Provision of Alternative Services by Transit Agencies: The Intersection of Regulation and Program (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix A - Case Studies
Appendix A - Case Studies
Pages 139-196
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From page 139... ...
The process resulted with the following alternative service programs selected as case studies, listed by location: • Boston, MA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's On-Demand/The RIDE Flex • Broward County, FL: Broward County Transit's Rider's Choice • Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (dba Mountain Line) 's Paratransit Taxi Program • Richmond, VA: Greater Richmond Transit Company's CARE On-Demand • San Antonio, TX: VIA Metropolitan Transit's taxi subsidy program The case studies were conducted from November 2021 through January 2022.
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From page 140... ...
The MBTA also provides ADA paratransit service -- The RIDE -- one of the largest in the United States. In 2016, the MBTA introduced a TNC-based alternative service, called the on-demand program for The RIDE customers.
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From page 141... ...
Background, Planning, and Implementation Planning for the alternative service began in 2016 and stemmed from both a study on costreducing strategies conducted for the MBTA and the Governor's office, which was advocating for ways that the MBTA could use TNCs as a way to upgrade mobility options for The RIDE customers (Figure A-2)
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From page 142... ...
And response times were as low as 5 minutes in The RIDE's Core Area compared to the 30-minute pickup window of The RIDE. In addition to the rave reviews (see the Rider Feedback section below)
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From page 143... ...
Evolution of the On-Demand Program In May 2017, the MBTA's board of directors approved expanding eligibility for the on-demand pilot program to all customers of The RIDE. This led to an influx of hundreds of new customers registering for the program.
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From page 144... ...
Curb is a taxi broker app with access to taxi companies, some of which had wheelchair-accessible taxicabs. Curb basically gets paid via a portion of the fare payment made to the participating taxi company.
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From page 145... ...
In the RFP, the MBTA identifies alternative service trips (booked directly with the TNCs) as "on-demand" trips and trips assigned by TRAC to TNCs as "integrated" trips, as depicted in Figure A-4.
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From page 146... ...
For example, to meet its service equivalency responsibility, the MBTA pays for a certain number of WAV service hours, whether or not the vehicle is in actual service or available to a nonambulatory customer and whether or not the rider is an MBTA paratransit customer. This hourly payment takes the place of subsidy payments for MBTA-sponsored trips (for trips from both programs)
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From page 147... ...
Achievement of Goals and Objectives As discussed previously, the MBTA's stated goals for its alternative service were to reduce demand for The RIDE, to reduce the overall cost of transporting paratransit customers, and to provide more mobility for paratransit customers. To assess whether the transit agency's goals have been achieved, the MBTA provided Figure A-5, which was presented to the MBTA board in November 2020, comparing the baseline prepilot annual ridership and cost figures with similar statistics from the on-demand pilot years.
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From page 148... ...
To do this, the MBTA staff first projects out what program registrants' future usage of The RIDE would have been if The RIDE Flex and its on-demand program did not exist. The projections reflect what the MBTA calls a "fade rate" which reflects the average decrease in an individual's use of the ADA paratransit service.
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From page 149... ...
Neither of the two riders use The RIDE at all, so their usage of the on-demand program is quite limited, and they thus have not experienced the POP element of The RIDE Flex at all. The first rider primarily doesn't use The RIDE because he prefers to use fixed-route transit, but since the frequency of the routes serving his area are 1 hour, he will supplement that service with the on-demand program, mostly using it for shopping or to visit friends, either from his home or from a bus stop or T station (to lessen the Uber fare)
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From page 150... ...
The MBTA also developed what is probably the most accurate cost reduc tion estimation methodology for alternative services through ADA paratransit trip forecasting. Contact Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
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From page 151... ...
BCT's Transportation Options Service (TOPS) BCT's TOPS paratransit service provides shared-ride services to both ADA paratransit customers and to customers whose trips are sponsored by BCT's state-funded Transportation Disadvantaged paratransit door-to-door program (TD program)
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From page 152... ...
Standard ADA paratransit rider fares on TOPS are $3.50. ADA paratransit customers who are also honorably discharged veterans are charged half-fares of $1.75, but only to VA clinics in Broward County.
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From page 153... ...
This included reviewing the ADA for compliance issues for taxi subsidy programs, reviewing scopes of service from agreements used by other transit agencies with alternative service programs, and contacting those agencies to learn from their experiences. BCT staff also held a public meeting with local providers in July 2016.
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From page 154... ...
Qualified paratransit program participants would be issued subsidized transportation payment cards as an incentive to reduce the use of the more costly paratransit service by using alternative vehicle-for-hire transportation services. Participants would be allowed to charge a maximum of $15 per single transaction.
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From page 155... ...
Note that CabConnect actually has two types of fare payment systems: one that supports more traditional user-side subsidy programs, and another that supports the service model described above. With the Broward County model, the card identifies the card holder as an eligible rider when the fare payment card is swiped at the end of the trip, and CabConnect then takes over, interacting with the taxi provider's backseat POS device to track the trip and the fare transaction, and where BCT currently pays up to the first $18.00 of the fare and the customer paying any overage.
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From page 156... ...
Figure A-8 shows the annual ridership for each of the last four program years of Rider's Choice. The first-year ridership of approximately 6,500 trips was a result of slow enrollment in the pilot program.
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From page 157... ...
Monthly Trips per Client 12.2 12.7 14.6 14.9 Figure A-10. Average monthly trips per rider by program year. 2/18–1/19 2/19–1/20 2/20–1/21 2/21–1/22 Total Cost $74,323 $290,788 $431,018 $499,088 Trips Taken 6,463 22,279 29,975 32,521 Avg.
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From page 158... ...
to increase business for local taxi companies, and (3) to reduce overall cost and/or unit cost per trip of transporting paratransit customers.
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From page 159... ...
• One participant who is blind commented that the most discernible difference between the two services' drivers was that taxi drivers rarely get out of their taxicab to identify the rider and assist them to and into the vehicle, although the participant added that this is not a deterrent to his using the Rider's Choice program. • A few of the participants indicated there have been language barriers with some taxi drivers.
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From page 160... ...
Most of the participants understood that COVID and other factors that have decimated the taxi industry are the root cause of the increase. The response times for riders on the outskirts of Broward County have incurred the more significant increases in response times, especially since, according to the focus group participants, there is only one company (Yellow Cab)
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From page 161... ...
The Mountain Line family of services includes fixedroute transit service, a ski express bus (called Mountain Express) to the Arizona Snowbowl during the winter, an ADA complementary paratransit service, an alternative service for ADA paratransit customers, and a vanpool program.
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From page 162... ...
Figure A-14. ADA paratransit and ADA Plus service area.
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From page 163... ...
Background, Planning, and Implementation The origins of Mountain Line's current alternative service, called the Paratransit Taxi Program, began with planning the Taxi Voucher Program for its ADA paratransit customers in 2006. There were two motivations for the service: (1)
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From page 164... ...
Some riders apparently had work hours that started before and ended after Mountain Line's ADA paratransit service hours. Staff also noted that the overall unit cost of transporting its ADA paratransit customers had been reduced.
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From page 165... ...
Use of the Voucher Program Mountain Line provided reports with passenger trip data going back to June 2010. Researchers first analyzed passenger trip data prior to November 2017, reviewing data from June 2010 to October 2017.
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From page 166... ...
Thus, the reported trip data in Figure A-18 under the voucher program was really based on the number of vouchers redeemed and hence do not always represent the Annual Figure A-16. Annual Mountain Line Taxi Program ridership June 2010–October 2017.
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From page 167... ...
Mountain Line felt strongly that it wanted to enable its ADA paratransit customers to make trips via the Taxi Voucher Program to locations beyond Flagstaff, and thanks to funding from Coconino County, this was part of Figure A-18. Average monthly Mountain Line Taxi Program ridership 2010–2017 (partial-year data for 2010 and 2017)
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From page 168... ...
Current Design and Service Parameters Evolution from Paper Vouchers to a Taxi Payment Card System and Expansion of Providers In November 2017, Mountain Line transitioned its alternative service from a voucher pro gram to a taxi payment card system. At the same time, Mountain Line renamed the program the Mountain Line Paratransit Taxi Program.
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From page 169... ...
Riders' Subsidy on the Taxi Payment Card. Once a month, riders may request that the transit agency load its subsidy onto their taxi payment card account; in effect, this is paying for their share of the cost of future trips. This can be done regularly by setting up an autopay with debiting from a credit or debit card, or by calling Mountain Line staff and using a credit/debit card at any time.
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From page 170... ...
Source: Mountain Line. Figure A-20. 2019 advertisement for the Mountain Line Paratransit Taxi Program.
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From page 171... ...
provided by Mountain Line, from implementation of the taxi payment card in November 2017 through September 2021. In 2018, the total passenger trips were comparable to the previous two years, but City trips consti tuted a higher proportion of the total relative to the previous period.
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From page 172... ...
The average fare for County trips had significantly more variability by month and did not appear to have a similarly increasing cost trend around March 2020, Figure A-23. Average monthly Mountain Line Taxi Program ridership 2017–2021 (partial-year data for 2017 and 2021)
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From page 173... ...
Uber had an Figure A-25. Average monthly Mountain Line Taxi Program fare.
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From page 174... ...
Table A-3. Mountain Line Taxi Program average fare by provider, December 2018–October 2021.
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From page 175... ...
These goals were met, however the service area for the Paratransit Taxi Program was scaled back from allowing trips that extended to the county border to a smaller service area defined by Mountain Line's service area, which included all of the ADA paratransit service area and closer-in parts of the county. Scaling down the service area was due to the program's popularity and the County's program budget being exceeded.
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From page 176... ...
Several participants indi cated switching to Lyft as the local taxi companies have struggled to keep drivers. Use of Paratransit Taxi Program versus Mountain Line Paratransit (ADA paratransit)
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From page 177... ...
A few participants, in contrast, noted that response times and timeliness of advance reservation trip arrivals have dropped significantly, from 40 to 60 minutes; riders speculated that the reduction in drivers is at the heart of the resulting slide in responsiveness, as well as the more remote locations of their residences. • Many users preferred the Taxi Program to Mountain Line Paratransit because of (1)
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From page 178... ...
or CARE Plus trips (those that have an origin or destination outside the required ADA paratransit service area)
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From page 179... ...
By 2015, GRTC was dealing with increasing demand and increasing costs for its ADA paratransit service and saw a same-day service as a way to address both issues. A same-day alternative for ADA paratransit riders would not only help shift demand to a more cost-effective service but would also provide a same-day mobility option for ADA paratransit riders, a higher level of service than next-day paratransit.
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From page 180... ...
GRTC signed a contract with UZURV in July 2017, becoming UZURV's first public transit agency client. CARE On-Demand was then implemented on August 1, 2017, as a 1-year pilot.
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From page 181... ...
Data GRTC reports that obtaining data needed to monitor and assess the service has not been an issue. The transit agency tracks the following data for CARE On-Demand: • Total passenger trips provided/subsidized • Number of unique customers
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From page 182... ...
Performance Metrics for Monitoring Service GRTC reports that it reviews the following metrics to monitor CARE On-Demand: • Overall cost (combined cost of the ADA paratransit service and the alternative service) • Cost per passenger trip (combined cost of the ADA paratransit service and the alternative service)
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From page 183... ...
GRTC reports that some riders have developed a comfort level with the same-day service and may not want to return to traditional ADA paratransit service. Source: UZURV.
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From page 184... ...
However, GRTC has set the subsidy limit for CARE On-Demand at a modest level, roughly half of what its ADA paratransit trips cost, which helps protect the transit agency from potential "new" costs for the alternative service. Achievement of Goals and Objectives GRTC believes that CARE On-Demand has achieved its objectives for the service.
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From page 185... ...
Lessons Learned GRTC reports the following: • Deliberate and careful planning of an alternative service will help lead to a successful imple mentation and resulting service. In planning its pilot, GRTC researched ADA and Title VI compliance requirements and took time with the procurement and contracting process.
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From page 186... ...
Contact GRTC Transit System Corporate Office 301 East Belt Boulevard Richmond, VA 23224 (804) 358-3871 http://ridegrtc.com/ http://ridegrtc.com/services/specialized-transportation/care/ http://ridegrtc.com/services/specialized-transportation/care-on-demand/ San Antonio, TX: VIA Taxi Subsidy Program Background of Transit Agency VIA Metropolitan Transit (VIA)
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From page 187... ...
was the provider until it went out of business and was purchased in 2021. Planning the Alternative Service As reported by VIA in this study's survey, the objectives of the taxi subsidy program included: • Reduce demand for paratransit service • Reduce overall cost and/or unit cost of transporting paratransit customers • Provide an on-demand/same-day mobility option for paratransit customers
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From page 188... ...
Thus, the taxi subsidy program has provided a way to take some pressure off VIAtrans. According to the survey response, VIA faced the following issues and challenges in planning and implementing the program: • Providing equivalent service, including service response times, to customers requiring WAVs • Limited number of taxi companies in the area • Limited number of taxi companies in the area with WAVs • Limited number of local taxi companies willing to participate in the program, e.g., reluctance due to high insurance coverage requirements or other transit agency requirements or issues • Concerns about data collection for NTD reporting or transit agency performance monitoring The issues revolving around accessible service were a particular concern for VIA, including whether the taxi-based service could provide equivalent response times for riders needing a WAV.
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From page 189... ...
Same-Day Subsidy This is an alternative service for VIAtrans taxi subsidy program riders, whose stated purpose is "to enhance quality of service for ADA paratransit-eligible customers by providing VIAtranseligible customers the option to travel same-day." The RFP stated that transportation providers for the service may include taxis, TNCs, and private transportation providers, and that the FTA's taxicab exception would not apply. Drivers for the same-day subsidy must meet FTA drug and alcohol testing requirements.
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From page 190... ...
While VIA requires zTrip to use white vehicles branded with the VIA logo for the ADA para transit service, zTrip has already introduced some of its zTrip branded vehicles (Figure A-33) for its other services, including the taxi subsidy program.
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From page 191... ...
• Trip requested and pickup time (time to pick up customer -- response time) • Trip requests for customers using a wheelchair This report is interesting: VIA wants to ensure its riders using the taxi subsidy program are served in a similar manner as the taxi company's general public, private-pay passengers.
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From page 192... ...
The contract specifies that the contractor must have technology that can track the number of trips per customer per month. – The trip limits were established soon after the taxi subsidy program began because of increasing demand.
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From page 193... ...
• Overall customer ridership • Number of passenger trips requiring a WAV • Customer satisfaction/complaint frequency ratio The transit agency reports that an emphasis for data monitoring is the division of trips between ambulatory and wheelchair and differences in response times. Overall, the taxi subsidy program is a relatively small component of VIA's services for its ADA paratransit riders without a major impact on VIAtrans, the ADA paratransit service.
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From page 194... ...
The taxi subsidy program is a small but nonetheless important and beneficial component of VIA's services for its ADA paratransit riders. VIA reports that should use of the program rebound to levels pre-pandemic and begin con sistently reaching the daily trip caps and if funding is available, the transit agency could consider plans for its expansion.
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From page 195... ...
• Carry over your agency's standards for service to the subsidy program's service. • Monitor the service carefully and particularly watch for driver fraud; include in the agreement the ability to remove a driver from the program.
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