State DOTs Connecting Specialized Transportation Users and Rides Volume 1: Research Report (2016)

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N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I V E H I G H W A Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M NCHRP REPORT 832 State DOTs Connecting Users and Rides for Specialized Transportation Volume 1: Research Report Will Rodman Dan Berez Sarah Moser NelsoN\Nygaard CoNsultiNg assoCiates Boston, MA James Choe iCF iNterNatioNal San Francisco, CA Subscriber Categories Administration and Management • Passenger Transportation • Public Transportation TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2016 www.TRB.org Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide inter- est to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 ini- tiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive com- mittee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, univer- sities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in high- way transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transporta- tion departments and by committees of AASHTO. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Standing Committee on Research (SCOR), and each year SCOR’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors and the Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the Acad- emies and TRB. The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet by going to http://www.national-academies.org and then searching for TRB Printed in the United States of America NCHRP REPORT 832, VOLUME 1 Project 20-65/Task 60 ISSN 0077-5614 ISBN 978-0-309-37556-6 Library of Congress Control Number 2016944597 © 2016 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FRA, FTA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, PHMSA, or TDC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. Cover graphic © Atlanta Regional Commission NOTICE The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non- governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president. The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.national-academies.org. The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to increase the benefits that transportation contributes to society by providing leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied committees, task forces, and panels annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was prepared by Will Rodman, Dan Berez, and Sarah Moser of Nelson\Nygaard Consult- ing Associates, with graphic support from Danielle DeCharles, also of Nelson\Nygaard. A portion of the literature review was also undertaken by James Choe from ICF International. The cover graphic was developed by Molly Smith of the Atlanta Regional Commission which gave permission for its use. The authors wish to thank the numerous individuals footnoted throughout this report who provided key information for the case studies, as well as the staff from Cambridge Systematics who supplied many of the graphics that appear in the report. CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP REPORT 832, VOLUME 1 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Christopher Hedges, Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Gwen Chisholm Smith, Senior Program Officer Natasha R. Donawa, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Natalie Barnes, Senior Editor NCHRP PROJECT 20-65/TASK 60 PANEL Area of Special Projects Sharon L. Edgar, Michigan DOT, Lansing, MI (Chair) Charles R. Carr, Mississippi DOT, Jackson, MS Charles Dyer, Ohio DOT, Columbus, OH David C. Harris, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Santa Fe, NM Lyn Hellegaard, Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association, Missoula, MT Jila Priebe, California DOT, Sacramento, CA David T. Spacek, Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago, IL Dinah L. Van Der Hyde, Oregon DOT, Salem, OR Faith Hall, FTA Liaison Harlan Miller, FHWA Liaison Marianne Stock, FTA Liaison Katelyn Dwyer, AASHTO Liaison Shayne Gill, AASHTO Liaison Richard Weaver, APTA Liaison Christopher Zeilinger, CTAA Liaison Stephen J. Andrle, TRB Liaison Claire E. Randall, TRB Liaison

F O R E W O R D NCHRP Report 832: State DOTs Connecting Users and Rides for Specialized Transportation, which is published as a two-volume set, provides information and a toolkit on designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating linkages that connect customers with specialized transportation services and programs that address their travel needs. The report also pro- vides seven steps to planning a new linkage service. The results of this research will provide valuable information for state, regional, and local planning practitioners and transit and human service agency communities. Specialized transportation services such as paratransit, community volunteer drivers, and transportation voucher programs provide much needed mobility options for seniors, people with disabilities, individuals with low incomes, and veterans. Significant public investment through a broad range of federal and state funding programs, complemented with major efforts by non-profit organizations and community groups, have created numerous services in communities across the country. These services improve mobility, employment and edu- cation opportunities, and access to healthcare and community services for the transporta- tion disadvantaged. Most systems consist of numerous providers servicing patchworks of geographic areas during limited hours of service making it difficult for many users to navi- gate. In addition, inconsistent networks of public operator and private contractor programs can be both inefficient and insufficient for meeting traveler’s needs. Tools are needed to assist state DOTs with connecting customers with the best mobility options. Volume 1: Research Report discusses the main components of connecting special- ized transportation users and rides and describes the concepts, planning considerations, key issues, the development process, and general planning principles associated with making that linkage. In addition, Volume 1 includes findings from a literature review; interviews with employees overseeing existing linkage programs; as well as research into the coordina- tion, marketing, and evaluation of current programs. Volume 1 also contains an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities presented by each type of linkage program and provides best practices for connecting specialized transportation users with the rides they need to access daily services. Volume 2: Toolkit for State DOTs and Others provides a seven-step toolkit for planning and implementing a range of linkage services, from identifying target geographies, users, and modes to determining effective evaluation and marketing strategies. This report was prepared by Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates with assistance from ICF International. Both volumes can be found on the TRB website at http://www.trb.org/ Publications/PubsNCHRPProjectReports.aspx. By Gwen Chisholm Smith Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

C O N T E N T S Note: Photographs, figures, and tables in this report may have been converted from color to grayscale for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions. 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Findings 16 Chapter 3 Coordination 20 Chapter 4 Marketing 24 Chapter 5 Evaluation 28 Chapter 6 Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities 34 References A-1 Appendix A Getting There Collaborative Placemats B-1 Appendix B List of VTCLI Grant Recipients C-1 Appendix C Will County Community Transportation Services Directory D-1 Appendix D TransPortal Marketing Plan