ASSIST Program. Regional Barrier Free Transportation Demonstration Project. Background. Summary Report Written By Deanne McNeil, 2013

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1 ASSIST Program Regional Barrier Free Transportation Demonstration Project Summary Report Written By Deanne McNeil, 2013 Background A stronger Alberta is built by encouraging all residents to participate in and contribute to the quality of life and economic well being of their community over their entire lifespan. For residents who can not drive, enhanced mobility options within and between communities gives them the freedom to live, work and shop where they choose. Some communities are fortunate enough to have a number of specialized transportation providers offering service to seniors and persons with disabilities however many areas have few services or none at all. Communities may lack a cohesive alternative transportation plan as there are silos created by funding streams, municipal boundaries, types of trips provided, criteria for passengers served, kind of transportation service, and organizational mandates. Presently there is a patchwork of transportation options in municipalities of all sizes throughout Alberta. A typical community may have one or more of the following services; a handibus provider, a seniors bus, a taxi pass program, a volunteer driver program, and busing for special needs students. There may also be vehicles owned and operated by seniors housing facilities, long term care facilities, and non-profit organizations. Even a combination of these services is not fully meeting the mobility needs of seniors and persons with disabilities. Community requirements for specialized transportation trips usually far surpass the ability to supply these services. Therefore most service providers, municipalities and funders place limits on the number of trips, trip purposes, trip destinations and have other qualifying criteria. For instance, a large percentage of trips currently being delivered are for health reasons with trips for other purposes being excluded by some services. Lacking guaranteed long term funding, most specialized transportation service providers are operating at capacity and some have waiting lists for new passengers as well as an increasing number of denied trips. Rural Alberta with its vast distances and low population densities makes providing specialized transportation logistically even more challenging and expensive to deliver. Research has shown that people outlive their ability to drive by six to ten years and the number of seniors in Alberta is expected to double by As the demand for specialized transportation continues to grow, solutions are needed which provide the best service for passengers and the most cost effective options for funders.

2 The Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) commissioned a report completed by IBI Group in December Their proposal for a demonstration project became the basis of the ASSIST Program. The Calgary Regional Transportation Services Society (CARTSS) was chosen as the Lead Agency for the ASSIST Program in 2007 and received funding from the CRP, the Rural Alberta Development Fund, and the EnCharis Group, a seniors housing organization. Due to the governance and funding conditions at the time the ASSIST Program began, a collaborative model was chosen for the demonstration project. Supporting a family of specialized transportation services has the potential to utilize each providers strengths, create unique solutions, and often to minimize overall service delivery costs. Ultimately, a model with a range of options may better meet the mobility needs of seniors and persons with disabilities. As the Lead Agency for the ASSIST Program, CARTSS met with interested stakeholders from the CRP area, including transportation service providers, seniors groups, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) offices, municipalities and other organizations. Once the current level of transportation services had been determined and unmet needs assessed, CARTSS worked with the community stakeholders to create and implement a number of pilot projects. Booking and Dispatch Software Development Theory: Having many specialized transportation providers coordinate rides through access to shared booking and dispatch software can create cost savings by increasing efficiency and maximizing the use of available resources. Implementation: Through product comparison it was determined that Trapeze Software s Novus was the closest suitable option for coordination of a variety of specialized transportation services. However extensive modifications to the software were required to meet the needs of ASSIST Program stakeholders for maintaining organizational autonomy while collaborating with other organizations. Outcome: Trapeze recognized the innovation of the model for the ASSIST Program and agreed to customize Novus at their own expense. A Coordinated Transportation (CT) Module was created for Novus, allowing service providers to share common software for booking and dispatching rides from a central location or their individual organization offices. There were a number of drawbacks to having Trapeze fund the customizations. First, modifications were limited to the ones which Trapeze decided were useful for a wide variety of their clients and therefore the completed customizations did not entirely meet the needs of ASSIST Program stakeholders. Second, the completed CT module was capable of coordinating a few related kinds of service providers however not a complete family of services. Third, Trapeze s timelines for completion of the project exceeded those necessary to use Novus for the Single Point of Contact pilot described below. As well, at the time the only available map for Novus had many rural addresses at the corner of unnamed and unnamed, greatly decreasing the functionality of the software. ASSIST Program Summary Report 2

3 Benefits: Even though the coordinated booking and dispatch software was never implemented the collaboration between stakeholders paved the way for a smoother transition to another software product in the future. In depth discussions about the functioning of centralized dispatching and its effect on individual service providers gave everyone involved an expanded view of how their organization fits within a regional coordination framework. Valuable lessons were learned about what is necessary to convert software designed for a centralized coordination model into a version which is more flexible for a collaborative model of coordination. In order to fully support the unique model for the ASSIST Program, it may be necessary to build custom software from scratch. Incorporating the specific learnings from this pilot project would provide a solid foundation for creating a product which better serves the needs of a family of service providers and their funders. Single Point of Contact Pilot Project Theory: Passengers can benefit greatly from a single point of contact when there are multiple specialized transportation providers in their community or if they would like to travel between municipalities. A call centre can function solely as an information source or can also book and dispatch rides for one or more service providers. Implementation: Cochrane Seniors Bus served the Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County operating both group trips for recreational purposes and handibus type trips for medical appointments. In preparation for the initial stage of implementation of the Novus software, CARTSS collaborated with Big Hill Senior Citizens Activities Society (BHSCAS), operators of the Cochrane Seniors Bus, to produce a policy and procedure manual. The manual was used to train CARTSS staff to ensure consistency of service for Cochrane Seniors Bus clients during the transition to the new single point of contact. Outcome: In June 2008 the ASSIST Call Centre began providing booking and dispatch for Cochrane Seniors Bus clients. Over the course of a year thousands of rides were successfully booked and dispatched from CARTSS office in Strathmore. Due to delays in software development, booking and dispatch proceeded without Novus. As well, some service providers were reluctant to participate in the pilot for a variety of reasons. Since many had waiting lists they were reluctant to receive referrals of new clients which they might not be able to serve. With a switch to a central call centre under the ASSIST Program brand, some providers were concerned that a decrease of their organizations presence in the community might negatively impact their ability to raise funds. There were also concerns that the call centre would not receive long term funding and many providers were unwilling to risk a disruption of service to their clients. Benefits: Information gained from this pilot greatly improved the development of the Novus CT module. Working with real booking and dispatch data facilitated a step by step analysis of the software functioning. This was important in determining which parameters could be included in the global settings applied to all service providers. Other parameters could be set by each individual organization allowing service providers to maintain control over aspects of the software functionality which had a direct impact on their operations including customer service standards and costs. This ASSIST Program Summary Report 3

4 detailed level of programming was a large part in the delay of Novus however was critical to increasing the level of satisfaction of service providers. The comprehensive information supplied by CARTSS would also be very useful for customizing any software product in the future to completely support a family of services. The entire process highlighted that in-depth discussions are necessary prior to any software implementation to establish the collaborative policies and procedures for the operation of centralized booking and dispatch for a number of service providers. Innovative IT solutions were explored during the call centre pilot. When there is extreme weather it is very important that call centre staff are able to reschedule rides however it may be difficult for them to safely travel to work. Technology was piloted which makes it possible to set up a call centre for remote operations so that in the event of extreme weather call centre staff could easily reschedule rides from their own home. This same technology could make it possible for call centre staff to work from home full time anywhere there is a high speed internet connection, potentially lowering operating overhead costs and opening up new staffing opportunities especially in rural areas. Shuttle Service Pilot Project Theory: When a large number of passengers are traveling to similar locations at the same time, a point to point shuttle service can be a cost effective way to provide rides. Implementation: A shuttle service was operated for a year to serve passengers living in the Town of Chestermere and the Prince of Peace Campus, a seniors housing complex in Rocky View County. A once weekly route was developed to allow passengers to access businesses in Chestermere, as well as two shopping malls in Calgary. Outcome: Despite the interest expressed in a needs assessment, ridership for the year was a small percentage of capacity. It is valuable to note that sometimes residents like the idea that a service is available if they ever want to use it, even if they have no desire to actually use the service in the foreseeable future. During the pilot, requests were also received for additional services. Some Chestermere residents expressed that they were unable to get to the shuttle stop and would prefer if they could be picked up and dropped off at their homes. Other passengers wanted to access businesses and doctors in Calgary outside the shuttle route. Since these requests were beyond the scope of the shuttle service, CARTSS worked with the Town of Chestermere to investigate various mobility options. Benefits: While the shuttle service filled the mobility needs of some passengers, the pilot reinforced that one service is not the solution and a family of services is required. Prior to the operation of the Chestermere-Prince of Peace Shuttle, three other municipalities had also been considering a joint shuttle service. By sharing the learning and preventing the replication of another pilot, the ASSIST Program saved money for those municipalities. Instead CARTSS offered assistance in their exploration of other specialized transportation alternatives. Volunteer Driver Program Pilot Project Theory: Many volunteer driver programs are operated in Alberta, administered by individual organizations and sometimes FCSS offices. These programs can be inexpensive to operate since they rely on volunteer drivers using their own vehicles. ASSIST Program Summary Report 4

5 Implementation: The FCSS offices of Banff, Canmore and the MD of Big Horn all have taxi pass programs to provide subsidized taxi trips within their individual municipalities for low income residents. All three communities identified that some people with low income, especially seniors, did not have access to a private vehicle and had limited choices for obtaining rides to health care facilities in other municipalities. CARTSS partnered with the three FCSS offices to develop policies and procedures for a volunteer driver program pilot project which operated for one year. Outcome: The results of a passenger survey encapsulated the appreciation of the passengers for having access to a valuable service. Most trips were delivered between the three participating municipalities however Calgary was the destination for some trips. All three FCSS offices chose to continue the Volunteer Driver Program after the conclusion of the pilot. Benefits: It is due to successes like these that volunteer driver programs are so plentiful however they are best suited to certain situations. Many variables need to be considered when determining if a volunteer driver program is the appropriate solution, including passenger types, trip destinations, administrative funding sources, and community demographics. It is also important that a comprehensive risk management plan is in place. Other Benefits During the course of the ASSIST Program, CARTSS advised individual stakeholder organizations and municipalities on the industry environment and recommended solutions to specific operational challenges. Policy and procedure manuals were developed for both a taxi pass program and a volunteer driver program already operating through Okotoks FCSS. As well CARTSS consulted with the Town of Black Diamond and their FCSS office as they explored the possibility of purchasing a seniors bus. To fill the expressed need CARTSS proposed a less expensive solution which was later implemented. CARTSS also participated on the ElderNET Transportation Planning Table supporting mobility options for seniors in Calgary. Policy Development From the beginning of the ASSIST Program there were opportunities to expand the program s impact and scope. Initially CARTSS was working with individual organizations and municipalities to develop plans for creating or improving specialized transportation in their communities. Later new initiatives by the CRP made it possible for CARTSS to be involved in supporting specialized transportation on the regional policy level. CARTSS participated on the CRP s Regional Transportation Technical Committee of municipal staff and consultants. This committee provided technical advice and policy recommendations to the elected officials on the Regional Transportation Steering Committee during the initial development of the CRP s Regional Transportation Plan and the Calgary Metropolitan Plan. Moving Forward All of the concepts in the original business plan for the ASSIST Program were theoretically sound and in use in other areas across North America. As with most demonstration projects, it was only through ASSIST Program Summary Report 5

6 the extensive, detailed work which accompanied implementation of pilot programs that the numerous challenges unique to specialized transportation in Alberta were uncovered. Also as the ASSIST Program progressed, long term collaboration and input from stakeholders illumined improvements to the program which had the potential to better meet the needs of organizations and communities, ultimately benefiting residents who require specialized transportation. It was necessary for CARTSS to remain flexible and think outside the box in order to respond to the evolving requests of all involved communities. The learning produced by the ASSIST Program has been invaluable to highlight important opportunities for creative problem solving to improve services. Although the solution to providing better specialized transportation in Alberta may not be as quickly and easily identified and implemented as originally anticipated, the learning obtained from the ASSIST Program can form the basis of a new model. For example, the focus of the ASSIST Program was on specialized transportation as it applies to seniors and persons with disabilities however it is important to note there is a broader population affected by this issue. The term mobility disadvantaged person has begun to be used by transit planners to describe an individual who by reason of illness, injury, age, congenital malfunction or other permanent or temporary incapacity or disability, is unable without special facility or special planning or design to utilize available transportation facilities. Some agencies expand the definition to include those whose transportation options are limited by income. Others include those unable to drive because they are too young to obtain a license. Since many smaller and rural municipalities do not operate a full public transit system, anyone who does not have a driver s license nor access to a private automobile may require mobility solutions. It is important to continue the momentum of the ASSIST Program toward developing a fiscally responsible model including a family of services. There is no singular solution as is highlighted by concerns about the future sustainability of certain types of services. Research has indicated that with dramatically shifting demographics, volunteer programs may be unable to recruit enough drivers. As well, handibus services have experienced skyrocketing costs. One study found that from 1993 to 2003 the number of passengers served increased 37%, vehicle distances traveled increased 113%, capital costs increased 163% and operating costs increased nearly 200%. Various other layers of improvement are also still required to support mobility in Alberta. There are many policy, legislation and funding issues which could be addressed to pave the way for better service in the future. In addition to funding for delivery of individual trips, financial support is also needed for service administration and regional coordination. To build on all of the learning from the ASSIST Program, solution development could continue on a number of fronts. Regions may require ongoing collaboration facilitation, with or without coordination software. Communities have the opportunity to develop a complete alternative transportation plan and streamline the use of available resources. Municipalities are looking for guidance on how to make the best use of their transportation spending. As well, individual service providers need assistance to determine ways to deliver efficient and effective services with the limited funding currently available. Time is of the essence since many service providers have growing wait lists and some providers are facing such critical funding shortages they are at risk of discontinuing service. There are still gaps in service in most communities and areas with no service at all. Solutions need to be found before the number of seniors significantly increases over the next few years. The creation of a financially sustainable system of regional mobility requires creativity, innovation and collaboration. Mobility within and between municipalities for every resident is vital for communities of all sizes to thrive in the future and remain an integrated part of Alberta s economic growth and global competitiveness. As General Manager and then Executive Director of CARTSS, Deanne McNeil was responsible for the implementation of the ASSIST Program. For more information please contact Deanne.McNeil@InspiredSolutionsConsulting.com. ASSIST Program Summary Report 6