Strategy Guide to Enable and Promote the Use of Fixed-Route Transit by People with Disabilities (2014)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

105 Another approach for providing transit services for people with disabilities is to use alternative service designs that can meet the needs of all riders. Rather than providing traditional fixed- route transit with ADA complementary paratransit, service designs that can meet the needs of all riders can be considered. Examples of more inclusive service designs are: • Route deviation services, • Point deviation services, • Request stop services, • Paratransit-to-fixed-route feeder services, and • General public demand responsive services. In addition, community bus services, a form of fixed-route transit, can also help serve more riders with disabilities. While ADA paratransit is required in areas where community buses are operated, less ADA paratransit service is often required if more people with disabilities can use the “user-friendly” community buses. Each of these alternative service designs has characteristics that can meet the needs of people with disabilities. Each also allows people with disabilities to be served on the same vehicles as the rest of the public. This provides for a more integrated and inclusive service. This chapter provides a brief description of several alternative service designs. The charac- teristics of each design that better meet the needs of persons with disabilities are noted. Possible applications of each design, as well as implementation considerations are also presented. More detailed information about these alternative service designs is also presented in a com- panion document titled Accessible Transportation Services for All (ATFA), which was prepared by the Federal Transit Administration. (48) 8.1 Route Deviation Transit Service Under this service design, vehicles operate along established routes that typically have des- ignated stops. Between designated stops, vehicles can go off-route to pick up or drop off riders. A service area is established along the route within which off-route pickups and drop-offs can be made. For example, vehicles may deviate up to three-quarters of a mile off of the designated route. Figure 8-1 illustrates the route deviation concept. Riders are typically asked to call in advance to request off-route pickups. For example, riders might be asked to call one or two hours before their desired pickup time. In some transit systems, deviations can be requested by any rider. In other systems, devi- ations are only accepted from certain riders, such as persons with disabilities. Systems that C h a p t e r 8 Alternative Transit Service Designs

106 Strategy Guide to enable and promote the Use of Fixed-route transit by people with Disabilities accept deviations from all riders are considered to be “demand responsive” services by FTA, and ADA paratransit is not required as a complement to these services. (53) If deviations are only accepted from certain riders, such as riders with disabilities, FTA considers the service to be “fixed route” and ADA paratransit is required. If operated as demand responsive service (deviations for anyone), the requirements in Section 37.77 of the U.S.DOT ADA regulations must be met. When viewed in its entirety, service to riders with disabilities must be equal in the following areas: • Response time (advance reservation requirements for deviations should be comparable to the typical headway to be equal to the response time experienced by riders who catch the bus at designated stops). • Fares (fares for riders who request deviations must be the same as fares for riders who catch the bus at designated stops). • Geographic transit service area (the area in which deviations are made must be the same for all riders who request deviations). • Hours and days of transit service (deviations must be allowed at all times that riders are served at designated stops). Information about alternative service designs is provided in the following reports: Koffman, D., TCRP Synthesis 53: Operational Experiences With Flexible Transit Ser- vices, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington D.C., 2004. (49) Weiner, R., TCRP Synthesis 76: Integration of Paratransit and Fixed-Route Transit Ser- vices, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2008. (50) Volinski, J. M., Connor, M., McLaughlin, J., Kopp, C., Ryus, P., Pittman, D., TCRP Report 116, Guidebook for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing Suburban Transit Services, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington D.C., 2006. (51) Becker, A. and Teal, R. “Next-Generation General Public Demand Responsive Transportation,” Presented at the 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2011. (52) Figure 8-1. Route deviation service.

alternative transit Service Designs 107 • Restrictions or priorities based on trip purpose (deviations must be allowed for all trip purposes). • Constraints on capacity (deviation requests should not be constrained since there are no constraints for riders who can use the transit service at designated stops). • Availability of information and reservation capability [information should be made available, in accessible formats when needed, and reservations for deviations should be available via telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or relay service]. Service Characteristics That Meet the Needs of People with Disabilities By deviating off-route, this design makes it possible for riders who may have difficulty getting to or from designated bus stops to use the service. As noted in Chapter 2, distances to and from bus stops and barriers encountered in getting to and from bus stops are two of the most important factors that limit use of fixed-route transit service by people with disabilities. Applicability and Implementation Considerations While route deviation transit services have been used in a variety of settings, following are some general observations about situations where this design might be applicable: • Longer routes with longer distances between stops that can better accommodate off-route deviations within the established schedule. • Routes with longer headways that include recovery time to accommodate off-route deviations. • Routes that serve trips that are not time-sensitive. For example, route deviation may not be applicable on routes that are making tightly scheduled connections to other modes. • In transit systems or areas where operating both traditional fixed-route transit and ADA paratransit is not economically viable. • Routes with relatively low ridership. This could include routes with lower ridership through- out the day, or routes with relatively low ridership at certain times of the day. For example, a route could transition from traditional fixed-route to route deviation during the evening hours. Some important implementation considerations include: • To be effective, riders need to know that deviations are possible. Information about the availability of deviations, and how to request deviations, should be included in route schedules and other public information. • Riders who are boarding at designated stops also need to be informed that vehicles may go off-route and that arrival times at designated stops might vary. This can help to manage rider expectations and avoid misunderstandings if vehicles run slightly off schedule. • It is helpful if staff designated to handle and schedule deviation requests has some experience with demand response type operations. For this reason, some transit agencies use para- transit operations staff, rather than fixed-route transit dispatchers, to take and schedule deviation requests. 8.2 Point Deviation Transit Service Point deviation transit services operate within a designated area rather than on a specific route. Within the defined area, basic demand responsive service is provided. Riders typi- cally call in advance to request pickups and drop-offs at any locations within the service area.

108 Strategy Guide to enable and promote the Use of Fixed-route transit by people with Disabilities In addition to this advance reservation service, a limited number of locations are identified and designated where service is provided on a set schedule without advance reservations. For example, vehicles may stop at a designated shopping center every hour on the hour and at a designated apartment complex every hour on the half-hour. Riders can board and disembark at these designated locations without making advance reservations. Figure 8-2 illustrates the point deviation design concept. Point deviation transit services can be made available to the general public rather than just specific groups. One option is to ask general public riders to board and disembark at the desig- nated stops that are served on a set schedule. Extra pickups and drop-offs at these designated locations can be accommodated without adding much extra time to the schedule. Or, both types of service—prescheduled and immediate service at designated stops—can be open to the general public. The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in Salt Lake City operated 16 routes with deviations (called FLEX Routes) in 2012. All FLEX Routes are identified by the letter “F” before each route number, for example Route F94. Every FLEX Route printed schedule includes the following statements: “Time points are approximate and may vary due to traffic conditions or deviation requests” “Because the F94 is on a fixed-route schedule that can deviate off of route, the time points on this schedule are approximate. The bus can run 10–15 minutes after the listed time points throughout the day. The bus will never bypass a time point before it is scheduled to.” Similar information is included in online descriptions of the FLEX Routes. Figure 8-2. Point deviation transit service.

alternative transit Service Designs 109 Two advantages of point deviation transit services are: • Regularly scheduled stops at designation locations can help to organize demand around trips to and from these locations by advertising the times that service is provided to these places. • Having designated, scheduled stops can allow this portion of the service to be opened to the public without significant impact on vehicle schedules. Service Characteristics That Meet the Needs of People with Disabilities Since point deviation services operate partly as general demand responsive services, they are able to effectively serve persons with disabilities. Riders can call in advance and request curb-to-curb or door-to-door services (depending on the policy of the particular service). If point deviation transit services are made available to the general public—either in total or just at designated, scheduled stops—they allow riders to be served in a more integrated way. Applicability and Implementation Considerations For point deviation transit services to be effective, the designated stops selected for service on a set schedule need to be locations that are high attractors or generators of service. If a general public demand responsive service is operated, pickup and drop-off data can be analyzed to determine if there are locations that can be designated for regular service. The number of locations designated for regular service should still allow for effective pre- scheduled service at other locations. The research suggests that transit agencies that use point deviation typically designate a limited number of high-traffic locations for regular, scheduled service. (49) Communicating the concept of a service that has scheduled stops but no set route can be a challenge. Developing good public information is a key implementation issue. Most state-of-the-art paratransit software systems can be customized to work with point deviation services. Designated stops simply need to be prescheduled and “anchored” at the times that service is advertised at each location. 8.3 Request Stop Transit Service Two types of request stop service have been used by transit agencies. One is built more on a fixed-route design and one is more demand responsive in nature. Request stop transit services built on fixed routes use two types of stops—those that are always served along the advertised route, and those that are off-route and only served if there is a request. Riders can either catch the bus at regular stops along the advertised route, or can call in advance to request a pickup at one of the designated off-route locations. Route and schedule information depicts each type of stop and explains that an advance request is needed for service at off-route locations. Figure 8-3 illustrates a request stop service based on a fixed route. Request stop transit services built more around a demand responsive design designate pickup and drop-off locations throughout the service area. Riders call in advance and request trips between two designated stops. Schedules are generated for each tour based on the requests received. Typically, a comprehensive network of designated pickup and drop-off locations is identified so that walking distances to stops throughout the service area are minimized. Pickups and drop-offs can be limited only to designated stop locations. Or, pickups and

110 Strategy Guide to enable and promote the Use of Fixed-route transit by people with Disabilities drop-offs at other, non-designated locations can be allowed for some or all riders. The request stop design based on a demand responsive model is shown in Figure 8-4. Service Characteristics That Meet the Needs of People with Disabilities Request stop transit services built on a fixed-route design allows for a limited number of off-route pickups on request. This can help to minimize walking distances to and from stops for people with disabilities. With designated pickup and drop-off locations spread throughout the service area, request stop services built on a demand responsive design minimize walking distances to an even greater degree. Both types of transit services are typically open to the general public, rather than limited to only certain riders. This allows people with disabilities to be served in a more integrated way. Applicability and Implementation Considerations Fixed-route based request stop transit services might be appropriate where there are off-route locations that need to be served at certain times, but not throughout the full range of operating Figure 8-3. Request stop transit service built on a fixed-route design. Figure 8-4. Request stop transit service based on a demand responsive design.

alternative transit Service Designs 111 hours. For example, it might include places that employ people with disabilities that only need to be served on a couple of runs in the morning and a couple of runs in the afternoon. Fixed-route based request stop transit services might also be appropriate if there are “secondary” locations that need to be served, but which are not as important as the “primary” locations selected for development of routes. Request stop transit services based on a demand responsive design are applicable in areas where locations that need to be served are more spread out and not concentrated along a particular corridor or corridors. These types of transit services might also be appropriate in communities with narrower streets where service using smaller vehicles is more appropriate, or desired by the community. As with other types of flexibly-routed transit services, good public information is important. It can be a challenge to explain to the public how to request transit service at off-route locations. It is also important to let all riders know that vehicles may sometimes travel off-route for a short distance. Request stop transit services based on a demand responsive design can be particularly challenging to describe and explain. 8.4 Community Bus Transit Service Community bus transit services are basically local fixed routes. They are different from regional fixed-route services, though, in their design and objectives. Community bus routes travel more circuitous routes on neighborhood and secondary streets and have as a main objective providing service that is closer to the riders. Convenience and minimizing walking distance are the main objectives. Minimizing travel times is not as important. Community bus transit services can be operated by transit agencies, or can be operated by local communities with support from transit agencies. A common approach is for transit agencies to provide vehicles, limited operating support, planning and administrative support and to have local communities fund part of the operation. Community bus transit services can be designed to serve local neighborhoods. They can also be designed to connect to regional bus routes and complement the regional bus network. Broward County Transit (BCT) in Ft. Lauderdale has developed an entire network of local community bus services. Twenty different community bus transit services have been implemented throughout Broward County (see Figure 8-5). Some services have only one route. Others have networks of up to five routes that service the local area. Eighteen of the services are operated by the local communities with limited assistance from BCT. Two are provided by companies under contract to BCT. BCT’s objectives for community buses were two-fold. First, the community buses were designed to provide better local service to all residents, including the large senior population. Second, community buses were developed to allow BCT to streamline its regional bus network. Prior to the implementation of these local services, BCT’s regional bus routes tried to serve local as well as regional needs. Diverting routes off of the grid of major arterial streets made regional travel times unattractive. Where community buses have been implemented, BCT has been able to streamline regional routes and use local community buses to feed into the regional transit network. In 2012, a total of 2,370,943 unlinked passenger trips were provided on BCT community bus transit services. The average productivity was 14.8 trips per vehicle-revenue-hour. Total cost per trip, revenue-hour, and revenue-mile were $2.95, $43.71, and $3.10 respectively.

112 Strategy Guide to Enable and Promote the Use of Fixed-Route Transit by People with Disabilities Figure 8-5. Map of community bus routes in Broward County (courtesy of Broward County Transit).

alternative transit Service Designs 113 Service Characteristics That Meet the Needs of People with Disabilities Compared to traditional fixed-route transit services, community buses provide better coverage throughout the service area. Routes are designed to travel on neighborhood streets to minimize the walking distance to and from stops. This is a major benefit to riders with disabilities as well as other groups, such as seniors. As noted in Chapter 2, long walking distances to and from bus stops is one of the most important factors that can limit use of fixed-route services by people with disabilities. Because community buses are open to the general public, people with disabilities are also served in a more integrated way. Applicability and Implementation Considerations Community bus services are applicable in a wide variety of settings. The transit service design can be tailored to the needs of the local community. Single routes, linear or circular, can be used. Or small networks of routes can be developed. Transit services can incorporate other features such as route deviation or stop request. Community bus services can be particularly effective where there is a high proportion of potential transit riders. This includes persons with disabilities, seniors, and persons without access to private automobiles. The effectiveness of community bus services can be improved by designing routes that are close to residences as well as destinations. 8.5 Paratransit-to-Fixed-Route Feeder Service Paratransit-to-fixed-route feeder service uses both modes to serve riders. Paratransit vehicles pick riders up and take them to fixed-route bus stops or stations, or meet them at bus stops and stations and take them to their final destination. Service Characteristics That Meet the Needs of People with Disabilities Feeder service enables people with disabilities to use the fixed-route transit service even though there may be barriers that would otherwise prevent them from getting to or from stops and stations. Feeder service also enables use of fixed-route transit when the distances to and from stops and stations are farther than riders can manage. Applicability and Implementation Considerations Feeder service can be used in ADA paratransit operations as an alternative to direct origin- to-destination service. Feeder service can also be used more broadly as a general public service. For example, demand responsive vehicles may be used to connect to the fixed-route transit system in communities or areas that are not in close proximity to bus routes or rail lines. Combining feeder service with route deviation service has some advantages. For example, the UTA in Salt Lake City uses ADA paratransit vehicles to take people to stops on their FLEX Routes. The FLEX Route buses can then deviate off-route to take riders to their final destinations. This way, fixed-route transit service is enabled even if there are barriers at both ends of the trip, and the difficulties of a “double-feeder” trip are avoided.

114 Strategy Guide to enable and promote the Use of Fixed-route transit by people with Disabilities Important Feeder Service Considerations Following are important operational issues and considerations if feeder service is used in ADA paratransit operations as an alternative to direct, origin-to- destination service: • Feeder service is an operational choice that transit agencies may consider for specific trips. Feeder service is not a type of eligibility. Applicants for ADA paratransit eligibility should not be determined “feeder-only” eligible. Doing so would mean that the only service options provided to these riders would be complementary paratransit feeder service at both ends of a fixed-route tran- sit trip. This is both operationally infeasible and would result in unreasonable total travel times for many trips. • Instead, a good practice is for transit agencies to evaluate individual riders and trip requests to determine if feeder service is appropriate. Important considerations in evaluating riders and trips include: – Riders’ functional abilities: Riders must have the functional ability to indepen- dently complete the fixed-route portion of the trip (including transfers). – The total length of the trip: Providing feeder service for very short trips can result in total travel times that could become a capacity constraint. Feeder trips are typically not considered for trips shorter than five to seven miles. – Proximity of the fixed-route alighting stop to the destination: To avoid having to provide complementary paratransit connections at both ends, one end of the trip should be near a fixed-route stop and accessible for riders. Typically, feeder service is only arranged if riders are able to get to the fixed-route service independently at one end (commonly the destination). Because it is so operationally difficult, “double feeder” is typically not realistic except for very long trips (over 15 to 20 miles). – The headways of the fixed-route transit service: Attempting feeder service to a route that runs infrequently could become a problem if the connection is not made on time. – Fares: Charging fares for both the paratransit and the fixed-route portions of trips will make feeder an unattractive option to riders. Since paratransit is really being provided to enable use of fixed-route transit, it is recommended that the paratransit fare be waived and a fare only collected for the fixed- route portion of the trip. In Pittsburgh, where feeder service is used and only the fixed-route transit fare is charged, the service has come to be known as the “free van to the bus service.” – Amenities at the transfer point: If riders may have to wait at the stop, it may be important that the stop have a bench and/or shelter. Access to a telephone (or staff who can make a call) may also be important if there is a connection issue and the complementary paratransit dispatch center needs to be contacted. – Special scheduling of feeder trips: To avoid excessively long travel times, a good practice is to consider shorter on-time windows for feeder trips. For example, the drop-off window might be shortened to five to ten minutes rather than 30 minutes so riders do not have long wait times at stops for connection to the fixed-route transit service. Some transit agencies have schedulers manually adjust the schedules for feeder trips to shorten the connections.

alternative transit Service Designs 115 8.6 General Public Demand Responsive Service Many transit agencies provide general public demand responsive service. A recent survey of public transit agencies conducted for FTA’s ATFA project found that 26% of respondents indi- cated that they operated some form of general public demand responsive service. (48) Vehicles provide door-to-door or curb-to-curb service within a defined service area. Riders call to request service. Advance reservation requirements, as well as other service policies, vary from system to system. Service Characteristics That Meet the Needs of People with Disabilities Because demand responsive service is provided to and from the curb or door, it meets the needs of all riders, including people with disabilities. It is open to all riders, which allows riders with disabilities to be served in a more integrated way. Applicability and Implementation Considerations General public demand responsive service is often used in more rural areas, where tradi- tional fixed-route transit complemented by ADA paratransit may not be appropriate or eco- nomically feasible. If no fixed-route transit service is provided, only general public demand responsive service, then ADA paratransit does not have to be provided. The requirements to provide ADA paratransit can also be met by offering general public demand responsive service. Vehicles used to provide service to persons who are ADA paratransit eligible can also be used to transport general public riders. If used in this way, the service must meet all ADA paratransit requirements when transporting riders who are ADA paratransit eligible. If not all trip requests can be accommodated, riders who are ADA paratransit eligible must be given priority so that the service they receive is not constrained. General public demand responsive service can also be used to supplement traditional fixed- route transit and ADA paratransit services. All three types of services can be offered in some communities where there is the demand. – Guaranteed ride: A good practice is to have a policy of providing a direct trip as a backup when connections are missed. – Total travel time: The total travel time for the trip should be considered before feeder service is used as an option to direct, origin-to-destination service. The total travel time for both the feeder and fixed-route transit portions of the trip should be comparable to the travel time for the same trip made without feeder on the fixed-route system. SamTrans, which provides transit service to residents in San Mateo County, CA, provides ADA paratransit service using two different demand responsive programs. On the eastern side of the county (bayside), where most of the population is concentrated, SamTrans operates a traditional ADA paratransit service called Redi-Wheels. This service is provided only to persons who have been determined

116 Strategy Guide to Enable and Promote the Use of Fixed-Route Transit by People with Disabilities ADA paratransit eligible. On the western side of the county (coastside), which has a lower population density and only two fixed routes, SamTrans operates a general public demand responsive service called RediCoast. This service pro- vides origin-to-destination service for ADA paratransit eligible individuals as well as general public riders. Figure 8-6 shows the Redi-Wheels and RediCoast service areas. The general public demand response RediCoast serves two purposes: • To provide ADA paratransit in the northern portions of the coastline where fixed-route transit service is operated, and • To provide some additional transportation to the general public beyond the limited fixed routes that are operated in the area. Figure 8-6. Redi-Wheels and RediCoast service areas.

Alternative Transit Service Designs 117 The RediCoast service is partly funded with Federal Section 5311 rural transporta- tion assistance. Section 5311 funding pays half of the operating costs of services in the rural portions of the service area. While RediCoast service is available to anyone who calls, residents can apply for ADA paratransit eligibility. ADA paratransit eligibility is displayed during the trip reservations process so operations staff can ensure that all requests by those who are ADA paratransit eligible are scheduled within an hour of the requested time. RediCoast operates throughout the entire coastline area. Service is available to anyone for any trip purpose. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends and holidays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other operating policies are similar to the Redi-Wheels service: • Fares are $3.75 per trip. • A reduced fare of $1.75 is available to low-income riders. • Trips are available on a “next-day” basis (riders can call up to 5 p.m. on the day before service to request a ride). • Trips can be requested up to seven days in advance. • Door-to-door service is provided up to 50 feet from the vehicle (as long as the vehicle remains in sight of the driver). A total of 12 vehicles are used to provide the RediCoast service. All are lift-equipped, body-on-chassis minibuses. A total of 29,487 one-way passenger trips were provided in FY 2012. This included 25,044 trips for persons determined ADA paratransit eligible and 4,443 trips by general public riders. There were no trip denials in FY 2012. The service had enough capacity to meet all requests, from general public riders as well as those registered as ADA paratransit eligible. Figure 8-7. RediCoast vehicle and passenger (photo courtesy of TranSystems).