Planning and Programming for
the Elderly & Disabled

 

 

Introduction and Overview

 

Federal policy directed at providing transportation service to elderly and disabled people requires that public transportation be made available to such people.  In 1990 major civil rights legislation was passed -- the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 -- which instituted sweeping new requirements for accessibility improvements on all transportation services provided to the public.  CDTA worked with a special committee (Capital District Committee for Accessible Transportation) created by New York State legislation to develop a plan for implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.  The plan, containing recommendations concerning the paratransit, main line, and rural services operated by CDTA, was submitted to FTA and NYSDOT on January 22, 1992.  As required by the ADA final rule, CDTC certified on March 19, 1992 that it had reviewed the plan and the plan is in conformance with the region's transportation plan developed under the joint FTA/FHWA planning regulations.  CDTA submitted an Annual Update to the Compliance Plan to FTA and NYSDOT in January 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996.  As required by the ADA final rule, the CDTC Policy Board reviewed the updates to the plan at the March meetings of those years.  Full compliance to the ADA was required and achieved as of January 26, 1997.  CDTA is no longer required to submit annual progress reports to the plan as long as the transit system continues to meet all service criteria of the ADA.

 

In response to this federal and state policy, and local community goals articulated through the planning process, the following special services and efforts will be progressed during the 2005-10 program years:

 

1.      STAR (Special Transit Service Available by Request) Service: CDTA's special transit service began operation in the summer of 1982.  The service was designed for use by any Capital District resident unable to utilize CDTA's fixed route bus service because of a disability.  STAR service was modified in January 1993 to comply with the guidelines set forth in the ADA.  The changes affected eligibility, service area and fares.  Additional changes to STAR service were instituted in January 1994 to comply with ADA milestones.  "Next day" service became available in 1994; CDTA began to process requests for paratransit service up to 14 days in advance of the trip in 1994 as well.  During 1995, CDTA installed a state of the art computer system to better manage the STAR service requests and routing.  During 1998, CDTA refined the eligibility requirements for STAR access in an attempt to curb clientele growth and to encourage use of the accessible fixed route system.  In Spring 1999, CDTA installed the Windows-based version of the STAR scheduling software which allows for faster turnaround times, automated cancellation and verification of trips and is a faster system overall.

 

The STAR fleet now consists of 24 heavy-duty vehicles, sixteen (16) cutaways, and two low-floor Elf buses. $0.640M per year is programmed in the 2005-2010 TIP for a total of $3.2M in TIP project T6B for the purchase of eight STAR vehicles.  Cutaways will be used to replace existing vehicles because of the lack of a heavy-duty vehicle on the market that is low floor.  In the last two years, CDTA purchased two Elf buses to research their mechanical records and customer reactions.  The conclusion of this research is that the additional capital cost for the low-floor vehicle is not warranted by disabled customer preferences and that the repair record on the Elf is inferior to that on the cutaways.  The proposed vehicle replacement capital schedule allows for the retirement of the Orion II’s at the end of their useful life, and a gradual increase in fleet size to meet anticipated increased demand for paratransit services.

 

Approximately, 106,200 elderly and/or handicapped people were provided specialized trips during the 2003-04 state fiscal year. 

 

2.      STAR “Town Meetings”: CDTA conducts “town meetings” to gather feedback from users of the STAR service on a biannual basis.  The last two meetings were held in May 2004 and December 2004.  The sessions serve as a mechanism by which information regarding changes in STAR service can be disseminated.  Also, the meetings provide an opportunity for STAR users to comment on how CDTA can better serve the disabled community.  CDTA will continue to conduct STAR town meetings during the 2005-06 fiscal year.

 

3.      Fare Policy: Federal regulations mandate that transit fares for elderly and disabled riders during off-peak hours be no more than one-half the base peak-hour fare.  In fiscal year 2004, CDTA sold 6765 half-fare SWIPER cards.  Over 269,000 half-fare cash rides were also recorded on the fixed route system between April 2003 and March 2004.  The cost of this fare reduction policy was nearly $400,000.

 

In April 2005, zzzCDTA changed its fare structure and policy in the following ways: simplify the structure, eliminate free transfers, and introduce a $3 day pass.  Together with these changes, CDTA will expand half-fare applicability to all day (not just off peak), every day. 

 

4.      Other Special Efforts: During 1987, CDTA adopted the policy that all future purchases of fixed route, mainline buses be handicapped accessible.  In concert with this policy, CDTA replaced its entire fixed route fleet between 1998 and 2003 with low floor buses, making it 100% accessible.  Approximately 600 to a high of 1500 people in wheelchairs access the fixed route system in a given month.  This high variability is partially explained by the policy of granting seasonal eligibility for paratransit services.  Wheelchair boardings on the fixed route system are consistently higher in the summer months.

 

Over the past several years, CDTA has worked on improving bus stop amenities and accessibility and has worked cooperatively with area municipalities to improve pedestrian amenities.  Work on pedestrian access, including issues related to the elderly and mobility disabled population, will continue throughout 2005-06. 

 

5.      Northway Commuter Services: Upstate Transit’s fleet of 15 commuter buses is fully accessible to the disabled.  $1.350M of CMAQ funds are programmed in the fifth year of the 2005-10 TIP (SA134) for three additional replacements.  Sponsorship of this service transferred from Saratoga County to CDTA in 2003.

 

 

Ongoing and New Initiatives

 

During the 1993-94 fiscal year, CDTC, as part of the New Visions process, formed a task force to develop a plan that addresses special transportation needs through 2010.  This task force met through November 1996.  Findings of the task force were published in December 1996.

 

CDTC was involved with the Committee for Accessible Transportation (CAT) between January 1992 and February 1996.  The CAT was established in the Capital District pursuant to the ADA.  The committee was comprised of three transit disabled people, a representative of CDTA, a designee of the State Advocate for the Disabled, one designee of the Commissioner of NYSDOT and a representative from Blue Cross.  The CAT met quarterly to monitor the implementation of the 1992 ADA Compliance Plan for CDTA.  A member of the CDTC Staff attended the meetings.  The CAT voted itself out of formal existence on February 14, 1996, the date that CDTA became fully compliant with the requirements of the ADA.  CDTA and some members of the CAT, however, volunteered to reconstitute an advisory committee to CDTA (regarding accessibility issues) as an informal body.  This group meets quarterly at the CDTA headquarters in Albany.  CDTC is a member of this group.

 

CDTC staff continues to work on UPWP Task 4.07 -- Human Service Agency Transportation Options.  Under this task, during 1996, 1997 and 1998, CDTC participated in the Statewide Coordinated Transportation Study (SCOTS).  CDTA was the recipient of a demonstration grant under SCOTS.  The purpose of SCOTS was to encourage the coordination of transportation provided by human service agencies.  In this regard, CDTA and CDTC worked with human service agencies located in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties to initiate discussions about coordination and consolidation strategies.  CDTA hired a consultant from the Community Association of America to aid in this task.  Several coordination agreements resulted from this effort. The SCOTS demonstration program ended at the end of March 1999.

 

The SCOTS program resulted in a major accomplishment in coordination for the Capital District -- ACCESS Transit, a subsidiary of CDTA was created in late 1997 for the purpose of "brokering" medical trips for Medicaid clients.  Prior to the creation of ACCESS Transit, CDTA and CDTC staff conducted a number of meetings with representatives from the county departments of social services and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to determine the requirements and constraints of delivering transportation for Medicaid recipients.  County representatives became interested in the brokerage concept primarily because it could save the counties money and relieve their burden of finding reliable transportation for their clients.  $750,000 under project T56 was programmed in the annual element of the 1997-02 TIP to provide seed money for the brokerage.  A portion of these monies was used to acquire office space, office furnishings, office equipment, a state of the art computer system and phone system.  $200,000 of these monies was in the committed column of the 1999-04 TIP and a total of $400,000 for capital expenses (such as office equipment, supplies, furniture, computer equipment and rent) was programmed for the first two years of the 1999-04 TIP.  Project T56 has been combined with TIP project T9.

 

ACCESS Transit began brokering trips for Rensselaer, Schenectady and Albany counties in the fall of 1998. ACCESS provides for a system where people requiring non-emergency transportation for medical trips (under Medicaid) call one central phone number to arrange trips.  ACCESS Transit arranges transportation for the client, bundles trips for maximum efficiency and reimburses transportation providers for services rendered.  ACCESS Transit is accountable to the three counties and regularly monitors service quality and speed of delivery.  The counties meet with staff from ACCESS monthly to review expenses, trip demand and operating procedures.  CDTC staff attends the monthly meetings, as do representatives from NYSDOH and NYSDOT. ACCESS Transit brokered approximately 509,000 trips in 2002 (58% for Albany County, 19% for Rensselaer County and 23% for Schenectady County) and processed almost 6000 calls per month.  In 2003 Albany County decided to withdraw from the brokerage.  ACCESS transit continued to broker trips for Rensselaer and Schenectady Counties.  Approximately 236,000 trips were provided by ACCESS Transit in 2004 to Medicaid eligible residents of Rensselaer and Schenectady counties.

 

A brokerage is attractive because duplication of service is avoided, unproductive trips and some deadheading can be eliminated, the efficiency of trips is improved (more passengers per trip), and maintenance and driver training practices are standardized. Since ACCESS’s inception, area transportation providers have improved their performance and quality standards. Consumer satisfaction of the system is measured and is constantly rated high.

 

During 1998, CDTA submitted two grant applications requesting monies to provide transportation and other services to people transitioning from welfare to work.  These were submitted on behalf of a regional task force that was formed to grapple with these issues.  The task force consisted of members from the Albany County Department of Social Services (DSS), the Rensselaer County DSS, the Schenectady County DSS, representatives from job training agencies, the workforce development board, CDTA, CDTC and others.  CDTA was notified in the Spring of 1999 that they were approved for monies from both the New York State Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Grant ($900,000 over 19 months) and the Federal Transit Administration's Access to Jobs (JARC) Grant ($497,000 over one year).  As specified by federal guidelines, the Access to Jobs monies appeared in the 1999-04 TIP (Project T66). CDTA was awarded the American Public Transit Association’s 2001 Welfare-to-Work Award in recognition of the success of this program partnership.

 

In September 2000, CDTA submitted a grant application to the New York State Department of Labor for welfare to work monies under the Community Solutions for Transportation (CST) program.  Under this program, CDTA submitted an application on behalf of the four counties (Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady) for $1,989,000.  CDTA was awarded the grant.  These monies were used to extend existing CDTA routes, add and extend suburban shuttle services, provide service in Saratoga County and continue a transit pass program.  This grant was further supplemented by $1.4M in July 2002 in recognition of the region’s successful program.

 

CDTA also applied for a second year JARC grant for $497,000 under the JARC 2000 program.  CDTA was not awarded monies under this program, but was provided an earmark of $250,000 under the JARC 2001 program (TIP project T66).  Given this reduced amount, CDTA refined its Welfare to Work program, focusing on individual trip planners, brokerage services and community and employer outreach.  CDTA received an additional $497,000 award under the JARC 2003.  This grant will keep the program of the Brokerage Safety Net program, the trip planners, and support for Transit-to-Jobs going until the end of calendar year 2006.  A fourth, part-time Trip Planner will be added in 2005 for Saratoga County.

 

During 2004, the US Department of Transportation, with its partners at the US Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Education, launched United We Ride, a five-part initiative, to break down the barriers between programs and set the stage for local partnerships that generate common sense solutions and deliver A-plus performance for everyone who needs transportation.  During 2004, NYSDOT developed a partnership with Albany County in the United We Ride effort.  The Albany County Department of Social Services is administering the effort.  A Human Services Transportation Steering Committee was established to guide and inform program activities, particularly related to coordination of human service transportation.  County departments, CDTC, CDTA and Statewide Emergency Network for Social and Economic Security (SENSES) are members of the steering committee.  The effort is on-going and should be completed in 2005.  Recommendations for coordination and consolidation will be produced as part of the effort.

 

In addition to the efforts described above, CDTC has been involved in the process in which area agencies apply for FTA Section 5310 funding (formerly Section 16(b)(2)).  As part of this effort, the CDTC staff annually evaluates Section 5310 applications with respect to need, alternatives to funding, and coordination efforts.  These evaluations are forwarded to NYSDOT for integration into the State Interagency Review Committee's evaluation process.

 

In May 2003, four area human service agencies applied for funding under the FFY 2004 Section 5310 program.  The CDTC staff evaluated the four applications and presented the evaluations to the Planning Committee in June 2003.  The evaluations were approved and forwarded to the State Interagency Review Committee.

 

In October 2003, CDTC was notified that all four FFY 2004 applications were recommended for funding (for eight vehicles). Table 6 contains a list and description of these projects.  From Table 6, it can be seen that a total of $347,520 ($278,016 federal) was recommended for funding by the Interagency Review Committee under the FFY 2004 Section 5310 program.

 

Eight agencies applied for 17 vehicles under the FFY 2005 Section 5310 program.  In December 2004, seven of the eight agencies were notified that they were approved for funding for the purchase of 15 vehicles (one agency applied for four vehicles but was approved for three vehicles, the maximum allotment). Table 7 contains a list and description of the projects that were approved.  From Table 7, it can be seen that $739,735 ($591,788 federal) was allocated to the Capital District human service agencies under the FFY 2005 Section 5310 program.  The figure of $739,735 appears in the 2005-06 committed column of TIP project T6A.

 

A total of $6.3M (federal share) has been awarded to Capital District Human Service Agencies through this program since FFY 1982.

 

 

Table 6

 

FFY 2004 Section 5310 Approved Projects

 

 

 

County       

Applicant

Vehicles

Total Cost

Albany

Cerebral Palsy Center for the Disabled

Two 24-passenger wheelchair accessible buses

$ 96,120

Albany

Colonie Senior Service Centers

One 12-passenger bus

32,800

Saratoga

Saratoga County ARC

One 24-passenger wheelchair accessible bus

One 40-passenger wheelchair accessible bus

122,480

Schenectady

Schenectady County ARC

Two 24 passenger wheelchair accessible buses

96,120

Approval Subtotal

 

 

$ 347,520

 

 

 


Table 7

 

FFY 2005 Section 5310 Approved Projects

 

 

 

 

County

Applicant

Vehicles

Total Cost

Albany

Albany County NYS ARC

Two 24-passenger wheelchair accessible buses

$  90,406

Albany

Colonie Senior Service Centers

One 12-passenger van wheelchair accessible

31,761

Albany

Cerebral Palsy Center for the Disabled

Three 24-passenger wheelchair accessible buses

 134,325

Saratoga

Saratoga County ARC

One 24-passenger wheelchair accessible bus

One 40-passenger wheelchair accessible bus

145,633

Schenectady

Catholic Charities Of Schenectady County

Two 12 passenger wheelchair accessible vans

70,198

Schenectady

Schenectady County NYS ARC[1]

Two 24-passenger wheelchair accessible buses

One 40-passenger wheelchair accessible bus

196,856

Schenectady

Senior Care Connection

Two 12-passenger wheelchair accessible vans

70,558

Approval Subtotal

 

 

$739,735


 



[1] This agency applied for three 24-passenger accessible vehicles and one 40-passenger vehicle, but funding was received for one 24-passenger vehicle and one 40-passenger vehicle.