Travel Training for Older Adults Part II: Research Report and Case Studies (2014)

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35 In-Depth Case Studies As previously noted, an extensive search for travel train- ing programs was conducted as part of the initial activities of this project. The sources for this search included previous literature, expert advice, contacts of the research team, and an Internet search that focused on terms such as travel training, transit training, mobility training, transportation training, travel instruction, and transit instruction. A ranking process was developed to identify candidates for detailed case studies that would include site visits to selected sites. The ranking process used 13 factors that the project team considered to be indicative of high quality programs based on earlier research and the experience of the team in consulting with transit and social services agen- cies serving the target audience. These criteria included factors such as the following: • Willingness to provide public information. • Availability of complete program details. • Primary focus on older adults as a target audience. • Participant data available to assess the program. • Before and after assessment to determine consumer needs and learning progress. • Measures of success used to draw conclusions about the success of the program, including results for consumers. Full details about the selection process are included in Chapter 1. There are many fine travel training programs for older adults. Based on the total scores for the 13 factors, seven travel training programs were selected as programs that would most likely yield important information on travel training programs for older adults. These seven programs, described in detail on the following pages, received substantially higher scores than any of the other potential case study candidates. • Via Mobility Services Boulder, Colorado • Regional Transportation Chicago, Illinois Authority (RTA) • New Jersey Travel New Brunswick, New Jersey Independence Project (NJTIP @ Rutgers) • Ride Connection Portland, Oregon • Riverside Transit Agency Riverside, California • Paratransit, Inc. Sacramento, California • The Kennedy Center, Inc. Trumbull, Connecticut C H A P T E R 4

36 Organizational Background Via Mobility Services Travel Training Program is part of Via Mobility Services, a nonprofit community organization in Boulder, Colorado, whose mission is “to promote indepen- dence and self-sufficiency for people with limited mobility by providing caring, customer-focused transportation options.” The Travel Training Program offers individual and group travel training to older adults, people with disabilities, and low income individuals to give them the skills to safely and confidently use the public transportation system in Boulder County. Program Start-Up The program evolved from earlier more informal efforts in the city of Boulder, with program growth in response to identified unmet needs for travel training among older adults and people with disabilities. Initial funding for the program came from the Rose Foundation and federal gov- ernment sources (e.g., New Freedom Funds). Via Mobil- ity Services, which offers paratransit and other mobility services, provided the infrastructure and other resources for the program. The program represented an opportunity to meet a growing unmet need for travel training services in the Boulder area. To a great extent, this opportunity was seen as being able to expand the mobility choices for people, some of whom were already using paratransit but capable of and interested in using more spontaneous forms of transportation (e.g., those not requiring 7-day advance scheduling). One challenge was having sufficient organiza- tional support and resources from a variety of sources to sustain program efforts and grow beyond a relatively small scope. The lack of strong advocates for the target popula- tion was considered to be one barrier to growing the pro- gram. Current efforts focus on promoting the program among key stakeholder groups through advisory committees and other strategies. VIA MOBILITY SERVICES TRAVEL TRAINING PROGRAM VIA MOBILITY SERVICES BOULDER, COLORADO Program Name Via Mobility Services Travel Training Program Date Established 2003 Sponsoring Organization Via Mobility Services Organization Type Private nonprofit corporation City, State Boulder, CO Persons Trained Seniors, people with disabilities, low income individuals Service Area Boulder County and City of Denver, CO Service Area Population 2,894,071 Service Area Size (Sq Mi) 9,165 Data for Year Ending 2012 Seniors Trained per Year 168 (38 in one-on-one and 130 in group training) Annual Training Expenses $145,037 (salaries, fringes, supplies, outreach, other expenses) Cost per Senior Trained Estimates are $1,500 for one-on-one training and $22 for group training Major Funding Sources Boulder County, City of Boulder, Denver Regional Mobility and Access Council (DRMAC), Regional Transportation District (RTD), Rose Foundation Partnering Agencies DRMAC Key or Unique Factors Comprehensive set of travel training services

37 Program Operations Program Description The Via Mobility Services Travel Training Program con- tains several components. The Easy Rider Travel Training Program (ERP) provides one-on-one travel training, as well as group travel training (Seniors on the Move), community presentations, the Transit Ambassador program, and com- munity collaborations. Seniors on the Move is a group travel training program targeted to older adults. The program has two components: a classroom presentation on basic public transit orientation followed by an outing on a fixed route bus. The outing is generally to a specific location/activity (e.g., museum, shopping or eating destination), during which a “hands-on” approach is used to discuss how to use public transit. The idea is to offer an enjoyable outing while also teaching people about public transit. The program is targeted to both older adults who do not drive as well as those who still drive but may simply want additional transportation options. The Get on Board (GOB) program, conducted in partner- ship with the RTD in Denver, was aimed at people who were already using RTD’s complementary paratransit (Access- a-Ride). RTD contracted with Via Mobility to offer more transportation options to individuals with ADA paratransit certification. The program was halted in late 2012 due to lack of funding. Via recently received a new 2-year contract to begin providing travel training again. Resources Via Mobility reports spending $145,037 a year on travel training. This figure includes salaries, fringe benefits, sup- plies, outreach, and other expenses. From the coordinator’s perspective, there needs to be an overarching organization committed to the program and willing to financially support it; that is Via Mobility Services. In addition, there need to be actual funding sources—these included the Rose Foundation and federal sources of support at the beginning. They now also include funding through the contract with DRMAC and registration fees ($25/participant but not generally collected), as well as support from the United Way, the city of Boulder, Boulder County, and foundations. Many of these latter sources provide funding to the overall Via Mobility Services, which then allocates them among its many programs. Via Mobility Services also received money from the Colorado Department of Transportation for mobil- ity management but none of it goes to the travel training program. The travel training program had been receiving over $100,000 per year from its contract with RTD, and with its new contract, that will begin again. In addition, Via’s Travel Training Program recently became a vendor to provide services to the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabili- tation and Via has also been awarded federal funding (Sec- tion 5310 funds) to create a metro areawide program in 2014. Staffing resources for the travel training program include the coordinator who represents the travel training program as well as the larger organization, as well as two travel trainers, one of whom is Spanish speaking, and a grants/finance per- son for Via who works on program funding. Target Audience The target audience for the overall Travel Training Program is composed of older adults, people with disabilities, and low income individuals. Recent efforts have also focused on Latino older adults. Most of the participants in the program no longer drive themselves. Many continue to use paratransit as well as public transportation depending on the nature of the trip or the circumstances under which it is being taken. According to program staff, individuals within the target audience who participate in the one-on-one training tend to share certain personality traits such as being open to learning new things, adventurous, highly motivated, and in many cases characterized as “feisty” or “spunky.” Older adults participat- ing in the Seniors on the Move group outings participate for a variety of reasons including wanting specific information about the bus or just wanting to have something to do. In general, individuals who are good one-on-one travel training candidates are considered to be those who want to learn how to ride the bus, have one or a few specific destinations, can learn to follow a routine, can walk or wheel independently to a bus stop, and are able to communicate verbally, in writ- ing, or with a communication device. The extent of program focus on seniors depends on the program component, with Seniors on the Move aimed exclusively at seniors, while other program components target all of the above mentioned seg- ments. Older adults compose about one-third of participants in the ERP. Training Content There are a number of program components: • One-on-one travel training (ERP, GOB): The one-on- one training program includes several components. An in-home mobility skills assessment is conducted to assess hearing, vision, mobility, and cognition. Pre-trip planning is conducted to check the environment for bus stop/sidewalk accessibility, pedestrian crossings, and memorable land- marks. Customized hands-on travel training is provided that includes planning a trip using a route schedule and map, getting to the bus stop and preparing to board, getting on, paying the fare, recognizing landmarks and signaling to get off, transferring from one bus to another, using safe

38 pedestrian skills and stranger awareness, problem solv- ing such as missed connections, and understanding rights guaranteed by ADA. • Group training (Seniors on the Move): The group train- ing covers several topics including the benefits of public transit (bus and light rail); planning a trip; RTD’s trip planning services; fares (local regular and discount, chil- dren’s, express and regional); using transfers; issues at the bus stop; getting on the correct bus; requesting accommo- dations; requesting a stop; and disembarking. • Volunteer Bus Buddy Program (through partnership with DRMAC): The training is designed to assist organizations interested in establishing their own in-house program, who have a pool of volunteers to draw on, and want to assist the people they serve in learning how to use public transit. The training includes the following components: skills assessment, an overview of public transit, bus riding basics, overcoming travel barriers, an overview of rights/ accommodations, how to plan a trip, disability awareness, fares, light rail, and ongoing support. • Train the Trainer Program (through partnership with DRMAC): This training is designed for organizations that have the staff and financial resources to establish their own in-house travel training program to serve individuals who face significant barriers to using public transit. The train- ing includes the following topics: starting a travel train- ing program; overview of instruction models; disability awareness/first-person language; program documenta- tion; emergency procedures/ADA/Code of Ethics; profes- sional organizations and resources; medications and the impact on travel training; responsibilities and best prac- tices including program documentation (outreach efforts and contacts, trainee assessment and intake, follow-up survey, outcome measures, database management); travel training planning and step-by-step objectives; instruction strategies; skill identification; safety; field training; plan- ning a trip; environmental analysis; and scouting the route prior to training. Program Customization to Meet Audience Needs The one-on-one training program is customized in the fol- lowing way: an initial four-page trainee assessment form is completed in the participant’s home, by the trainer; a train- ing progress checklist is completed by the trainer during the training process (with additional forms completed if training requires more than 10 days); and a mobility training sum- mary is completed by the trainer upon training completion. Trainees are assigned to one of three categories in the sum- mary: successful (trainee demonstrates ability to confidently, competently, and safely use public transit independently— with specific destinations identified); conditionally success- ful (with conditional factors identified); or unsuccessful (trainee did not achieve the necessary skills for travel—with deficiencies identified). Total training hours and days are also recorded, as well as other information (e.g., who referred person, trainer comments, trainee quotes). Follow-up sur- veys are conducted with participants. The one-on-one train- ing is customized to the individual being trained, while still addressing the general content areas discussed earlier. The group training is customized based on the type and location of the organization or group of participants. Teaching Methods • One-on-one travel training: Teaching methods for the one-on-one training include a focus on the learning pro- cess (e.g., importance of planning and consistency, under- standing how learning occurs, identifying trainee learning styles); an in-home assessment; environmental analysis (path of travel, environmental barriers, physical barri- ers, special considerations for trainees with limited vision or hearing, social barriers, street and intersection cross- ing); trip planning (select the route taking into consider- ation destination, pedestrian skills, path of travel, routes/ transfers/intersections, time of day, accessibility, frequency of use, season/weather); scouting the route (trainer only); hands-on initial training for bus use (walking to and riding bus, returning home); follow-up hands-on training (gen- erally up to six trips with an average of two or three trips); assessment of basic travel skills (e.g., looking for trainee to demonstrate awareness of personal space and environment, ability to recognize and respond to unsafe conditions); field training strategies (modeling, role playing, verbal cueing/ rephrasing, physical prompting, fading, guided discovery, sensory learning); and a follow-up survey. • Group training: The group training involves a field trip on public transit to a specific location/activity (e.g., museum, shopping, or eating destination). Information is provided to participants during the course of the field trip, thus eliminating the need for classroom instruction. • Volunteer Bus Buddy Program: This program involves a full-day hands-on, one-on-one training. Trained volun- teers accompany riders and provide them with information and encouragement to build their skills and confidence. • Train the Trainer Program: This program consists of a 2-day comprehensive workshop. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach Via Mobility Services Travel Training Program partners with DRMAC, the regional transportation coordinating agency, to offer On the Move! This program provides travel training programming in the Denver metro area to serve older

39 adults and people with disabilities. The program consists of a classroom presentation (1 hour) on how to use public transit, followed by group outing on public transit (1 hour) to allow participants to practice what they learned in class. The specific content of the program is very similar to Via’s Seniors on the Move program (highlighted earlier). The program originally only worked with organizational staff but has been refocused to work directly with the clients of these organizations because of limited staff availability to participate. DRMAC has a full- time staff person who is able to devote about one-quarter of her time to outreach and following up on all travel training sessions, with help from the agency’s transportation research specialist. The partnership between Via and DRMAC has also resulted in the Volunteer Best Buddy Program which trains volunteers from various Denver area organizations to help older adults, people with disabilities, and low income individ- uals use public transit. Once trained, the volunteers accom- pany riders on transit to help them build skills and confidence in using public transit. In addition, a Train the Trainer Travel Training Instruction Program is offered which includes an intensive 2-day workshop for people interested in starting a travel instruction program. The workshop addresses issues such as considerations in designing a program, public transit instruction models, respectful communication and etiquette, medications and their effect on training, and issues related to travel training preparation, process, and strategies. Recently, one of Via’s travel training was independently awarded a grant to establish travel training options for Latino older adults in the Denver metro area. The travel trainer will receive a 2-year fellowship through the Colorado Latino Age Wave Initiative (CLAWI) to work with agencies and organiza- tions serving older adult Latinos to establish self-sustaining travel training programs. Via’s Travel Training Program also includes the Volunteer Transit Ambassador Program. As part of this program, indi- vidual volunteers at independent living communities provide peer outreach to older adults by informing them of travel training options and encouraging them to participate in ERP or Seniors on the Move. Transit ambassadors also plan out- ings known as “stealth travel training” to expose older adults to public transit options. Transit ambassadors receive a bus pass as a token of appreciation for their efforts. They are also provided with written materials that can be given to older adults interested in travel training (e.g., an Easy Rider Travel Instruction brochure) and copies of a “public transit ques- tionnaire” for older adults. Ambassadors are invited to an annual luncheon at a local restaurant. Outreach for the Seniors on the Move program occurs through letters and flyers sent to all senior centers and inde- pendent living communities. General outreach activities for Via’s overall travel training program include brochures (both general Via Mobility Services and specific travel train- ing), newsletters and presentations to agencies that have tra- ditionally referred people, and referrals from Via’s mobility specialist as appropriate. Also used but less successful have been paid advertisements, mass mailings to transit users, and representation at resource fairs. Results Primary Benefits of Travel Training for Riders The Via Mobility Services Travel Training Program identi- fies several benefits for individuals: freedom to travel sponta- neously, ability to travel independently, more transportation options, greater community involvement, increased con- fidence in travel abilities, and lower transportation costs. To assess the effects of the training on participants’ subse- quent mobility, follow-up surveys of participants are con- ducted each year. In 2012, one-third of participants surveyed reported having used public transit since they completed their training. Of those, 46% reported they get out more than they did prior to training, 60% reported that they are less dependent on family and friends for rides, and 26% reported less dependence on paratransit. A total of 67% of all respon- dents reported more choices of places they could go and 80% reported greater flexibility with their times of travel. Accord- ing to one of the travel trainers, travel training can change the entire demeanor of the participant by expanding their options for getting around, thereby increasing their inde- pendence, spontaneity, and quality of life. Several program staff emphasized that the most compelling evidence of suc- cess comes from individuals’ personal stories about how their quality of life has been impacted by the program. Primary Benefits of Travel Training for Public Transit Agencies Paratransit is considerably more expensive than public transit, so to the extent that people can move from the former to the latter, there can be substantial cost savings. Most pro- gram staff emphasized that the purpose of the training is to increase the number of options available to people rather than to “get them off” paratransit. At the same time, the training can benefit transit agencies by increasing the use of public transit and contributing to a mobility options philosophy (providing people with more options). Some participants reported infor- mally that they used both paratransit and public transit after completing the training, depending on the purpose of trips and conditions under which they were undertaken. Reasons for Success Via Mobility attributes the success of its programs to the following principles and attributes.

40 Personal Qualities of Trainers A common theme among staff was that the personal qual- ities of trainers are often more, or at least as, important as job experience or background. Trainers must be able to connect with participants. Personal traits of trainers such as empa- thy, likability, respect, patience, and kindness are central to this ability. Trainer credibility was also seen to be enhanced when the trainer was an actual transit user. Critical think- ing was considered to be important to trainer effectiveness and having established relationships in the transportation community was considered a bonus. It was also pointed out that trainers must be flexible, resilient, and calm, as they encounter unexpected changes in the real-world training environment. Strong Leadership The person leading the program makes a difference. Via’s Travel Training Coordinator is considered a dynamic leader with strong interpersonal skills, a passion for her work, and expertise in important areas related to the populations served including aging and disabilities. This is important because of the central role she plays in building and sus- taining relationships with key organizational stakeholders in the community, as well as working directly with program participants. Considering the Larger Context For example, for many people, getting to the grocery store is not the only issue; carrying the groceries home is a major challenge and often means taking multiple trips. To address this, grant funding was obtained to provide grocery carts to participants that could be taken on the bus. Recognizing and Appreciating Volunteers Volunteers, such as those who serve in the Transit Ambas- sador program, are highly valued and recognized for their efforts. Volunteers can play a critical role in reaching out to the wider community, especially when resources are scarce. Building and Maintaining Collaborative Relationships Collaborative relationships are critical to the success of the program because of the opportunity they afford to leverage resources as well as to continue to bring people in need into the program. These relationships are the necessary starting point for trust, something that is central to program success. Responsiveness to Changing Community Needs and Funding Sources Programs need to be flexible so that they take advantage of opportunities that arise in the community, as well as be respon- sive to the changing needs of the populations they serve. Competencies in a Full Range of Travel Training Services The program must include competencies in a full range of travel training services, including outreach, training of trainers, training of individuals, and other programs to meet constituents’ needs. Potential Challenges Like any lead organization in a major coordination effort, the Via Mobility Travel Training Program has faced some chal- lenges. The following issues were identified by program staff. Outreach Is Critical Program staff emphasized that “you cannot talk about travel training without talking about outreach.” Bringing people into the program is challenging for a number of rea- sons including the generally negative culture surrounding use of public transit; the stigma associated with asking for assis- tance; and limitations in funding and staffing that constrain the amount of outreach that needs to be done to sustain the program or allow it to grow. Successful Collaboration Requires Trust Developing trust with other agencies requires building and nurturing relationships with people. This takes time and effort. Reaching the People Who Need Transportation Is Often Challenging Individuals who need transportation are not necessar- ily found at the senior centers. Targeting program efforts to groups or organizations is economically feasible yet may miss many individuals who could benefit from the services. Certain Segments of the Target Audience Pose Special Challenges for Training Some segments of the population, such as persons with cognitive impairment or severe physical disabilities, can still use public transit, particularly if given appropriate training.

41 However, the training will necessarily need to be tailored to their particular situations. Adequate Infrastructure Is Needed Issues with the infrastructure of the public transit system in the community (e.g., having buses available, having bus stops that are accessible) may limit who can benefit from the travel training. For example, many of the functional ability losses that can lead older adults to give up driving can also preclude them from using public transit even if it is available. Continuity of Funding Is Not Ensured It is difficult to plan for the future or expand program efforts in the absence of stable and adequate sources of funding. Program Replicability Given the right mix of funding, personnel, and community needs, all aspects of Via’s Travel Training Program could be replicated. Resources needed for replication include strong leadership, trainers with the qualities described earlier, and an organizational infrastructure. Recommendations from the program coordinator for other communities interested in starting a travel training program included: • Meeting with representatives of senior centers and other stakeholder organizations to assess interest and support. • Determining where the program will reside. • Getting funding in place. • Taking advantage of resources/training on how to set up a program (e.g., Via provides a 2-day training). • Creating marketing information to bring people into the program. A recurring theme among program staff was the chal- lenge of effective outreach to attain sufficient participation: “you have to have a clientele to work with.” Via suggested that the program needs to be created within a larger organization which is either providing more general services to older adults or providing more general mobility services to the general population (like Via Mobility). Each community will have to find its best fit. An opportunity was also identified for com- munities starting a travel training program to forge an alli- ance with city transportation departments who are generally looking to increase bus ridership, as well as with nontradi- tional partners such as schools or jails. The issue of funding is an important one—it was recommended that communi- ties identify a funder who will make a multi-year commit- ment to ensure stability of funding. Finally, the importance of having the right person to run the program was stressed— recommended characteristics included being passionate for the work, having an outgoing personality, and having expert knowledge about the populations served (e.g., disabilities). Key Features Several features of the Via Mobility Services Travel Train- ing Program stand out. First, the program is comprehensive in nature, offering a broad array of travel training services. At the same time, the program is flexible enough to be able to accommodate and respond to changes in the needs of the populations it serves. Program staff are highly competent and dedicated to serving individual program participants and carrying out the mission of Via Mobility Services. In addi- tion, they recognize the importance of building and sustaining relationships with stakeholder organizations and agencies in the community, as a critical part of identifying and meeting the needs of their target service populations. Sources K. Murphey and S. Pressly (Eds.) (2013). Via Mobility for Life Employee Newsletter, January 2013. Boulder, CO: Via Mobility Services. Via Mobility Services. (2012). Travel Training (Brochure). Boulder, CO: Via Mobility Services. Via Mobility Services. (2012). Via Mobility for Life Travel Training News- letter, 78(2). Boulder, CO: Via Mobility Services. Via Mobility Services. (2013). Via Travel Training Website. URL: http:// viacolorado.org/services/travel-training/. Accessed May 14, 2013.

42 Organizational Background The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is an umbrella organization established by the state of Illinois for plan- ning and budget oversight of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace transit agencies. There is a Board of Directors who approves an annual budget and a two-year financial plan. The Board consists of 15 members and a chairman appointed from the six-county region. The RTA Board is also required to annually review and approve a five-year capital plan, which is a blueprint of the capital activities to be funded by the RTA and executed by the CTA, Metra, and Pace. The service area is both urban and rural, because it incorporates the city of Chicago and surround- ing suburban communities, but also stretches beyond the urban growth area to serve the rural portions of the six counties. The RTA Travel Training program provides outreach to more than 500 different private nonprofit organizations. The primary partnerships are with the CTA, Metra, Pace, and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. Program Start-Up The RTA created its travel training program in 1990 by establishing contracts with the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, three Centers for Independent Living, and a Com- munity Action Agency. Program start-up occurred in this fashion because the RTA valued the community connection to these services. In 2004, the decision was made to bring the travel train- ing program in-house. In 2005, the transition was completed. The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind remained a contrac- tor and still does travel training for RTA’s blind and visually impaired clients today. In 2013, the RTA decided to expand the travel training program to include non-ADA complementary paratransit applicants. Previously, travel training had been a part of the ADA paratransit application process and many people felt that they were required to participate in travel training even if they weren’t interested. This led to unproductive staff time and effort. Currently the program is performing outreach to seniors and people with disabilities with ADA paratransit RTA TRAVEL TRAINING PROGRAM REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY OF NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Program Name RTA Travel Training Program Date Established 1990 through community contracts, RTA brought in-house in 2005 Sponsoring Organization Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois Organization Type Public Transportation System, special purpose unit of local government and a municipal corporation of the State of Illinois. City, State Chicago, Illinois, and six surrounding counties Persons Trained 1993–2005: ADA Paratransit eligible clients. In 2013: expanded to include ADA paratransit eligible individuals as well as seniors and people with disabilities not qualifying for ADA paratransit eligibility Service Area Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties Service Area Population 8,000,000 Service Area Size (sq mi) 2,443 Data for Year Ending 2012 Persons Trained per Year 2,074; no separate record kept of seniors trained Annual Training Expenses $855,334—all were ADA paratransit eligible until 2013 Major Funding Sources RTA Operational Funds Partnering Agencies CTA, Pace, and Metra, and approximately 500 senior centers and social services agencies Key or Unique Factors Emphasis on Safety

43 certifications and those seniors who are not ADA eligible but could benefit from travel training. Program Operations The target audience for RTA’s travel training program has been ADA applicants for complementary paratransit services. The RTA has shifted from a program that identified people eligible for travel training through the ADA paratransit appli- cation process to identifying people through outreach. This new emphasis started in January 2013 and will probably increase the number of seniors being travel trained. In addi- tion, the entire program is paperless, which is beneficial but can also be challenging. Resources The RTA travel training program staff includes the Man- ager, the Travel Training Coordinator, and five Travel Trainers. In addition, the RTA contracts with the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind which employs paid Orientation and Mobility Instructors to provide travel training to RTA’s blind and visu- ally impaired clients. The RTA does not use any volunteers. The RTA travel training program has an annual budget of $855,334 shown below in Table 4-1. Program Components RTA’s travel training program includes two distinct one- on-one training programs and a group training program. • One-on-one travel training: In 2012, 150 customers received one-on-one travel training through two sepa- rate and distinct programs called the “Trip Training” program and “Individual Transit Orientation” training program. In the “Trip Training” program, Travel Trainers help teach program participants specific trips to loca- tions they would like to travel to on a regular basis. In the “Individual Transit Orientation” program, Travel Trainers provide an individualized orientation to the transit sys- tem through a series of practice trips to increase com- fort in using the fixed route system. The least amount of time to train an individual was 12 hours, while the longest was 174.5 hours. The average time an individual spends in training is about 44 hours. In the “Trip Train- ing” Program, the travel trainers train an individual on up to three specific trips and work with the individual until they can do the trips with no assistance. The trainer lets the client do a trip alone while trailing the client, incognito. Once they are sure the individual can do the trip alone, they move on to train a second trip. While ini- tially participants can learn up to three trips, more can be added later if the participant uses the trips he or she learned. In the “Individual Transit Orientation” program, the Travel Trainers will work with participants who sim- ply need an orientation to the transit system in order to use it independently. A Travel Trainer will practice using the system with participants until they become comfort- able and understand how to plan accessible trips. Trainers can also bring people who use mobility devices to a bus garage or train yard to practice boarding and alighting transit vehicles before practicing trips in live service. The flow chart for the one-on-one Travel Training programs is shown in Figure 4-1. • Group Training is RTA’s primary method to approach non- ADA paratransit clients. Group training sessions are held at Expense Item 2013 Budget Salaries—Travel Training $349,112 Salary Increase $10,535 Fringe Benefit Allocation—Travel Training $240,725 Travel Expense—ADA Travel Training $36,700 Business Expense—ADA Travel Training $800 Translation/Interpreter Services—ADA Travel Training $2,500 Purchased Services—ADA Travel Training $32,300 Parking Coupons for Travel Trainers $6,000 IT Allocation $52,384 Office Services Allocation—Travel Training $114,278 Total Planning Dept. Travel Training Expenses $845,334 Printing - ADA Travel Training $10,000 Total Other Dept. Travel Training Program Support $10,000 Total Travel Training Program Expense $855,334 Table 4-1. RTA travel training 2013 budget.

44 community agencies that serve people with disabilities and seniors. The group trainings consist of: – A general introduction about the three RTA service pro- viders: Metra, CTA, and Pace. – A PowerPoint presentation that discusses the services and also shows how to ride. – A description of fares and how to pay—in different ways. – A discussion on accessibility features on buses and trains. – Information on how to plan trips on buses and trains. – A discussion about transit safety: how to use the service in a safe manner and what to do if problems arise. – How to sign up for one-on-one training to learn more. • The RTA has one trainer who performs these presentations. The program functions best in small group presentations of 20 to 25 people, but groups of more than 80 people have been accommodated. The presentations explain the RTA travel options and address safety and operational issues. Other common topics include how to pay the fare, how to ride, how to inform the driver of desired stops, and other issues. There are different training methods used for the one-on- one training and the group training. The two one-on-one training programs are designed to offer training to people of various abilities, and include very intensive one-on-one activ- ity. Their one-on-one process includes a very specific indi- vidual plan, which lends itself to a good evaluation process. The group training consists of orientation to RTA, Pace, and Metra. The Travel Trainer discusses how to ride: topics include fare collection, boarding and alighting, safety, and rights and responsibilities. In addition, during the presen- tation the trainer answers questions and offers individual attention after the presentation. There are many handouts and a PowerPoint presentation. There is a waiting list of 3 to 4 months for the one-on-one “Trip Training” program and 1 month for the “Individual Transit Orientation” program. The Group Transit Orienta- tion program operates without a waiting list. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach The primary partners with RTA’s travel training program are the CTA, Pace, and Metra. They also have a contract with Outreach Acvies To paratransit customers at Community Agencies. Referral Aer screening refer to RTA or Lighthouse database. Pre-Training Assessment TT Coordinator meets with Trainee for assessment and to assign to appropriate mode of training. Environmental Assessment Trainer assesses travel path and documents barriers. Field Sessions Orienta
on Program: --Boarding and aligh
ng bus. --Prac
ce on different modes. --Orienta
on to fixed route one-on-one program. --Repe

ve prac
ce trips. --Prac
ce safety and judgment skills. Follow-Up Follow-up completed by TT Coordinator at 6 months and 1 year. Classroom Goals set for training. Classroom training teaches transit skills needed for independent travel. Assignment Cases assigned when a travel trainer has an opening in his/her caseload. Waing List TT Coordinator assigns trainee to wait list. Trainee receives monthly updates. Final TT Meeng Review goals and sign off on goal sheets. Discuss closing and follow-up process with trainee. Closing Trainer completes closing report. Figure 4-1. RTA travel training process diagram.

45 the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind that provides the travel training for RTA’s blind or visually impaired travel train- ing participants. The RTA also has contacts at more than 500 social services and human services organizations in order to perform program outreach. Results The primary benefits for the participants include increased flexibility, the ability to come and go whenever they want to travel, and cost savings, because a one-way ADA paratransit trip costs $3.00, while a one-way fixed route trip is a reduced fare of $1.00 or sometimes free. In addition, RTA has found that generally the more the riders use fixed route transit, the more they are comfortable with it. The program conducts 6-month and 1-year follow-up sur- veys in order to track the participants’ continued use of fixed route transit post-training. In addition, the RTA staff has designed a travel log that they ask the training participants to complete pre- and post-training to attempt to quantify mode shifts from ADA paratransit to fixed route services as a result of training. The trainers are very involved with each trainee and keep close contact with either the family or the case worker. There are constant, ongoing assessments throughout the training process. Each trainee has specific goals tailored to his/her training needs and the trainers continuously monitor progress toward the participants’ goals. The Travel Trainers reported that many of the trainees start out thinking they can’t use fixed route public transportation and end up with a better self-image and feeling confident using fixed route by the end of training. This is a benefit that is very difficult to quantify. RTA senior management routinely requests data to quan- tify the benefits of the program, and the Travel Training staff has struggled to determine sound quantifiers other than par- ticipant’s self-reported transit mode use. On the RTA fixed route system, because fixed route ridership tracking is not possible, it is difficult to track ridership on various modes of transit pre- and post-training. In response, the RTA has assigned one staff member in the Planning Department to explore new ways to quantify success of the program. Reasons for Success While it is hard to isolate particular reasons for success, the following factors seem to be important: • All but one of the travel trainers come from a social services background. The other trainer comes from a rehabilitation background. • The RTA Board is supportive. • The one-on-one training is very intensive. • The work is done in-house with RTA employees, which makes management of the program easier. Potential Challenges The early results of the non-ADA outreach have been dis- appointing, but the outreach program started in January 2013, so it is currently too early to form conclusions about this outreach effort. Program Replicability The RTA has many forms that could be used, after modifi- cations, for local conditions. See Sources below. RTA offered three recommendations for new programs: • The use of trainers with a social services background is helpful. • Emphasize the safety aspects of using fixed route transit services. • Study other programs and collect peer-to-peer informa- tion before you begin a new travel training program. Sources A. RTA Travel Trainer Job Descriptions B. RTA Travel Training Program Procedural Manual C. RTA Travel Training Program Pre-referral Screening Form D. RTA Travel Training Program Goal Sheet E. RTA Travel Training Assessment Report F. RTA Travel Training Six-month Follow-up Survey G. RTA Travel Training One-year Follow-up Survey H. RTA Travel Training Program Trip Log

46 Organizational Background NJTIP, Inc. was formed in 2007 as a private nonprofit orga- nization specifically to offer travel instruction in New Jersey. The mission of NJTIP, Inc. is “to teach persons with dis- abilities, senior citizens and other transportation disadvan- taged populations to use public transportation as a means to increase independence and self-sufficiency.” In 2013 NJTIP Inc. became part of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center in the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and became NJTIP @ Rutgers (NJTIP). Program Start-Up Small and Associates, Inc. managed a pilot travel training program funded by New Jersey Transit (NJ TRANSIT) from April 1, 2005, through June 30, 2007. Detailed information NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY NJTIP @ RUTGERS RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY Program Name NJTIP @ Rutgers Date Established 2007 Sponsoring Organization Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Organization Type State University Program City, State New Brunswick, NJ Persons Trained Seniors, people with disabilities Service Area Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union Counties Service Area Population 4,176,796 Service Area Size (Sq Mi) 1,469 Data for Year Ending 2012 Seniors Trained per Year Approximately 23 customers receive one-on-one travel training per year, about 10% of which are seniors, or about 3 per year; does not include group trainings or orientations. Current data for seniors not available. Most estimates provided by NJTIP include seniors and individuals with disabilities. Annual Training Expenses Total funding for NJTIP @ Rutgers is $550,000. They estimate that 15% is dedicated to seniors, or about $82,500. One NJTIP trainer is dedicated to working with seniors. Major Funding Sources NJ TRANSIT (for seven counties), New Freedom (for three counties) Partnering Agencies NJ TRANSIT and local sponsors Key or Unique Factors Developed based on the model of another training program (The Kennedy Center, Inc.) and adapted for conditions in New Jersey. Seniors constitute less than 10% of one-on-one trainees, although group senior training and train the trainer programs provide additional and potentially more productive outreach to the senior population. Program ownership transferred to a university-based research center in 2013 to ensure sustainability.

47 about the pilot was provided in a final report by Small and Associates, which operated the pilot and eventually established NJTIP as a nonprofit organization. All of the information pro- vided herein about the pilot is from the pilot study final report (Small and Associates, 2007), unless otherwise noted. The pilot took place in NJ TRANSIT’s Region 5, Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union Counties, and was run by Small and Associates, Inc. with assistance from The Kennedy Cen- ter, Inc. NJ TRANSIT provided training and guidance about how transit operates, which Small and Associates reported was the key to the development and successful implementa- tion of NJTIP. The Kennedy Center role involved managing initial development, training travel instructors, and evaluat- ing first year outcomes. According to the Small and Associates report on the pilot, “the pilot helped NJ TRANSIT under- stand their customers’ level of demand for travel instruction services and to evaluate the effectiveness of travel instruction in teaching customers the skills needed to ride the fixed route system safely and independently. It also tested whether cus- tomers could be redirected from the ADA paratransit system into the less costly fixed route system.” Of the 694 customers that received an in-person or tele- phone introduction to NJTIP during the pilot, 128 (18%) were interested enough to schedule an intake interview in their homes. Fifty-eight customers started travel instruction and 49 (84%) graduated. All of the graduates continued to ride the fixed route vehicles during the 9-month follow-up period. Small and Associates conducted a telephone survey of graduates and found that NJTIP was helpful in redirecting customers away from paratransit and onto the fixed route sys- tem. The survey of 40 graduates found that they were making an average of 218 round trips per week on the fixed route sys- tem (primarily buses) compared to 47 round trips per week on Access Link, the NJ TRANSIT ADA paratransit system. According to Barbara Small, NJTIP’s founding director, all of the participants in the travel training pilot were ADA appli- cants. Seniors constituted 18% of the individuals with dis- abilities who participated in the pilot program, six of whom were aged 60 to 69, and three of whom were age 70 plus. Ms. Small indicated that many of the potential senior partici- pants were too frail to be eligible for travel training. NJTIP reported that seniors (with a variety of disabilities) needed the least instruction of all participants in the pilot. Seniors averaged 4.9 training sessions to master the travel training skills. The pilot final report includes capsules describing the experience of each participant, including those over age 60 (Small and Associates, 2007). The cost of the just over 2-year pilot program was $350,843. This cost included all development and operational costs. Once the program matured, the cost per customer contact hour was approximately $72. According to Ms. Small, resources included a program manager, two to three travel instructors, and a mar- keting coordinator. The resources needed to serve senior par- ticipants cannot be isolated since the pilot project was intended to serve individuals with disabilities, including, as noted, those who are older adults. According to Ms. Small, the two significant obstacles to training senior participants were finding host sites interested in participating in group travel training for fixed routes and convincing older adults that fixed route service is a valid alternative to automobiles. New Jersey is a car-oriented state, and convincing individuals to utilize public transit that have been dependent on their cars, or on transportation by others with cars, can be a difficult task. The evaluation recommended that the NJTIP program be incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization with a Board of Directors to guide and assist further devel- opment, and to facilitate fundraising from foundations and other sources. The program has now been expanded to seven counties from the original five counties that participated in the pilot project. Program Operations Program Description The NJTIP website (NJTIP, 2013) provides fairly complete descriptions of the NJTIP program components. Much of the content that follows is from those descriptions. NJTIP programs serve seniors, people with disabilities, students in special education, and social services professionals. The NJTIP mission is accomplished by providing four types of services: • One-on-one travel instruction. • Small group (maximum 15 persons) travel familiarization that is largely focused on seniors. • Connect to transit seminars for social services profession- als and volunteers. • Public and private in-school travel training classes. These classes are not described in more detail because they are not relevant to older adults. One-on-one travel training instruction teaches individuals how to use the public bus and rail systems so they can travel independently and safely. As NJTIP notes (NJTIP, 2013), being able to ride public transportation increases employment and educational opportunities, promotes community involvement, and enhances self-sufficiency. NJTIP one-on-one training par- ticipants receive: • A personal travel instructor who escorts them on the bus or train to teach participants to travel safely and independently. • Individualized instruction in travel skills, which may include program content described below.

48 • Assistance in researching travel routes and schedules. • A free one-month bus pass upon graduation. Eligibility under the NJTIP grant from NJ TRANSIT includes having a disability other than a visual impairment; living within the Access Link paratransit service area in Ber- gen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union Counties, and being an Access Link rider or applicant. (NJTIP, 2013). The Small Group Travel Training Program supplements the original one-on-one travel instruction service. This training is appropriate for senior citizens and persons with disabilities who do not need intensive personalized training. For small group travel training, NJTIP works with a partner agency such as a residence for senior citizens, a senior center, or an independent living center for persons with disabilities. The partner agency recruits individuals who are interested in learning to use public transportation and NJTIP provides the training. The Connect to Transit Training Program teaches profes- sionals and volunteers from social services agencies, schools, and senior residences how to become informed advocates for public transportation, so they can better assist their clients, students, and residents with navigating the public trans- portation network. The seminars are specifically geared to using NJ TRANSIT bus and rail systems. The Connect to Tran- sit Training Program may benefit seniors to the extent that human services and community services professionals who work with seniors may participate in the training, become more informed about public transportation and the avail- ability of travel training, and become more willing to recom- mend travel training to seniors with whom they work. Resources Total funding for NJTIP is $550,000. NJTIP estimates that about 15% of that total funding is dedicated to seniors, or about $82,500. One NJTIP trainer is dedicated to working with seniors. This individual provides group training, group orientations, and one-on-one training as needed. NJTIP does not use volunteers. Program Components and Approaches For one-on-one instruction, the program teaches indi- viduals how to use the public bus and/or rail systems so they can travel independently throughout the state. Travel instruc- tion is personalized and customized to meet individual needs identified during a pre-screening process. One-on-one travel instruction has five components: • Outreach: NJTIP staff contact individuals who apply for Access Link to discuss travel instruction as an additional option. Participating in NJTIP travel instruction does not affect Access Link eligibility; customers can use both services. • Intake Interview: Travel instructors interview customers in person to learn about travel goals, prior travel experi- ence, and travel instruction needs. The interview is usually at the customer’s home so that family and counselors may participate to share information, ask questions, and voice any concerns. • Route Check: Before taking the customer out for instruc- tion, the travel instructor determines how to travel to the customer’s chosen destination. The instructor evaluates whether this is an appropriate route by walking and riding the route from the customer’s door to the destination and back. The instructor will look for any environmental barriers or travel conditions that could impact the customer’s trip. • One-on-One Travel Instruction: The customer and travel instructor ride the route until the customer masters all skills needed for safe and independent travel. The number of travel instruction sessions varies depending on individ- ual needs: some customers need two round-trip sessions, others may need 30. In order to graduate, the participant must demonstrate mastery of 27 travel skills. Training con- tent addresses issues related to traffic, vehicle, and personal safety; trip planning; travel etiquette; emergency proce- dures; and self-advocacy. • Follow-Up and Retraining: After customers graduate from the program, they are followed for 9 months. NJTIP staff members call graduates at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 9-month intervals to determine how often the customer is traveling, if they are experiencing any difficulties, and whether or not there is a need for additional training. Small Group Travel Training has two components: • Small groups of 10–15 individuals participate in two class- room sessions which include a trip to a local destination. • Participants take one or two additional trips with the instructor to destinations of their choosing so they can master these routes and travel them on their own. In addition to teaching travel skills, Small Group Travel Training benefits participants by helping them develop “travel buddy” relationships so they can travel with a com- panion and it encourages participation in local community activities. Examples of NJTIP Small Group Travel Training include: • NJTIP has trained 439 senior citizens and people with dis- abilities in Middlesex County. Training included using the County Shuttle buses and NJ TRANSIT buses and trains. • In cooperation with United Jewish Communities (UJC) of MetroWest NJ (Essex County), 499 senior citizens

49 attended NJTIP travel familiarization classes from 2009 through December 2012. NJTIP forms partnerships with agencies that work with seniors, including senior apartment complexes and indepen- dent living complexes focused specifically on seniors. NJTIP believes that if you can get seniors to travel together they are much more likely to go out and use public transportation. Area Offices on Aging are another partner with whom they’ve worked. UJC of MetroWest Jewish Community Housing Cor- poration has also worked with them at some of their locations. Connect to Transit Seminars include: • A half-day course that covers travel basics such as under- standing schedules, calculating and paying fares, emergency preparedness, and trip planning resources. • A full-day course includes a classroom portion that cov- ers travel basics and a field trip on a NJ TRANSIT bus so that participants can practice the topics discussed in the classroom portion. More than 268 social services professionals have been trained through December 2012. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach In addition to partnering with NJ TRANSIT, NJTIP reg- ularly reaches out to and partners with agencies that serve seniors, housing projects with senior residents, and Area Offices on Aging. The Connect to Transit Training Program provides information about the benefits of travel training to profes- sionals, a portion of whom work with older adults. The NJTIP Board of Directors includes representatives from some of the partnering organizations. Everyone at NJTIP markets the program even though one staff person conducts the train- ings with older adults, including group trainings. NJTIP has limited its outreach efforts to the seven counties where it has been providing services under the NJ TRANSIT grant. How- ever, part of the motivation for partnering with the Voorhees Center at Rutgers University was to expand program outreach beyond the seven counties. The Voorhees Center website has been updated to include descriptions and contact information for the NJTIP program and its staff. NJTIP staff believe there is a growing need for travel training services throughout New Jersey, especially for senior group training, and are eagerly seeking and pursuing funding opportunities in that regard. Results Detailed information on results was available for the one- on-one training program, but results were not available for seniors as a subgroup. From 2005 to 2011, 223 individuals graduated from one- on-one training (NJ TRANSIT, 2012). NJTIP does follow-up with graduates, including four phone calls over the course of the first year at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. Follow-up calls focus on use of transportation, problems identified, any need for retraining, and additional support needed. Use of transit is self-reported and, based on the follow-up calls, 75% of graduates continued to travel by fixed route buses and trains in the year after graduation. Graduates use regular bus and train services three times more often than they use Access Link. NJ TRANSIT conducted a survey of NJTIP graduates in 2011. NJ TRANSIT asked highly detailed questions about travel locations and use. They analyzed transit usage of 185 NJTIP graduates, and a total of 90 valid surveys were returned from 185 graduates for a 49% response rate. NJ TRANSIT found that graduates took 62,000 trips in 2011 on NJ TRANSIT vehicles, including paratransit. Per capita transit trips prior to travel training averaged 97 trips a year. After graduation, participants took 414 trips per year, an increase of more than 400%. Annual trips were calculated for each graduate, along with trip purpose, mode, revenue, cost, and savings per graduate. Calculations were compiled to find total realized returns extra- polated for all program graduates, as illustrated in Table 4-2. The study concluded that NJTIP increased NJ TRANSIT’s farebox revenue and resulted in savings in Access Link costs for a total of $234,000 annually. NJTIP thus covers its expenses and has a positive return of 17%. NJTIP increased transit ridership by over 62,000 trips in 2011. Return on investment is expected to increase annually as the number of graduates increases. NJTIP improves the economy by allowing trained residents with disabilities to travel to work and other loca- tions. Total per capita transit trips increased from 97 to 414 for NJTIP graduates, an increase of more than 400%. The study did not provide subgroup demographics, so conclu- sions cannot be drawn from the study whether or not the trip results for seniors with disabilities were consistent with Annual Measure Total Total Additional Trips after Graduation 62,316 Return per Dollar Spent Annually $1.17 Total Revenue from New Transit Trips $92,432 Total Savings from Diverted Access Link Trips $141,449 Total Annual Funding Cost $200,000 Total Annual Realized Return after Graduation $233,881 Source: NJ TRANSIT, 2012 Table 4-2. NJ TRANSIT survey of NJTIP one-on-one training graduates.

50 overall study results. It is unlikely that seniors had as many trips as other individuals with disabilities since many seniors would be retired and therefore would not have work-related commuting trips included in their results. As far as NJTIP knows the study was a one-time occur- rence, and NJTIP is not aware of any plans to do a follow-up study. In interviews, NJTIP staff indicated that they get much positive, anecdotal feedback from partners about the ben- efits of the program for seniors. The former Director of Elder Care for the Jewish Family Services of MetroWest is a board member of NJTIP and a staunch supporter of their programs. Both she and the travel trainer responsible for the senior pop- ulation provided examples of successful trainees. The former Director of Elder Care indicated that NJTIP is reaching just “the tip of the iceberg” with their senior programs. She is a big supporter of NJTIP’s group training as a way to reach more seniors and increase their independence through use of fixed route transit. The founding director of NJTIP indicated that the evi- dence from their follow-up calls regarding continued use of fixed route transit is evidence of success. The NJ TRANSIT study provided evidence of the benefits for NJTIP graduates, NJTIP itself, and NJ TRANSIT by documenting increased ridership among graduates, documenting cost savings for NJ TRANSIT while still providing paratransit transportation when needed, and demonstrating that NJTIP’s financial ben- efits to the system were greater than the cost of the program by 17%. Reasons for Success The NJTIP program is successful, in part, because a proven existing program from The Kennedy Center, Inc. could be adapted for use by another jurisdiction. Also, NJTIP’s part- nerships with NJ TRANSIT, the towns in the seven-county service area, and social services agencies that work with seniors are continuing to provide forums for NJTIP to pro- vide travel training to seniors. While the one-on-one train- ing is limited under the terms of the NJ TRANSIT grant to individuals with a disability, NJTIP has adapted by offering group training to broaden exposure of travel training for seniors and connect to transit orientations for social services professionals and volunteers. NJTIP’s ability to ensure their sustainability by negotiating to become part of the Voorhees Center at Rutgers University is evidence of sound fiscal and educational practices, and a ringing endorsement of the pro- gram’s potential. The Center’s Director and a Center research associate indicated in an interview that they expect additional evaluation opportunities and an expansion of the program scope because the Center emphasizes both applied and theo- retical research and support for sound professional practices. Potential Challenges While the change in management could have been a chal- lenge, it appears that both NJTIP and the Voorhees Center are aware of the challenges with such a transition and have taken those challenges into account during the transition period. NJTIP and its Board exercised remarkable due diligence in the process of selecting a new partner, and even participated in a competitive process and review before selecting to con- tract with the Voorhees Center. Continuing to obtain funding was also seen as a challenge, but the stability of Rutgers Uni- versity as an operational base is thought by both NJTIP and Voorhees Center to be a strength of the partnership. As with other northeastern U.S. programs, NJTIP indi- cated that getting seniors to give up their automobiles is an ongoing challenge, as is the impact that winter has on their ability to do cold weather training. They indicated that the ready availability of transit routes and options has helped with outreach in some communities, and they look forward to expanding training beyond the seven counties where they have historically offered services. Another noted challenge was coordination across political jurisdictions and transit agencies, particularly in terms of scheduling, route connec- tions, and fare media. Program Replicability The NJTIP program itself is evidence of the ability to repli- cate a program and customize it for the needs of the commu- nities that it serves. It is apparent that having an experienced program staff, such as Jonathan Rubell from The Kennedy Center, participate in the development and transition of the new program was helpful. NJTIP management indicated that while the basics of travel training are not unique, finding the right mix of funding opportunities, partnerships, and transit options needs to be location specific. NJTIP encourages other jurisdictions to conduct a pilot to refine their model and to develop interest and attract funding and institutional part- ners. They strongly recommend that seniors be involved in the development of programs, and indicated that some pro- grams have a senior advisory committee. The former direc- tor regretted that they did not have seniors involved initially to advise them, meaning that the program had to learn and adapt as they went along. The travel trainer emphasized the importance of having partners who are entrenched in the senior community. He indicated that more follow-up with former participants is recommended, as is finding opportu- nities to provide “freebies” to trainees by approaching local businesses that would benefit from increased senior transit riders. He recommended that such businesses provide dis- counts or other giveaways (e.g., pens, reusable shopping bag) as an incentive for seniors to participate while providing advertising opportunities for partners.

51 NJTIP staff believes that at least one person is needed full- time to operate the small group component of the program, although it is helpful to have two trainers available if there is a large group. They also recommended that group training be conducted between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. since buses are less crowded at that time and it will be less stressful for the participants. It is helpful to have a second person who can focus on marketing and one-on-one travel training. Travel trainers also need to be enthusiastic about public transporta- tion and use it themselves for a program to be effective. Sources NJTIP. (2013). NJTIP: New Jersey Travel Independence Program Homepage. Downloaded from http://www.NJTIP.org/ on March 29, 2013. NJTIP @ Rutgers (2013). NJTIP @ Rutgers webpage. http://policy. rutgers.edu/vtc/NJTIP/ NJ TRANSIT. (2012). NJTIP Graduate Survey. Newark, NJ: NJ TRANSIT. Small and Associates. (2007). NJTIP-The New Jersey Travel Indepen- dence Program: Pilot Program Final Report. Livingston, NJ: Small and Associates.

52 Organizational Background Ride Connection is a nonprofit community service organi- zation founded in 1986 that offers transportation assistance, now including income assistance on a temporary basis, to persons with disabilities and seniors without alternative transportation. Ride Connection serves a three-county area, including Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas Coun- ties. The service area is both urban and rural; it incorporates Portland and surrounding suburban communities but also stretches beyond the urban growth area to serve the rural portions of the three counties. The organization prides itself on an ongoing commitment to identifying transportation needs and filling them. Ride Connection has extremely strong support from TriMet, the local public transit authority. In fact, the idea for Ride Connection originated within TriMet. Ride Connec- tion has developed partnerships with more than 30 separate partner agencies in the area, including adult and senior cen- ters, mental health clinics, health care providers, community centers, health and rehabilitation centers, independent living resource centers, denominational community organizations, the YMCA, private taxi services, private transportation pro- viders, and other community organizations. Program Start-Up Ride Connection started the RideWise program in 2004 as a result of an internal review at TriMet known as the Pro- ductivity Improvement Plan that examines every TriMet program. Ride Connection did a national survey of travel training programs that determined that the most successful programs were closely tailored to local community charac- teristics. Resources to start the program were provided by TriMet using FTA Section 5310 funds which were matched by TriMet funds. Initial concerns that needed to be addressed centered on changing cultural expectations: the travel train- ing program needed to be seen as more than an offshoot of the ADA paratransit services and concern about the expense of travel training needed to be offset by a clear demonstration of the benefits of the program. RIDEWISE RIDE CONNECTION PORTLAND, OREGON Program Name RideWise Date Established 2004 Sponsoring Organization Ride Connection Organization Type Private nonprofit corporation City, State Portland, OR Persons Trained Older adults and persons with disabilities Service Area Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas Counties, OR Service Area Population 1,645,251 Service Area Size (sq mi) 3,075 Data for Year Ending June 2012 Persons Trained per Year In the 2012 Fiscal Year, 1,509 individuals received travel training including 235 who received one-on-one training Annual Training Expenses $480,110 Major Funding Sources Federal Transit Administration (FTA) JARC program, TriMet, STF (state cigarette tax revenue) Partnering Agencies Public transit agency (TriMet) and multiple agencies and senior centers Key or Unique Factors Close relationship with public transit. Extensive follow-up. Person- centered social services model of mobility management.

53 Program Operations Program Description The RideWise program teaches older adults and people with disabilities to travel independently and safely on all forms of public transportation, as well as other forms of transporta- tion. It employs a person-centered social services model based on increasing individual independence. They are looking for “the least restrictive, most empowering solution.” Their over- arching goal is to link people to services, to open up a person’s world to the possibilities available to them. A related goal is to maintain independent living at the trainee’s current residence for as long as possible. The services are provided at no charge for those who qualify. Resources The RideWise program has nine full-time positions, one of which is open at this time. The program’s annual budget is $480,000. RideWise Volunteers designated as Ride Ambassadors, Tran- sit Advocates, and Co-presenters contributed 1,295.75 hours of service in FY 2012 by providing expertise in leading group trips and committee work and in support of the program’s outreach efforts. RideWise closed the FY 2012 year with 40 volunteers: 22 Ride Ambassadors, four Co-presenters, 10 Transit Advocates, and four RideWise Work Group members. Program Components The RideWise program offers a wide range of services tai- lored to meet each individual’s specific needs and ability level. • One-on-one travel training is Ride Connection’s short- term, practical, and individualized instruction to teach older adults and people with disabilities to travel safely and independently using public transportation. Each of the 235 one-on-one trainees in 2012 received an average of 12.8 hours of travel instruction. • Group travel training is available for people receiving sup- port through transition programs, older adult residential facilities, community centers, and more. These outings are designed to encourage the use of public transportation by choosing a familiar destination. The training is designed to be in a social, relaxed environment for customers to “learn the ropes.” • Riders Club trips are designed to give Ride Connection’s customers more opportunities to become comfortable with the public transit system by creating fun adventures that include riding fixed route to and from the destination. Activity directors at residential facilities and senior centers coordinate these regularly scheduled trips. • The vehicle familiarization service is designed for indivi- duals new to a mobility device who need assistance and practical experience boarding TriMet buses and MAX rail cars. This training takes place when the vehicles are not in service. Approach to Travel Training Older adults (60 years of age or older) or persons with a disability who live in Multnomah, Clackamas, or Washing- ton County can request travel training. Ride Connection is positioned, like an information and referral model, as the first point of contact for the training. Training is tailored to meet personal needs and abilities. About 20% of persons in the RideWise program’s one-on-one training are seniors. Seniors often take less time to train than persons with disabilities: the largest issue for seniors seems to be reducing their anxieties about using public transportation. RideWise training proceeds in these steps: 1. The sequence of activities begins with a referral (from a social services agency, family members, neighbors, or others) that identifies a person who may need travel assistance. 2. Beginning in December 2012, all new Ride Connection customers are then routed through a travel coach. 3. The majority of travel training referrals come directly to the travel training staff who then handle these referrals. Other referrals for travel training services are received through travel options counseling with a travel coach. A new data management system uses an updated assessment tool designed to explore available transportation options with new customers based on that customer’s specific needs, ability level, proximity to transit, and their wishes and trans- portation goals. When travel training is selected as the rec- ommended level of service, the RideWise staff sets up an appointment with the person in their own home with the RideWise travel trainer to conduct an initial interview. Per- sons entering service through the travel coaching process always receive travel options counseling as the first service that is provided. 4. If it is determined that the individual should be recom- mended for travel training, the next step is to decide what that training should involve. 5. If the person is recommended for one-on-one training, they are assigned to a RideWise travel trainer who first assesses potential trips by walking and riding the route from the customer’s door to the destination and back to look for any environmental barriers or travel conditions that could impact the customer’s trip. The travel trainer next creates a written plan for proceeding, provides information, and

54 practices transit use with the trainee, whose understand- ing and use of the transit system is assessed. 6. A formal evaluation of the skills of each trainee is con- ducted before each case is closed. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach Ride Connection’s key partner in the RideWise program is TriMet, the local transit agency. Over many years, Ride Con- nection and TriMet have forged an extremely close and pro- ductive working relationship which has proved to be greatly beneficial to both organizations. Other key partners include human services providers, volunteers, travel trainers, and the community as a whole. They want to teach people to talk about ability and that paratransit is not always the answer. Results Ride Connection’s programs have evolved over time from a focus on training persons to use fixed route public transit ser- vices to a program that emphasizes a mobility management perspective involving all modes of travel. This is consistent with TriMet’s adoption of a mobility management focus, but Ride Connection has more of a “one customer at a time” emphasis. RideWise conducts post-training follow-up evaluations of each of the successful independent travelers in the one-on- one training program at 3 and 6 months after their training. For the group trainings offered in the Riders Clubs, RideWise uses follow-up mail surveys. One-on-One Training There has been more than a ten-fold growth in the number of persons receiving one-on-one training since the program began, as shown in Figure 4-2 below. The RideWise program recorded 235 successful independent travelers during FY2012. This is a 3.5% increase from the previous year. The rate of growth of the program has slowed in recent years but is still positive. Twenty persons did not complete the training in the 2011–2012 program year. Forty-nine of the 235 one-on-one trainees were 60 years of age or older and more than one-half of the trainees were residents of Multnomah County. Reported Success Rate. Individuals who completed the entire one-on-one training process became successful inde- pendent travelers 92.6% of the time. The average number of annual trips per successful trainee was 223.3. RideWise uses a Progressive Evaluation of Travel Skills form; each trainee needs to “acquire all skills and concepts listed . . . and be able to demonstrate 100% proficiency in each skill” in order to graduate from the program. Two participants were reported as unsuccessful; these two are included in the 20 who did not complete training. Unsuccessful training occurs when it becomes apparent that a trainee is lacking the minimum skill sets needed to be a safe, independent traveler. Follow-up Evaluations. Post-training follow-up evalu- ations were attempted for each of the 235 successful inde- pendent travelers at the 3- and 6-month intervals. RideWise considers information gleaned from the follow-up evalua- tions to be the best indicator of program success. Trainees can ask for additional training if needed. All of Ride Connection’s programs now conduct satisfaction surveys of participants 1 year after they start participating in a program. Group Training Classroom Training. In support of the Riders’ Club program element, RideWise also conducted classroom-type trainings to familiarize older adults with fixed route transpor- tation. This occurred on 22 occasions with 466 older adults participating. These trainings are on-site with residents of older adult living communities and are a routine prelude to establishing future Riders’ Club trips. Figure 4-2. Independent travelers each year, RideWise program.

55 Riders’ Clubs. A Riders’ Club transit orientation, led by volunteer Ride Ambassadors, is an enjoyable way for older adults to gain the needed familiarity and confidence to travel independently, using a fixed route service, should they decide to do so. Riders Club programs and trips can be highly tailored to the specific attributes of the local community. During FY 2012, 751 Riders’ Club participants from 20 groups took 107 different trips. Destinations included farmers’ markets, Rose Parade Float construction tours, IKEA, and concerts. Lunch is typically included as part of the excursion. The destinations were selected by participants or on-site activities directors. Comments provided by survey respondents continued to be overwhelmingly positive. Riders’ Club participants are provided evaluation cards to return at their convenience. Of those that responded, first- time participants indicated a 67% likelihood of using tran- sit for personal trips; participants that had been on two or more outings indicated a 91% likelihood of using transit for personal trips. The likelihood is self-reported on a scale of one to five (one being unlikely, and five being very likely). Individuals who responded with a three, neither unlikely nor very likely, are included in the unlikely category to create a conservative estimate of future transit use. Reasons for Success More Effective Practices Ride Connection believes that a key to the success of their RideWise travel training program is its focus, in numerous ways, on creating a core philosophy and delivering a clear and consistent message to all members of the community. One component of this messaging is their focus on “building trust in the most respectful way,” both with their travel training customers and with their partners. A manifestation of this is the practice of treating all trainees as “customers,” not “cli- ents” or “students.” The focus on individuals as customers is a key component of their practice of mobility management, and this includes attention to the feelings of the customers, which may include concepts of dignity and fears of losing independence. It is vital to understand each person, their skill sets and other resources, and their travel needs. There is no typical training experience; their program is highly flexible and highly tailored to specific individuals. A competent staff that excels in customer service is a key to program success. A key benefit is increasing the mobility of potential riders. There are substantial benefits of allowing older adults to age in place, and avoiding the costs of nursing homes is certainly a primary benefit. RideWise staff describe travel training as “a game changer”—changing people from shut-ins to com- munity members. TriMet sees travel training as life affirming. The RideWise program believes that reducing anxiety is a big deal for seniors: they try to teach them that transit is not as hard, scary, or daunting as some persons have expected. RideWise calculates its program benefits as a 3 to 1 ratio of benefits to costs over a 1-year period. This is a conservative estimate of benefits for many reasons, one of them being that they are not calculating the long-term benefits of travel train- ing, only the benefits over the first year that a trainee is using transit. Also, the benefits of the Riders Club are not included in these calculations. RideWise has demonstrated to TriMet that there is a productivity improvement attributable to their program that has saved money for TriMet and has slowed the growth of TriMet’s ADA services. At the same time, RideWise believes that one “cannot measure program success solely by ADA cost avoidance.” TriMet has created spreadsheets to conduct detailed calcu- lations about the benefits of the RideWise travel training pro- gram. They consider travel training to be highly cost effective. Their spreadsheets could be used to calculate long-term ben- efits of the program. RideWise and its partners also see significant benefits accruing to the volunteers who are involved in the program. Partner agencies report high levels of satisfaction among the volunteers who work with the RideWise program. The peer- to-peer model is seen as a strong success. The Rider’s Voice is a book featuring the stories of 25 new independent travelers and advocates who have shared in the RideWise experience. Each story is a first-person account of what it means to travel independently and to move about the community with purpose and without harm. Both Ride Con- nection and TriMet have successfully used this book to educate their Boards of Directors and various members of the commu- nity about the benefits of improving mobility for seniors and other individuals who might need travel training or other sup- port to become more independent in their use of travel options. Less Effective Practices Practices that have been found to be less effective than expected include working with the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide information to individuals who do not have their driver licenses renewed. It proved too difficult to get a list of names of such persons. Also, RideWise staff members were stationed at a TriMet facility where individuals came to be evaluated for ADA paratransit eligibility. Very few individuals presented themselves at this facility for travel training, and it was found to be more appropriate to create a distinct separation between the ADA eligibility process and the RideWise program. Potential Challenges A major challenge for the RideWise program is how to identify and assist seniors who are aging in place and are not

56 associated with any human services agency. If they had more resources they would more actively knock on doors and use Public Service Announcements. Another challenge is that, because of the nature of travel training, the costs are incurred first and the benefits are real- ized later. This requires educating stakeholders so that they understand this sequence. It is sometimes difficult for the public to grasp the benefits of travel training, but RideWise staff believe that it “opens the world” to individuals who might otherwise be isolated and lonely. RideWise staff are concerned that public transportation often receives negative publicity from local media. For exam- ple, transit safety seems to be reported as a much greater problem than it actually is. This negative reporting restricts interest in travel training programs. There are environmental issues that may pose challenges. Hills, broken sidewalks, and streets without connections pose problems in accessing transit stops. Some destinations are not well served by public transportation, particularly in suburban areas. There is still some resistance among potential travelers and their advocates to use fixed route transportation in cases where door-to-door transportation (like ADA paratransit) could be an option. Funding limitations restrict the full potential of travel training. RideWise expects funding to be more restricted in the future and subject to greater competition. More adver- tising, more professional publishing and printing, and more staff would be useful to achieve greater market penetration. More of what they are doing now would improve the lives of older adults in their community. Program Replicability RideWise believes that their program could be replicated, although they stress that the most effective programs must be closely tied to local community characteristics and this requirement will necessarily lead to programs with signifi- cant differences. Key resources required for replication would first include an accessible public transportation system. After that, the program would need support from key stakeholders and community leaders, a training curriculum, willing partici- pants, training consent and liability waivers from participants, and means for documenting the results of the program. Having staff who can establish rapport and trust with the program’s participants is vital; staff assignments should fit the skills and personalities of the participants. A program should focus on what it can offer to participants and not try to make decisions for its customers. A cadre of volunteers, peers of the participants, is necessary for the most effective programs. Some of the key recommendations for agencies starting a program would be 1. Recognize the limits of what is possible. Training should be seen as providing an assist, not a salvation. A realistic view is crucial; public transportation offers certain benefits but those benefits are limited in some important aspects. 2. Do not try to set up a “one size fits all” program. 3. Make your program fit your own community. Don’t recre- ate the wheel; celebrate uniqueness. Key Features The travel training program has literally changed the culture of Ride Connection, which no longer sees itself as a door-to- door transportation provider but rather as a mobility man- ager whose purpose is to open up a person’s world to a variety of travel options. Their person-centered social services model is based on increasing individual independence by offering “the least restrictive, most empowering solution” to highly individual travel needs. Ride Connection and its RideWise program derive substantial benefits from their unusually close connection with TriMet, the public transit authority. This highly thoughtful, highly documented program can serve as an inspiration for others interested in travel training. Sources TriMet. The Rider’s Voice, Portland, Oregon, 2009. Ride Connection. A Guide to Travel Training. Portland, Oregon, 2009.

57 Organizational Background The Riverside Transit Agency was established as a Joint Powers Agency in 1975 and began operating bus service in March 1977. RTA is the Consolidated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA) for western Riverside County. The service area is urban and rural. The service area is large, at 2,725 square miles, with considerable distances between cities in the counties. RTA is responsible for coordinating transit services throughout the service area, providing driver training, assistance with grant applications, and development of Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs). Program Start-Up Riverside began planning its travel training program in January 2010. At the time, the primary impetus was to reduce the growth in paratransit riders which was increasing at a rate of 20% per year and clearly not sustainable. From Fiscal Year 2006 to Fiscal Year 2009, paratransit ridership increased 66%, compared to 21% on fixed route service. After designing the program and hiring staff, RTA began its travel training program in 2011, with the first travel training completed in November 2011. The program was established to train and encourage people with disabilities to learn to use fixed route service to reduce dependency on RTA’s paratransit service. Freedom to Go has been available for older adults from the outset of the travel training program. The impetus for mak- ing the training available to older adults was senior isolation, particularly in smaller communities and rural areas. Program Operations Program Description RTA’s Freedom to Go program is open to all older adults and persons with disabilities in the RTA’s service area. Two programs are offered: Travel Training for Seniors and Travel Training for People with Disabilities. Travel Training for Seniors has two components: the Senior Ambassador Pro- gram which focuses on group introduction to fixed route service and Travel Training which focuses on the specific skills seniors need to ride a fixed route bus independently. Travel Training for People with Disabilities teaches persons with disabilities how to recognize and overcome barriers to using fixed route service and provides a personalized travel FREEDOM TO GO RIVERSIDE TRANSIT AGENCY RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA Program Name Freedom to Go Date Established 2011 Sponsoring Organization Riverside Transit Agency Organization Type Joint Powers Agency—Consolidated Transportation Service Agency City, State Riverside, CA Persons Trained Older adults and persons with disabilities Service Area Riverside, CA (eastern communities and rural areas of the county) Service Area Population 1,700,356 Service Area Size (Sq Mi) 2,725 Data for Year Ending June 2012 Persons Trained per Year 204 seniors and people with disabilities received training in 2012 Annual Training Expenses $212,369 Major Funding Sources FTA JARC and New Freedom; Local Measure A (fuel tax) Partnering Agencies Social services agencies, senior centers, internal paratransit staff Key or Unique Factors Strong customer service, social services model, strong training team, proactive changes in services to remove barriers to travel

58 training plan that identifies and overcomes barriers to using service. The main goals of the travel training program are to increase capabilities and self-sufficiency while facilitating the most suitable and efficient transportation service for each person. With travel training, seniors and people with disabilities who receive travel training are better able to control their schedules, their time, and their lives. Seniors learn how to achieve independence from relying on family and friends for rides. People with disabilities learn how to travel indepen- dently to a destination they regularly visit and return home. Resources The Freedom to Go travel training program has three full-time travel trainers, one of whom is the travel training supervisor. Each of the travel trainers focuses on different segments of the population. One trainer focuses on students with developmental disabilities who are transitioning out of high school. A second travel trainer, who is bilingual Spanish, focuses broadly on people with disabilities who are using RTA’s paratransit service. The third travel trainer focuses on older persons. All three travel trainers have experience in social services program delivery. The Freedom to Go annual budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (July 2011–June 2012) was $215,535. Actual expenses were $212,369. Start-up was slow, with the first training conducted in Novem- ber 2011. Travel training was fully active by January 2012. The program is housed in RTA’s Operations Department and is managed by the Director of Contract Operations. Funding for the Freedom to Go program is provided from federal Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom funds and local and state matching funds. For Fiscal Year 2013, funding levels were as follows: • JARC $112,741 • New Freedom $121,146 • Local and state funding $60,572 • Total budgeted funds $294,459 Program Components Freedom to Go provides the group experience and person- alized training services that each senior and each person with a disability requires to successfully use RTA fixed route ser- vice, based on their individual skills and capabilities. • Group travel training for seniors, the Senior Ambassador Program, introduces seniors to fixed route service. First, seniors meet with RTA’s travel trainer in a group setting, usually in a senior center or other location where seniors gather. Next, seniors take a guided ride together, typically with people they know. Within each social setting, RTA recruits a Senior Ambassador who facilitates at least one outing a month and reports back on participation. The travel trainer conducts an orientation session where seniors are introduced to the steps involved in taking a bus ride and returning. Toward the conclusion of the group training, the seniors agree on a destination to which they will travel, in a group, 1 week later. Later that day, a trip is made on an out-of-service bus from the location where the orientation session is held. For this trip, the bus follows the same route that serves the location where the seniors live or meet. The necessary skills covered in the orientation session are reviewed and the trip and return trip are made. One week after the initial group introduction meeting, the group meets again and takes a regularly scheduled bus trip to the outing location of their choice. At the end of the group trip, one-on-one travel training is scheduled with seniors who want addi- tional training. • One-on-one travel training for seniors is provided to seniors who have completed the group travel training. Any senior from the group training who desires to learn more is scheduled for one-on-one travel training. This one-on-one training covers route familiarization, how to read the RTA Ride Guide, understanding the system map, individual trip planning, and mobility device training. An individual travel training plan is prepared for each senior being trained. Training lasts as long as required for a senior to be able to travel successfully on their own. Refresher training may be conducted if requested. • One-on-one travel training for people with disabilities was initially designed for people with disabilities who are currently using paratransit service. Training is also offered to people who are registering for paratransit service before they use the service extensively. Training is tailored to each individual’s needs. Training covers an assessment of basic skills, the path of travel and barriers, and personal safety skills. Training also includes use of the Ride Guide and maps required to plan a trip. Trainers meet with the parent, care provider, case manager, and others involved in the day-to-day support of the trainee. Approach to Travel Training Freedom to Go is founded on the belief that “people don’t need to be independent to travel train, they need to travel train to become independent.” All travel training is provided by Riverside Transit Agency travel trainers. Separate elements of the program target people with disabilities who ride para- transit service and seniors who are nearing the end of their driving careers.

59 Travel trainers do not wait for referrals of people with dis- abilities; they proactively seek candidates. They target new paratransit riders, training them before they become depen- dent on paratransit service. Direct contacts are made with Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), the Regional Center, and Department of Education, schools, day centers, and RTA’s ADA certification process. For seniors, Freedom to Go reaches out to seniors in their regular social settings. RTA offers a monthly pass to all people with disabilities who have been trained. Since the passes are registered to the person, RTA can, using their pass monitoring technology, proactively track riding behavior and reach out when they notice a decline in ridership. Two new initiatives are underway. RTA trainers have reached out to the Veterans Transportation/Community Living Initia- tive’s One Call/One Click programs in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Freedom to Go will add a Veterans’ Ambas- sador to their staff. Freedom to Go has also reached out to Spe- cial Olympics to train the athletes to travel to and from practices, as well as their jobs, using RTA’s fixed route buses. Group travel training is conducted in groups of no more than 10 persons, so trips do not get over-crowded. Members of the first two training groups of 10 persons took almost 250 trips in the first month following their training. In the course of conducting one-on-one training to allow individuals to be able to overcome barriers, RTA takes direct action to mitigate and/or eliminate barriers that are encoun- tered. In fact, route modifications have resulted in some cases. Intensive travel training involves the following steps prior to route training: 1. Assessment of basic skills. 2. Assessment of path of travel and barriers. 3. Assessment of personal safety skills. 4. Use of Ride Guide and maps to plan a trip. 5. Meeting with trainee, parent, care provider, or guardian for travel consent. Freedom to Go travel trainers describe and demonstrate correct methods for all skills, such as: 1. Verbal cues or landmarks to recognize a bus stop. 2. Physical prompts, such as a tap on the shoulder or placing a trainee’s hand on a stop signal. 3. Gestures such as a nod of the head, eye contact, or pointing. 4. Role playing to help problem solve an event that might happen. Once these skills have been learned, the training focuses on: 1. Monitoring progress on a declining basis (known as “fading”) so that the trainer provides less instruction as the trainee acquires the needed independence. 2. Shadowing, where the trainer follows without being seen and the trainee completes the trip independently. 3. Independent travel, where the trainer is not along on the trip. 4. Follow-up contacts at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and annual intervals. Use of Farebox Technology to Track Ridership Riverside provides free fares to incentivize use of its pub- lic transportation service by those who have received travel training and uses recording farebox technology to measure and evaluate use of fixed route service after travel training has been completed. For people with disabilities using paratransit service, RTA provides a monthly pass on a continuing basis for those who complete travel training and use fixed route service for their travel. For older adults not eligible for ADA paratransit service, RTA introduces them to travel training in a group session and selects one senior from a group to be their travel training advocate to encourage other seniors in the group to travel. The senior advocate receives a monthly pass for his or her use as seniors in the group complete travel training. Each senior who completes the training receives a monthly pass good for 1 month. RTA uses its recording farebox technology to track the fixed route travel by seniors and people with disabilities who use their monthly pass to ride. Of particular significance, RTA tracks use on a client-by-client basis. For people with disabilities who have a pass permanently, RTA tracks their use on a monthly basis. If they observe that use of fixed route service has stopped or declined, travel trainers will check back with them to under- stand why their use has declined. Refresher training will be offered and completed to restore use of fixed route service. Since the inception of the program, the statistics help to tell the story: 1. To date, number of persons participating in the training: a. 176 seniors. b. 299 people with disabilities. 2. Monthly passes RTA has distributed to trainees: 1,603. 3. Monthly pass use is reviewed on a monthly basis for a. 38 seniors. b. 202 people with disabilities. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach Key partners in RTA’s travel training program include com- munity agencies, hospitals, senior services, school districts, the DOR, the Department of Education, Inland Regional Center, and RTA’s Dial-a-Ride program. RTA promotes its travel training program on its website and through educa- tional materials and activities such as bilingual brochures,

60 mailings, and presentations to its key partners. In addition, Freedom to Go works with the Braille Institute, the California Council for the Blind, and the California School for the Deaf. Word of mouth referrals are important. Results Since travel training started in November 2011, nearly 500 persons have received training, more than 44,000 trips have been taken by trainees, and nearly 300 people are currently in training or awaiting intake. Detailed records are kept that mea- sure activity and results. Data are maintained and presented separately for people with disabilities and seniors. For the period July 2012 through May 2013, for people with disabilities: 1. 30,889 trips were completed. 2. 203 people were travel trained. 3. 129 are currently in training. 4. 266 are awaiting intake or training. For seniors during this same period: 1. 5,781 trips were completed. 2. 76 seniors were trained. 3. Group training was completed with 10 groups. 4. 1 group is scheduled. Freedom to Go conducts two surveys to gather demo- graphic and satisfaction data. Within the limits of the sur- vey method (total rather than matched pair), insights were gained into pre- and post-training behavior. For seniors, the insights included: 1. Trip purpose a. Pre-training: trips focused on medical care and senior centers. b. Post-training: senior trips shifted to more trips for shopping and recreation, even though medical care and senior center trips remained important. 2. Mode of transportation a. Pre-training: most trips were by personal vehicle and family and friends. b. Post-training: fixed route and walking were relatively higher, while personal vehicle and family and friends remained important. 3. The major pre-training challenges were reading and under- standing the Ride Guide and navigating the bus system. For people with disabilities, the insights included: 1. Trip purpose a. Pre-training: trips focused on school and work. b. Post-training: trips shifted to more trips for medical and shopping and recreation. 2. Mode of transportation a. Pre-training: friend or relative, Dial-a-Ride, and fixed route. b. Post-training: fixed route use was significantly higher. 3. The major pre-training challenges were reading and understanding the Ride Guide and navigating the bus system. Following training, nearly 70% of seniors and people with disabilities (categories combined) were completely satisfied with their training and another 22% were somewhat satisfied. Reasons for Success Reasons for success include: 1. A key reason for program success is strong organizational support. 2. The three travel trainers meet regularly as a group and work very well as a team. 3. RTA management started the travel training program slowly and took time to recruit and hire the right peo- ple: the hiring process was not focused on academic qualifications but on personal qualities such as heart and compassion. 4. Monthly passes are used to track riding levels and follow- up with those whose riding levels show noticeable decline, often resulting in refresher training. 5. Regular meetings are held with ADA paratransit staff. 6. Formal training is conducted through Easter Seals Project ACTION and other conferences and web-based training. The Freedom to Go travel training program is relatively new. The program is fully developed in a sound way. Man- agement of the program is embedded in RTA operations, so the synergy between travel training staff and operations staff is effective and productive. This is evident in the way that services and bus stop environments are modified to remove barriers that are encountered during training. It may be too early for less effective practices to emerge. Potential Challenges Potential challenges include: 1. Demand for travel training services exceeding current budget limits. 2. Looking for ways to leverage the resources to complete additional group and one-on-one training within existing budget limits.

61 Program Replicability The Freedom to Go travel training program has been devel- oped very carefully, with broad RTA management insight and oversight. Services were not rolled out until the program was fully configured, so start-up issues were negligible. With the design of the travel training, the well-targeted pre- and post- training evaluations, the formal policies, practices and meth- odology, and the thorough documentation and database development, the program is highly replicable. Key Features The training environment is positive, proactive, support- ive, and success-oriented. Trainers empower people to find independence. The initial objective of the program was to reduce paratransit service costs by transferring riders to fixed route. However, such a focus is not evident in the conduct of management and the travel trainers. The focus is clearly on customers. The RTA travel training management database supports detailed tracking of group and one-on-one training, as well as following the continued travel of those who have completed training. Individual travel by persons who have been travel trained is tracked by an encoded fare card issued for use in the GFI electronic recording fareboxes. Customized reports are generated, tracking ridership associated with each individual pass, allowing trainers to monitor progress long-term. From these reports, data tables and graphs are generated weekly to facilitate the review of individual riding patterns. Reports show whether riding is stable, declining, or increasing. As necessary, retraining is offered and completed.

62 Organizational Background Founded in 1978, Paratransit, Inc. is a private nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing transportation services to individuals with disabilities, to the elderly, and to related agencies throughout Sacramento County. Since 1981, Paratransit, Inc. has served as the Consolidated Transporta- tion Services Agency or CTSA (a state-designated agency for administering transportation funds and coordinating transportation in a locality) for the Sacramento area and is recognized as a national leader in coordinated transporta- tion programs. Program Start-Up In December of 1981, the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) received $62,700 in state SB620 discretion- ary funds administered by the California Department of Transportation for a Mobility Training Pilot Program. RT subcontracted the program to Sacramento Area Council of Government (SACOG). SACOG formed an advisory com- mittee and the program successfully trained 70 people in the first year. In September of 1982, the pilot program was success- fully completed and Paratransit, Inc. took over the program. PARATRANSIT MOBILITY TRAINING PARATRANSIT, INC. SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA Program Name Paratransit Mobility Training Date Established 1981 Sponsoring Organization Paratransit, Inc. Organization Type Private Nonprofit City, State Sacramento, CA Service Area Sacramento, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, Rio Linda, Elverta, Orangevale, North Highlands, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Davis, Woodland, Roseville, Folsom, and surrounding areas Service Area Population 1,418,788 Service Area Size (sq mi) 964.64 Data for Year Ending 2012 Persons Trained per Year 400 in 2012; 12,030 from 1981–2012 Annual Training Expenses $534,429 Major Funding Sources Revenue for the program comes from vendor agreements with the Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) and the California State Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). The ACRC and DOR pay an hourly rate for training their clients. Additional funding came from a New Freedom grant, a JARC grant, and from the South Area Transportation Management Association (TMA). In addition, Paratransit, under the name Innovative Paradigms, provides consulting services and travel training program management for other agencies to bring in additional revenue for the agency and the local program. Partnering Agencies ACRC, the California State Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) and the Sacramento Regional Transit District Key or Unique Factors Paratransit, Inc. has been offering travel training for the past 30 years, with some of the staff working at Paratransit the entire time the program has been running. The cost avoidance over the last 17 years in Sacramento has been estimated to be $20,588,458.

63 Vendor agreements were established with the ACRC and the California State DOR. In 1983, Paratransit was awarded $64,000 in Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds from the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) for travel training. Over the past 30 years, Paratransit, Inc. has continued to provide mobility training in the Sacramento area. From December 1981 to September 2012, Paratransit trained 12,030 people. The cost avoidance over the last 17 years in Sacramento has been estimated to be $20,588,458. Program Operations Program Description The program serves Sacramento County and surrounding communities. Anyone in the County is eligible for the pro- gram. If riders need to go outside of the service area, and the training is not provided through a vendor agreement, Para- transit, Inc. will show the participants how to connect to a different transportation system. Training funded through a vendor agreement may include training on transit services beyond what is provided by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. Paratransit’s Travel Training Program is a free service to the participants. The program focuses on travel training for people who have disabilities, as well as the elderly, and teaches safe and proficient use of regular public transit. In Sacra- mento, that includes RT buses, light rail, and Neighborhood Ride route deviation shuttles. The program teaches all of the skills needed to use public transit successfully including trip planning, safety, and the use of accessible equipment. Most of the travel training takes place in a one-on-one or occasionally in small group settings on public transit vehicles while the vehicles are in service. Resources Over the past few years, the travel training program has varied in size due to budgetary issues. Currently, Paratran- sit, Inc. has three full-time travel trainers; at one point, the program had expanded to seven full-time travel trainers. The travel trainers that Paratransit, Inc. employs have a full sched- ule with outreach and travel training and constantly maintain a busy schedule. The cost of training, including wages, benefits, and other indirect costs is approximately $50.00 per hour. The average amount of hours to complete travel training is approximately 16.5 hours for all of types of individuals; this includes intel- lectual disabilities, mental illness, or other conditions. The average amount spent on an individual for travel training is $825.00 per trainee, starting with the initial assessment through their final personal report. Program Components One-on-one or small group training is available through the Paratransit travel training program. Small group train- ing can include successful trainees pairing up with others to become confident and feel safe riding the bus. Mobility training (travel training) for RT in Sacramento includes: • How to get to and from the bus stop or light rail train station. • Training to specific destinations. • A free RT identification card and bus pass for the month of training. • How to identify landmarks. The trainers • Ride with the trainee on the bus or train. • Work with the trainee’s schedule. • Show the trainees how to plan their bus and light rail routes. Travel training outreach presentations are a major com- ponent of successful travel training programs. Travel train- ing presentations are offered at senior complexes or senior centers. Written materials are provided to seniors so they can review the material at home at their own speed. Some of the outreach participants may also participate in a group trip. Each participant in the group trip receives a handbook with accurate transit-related information specific to the commu- nity being served. The group trip allows participants to see that public transit is a viable transit option that can meet many of their own transit needs. When outreach presenta- tions on travel training are held at senior complexes or senior centers, there is a high response rate of seniors who will sign up for one-on-one training. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach Creating successful marketing and outreach to inform the community about travel training is a major component for a successful travel training program. Paratransit, Inc. conducts outreach efforts to senior communities and senior programs throughout Sacramento County. Travel training outreach pre- sentations are held at most senior centers and developments approximately once a year and the travel trainers will return for another presentation if the need arises; this typically occurs if there is a high rate of turnover of seniors in a specific

64 community. Paratransit, Inc. believes that in order to run a suc- cessful program it is extremely important to develop and main- tain relationships within the community and to make sure that seniors are aware of the programs that Paratransit, Inc. offers. Paratransit, Inc. also has relationships with programs such as the Foster Grandparents Program, which is a senior organization for retired and low income persons over the age of 55. Paratransit works with organizations like this to help plan events that will be accessible using public transporta- tion and to help seniors gain access to these events. Para- transit, Inc. also performs a group training and orientation once a year with Foster Grandparent Program participants to explain what travel training provides and how it can be used to help the volunteers. Sacramento County has seen a large amount of immi- grants that have become interested in the travel training. Primarily the immigrants are from Eastern Europe, South- east Asia, and from countries where the primary language is Spanish. They may be accustomed to European public trans- portation systems, or they might not have any public transit experience at all. Paratransit has received grant funds that will allow for hiring translators who will assist travel trainers in communication with trainees who have limited English proficiency. Reasons for Success Results To date, Paratransit, Inc.’s curriculum has brought inde- pendence, through travel training, to more than 13,000 tran- sit users in the greater Sacramento area, including persons who are: • Developmentally (intellectually) disabled. • Physically challenged. • Mentally disabled. • Seniors. Over the past 30 years, the travel training program in Sacramento has averaged 400 individuals trained per year. An average year of travel training would include train- ing for 31 seniors with no disabilities, 37 people with physical disabilities, 147 people with intellectual disabilities, 94 people with psychological disabilities, and 91 people who have more than one disability. Often the people with more than one disability are seniors with physical or psy- chological disabilities. The program has averaged 80 successful trainees per year who are 55 years of age or older. Most of the seniors who have participated in the travel training program that Paratransit, Inc. provides are over 80 years old. The reason seniors often start using public transit and are interested in travel training is because they are beginning to face issues of declining health, and beginning to look for other options for mobility due to the fact that driving is becoming less appropriate. Primary Benefits of Travel Training for Riders The Paratransit, Inc. staff members believe that connect- ing people to services and to their community changes the participants’ feelings of self-worth and gives riders a new sense of freedom. Travel training is a valuable program because over the years travel trainers continue to see how independence changes the participants’ feelings of self- worth and value to the community and those people who surround them. Paratransit maintains historical data for the percentage of travel training graduates who rely on fixed route service after successful completion of the course. Follow-up inter- views conducted with program participants approximately 3 to 6 months after completion of the training have historically shown that between 80% and 92% continue to successfully use the fixed route system at that point in time. Survey information shows that there are a variety of rea- sons why individuals do not use fixed route service after com- pleting a travel training program, including: • Change in health. • Weather-related issues. • No place to go/lack of destinations. • Still using personal vehicle. • Apprehensions about traveling alone. Trainees can request additional travel training as their per- sonal condition changes or as their travel route evolves. Primary Benefits of Travel Training for Public Transit Agencies Mobility and travel training not only benefit the user, but also benefit transit providers, since it encourages the riders to use the most appropriate and cost effective transit options for all riders. A training program not only saves transit dollars, it also creates more space on paratransit vehicles for riders who have no other transit options. Transit agencies that Paratransit has worked with have been delighted to discover that mobility training costs are minimal when compared with the costs of ADA paratransit service. The potential for savings is dramatic. Shifting just one paratransit user (who travels to work or to a program 5 days a week) to regular fixed route public transit can create a cost savings to an agency of more than $7,000 a year. Train- ing one person each month to be transit independent can provide a cost savings of more than $80,000 a year.

65 From December 1981 through September 2012, Para- transit has trained 12,030 people. The cost avoidance over the last 17 years in Sacramento has been calculated to be $20,588,458. Reasons for Success Program Effectiveness Paratransit, Inc. has been conducting travel training for the past 30 years. The travel trainers and the travel training staff have seen participants that they have trained continue to use public transportation after they have been trained. Having a successful program depends on the travel trainers. The travel trainers typically enjoy working with peo- ple and are confident in what they do. The travel trainers not only teach the trainee how to get on and off of public transit vehicles, they also teach safety and help build the trainees’ confidence to encourage the riders to continue to ride public transportation. Examples of Success A man who participated in travel training has arthritis and it is hard for him to get around because he had acquired a new mobility device. With the one-on-one travel training that was provided, he was slowly able to learn how to maneuver his mobility device and learn how to get on and off a bus. It gave the man a new sense of accomplishment and a higher level of confidence. A woman who recently became a user of a motorized mobil- ity device and did not know how to fully operate her chair was not confident enough to leave her apartment building. After the mobility training gave her additional explanations on how her mobility device works, she was able to gain the confidence needed to leave her apartment complex and learned how to use public transportation successfully. A woman at a senior complex happened to attend a travel training outreach presentation. After attending the group train- ing she gained a new outlook on life. She was no longer afraid to use the bus and now encourages others in her senior complex to also ride the bus. She now rides the bus every day. Potential Challenges Paratransit, Inc. has successfully operated the travel training program in Sacramento for the past 30 years. The travel training program has been able to operate on the resources that have been provided. The amount of money for travel training has varied from year to year. The travel training program that Paratransit, Inc. operates is set up to be scalable based on the funding that is avail- able from year to year. Financial restrictions based on the budget are the biggest challenge that the travel training program faces. Program Replicability Paratransit, Inc. has successfully replicated the program in several cities. Paratransit, Inc. helped to establish programs in: • TriMet in Portland, Oregon. • Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in Salt Lake City, Utah. • Baltimore, Maryland. • Boulder, Colorado. • Las Vegas, Nevada. • Santa Cruz, California. • Spokane, Washington. • San Joaquin RTD in Stockton, California. • Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority in San Jose, California. • Honolulu, Hawaii. • The Stanilaus County CTSA in Modesto, California. • Vtrans in San Bernardino, California. In 2006, Paratransit, Inc. established a new division, Inno- vative Paradigms, to provide consulting services that include travel training. The first client was the Spokane Transit Author- ity (STA), which established a contract to design, implement, and manage its travel training program. In Fiscal Year 2008, Paratransit trained 126 paratransit customers to use STA’s fixed route service. The average travel training experience was 20.8 hours. According to STA, the cost of an ADA Paratransit trip was $21.52 versus $3.96 for a fixed route trip. Based on a conservative estimate of 10 trips per month per graduate, STA estimates a savings of $265,507 the first year. Expenses for STA’s program year were $177,000, yielding a net savings of $88,507. STA reported that in the first 5 months of FY 2009, over 100% Expense Coverage was achieved on its travel training program. Paratransit, Inc. and Innovative Paradigms currently work with Spokane, Washington, and San Joaquin RTD in Stockton, California, and other cities to create and maintain successful travel training programs. Paratransit, Inc. and Innovative Paradigms are skilled at designing, implement- ing, and managing customized travel training programs. The consulting services offered by Paratransit, Inc. and Innovative Paradigms include operating a travel training program for other agencies or helping other agencies to successfully set up and operate their own travel training programs. Paratransit, Inc. and Innovative Paradigms offer their qual- ifications for • Developing policies, training manuals, and procedures to be used based on the nationally recognized Easter Seals Project ACTION Train the Trainer Program. • Handling every aspect of travel training, such as working with agency partners, assessing program needs, hiring staff, training trainers and participants, or managing a program.

66 • Providing community outreach to targeted populations. • Designing effective training for both individuals and groups, and measuring success. Key Features Paratransit, Inc. has been offering travel training for the past 30 years, with some of the staff working at Paratransit the entire time the program has been running. Paratransit continues to shape travel training in Sacramento and has demonstrated through its consulting service how to create and implement a travel training program in other cities. Sources McGuire, Philip. 2009. Case Study: Paratransit, Inc.’s Unique Success with Coordinated Human Service Transportation. Innovative Paradigms. Wolf-Branigin, Karen, Wolf-Branigin, M., Culver, J.D. and Welch, K. Can Travel Training Services Save Public Transportation Agencies Money? TR News, No. 278, January–February 2012, pp. 36–39.

67 Organizational Background The mission of The Kennedy Center (TKC) is “to promote the empowerment of these individuals to achieve their opti- mal participation and inclusion in the community with both dignity and confidence.” The Kennedy Center does this by offering services, including travel training, to individuals with disabilities and the elderly. Since 1991, TKC has pro- vided travel training to more than 3,000 people with cogni- tive, sensory, and physical disabilities so these individuals could use local buses and trains to access their communities. Program Start-Up In 2005, The Kennedy Center saw a need to serve others besides adults with disabilities: seniors were identified as a population that might benefit from travel training. TKC appealed to its funding source, CTTRANSIT and the Con- necticut Department of Transportation (DOT), for addi- tional funding to support a full-time staff member who would be dedicated to providing outreach and training to seniors as well as transitional high school students, another niche within the travel training population that demonstrated a significant need for education and transportation training, which the existing TKC travel training program could not adequately support. The additional funding request was approved in July 2006 and TKC hired a full-time staff per- son, made appointments, and began rebranding their pro- gram to market to seniors. The travel training program began with one full-time staff member once funding was received. TKC indicated that it took time and energy to get to know the organizations and their staff that could promote the program to seniors, and face-to-face visits and meetings were needed to facilitate this. It also took some time to establish TKC’s credibility with the senior population and service providers. TKC eventually became known in the senior community, and were able to establish their credibility with the senior popula- tion and service providers. The TKC program is unique in the SENIOR MOBILITY ORIENTATION, TRAVEL TRAINING, AND OTHER TRAINING THE KENNEDY CENTER, INC. TRUMBULL, CONNECTICUT Program Name The Kennedy Center Senior Mobility Orientation, Travel Training, and Training and Professional Development for Transit Staff Date Established 2006 Sponsoring Organization The Kennedy Center, Inc. Organization Type Private Nonprofit Corporation City, State Trumbull, CT Persons Trained Older adults and persons with disabilities Service Area State of Connecticut Service Area Population 2,492,081, of which 709,854 are over age 60 Service Area Size (sq mi) 5,014 (Based on CT FY2014 Municipal Dial-a-Ride Funding Formula) Data for Year Ending June 2012 Persons Trained per Year 128 total; 6 in one-on-one travel training; 122 in senior presentations Annual Training Expenses $434,632 ($55,000 for older adults) Major Funding Sources CTTRANSIT Via a Grant from Connecticut Department of Transportation Partnering Agencies Transit agencies in urban and suburban transit districts in Connecticut Key or Unique Factors In addition to training seniors and people with disabilities on a one-to- one basis, The Kennedy Center, Inc. offers training to transit agency staff and consulting/project implementation support to other organizations starting up travel training projects. TKC offers both group orientations and group trainings.

68 state of Connecticut in that they get state funding to provide travel training and outreach to seniors. Program Operations Program Description TKC promotes three attributes of fixed route transit: 1. Fixed route transit fits the lifestyle choices for seniors by allowing flexibility and encouraging riding with friends. 2. Fixed route can be appealing to some seniors compared to ADA paratransit and taxis because it is less expensive. The cost savings can lead to more independence for seniors. 3. Seniors have an enhanced ability to be spontaneous because unlike with ADA, you don’t need a reservation. The TKC travel training program includes Senior Mobil- ity Orientations and one-on-one training for individuals looking to increase their mobility options. TKC does many presentations (e.g., Senior Mobility Orientations) that can segue to one-on-one training. TKC staff indicated that while the opportunity is there for individuals to participate in one- on-one training, weather, family resistance, and dependence on family or personal vehicle use are obstacles that have limited the growth of senior travel training. Group training can sometimes overcome these obstacles by offering a social activity in which seniors can participate. Orientations may include trip planning to address the needs of specific audi- ences and locations in order to demonstrate the practicality and utility of fixed route transportation. TKC has developed PowerPoint presentations for group presentations that can be customized for the specific needs of their audiences. More detailed trainings at senior centers and senior housing devel- opments may involve a bus ride to a designated location to illustrate specific issues in using fixed route transportation and demonstrate its convenience and practicality. TKC offers a group orientation and group training. The group training is a 2-hour transit introduction curriculum and includes a bus ride, while the group orientation covers many topics, includ- ing the availability of alternative travel options. The one-on-one travel training program is predominantly attended by people with disabilities who are not seniors. TKC staff estimated that, over time, 10% of their one-on-one travel training participants were seniors, but in the last complete year (July 2011 to June 2012) TKC provided one-on-one training to six seniors, or about 3% of the individuals trained. Resources The funding for travel training for individuals with disabil- ities and for seniors is provided by a $434,632 mobility train- ing grant from Connecticut DOT via CTTRANSIT. There is no specific budget set aside for the senior travel training program. TKC estimates that the cost of providing outreach, group orientations and trainings, and occasional one-on- one training to seniors throughout the state is equal to about $50,000. Operating costs such as travel/mileage/vehicle costs, promotional material printing/preparation, office space, tele- phone, computer use, supervision, and other costs amount to an additional $5,000 per year for a total of $55,000 for training older adults. TKC uses full-time staff to support the senior travel training program, and does not use volunteers. TKC is in the fourth year of a 5-year grant, and the budget for the mobility program is revised and approved annually. Program Components Senior Mobility Orientation. According to TKC, the Senior Mobility Orientation is designed to assist seniors in utilizing public transportation for daily travel needs. An instructor works with participants to introduce them to the bus or train routes they would like to learn. It can be as simple as helping find and read schedules or planning a trip. Staff will accompany individuals on their first few transit trips. Group training is a 2-hour transit introduction curriculum and includes a bus ride, while the group orientation covers many topics, including the availability of alternative travel options. One-on-One Training. The TKC travel training pro- gram got its start training people with disabilities to use fixed route transportation and to advise them on the range of transportation options available in Connecticut. TKC conducts a pre-assessment on each potential one-on-one trainee that includes multiple parts to allow customization of the training program. TKC conducts route research to help the senior get to her/his desired destinations. TKC staff then prepares a customized training plan and continues to pro- vide training support until the individual has mastered the skills needed to independently use fixed route transportation. TKC then conducts a post-travel training test on 28 factors to ensure that the individual has mastered the necessary skills to use fixed route transit. TKC conducts follow-ups at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post-completion to deter- mine the extent to which the individual is using fixed route transit, identify any problems she/he has had, determine how many round trips they take within an average month, and identify the biggest difference for the individual as a result of the travel training. Mobility Management Project. TKC received a grant from FTA’s New Freedom program to conduct a Mobility Management Project. This project aims to coordinate all

69 transportation options for people with disabilities, seniors, and veterans in southwestern Connecticut, identify gaps in service, and help implement new service where it is most needed. The project will support seniors living in southwest- ern Connecticut by solving transportation-related challenges for those seniors, including providing group and one-on-one travel training when it is appropriate. Travel Training Consultation. The Kennedy Center conducts “Train the Trainer” seminars and consults with agencies interested in starting a Travel Training Program. The focus is on consulting for other entities who want to start travel training programs. Services include helping transit and human services agencies develop a travel training program. TKC’s 2012 Travel Training Guide is in its Fifth Edition. As noted in the Guide, it is intended to “. . . assist a trainer to teach in all phases of the process. It is designed for any person with any disability (except those who are blind or severely visually impaired).” Approach to Travel Training The senior travel training program built on the model and lessons learned from earlier efforts to provide travel train- ing for people with disabilities. The one-on-one training provides customized training based on a pre-training assess- ment of individuals to determine their needs, capabilities, and travel training goals. The customized plan for each indi- vidual includes research on routes to destinations of inter- est to the trainee, and continues until the individual’s needs have been met and their level of comfort is such that they can use fixed route transit on their own. The program includes a post-travel training test on factors that are critical to travel independence, as well as follow-up contacts at regular inter- vals. TKC works closely with transportation providers to determine the availability of transit options. The one-on-one program is complemented by a regional mobility manage- ment project operating in southwestern Connecticut, as well as a travel training consultation process that includes Train the Trainer seminars and consulting to serve the travel train- ing needs of jurisdictions outside of Connecticut. Program Partners, Promotion, and Outreach TKC is frequently in touch with transit districts, social and human services agencies, and senior housing developments in Connecticut, but especially those serving large urban areas such as Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and Norwalk. The majority of referrals come from front-line staff in the tran- sit districts who work on ADA eligibility issues and with the elderly. TKC developed Public Transit 101, a program that includes outreach workshops with a PowerPoint training pre- sentation and bus tours designed to increase human services agency and staff awareness of the importance of transporta- tion for people with disabilities and seniors. Results TKC does follow-ups for one-on-one training partici- pants at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post- completion. These could be used to summarize results, but follow-ups tend to focus on individual progress, not collec- tive results. The overall satisfaction level for those consumers receiving travel training support was 4.37 out of a possible 5.00. These results include travel training for people with dis- abilities and senior travel training participants. TKC reports that the response rate is relatively low (10% to 15%), so it is possible that the satisfaction survey is returned more often by those with a positive experience, and results should not be generalized. Reasons for Success and Potential Challenges More Effective Practices One of the reasons that TKC has been successful is that they have worked effectively with the many transit districts within the state, particularly those in the southwest part of Connecticut and the larger urban transit districts. TKC’s suc- cess is also demonstrated by the desire of other northeastern organizations to receive “Train the Trainer” and senior travel training consulting services. Less Effective Practices An ongoing challenge for the program has been some resistance among some seniors and often among their fam- ily members regarding the physical challenges and potential risks of riding public bus lines. Winter weather in Connecti- cut can be an obstacle for seniors, and TKC rarely offers one- on-one travel training during cold weather months. Program staff also indicated that family members can sometimes be resistant to fixed route transportation. Potential Challenges An ongoing challenge for the program has been some resistance among some seniors and often among their fam- ily members regarding the physical challenges and potential risks of riding public bus lines. For a large segment of the population in Connecticut, public transit was not seen as an option and the continued availability of personal vehicles and rides from family members offer legitimate transporta- tion alternatives. Travel training has been a tougher sell for

70 seniors who had not previously used public transit. Most TKC senior travel trainees have been lifelong fixed route users who needed to learn new routes or learn how to use fixed route given their more limited mobility due to wheel chairs and scooters. Travel training has done particularly well with lower income seniors living in denser populated urban areas where access to public transit is more frequent. The weather in Connecticut continues to be an obstacle with seniors by and large not wanting to do travel training during the winter months, and TKC seldom if ever does one-on-one or group trainings during the cold weather months. As noted above, demand for one-on-one training among seniors is not particularly high. This could be due to a variety of factors including the weather in Connecticut, the avail- ability of transportation by family, senior housing develop- ments, and the resistance of individuals who historically have not used fixed route transit. TKC believes that group training, with its emphasis on socializing and traveling with a com- panion, might be an effective way to address this challenge. Regarding funding for travel training, TKC indicated that they felt they had a strong program that could be competitive, but expressed concerns about the ongoing challenges related to funding their programs. Program Replicability TKC provides customized consulting services to help other transit agencies get started. TKC sells three resource guides that can be used by other entities to promote senior travel training. Clients have included the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), which trains users in the greater Boston area to transition from paratransit to buses, subways, and ferries. For New York City Transit (MTA), TKC was hired to travel train Access-A-Ride registered users in all five boroughs to transition from paratransit to fixed route services. TKC also assisted NJ TRANSIT (New Jersey Transit) to establish and implement a pilot travel training program for a 14-town region. Consultation to the contract nonprofit service pro- vider, NJTIP, included staff training, curriculum develop- ment, quality review and assurance, and data management and tracking (TKC, 2013). Public Transit 101 is a two-hour workshop developed to teach human services professionals, people with disabilities, and other constituencies about community transportation options and how to use local buses and trains. The program includes information that supports human services professionals in pro- viding travel training support to their constituencies. TKC sells three resource guides: • The Family Guide to Travel Training (TKC, 2006a) is “a straight forward, easy to read guide containing excellent information for travel training programs to hand out to the family considering travel training for their relative.” (TKC, 2013). • A Chance To Ride (TKC, 2006b) includes success stories of 14 individuals highlighting their desire to ride public transportation. • The Travel Training Guide (TKC, 2012a), as noted above, provides detailed information on how to conduct travel training, including resources such as pre-training assess- ments, pre- and post-training tests, and follow-up forms. This guide was developed to assist the travel trainer in all phases of travel training. TKC recommends that communities adapt the program to the needs in their own community and its own fixed route system. This includes getting buy-in from transit districts whose ridership might benefit from increases resulting from training seniors. TKC also recommends reaching out to constituencies such as seniors and the human services agencies that support them, understanding the demographics of the community, and focusing on find- ing concentrations of seniors and the facilities that serve them. TKC recommends addressing the specific concerns and fears of seniors, and addressing the gaps and barriers in the fixed route system. Regarding resources, TKC recommends hiring at least one full-time staff, but ideally two so that one can focus on train- ing while the other focuses on outreach and is available to answer phones and other inquiries. TKC recommends hiring specialists in senior services who have experience with the population and the destinations they frequent. Most impor- tantly, the trainers have to believe in the program, believe in public transportation, and should use public transportation themselves. TKC believes that the core of a program is one- on-one training, and believes that their method, curriculum, and skills are proven. They think that innovation is possible in classroom (group) training and marketing. They recom- mend joining advocacy groups focused on transportation planning, which is good for networking and finding funding sources. Specific organizations mentioned included Commu- nity Transportation Association of America (CTAA), Asso- ciation of Travel Instruction (ATI), APTA, local Area Agencies on Aging, and AARP. Key Features In addition to training seniors and people with disabili- ties on a one-to-one basis, The Kennedy Center, Inc. offers training to transit agency staff and consulting/project imple- mentation support to other organizations starting up travel training projects. TKC offers both group orientations and group trainings. The group training is a 2-hour transit intro- duction curriculum and includes a bus ride, while the group

71 orientation covers many topics, including the availability of alternative travel options. Sources The Kennedy Center, Inc. (2013). Mobility Services: Travel Training. Downloaded from http://www.thekennedycenterinc.org/what- we-do/programs-services/mobility-services/travel-training.html on March 25, 2013. The Kennedy Center, Inc. (2012a). Travel Training Guide, Fifth Edition. Trumbull, CT: The Kennedy Center, Inc. The Kennedy Center, Inc. (2012b). Create Hope, Celebrate Potential: The Kennedy Center 2011 Annual Report. Downloaded from https://kennedyctrorg.presencehost.net/file_download/5c7e3a88- e1db-488c-b973-0bec49722bf1 on March 26, 2013. The Kennedy Center, Inc. (2011). Connecticut Travel Training Annual Report July 2010–January 2011. Trumbull, CT: The Kennedy Cen- ter, Inc. The Kennedy Center, Inc. (2006a). Family Guide to Travel Training, Fourth Edition. Trumbull, CT: The Kennedy Center, Inc. The Kennedy Center, Inc. (2006b). A Chance to Ride: Opening Doors to Independence Through Travel Training, Third Edition. Trumbull, CT: The Kennedy Center, Inc.