged against goals and objectives, can provide insight into the need to shift attention from areas where progress is good to areas where additional work is needed. For example, a review of customer comments may reveal that they are quite satisfied with the general safety of travel, but that riders with disabilities are not comfortable with the way that drivers are securing their wheelchairs in vehicles. Integrate Interested, New Coordination Partners It is possible that not all the organizations and agencies that were interested in coordination stayed with the development process through to completion. As a consequence, check with such parties on a regular basis to ensure that they have the opportunity to join or rejoin the coordinated transportation system as soon as they are ready. Seek them out directly. Be proactive in reporting to them the successes and failures as you move forward. Don’t worry about the negatives. They will be there. The important thing is to recognize negative factors and impact and to be prepared to deal with them proactively and constructively. Understand that problems will arise and should be dealt with without undue delay. Communicate, Communicate, and Communicate Tell your story on a regular basis, monthly, quarterly, and annually. Communicate your results in a variety of ways. Publish a quarterly 72 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Understand that problems will arise and should be dealt with without undue delay. Correct problems early. Don’t wait for a formal review.

newsletter. Prepare press releases and meet with the media. Prepare articles for publication and keep in touch with local media people to publish or report on the article. SUMMARY To implement coordinated transportation services in your community, follow this sequence of steps: – Step #1—Initiate the Improvement Process—Form a task force or steering committee and decide to move forward. – Step #2—Analyze Existing Conditions—Understand issues, needs, and circumstances; define local conditions. – Step #3—Establish Focus, Consensus, and Direction—Agree on the problem, develop a consensus, and set a direction. – Step #4—Design Alternative Courses of Action—Develop alternative coordination strategies. – Step #5—Assess Alternative Options—Evaluate the alternatives and select the coordination option to implement. – Step #6—Implement the Preferred Choice—Formulate action plans and implement coordinated transportation services. – Step #7—Evaluate and Improve the System(s) Implemented—Review and evaluate progress. Remember that coordination is an ongoing process and that a number of these steps may have to be revisited again and again to consolidate coordination agreements and benefits. Chapter 3 How to Implement New Coordinated Transportation Services 73

Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination Efforts 75 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COORDINATION EFFORTS Some questions about coordination seem to come up again and again, particularly when starting efforts to coordinate transportation services. Some of these questions deal with common operational challenges, while others could fall under the heading of “coordination mythology”—ideas or concerns that may have little basis in fact or experience. These issues are discussed in this chapter: ✦ Will coordination save me money? ✦ What are the important Federal funding sources for rural transportation? ✦ What funding sources am I missing? ✦ Which legislative barriers do I need to watch out for? ✦ Where can I get planning funds? ✦ What if we tried coordination before and never got anywhere? Should we try again? ✦ Some agencies are willing to participate, but others are not. What should we do? ✦ Whom should we involve in our initial efforts? ✦ With all the work on coordinated transportation systems in rural areas for many years, why isn’t coordination easier? Chapter 4 Some questions about coordination seem to come up again and again, particularly when starting efforts to coordinate transportation services.

✦ Will coordination require that I give up my vehicles? Control over my funding for transportation? The welfare of my clients? ✦ Why have some coordinated transportation systems failed to succeed or survive? ✦ What are the fundamental components of successful coordination? We know there are many more questions. For answers to other questions, first contact your state department of transportation or state department of human resources. You could also contact the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the programs that they administer. Some of the other programs that should be of interest to you are administered by the Federal Departments of Agriculture, Education, Labor, or other agencies. You should also contact the Federal Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility. National and state professional associations in transportation and human services can also provide extremely valuable information. See the appendices for a list of key contacts. The bibliography lists key references on coordinated transportation. WILL COORDINATION SAVE ME MONEY? It depends on how you look at it. Coordination often succeeds at reducing the cost per trip, but many agencies use these savings to transport many more people, so money seldom goes back into the kitty. It’s your choice—how will you apply the greater cost effectiveness that coordination offers? What are your objectives? If a primary objective is to reduce total expenses for transportation, coordination can combine the services of several agencies to focus on transporting the same group of passengers from participating agencies through more effectively and efficiently organized and operated service. For example, if you can place one of your clients on another agency’s vehicle that has empty seats, the cost of that trip will probably be less than if you had to provide that trip yourself. Between your two agencies, you may be able to divide the trips geographically or by time of day to reduce overall mileage or hours of operation. Therefore, you should be able to provide the same level of service as measured by trips provided, and the service should be achieved with reduced resources. (But several factors could cause 76 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II It’s your choice— how will you apply the greater cost effectiveness that coordination offers?

expenses to increase: e.g., if the fleet of available vehicles is old, you may get caught with unexpected increases in maintenance and repair costs.) Be careful when you are evaluating whether or not coordination has saved you money. See also the discussion “How to Use Coordination’s Benefits on page 31. If your objective is to use coordination to serve more people and provide more trips with the resources available, then you’ll probably spend as much money through coordination as before. However, if you are successful in providing service to more people with the same resources available, your cost per passenger will be lower. It is possible that your cost per mile or hour of service will be lower as well, but your total community transportation expenditures probably won’t decline. In fact, they may be higher if new partners join the coordinated system as it moves forward. WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCES FOR RURAL TRANSPORTATION? The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of U.S. DOT has several programs that support rural public transportation services. They are ✦ Section 5311—Non-Urbanized Area Formula Program, a formula program to enhance the use of public transportation systems in small urban and rural areas of the country. Funds are available for operating and capital expenses. The program guidelines can be found in FTA Circular 9040.1E at www.fta.dot.gov/library/policy/circ9040_1E. ✦ Section 5310—The Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Program, a formula program to improve mobility for the elderly and persons with disabilities in rural and urban areas. Funds are used principally for the purchase of vehicles and other capital equipment. The program guidelines can be found in FTA Circular 9070.1E at www.fta.dot.gov/library/policy/9070.1E. ✦ Section 5309 Capital Program: Bus and Bus-Related Facilities, a discretionary program to assist in financing capital projects that will benefit the country’s public transportation Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 77 . . . your total community transportation expenditures probably won’t decline. In fact, they may be higher if new partners join the coordinated system . . .

systems. These funds are sometimes available if Section 5311 funds are insufficient, depending on funding allocations within your state. The program guidelines can be found in FTA Circular 9300.1A which can be found at www.fta.dot.gov/library/policy/9300.1A. ✦ Section 3037—Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, a competitive grant program to help improve mobility and economic opportunity for welfare recipients and other low- income people through the provision of new or expanded transportation service targeted to suburban employment opportunities. The program guidelines can be found in 67 Federal Register (April 8, 2002) at www.fta.dot.gov/library/legal/federalregister/2002/fr4802a.html. ✦ Flexible Funds (TEA-21), funds authorized under the Federal highway program that may be used for either transit or highway projects. The FTA has published the Federal Transit Administration Guide for Rural Programs for 2003. This report contains summary program information for each of the above programs. The guide is available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/office/program/rural/. With the focus on welfare-to-work (WtW) and the recognition that transportation is so important to the success of welfare reform programs, guidance has been developed on the use of interdepartmental program funds for transportation. The DOT/HHS/Department of Labor (DOL) Guidance on Use of TANF, WtW, and Job Access Fund for Transportation is available at www.fta.dot.gov/wtw/uoft.html. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers several programs that are vital sources of funds for coordinated transportation systems in rural areas. The Administration on Aging’s (AoA’s) Title III Grants for State and Community Programs on Aging, and the Medicaid program under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are two of the most important. Other programs were listed in Chapter 3. ✦ AoA’s Title III Program, Grants for State and Community Programs on Aging, provides funding to State and Area Agencies on Aging to develop and implement comprehensive and coordinated systems to provide services to older adults. This title authorizes supportive services programs directed toward improving the lives of older persons. In local areas, these 78 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

supportive services are funded through established Area Agencies on Aging. Transportation is one of the supportive services that may be provided with Title III funding. With $68 million in transportation expenses in FY 1999, this program has often served to initiate transportation services in rural areas without any other form of public or specialized human service transportation operations. AoA-sponsored transportation services are used primarily to access meal sites and health care. For older rural Americans, long distances traveled to specialized medical services (such as dialysis and chemotherapy) remain a significant unmet need. Information on the Title III program may be found at http://www.aoa.gov/about/legbudg/oaa/laymans_ guide/laymans_guide.asp#TitleIII. ✦ CMS administers the Medicaid program, which is authorized by Title XIX of the Social Security Act. It pays for medical and health-related services for certain vulnerable and needy individuals and families with low incomes and limited resources. Federal Medicaid funds will probably spend about $1 billion for nonemergency transportation services in coming years; Medicaid has often been a major funding source for many rural transportation operations. CMS funding typically provides reimbursements to individuals after travel is completed. It is vital to understand that primary decisions about Medicaid-funded transportation services reside at the state, not the Federal level. It is not an exaggeration to say that Medicaid nonemergency transportation services operate more like 50 separate programs than like one program. You must understand your own state’s regulations regarding nonemergency Medicaid transportation services in order to use Medicaid as a funding source for rural transportation programs. For a summary of the Medicaid nonemergency transportation program, visit the Community Transportation Association of America website at http://www.ctaa.org/data/medtoolkit.pdf. Go to page 86 of the Toolkit report. This report also contains information on Medicaid nonemergency transportation programs in each state. ✦ Another HHS program that provides significant resources for transportation services is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The TANF Program provides assistance and Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 79

work opportunities to needy families by granting states the Federal funds and wide flexibility to develop and implement their own welfare programs. Each state must submit a plan to the Secretary of HHS that outlines how it intends to implement the TANF program in all political subdivisions of the state that provide cash aid to needy families with (or expecting) children and provides parents with job preparation, work, and support services. Transportation is one of the support services that states can provide to families participating in the TANF program. A brochure that presents a guide prepared by OFA on the programs and services that may be supported with TANF funding is available at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ofa/funds2.pdf. As is the case with Medicaid programs, each State is responsible for implementing TANF programs consistent with an approved plan. Links to State Human Service Administrators can be found at the following link, http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ofa/hs_dir2.htm. ✦ Head Start is a program administered by HHS’s Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age 5, with the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. Grants are awarded by the ACF Regional Offices and the Head Start Bureau’s American Indian—Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Program Branches directly to local public agencies, private organizations, Indian Tribes, and school systems for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at the community level. Head Start funds can be used to provide transportation services to and from program centers, purchase vehicles, and provide technical assistance. Most Head Start programs provide some kind of transportation services for their clients. Further information is available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/about/index.htm. Funding sources other than those listed above are also crucial for rural transportation operations, but the listed programs provide the majority of Federal funds that benefit travelers living in rural areas. A more complete listing of Federal programs that can be used to fund coordinated rural transportation services can be found in GAO’s recent “Transportation of Disadvantaged Populations” report on such 80 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

programs (U.S. General Accounting Office, 2003) or CTAA’s Building Mobility Partnerships (2000). WHAT FUNDING SOURCES AM I MISSING? Develop an understanding of the funding programs for transportation or human services that potential coordination partners are already using for transportation services. These program funds may not be explicitly designed for transportation services. Rather, transportation can be one among several support services or permitted services that can be provided with program resources. For example, a transit-dependent individual may also be the client of a social service agency. Coordination can allow the transit operator to tap into funds from the social service agency in order to serve their mutual client—funds that the transit operator could not receive directly. By looking for a mutual benefit among businesses and among providers of education, health care, child care, and social services, transit agencies may expand their funding sources. Look to programs that include state and Federal funding programs for services for older adults; people with developmental, physical, or other disabilities; and people in low-income circumstances. Potential coordination partners usually have a good understanding of their own program funds and whether or not transportation is an eligible expense. It is always good to ask the question about use of their program funding for transportation. It may be that they have chosen not to use funding for transportation even though it is an eligible expense. Such use could well be the price for their participation in a coordinated system. Nothing is free. Finally, we all run the risk of missing new program opportunities. Develop a network that knows of your interest in finding new funding for transportation services. The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) has prepared a comprehensive catalog of Federal programs that provide or permit the use of funding for rural transportation services. This catalog has information on many of the programs that should interest you and can be found at http://www.ctaa.org/ct/infostation2003/fed_invest_guide.pdf. Don’t forget about non-Federal funding sources. States often have special programs that can be used for coordinated rural transportation programs. A good list of programs is found in AASHTO’s Survey of State Involvement in Public Transportation (AASHTO, 2000). You may even find that interesting programs in other states (for example, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and others) can inspire you Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 81 By looking for a mutual benefit among businesses and among providers of education, health care, child care, and social services, transit agencies may expand their funding sources.

to create new funding options in your own state. County and municipal governments are a key source of funds for many transit systems. A transit system is a public service, and the communities receiving the service are often willing to assist with a large portion of the cost, particularly when the service provides access to jobs, local merchants, and other public services. Contact your local government(s) for more information. The private sources that you should consider contacting for local funding include The United Way and local private foundations in your community which would support public transportation. Your local Chamber of Commerce can probably direct you to such foundations. Local businesses may be a source of grant revenue to a transit system which serves their employees and customers. WHICH LEGISLATIVE BARRIERS DO I NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR? “Barriers? What barriers?” Although it sounds a bit flippant, that’s a direct quote from a rural transportation provider. There are challenges, obstacles, hindrances, headaches, and maybe even heartaches along the road to coordination, but barriers—in the sense that “I am not permitted to coordinate”—have not been found. Many coordination efforts have been slowed or halted by perceived rather than actual barriers. Certainly, coordination requires lots of effort. But it may be more accurate to say that while there are hindrances or challenges, seldom are there actual barriers that cannot be overcome no matter what. Many local operators have succeeded in coordinating the transportation resources of various Federal- and state-funded programs. They have done so by working through the same administrative, personal, and institutional obstacles other operators have found more difficult to surmount. This means that the obstacles that have troubled some individuals and operations have not been barriers to others. A real challenge is that state or Federal programs are typically authorized and funded to provide specific services to specific groups of people for specific needs. This means you need to work hard to understand the guidelines for each program. They are usually subject to interpretation. Federal officials responsible for program implementation 82 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II . . . while there are hindrances or challenges, seldom are there actual barriers that cannot be overcome no matter what.

and review have generally taken the position that funding from different Federal programs, across departmental lines, can be mixed so that coordinated transportation services can be delivered. Each program still has its own reporting requirements that must be respected. Local agency officials have taken the position, at times, that funds from a specific program can be used only to support services for that program. It is worth questioning that argument and seeking an informed judgment from state supporters of coordinated transportation services and from relevant Federal agencies. These are some of the challenges that others have faced and that you may need to be prepared to face. It’s important to note that some of these challenges have very rarely occurred and that most rural coordinated transportation services have found ways to surmount these issues, which include ✦ Categorical funding, which restricts flexibility in coordination; ✦ Turfism, where agencies jealously protect their own resources; ✦ Lack of information, especially about coordination and its potential benefits; ✦ Public perceptions that may include outdated perspectives regarding rural public transportation; ✦ School bus vehicle specifications, which limit how school children can be transported, and state laws that prohibit mingling adults with school children on school buses; ✦ City taxi ordinances that restrict shared rides among unrelated parties; ✦ Prohibitions on crossing jurisdictional boundaries; ✦ Differing regulations about fares, farebox return, and revenue- sharing; ✦ Differing mandates for performance measures; ✦ Labor rules and mandated protections for union versus nonunion drivers; ✦ Legislation requiring competitive bidding or awards to low bidders; Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 83 . . . most rural coordinated transportation services have found ways to surmount these issues . . .

✦ Driver exams and drug testing; and ✦ Insurance regulations that discourage sharing of vehicles and clients. Consult representatives of those systems interviewed for this Toolkit (listed at the end of this report) for creative “barrier-busting” techniques that others have successfully employed. WHERE CAN I GET PLANNING FUNDS? Planning funds for all the activities involved in developing and maintaining coordinated rural transportation systems are in short supply. Some states—such as North and South Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, and Connecticut—pay large portions of the costs of planning studies (sometimes called transit development plans) that help establish coordinated transportation services. But finding funds for planning coordinated transportation services may be one of the first challenges you face. Some planning funds for developing rural public transportation services are available from the FTA through its Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP). The RTAP program funds technical assistance activities nationally through the CTAA. The RTAP program is provided by the American Public Works Association under contract to CTAA. You may learn more about the RTAP program at http://www.ctaa. org/ntrc/rtap/index.asp. CTAA also hosts the Rural Passenger Transportation Technical Assistance Program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You may link to http://www.ctaa. org/techassist/usda/projects/rpttap_brochure.asp to learn more about this program. The FTA’s RTAP program also provides technical assistance funding to each state. The 5311 program is administered in each state by a state agency, typically an office within the state department of transportation. States are the direct grantees of Section 5310 and 5311 program funds. The FTA guide available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/office/program/rural/ has rural program contacts in each state. State staff can inform you of the specific RTAP in your state and how it may be helpful in providing funding or services for planning rural transportation services. 84 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II . . . finding funds for planning coordinated transportation services may be one of the first challenges you face.

WHAT IF WE TRIED COORDINATION BEFORE AND NEVER GOT ANYWHERE? SHOULD WE TRY AGAIN? By all means, YES! Try again. Coordination must be an ongoing effort. Times can change. Many changes can alter the responses of potential partners who were previously unreceptive. A new manager or board of directors can change the direction of an organization. Economic circumstances may dictate trying approaches to providing service that are different from the status quo. New legislation may encourage or mandate coordination. Take time to review with your emerging core group of participants why the group believes that coordination efforts in the past did not succeed. Be as honest and objective as you can. Do your best to dispel the argument that “We tried that before and it did not work.” Look at similarities, differences, and changes in each participating agency; old participants no longer involved or interested; and new participants who were not involved before. Re-examine local conditions and circumstances, important motivating influences, leadership or lack thereof, the needs of participating agencies, the local political landscape, and any other factors that you suspect may be of influence in your community. SOME AGENCIES ARE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE, BUT OTHERS ARE NOT. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? Create three lists of agencies: those that have expressed a desire to participate; those that have declined to participate; and those in the middle. Welcome to the club. In any community contemplating the coordination of transportation services, three lists will emerge. Start with the agencies that are willing to participate. These agencies represent your best opportunity to be successful. Agencies that have declined to participate may have done so for a number of reasons. Be careful not to expend too much time and energy on trying to convince them to participate. It is important, though, to let them know that they are welcome to join the process at any time. But, start with your “A” list and go to work. Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 85 Do your best to dispel the argument that “We tried that before and it did not work.”

WHOM SHOULD WE INVOLVE IN OUR INITIAL EFFORTS? Start with a core group of participants who want coordination to work. In the early stages, it is important to be open and inclusive in inviting potential participants into the discussions. Consequently, you want to invite agencies that provide transportation services, agencies that need transportation services, local public officials, state agency staff who may be helpful, local community and business leaders who are interested, people who advocate for services, and people receiving transportation services. (For further suggestions, see Chapters 3 and 6, and Appendix A.) Remember that in the early stages it is not necessary to please or satisfy everyone. It is important to seek and receive the views of all those who are involved. As the process moves forward, the direction of coordination will start to take shape. Some will like what they see more than others. This will represent the start of the process where some become committed to making coordination work, while others may decide that coordination is not for them right now. WITH ALL THE WORK ON COORDINATED RURAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS FOR MANY YEARS, WHY ISN’T COORDINATION EASIER? By its nature, coordination involves stepping out into the unknown territories of other persons’ interests and jurisdictions. This is an obvious challenge. It requires courage to take a deep gulp and go ahead. To be successful, it also requires many other traits. Among these are a substantial amount of knowledge about possible approaches to coordination, a willingness to learn new information, and the flexibility to work cooperatively along paths that are only defined as one proceeds along the journey. Informed, cooperative, and energetic individuals are simply not available everywhere. Rural communities can differ widely, so what works in one area may not necessarily work in another. States do have different programs and 86 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II Rural communities can differ widely, so what works in one area may not necessarily work in another.

administrative procedures for some Federal programs; therefore, certain forms of coordination may be much easier for communities in one state than they are for communities in another state. Differing levels of resources are available for planning and operations from state to state. Despite many challenges, the overwhelming message is that many persons have succeeded in establishing and maintaining coordinated transportation services in rural communities. Take heart in this message: success is possible, although it’s seldom easy. WILL COORDINATION REQUIRE THAT I GIVE UP MY VEHICLES? CONTROL OVER MY FUNDING FOR TRANSPORTATION? THE WELFARE OF MY CLIENTS? Coordination requires you to share authority, responsibility, and resources (including funding), not to give them up. There are many administrative options for coordination, and many of them involve the partners keeping ownership of vehicles, control over funding, and an active involvement in the welfare of specific client groups. Indeed, this maintenance of authority, responsibility, and resources could be considered to be one of the hallmarks of coordination. On the other hand, consolidation of resources is a different approach to maximizing cost-effectiveness. Consolidation often means that only one agency owns vehicles and controls costs. Even in a consolidated operation, agencies that contract for services with the unified transportation provider would ideally remain in a strong and vital advisory position regarding overall service policies, and they should certainly remain as energetic advocates for the needs and welfare of their own clients. Consolidation will be an effective management strategy in some rural communities, but it may diminish the direct involvement of some agencies in operating decisions regarding transportation services. Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 87 Coordination requires you to share authority, responsibility, and resources (including funding), not to give them up.

WHY HAVE SOME COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS FAILED TO SUCCEED OR SURVIVE? There have been four key reasons that coordinated transportation systems have not prospered or have even ceased to operate: ✦ Not fully understanding local politics. ✦ Not treating coordinated transportation like a business. ✦ Not developing a strong institutional foundation. ✦ Allowing partners to develop unrealistic expectations. Not fully understanding local politics. Coordinated transportation services often command many more resources than non-coordinated operations. They become a new force within the community and may become the target of envy and hostility if there are other local stakeholders—for example, politicians or other transportation providers—who are not firmly committed to the coordinated operations. As noted in the Economic Benefits of Coordinating . . . report (Burkhardt, Koffman, Murray, 2003), “Political individuals and organizations with vested interests in “the status quo” will often view expanded transportation services as a threat to their own power or influence and may, therefore, take steps to derail both personal and organizational capital invested in the coordinated transportation system.” Not treating coordinated transportation like a business. Like other business operations, successful transportation services require a balance between income and expenses. Many coordinated transportation operations serve individuals who have quite limited incomes; a natural tendency of the operators of these systems is to ask the riders to pay very little of the actual costs of their trips. This is fine as long as someone is paying the full costs of the trips. Sometimes an agency will say to the transportation provider, “My clients really need rides, but I can only pay you X amount of money.” But X amount of money usually runs out well before the end of the year, and then the transportation provider faces the difficult issue of whether to deny trips to people who really need them or to subsidize the agency that has insufficient funds to serve its own clients. The way to deal with this problem is to make sure that it does not come up in the beginning, and tying payments for trips directly to the costs of those trips eliminates this problem. 88 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

Not developing a strong institutional foundation. Many coordinated transportation systems are created through the efforts of dynamic and creative individuals. Sometimes these persons even qualify for the title of “charismatic leader.” But sometimes these persons leave their position for other interests or other communities. If the coordination process depends too heavily on the efforts of such persons, it may founder if they are no longer available. Similarly, a new stakeholder who is not committed to cooperation, or even antagonistic to coordination, can upset carefully constructed partnerships. The way to avoid such situations is to develop formal institutional arrangements that may include Memoranda of Understanding or other legal documents, so that the coordination process has a strong and permanent enough foundation to survive the loss or addition of particular individuals. Allowing partners to develop unrealistic expectations. Partners in the coordination process need to have an extremely clear idea of what to expect. Cost issues can be among the most troublesome: non-coordinated operators may have a poor idea of their actual transportation costs and may be shocked to find that their actual cost per trip is much higher than they had previously thought. Some agencies have entered into coordination agreements with the idea that money would be returned to them; as explained in Chapter 2, this is possible but seldom occurs. Concerted efforts to develop a full understanding of coordination, early in the coordination process, turn out to be quite worthwhile in the long run. Other issues that may come up in some communities include the inability of some partners to make long-term funding commitments, shifting agency priorities (which may leave less emphasis on transportation issues), and the inability to generate local community or governmental support. When facing any of these issues, it is crucial to recognize the fluid nature of coordination processes: they require constant attention and the continued support of key stakeholders. WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF SUCCESSFUL COORDINATION? Close attention to a small number of fundamental coordination concepts will increase the probability of successful and sustainable coordinated transportation services. The most significant of these concepts are Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 89

✦ The partnership approach: shared power, shared funding, shared responsibility. A key piece of the partnership approach is cost sharing—the idea that all partners agree to at least some responsibility for all the costs that coordinated transportation involves—often through some sort of formal agreement. ✦ Community-wide focus and community-wide support. Transportation services that focus services narrowly on some client groups but not others or some parts of the community and not others are not liable to generate community-wide support. Services to the entire community are best able to generate community-wide support, meaning that transportation services should focus on universal design and universal access (in other words, open door transportation, service for everyone). ✦ Resource management and quality control. What makes coordination different from other management strategies is some concept of broad oversight of all transportation resources within the community. Added to this is the idea that trips are not just provided; they are to be provided in a cost-effective manner that is consistent with the needs and desires of the riders. ✦ Maximizing productivity: ride sharing. Vehicles need to be operated with as many passengers on them as possible at all times. Some sort of coordinated trip assignment or joint dispatching will probably be needed to ensure that all kinds of passengers are on the vehicles at the same time, thus eliminating duplication of routes and services. ✦ Business focus: full cost recovery. As previously noted, coordinated transportation services need to be operated in a business-like fashion. All costs of service need to be accounted for and paid: in a coordinated system, all of the partners will share in making the payments. ✦ Coordinated service scheduling with non-transportation providers. While this approach is still relatively rare, it offers great benefits, particularly for rural communities. It means that not only do transportation providers communicate and coordinate with each other, but that human service agencies, doctors, hospitals, and other service organizations work jointly with the transportation services to create a highly integrated scheduling of services for clients, thus creating the most cost-effective overall allocation of resources within the entire community. 90 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

There are other important success concepts that apply to all transportation services, not just those that have coordinated operations: ✦ A customer orientation that is truly responsive to the travel needs and desires of the intended riders (and not merely focused on operating vehicles); ✦ Offering a broad service spectrum within a community that ranges from mass transportation services to specialized services to emergency services, and offering a similarly broad range of prices based on service quality and responsiveness; ✦ The intelligent use of volunteers to provide transportation for the kinds of trips that could not be otherwise served in a cost- effective manner; ✦ Data that document the mobility benefits achieved by the transportation services which are supported by the community; ✦ Targeted marketing to discrete rider and stakeholder subgroups to ensure that each market niche is fully cognizant of individual and community benefits of the transportation services; and ✦ Travel training for the intended riders of the transportation services. Systems that focus on the concepts described in this section are much more likely to succeed in their attempts to provide efficient, effective, and sustainable services that generate a broad base of community support. SUMMARY This chapter has presented answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about coordination: ✦ Will coordination save me money? ✦ What are the important funding sources for rural transportation? ✦ What funding sources am I missing? ✦ Which legislative barriers do I need to watch out for? Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions About Coordination 91

✦ Where can I get planning funds? ✦ What if we tried coordination before and never got anywhere? Should we try again? ✦ Some agencies are willing to participate, but others are not. What should we do? ✦ Whom should we involve in our initial efforts? ✦ With all the work on coordinated transportation systems in rural areas for many years, why isn’t coordination easier? ✦ Will coordination require that I give up my vehicles? Control over my funding for transportation? The welfare of my clients? ✦ Why have some coordinated transportation systems failed to succeed or survive? ✦ What are the fundamental components of successful coordination? Answers to other questions may be found in other chapters in this Toolkit. If you can’t find the answers here, go to your U.S. DOT or U.S. HHS contacts, your state program contacts, professional associations, or the published references listed in this Toolkit. It’s likely that someone will have found the answers to the questions that you have about coordinated transportation services. 92 Implementing New Coordination Efforts SECTION II

Next: Section III: Techniques For Improving Current Coordination Efforts »
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TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 101: Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services examines strategies and practices used to coordinate rural transportation services, and identifies model processes used for local coordination efforts in rural communities. A stand-alone executive summary of the report provides information, instructions, and lessons learned from rural communities that have implemented coordinated transportation services.

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