Chemung County Coordinated Public Transit- Human Services Transportation Plan
September 2014 1
I. Introduction
The Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council (ECTC) has prepared the following plan to provide a summary of public transit-human services transportation coordination efforts in Chemung County and to provide the outline for future efforts to improve coordination of transportation trips provided to the citizens of Chemung County. This Chemung County Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan, hereafter referred to as the Plan, is specifically prepared to comply with the regulations of the Federal Transportation MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st century).The Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council as the metropolitan transportation planning organization for Chemung County has been designated by the New York State Department of Transportation to lead the mandated effort to develop the Plan. As the metropolitan transportation planning organization, the ECTC is responsible for planning and programming of all Federally-funded transportation projects in Chemung County. The Plan mandate requires that in order for projects to be eligible Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program funding they must be derived from a “locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan”. II. Plan Goals and Outline
A. The goals of the Plan’s implementation are to improve transportation services for persons with disabilities and older adults by:
1. Encourage cooperation and coordination among transportation providers and funding agencies and implement efficiencies in transportation management and operation to increase the levels of transportation services to the general public and the two targeted groups;
2. Communicate and market effectively to riders, potential riders, and coordination stakeholders to increase utilization of transportation services.
3. Increase efficiency and service by coordinating with regional entities to create a seamless transportation system by breaking down political boundaries and perceived barriers to coordination.
4. Provide funding from the three FTA programs where consistent with the Plan to coordinate existing services and create new services where needed to address previously unmet transportation needs.
B. The Plan identifies:
Current transportation providers, stakeholders (funding agencies and agencies that receive transportation services) and services provided;
Unmet transportation needs through the planning process;
A process to continue the coordination efforts of Chemung County government agencies and other transportation stakeholders; and
A process to solicit projects to help meet the identified unmet needs.
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C. Previous Coordination Efforts: Chemung County was a leader in New York State in coordinating public transit and human service agency transportation in the late 1980s and 1990s. The County transit system through its private transit operator coordinated its service with the needs of several human service agencies and held contracts to provide transportation services for their clients. The County and the private operator developed a coordinated Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation and public transit system that was a model approach used in many rural counties in the State. These two services were fully integrated thus maximizing the use of public transit and saving the County, State, and Federal governments considerable funds. Recent changes in how the State administers Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation has had an impact on the partnership with transit and made providing services to the elderly and disabled individuals more challenging.
In 2007, the Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council began the process of creating the Coordinated Plan adopted in December 2008. ECTC held eight meetings with transportation stakeholders; six of the meetings set the direction and reviewed the results of the planning effort. Two additional meetings were held to gain input from 35 human service agencies, government agencies, churches, school districts, and public and private transportation providers. The group discussed their transportation needs and the intent of the Plan. A survey of transportation needs and services provided was sent to all of these agencies. After adoption of the 2008 Plan, the Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council staff continued a Coordinated Transportation Committee that meets quarterly to discuss unmet needs, duplication of services, and solutions to community transportation issues. A full time mobility manager was hired in December 2010. Housed at the County’s transit facility, the mobility manager focuses on County-wide and regional coordination efforts with direction and oversight from ECTC staff. The Chemung County mobility manager’s workplan is attached in Appendix A.
In 2012, Chemung County created a Transit Specialist position, and a full time transit specialist was hired in May 2013. The transit specialist is housed at ECTC and is a member of the County Planning Department. The main responsibility of the transit specialist is to provide County oversight of FTA regulations and transit operations. In addition, the transit specialist oversees the mobility management program and participates in projects as needed. The Transit Specialist covered mobility management tasks until February 2014 when Chemung County collaborated to share a mobility manager with Schuyler County. This allowed for the hiring of an experienced mobility manager who records her time for Chemung, for Schuyler, and shared time. The shared mobility manager will be able to better coordinate regional projects. Also, with the change in availability of mobility management funding under MAP-21, it is anticipated that combining funds from two counties will allow the program to continue for a longer period of time.
D. Coordination Efforts as Part of This Planning: In 2011, the newly hired mobility manager took over management of the Coordinated Transportation Committee. The mobility manager and ECTC staff work closely to develop and implement strategies, conduct agency visits, and maintain communication with the thirty agencies and transportation providers represented on the Coordinated Transportation Committee. The Committee met five times in 2011 (minutes provided in Appendix B), with additional meetings with partners as new projects surfaced. The mobility manager conducted 45 agency visits in 2011, and a Human Services Sub-Committee was reinstituted in November. In October and November, the mobility manager surveyed participating agencies with individual follow-up conducted in December. The Plan Update was completed by the mobility manager and ECTC staff with specific input from the Committee. 3
E. Implementation Steps: Under the previous Plan, in January at a 2012 Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting, the committee recommended the Plan for approval by ECTC. After the Plan was approved, the committee, led by the mobility manager, continued to identify unmet needs and develop strategies through the continuing coordination process to meet those needs. Specific projects were developed and submitted to ECTC as part of the project solicitation, selection, and project implementation process. The mobility Manager was responsible for keeping projects moving during the process and monitoring as they are implemented. ECTC continues to solicit projects that are eligible for funding under FTA Section 5310, Section 5316, and Section 5317 programs (as described directly below) that addressed the unmet needs identified in the Plan. During May and August 2014 Coordinated Transportation Committee meetings, the committee discussed the recommendation of the Plan for approval by ECTC. Through the Transit Specialist, the Plan will also be provided to members of the Chemung County Transit Board. After the Plan is approved, the Coordinated Committee, led by the Mobility Manager, will continue to identify unmet needs and develop strategies through the continuing coordination process to meet those needs. As specific projects are developed, they will be submitted to ECTC as part of the project solicitation, selection, and project implementation process. The Transit Specialist and Mobility Manager will be responsible for keeping projects moving during the process and monitoring as they are implemented. ECTC continues to solicit projects that are eligible for funding under FTA Section 5310 program (as described directly below) that address the unmet needs identified in the Plan.
JARC eligible projects are now combined as part of the 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Funding under the MAP-21 federal transportation regulations. Due to the ongoing transit needs for the 5307 program, it is not anticipated that Chemung County will select to solicit new projects for JARC projects under the 5307 program; however, the County leaves that option open if there are changes (in current transit needs or in the way that FTA intends to run the program, perhaps under a new transportation bill) that would make it more attractive to Chemung County. The County will continue its existing employment transit services until the JARC funds are all used.
III. Background Information on Federal Transit Programs and Recipients of Federal Program Funds
The following is a brief description of the three Federal transit funding programs that were previously covered by the mandate which required this plan. Throughout the Plan the transition to the new Map 21 focus on the efficiency of grant program operations by consolidating certain programs and repealing other programs. The Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) (5316) and New Freedom (5317) were two of the programs that were eliminated as standalone grant programs. JARC activities and projects are now eligible under the Urbanized Area Formula program (5307) and the Rural Area Formula program (5311). Activities eligible under the former New Freedom program are now eligible under the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program (5310). More information is available in Appendix C.
A. Section 5310 Section 5310 makes funds available for non-profit organizations to purchase vans that can be used to meet the needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. Agencies in Chemung County have used 5310 funds for bus replacements. Prior to 2011, it had been more than ten 4
years since an agency in Chemung County had used 5310 monies. In late 2011, Arnot Health worked through Chemung County’s Coordinated process to purchase one bus. Lack of funds to replace an aging vehicle had put their transportation services at risk. Arnot Health patients who meet eligibility requirements are eligible for transportation service. Arnot Health's Falck Cancer Center vans supply needed transportation for elderly and disabled individuals within Chemung County where public transportation is not available or not realistic based on the severity of a patient’s condition. The Falck Cancer Center offers transportation due to physical ability, mental ability, health status, medication contraindications, lack of owning a vehicle, and inability to afford fuel. During evenings and week-ends, the Arnot Health Skilled Nursing unit uses the Falck Cancer Center vans for patient activities. In the 2012 round of funding, Able-2 requested the purchase of four Type III buses, and Pathways requested three Type I vans. There were delays to the NYSDOT process, and both agencies anticipate delivery of their vehicles in mid to late 2014. In the meantime, both agencies have incurred considerable maintenance costs to their existing fleets. Able-2 and Pathways anticipate future needs for vehicle replacements.
B. Section 5316 JARC-related projects (Job Access Reverse Commute) The JARC program provided funding for local governmental authorities and agencies, and non-profit entities that offer job access and reverse commute services to transport welfare recipients and low income individuals to and from jobs, training, and child care, and to develop transportation services for residents of urban centers and rural and suburban areas to suburban employment opportunities. JARC funds have been used to fund the County’s mobility management efforts.
The first JARC-related service began in July of 2009 after ECTC staff coordinated with the local transit operator and workforce staff from Chemung County DSS. Transportation to employment was an unmet need identified in the 2008 Plan. The route took workers in at 7:30 am and home at 4:30 pm six days per week from Elmira’s downtown Transportation Center to Sitel Call Center in the suburbs of Corning in adjoining Steuben County. Additional early morning feeder services to the Transportation Center on two routes collect riders to make the rest of the trip in one bus. Average ridership has hovered around five passengers per trip. Saturdays were dropped on the service in July 2011 due to low ridership. Marketing efforts have been made to increase ridership, but Sitel has experienced reduced staffing due to loss of large contracts. The overlapping shift times also make it difficult to generate a large number of riders on one run. Due to low ridership, service to Sitel was discontinued in March 2012.
There has been more success with a newer JARC-funded project. During a January 2011 Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting, a local taxi operator mentioned a large number of taxis taking clients from temporary services employer Employment Solutions to DeMets candy manufacturing plant in Airport Corporate Park, Big Flats. Employment Solutions was open to developing bus service to meet needs as employment at DeMets grew and more employees needed transportation to work. Also, the mobility manager learned that another temporary agency, Adecco, was also supplying workers and would benefit from a consistent, sustainable transportation service. The mobility manager in Chemung County coordinated meetings with DeMets staff, the staff of the two temp agencies supplying workers for the plant, and the Chemung County Transit general manager. Input was given by DSS workforce staff, staff members of Chemung Schuyler Steuben (CSS) Workforce NY, and others on the Coordinated Transportation Committee. The mobility manager completed a project solicitation that was submitted to ECTC in May, and the DeMets service began in June 2011. The route services the twelve-hour factory shifts that run 6 am to 6 pm and 6 pm to 6 am currently. The 5
service involved providing additional service on an existing transit route. Ridership that began as an average of about 8 riders per trip, has developed in 2014 to about 14.5 riders per trip.. Stakeholders have requested service seven days per week. But because of limited JARC funds to support this newer service, Transit has chosen to take a conservative approach by starting the service as only Monday thru Friday. In the past, the factory has utilized three shifts from January to May, so the need for service and funding may be increased during this time. Ridership for DeMets will continue to be monitored and adjustments made as needed, with input from the Coordinated Committee. To help grow the ridership on the service to DeMets, the mobility manager will focus marketing efforts on the other employers in Airport Corporate Park (where DeMets is located).
Consistently riders and agencies have identified the need for longer hours of bus service. From May 2012 to December 2012, C TRAN piloted extended hours on the Shopper Shuttle route, running service until 10 pm Monday-Friday. There was no significant increase in ridership in this JARC-funded service so the pilot service ended. In 2014, the JARC-funded 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare program was implemented with a focus on large employers in the region. Rideshare has potential for success as a lower cost alternative to transit service, but will need a long term funding source.
Under the previous Federal transportation laws Chemung County, as the designated recipient for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds for several FTA programs, has been responsible for applying for and receiving JARC program funds. Chemung County receives a specific allocation of funds for this program.
JARC eligible projects are now combined as part of the 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Funding under the MAP-21 federal transportation regulations.
C. Section 5317 New Freedom: New Freedom was a Federal transit formula grant program to encourage services and facility improvements to address the transportation needs of persons with disabilities that go beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The New Freedom allocation has been combined with the 5310 program and is now considered the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program. Beginning in 2010, a New Freedom allocation was used to fund mobility management efforts.
At a Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting, the Institute for Human Services (located in Bath in neighboring Steuben County) discussed with the group its 2-1-1 services, and the need for additional 2-1-1 services to Chemung County. 2-1-1 services are similar to the transportation 5-1-1 service, with their role to increase awareness of and improve access to healthcare and other human services information via phone and internet (comprehensive information and referral). The Institute submitted a project application to ECTC (as part of the ECTC 2011 project solicitation) to expand 2-1-1 services to provide Chemung County residents with specific transportation information. Also, 2-1-1 could connect callers directly with Chemung County Transit or other transportation providers (previously they could just give the caller the transportation providers’ telephone number), develop data on unmet transportation needs they receive from callers, and provide statistical analysis of unmet transportation needs leading to increased awareness of service gaps. 2-1-1 service for Chemung County is 24/7, and multiple languages are available via teleinterpreter. The most recent data from 211 includes the annual information from October 1, 2012-September 30, 2013. During this period call volume increased 6
5.1%. 156 transportation calls were received. The two most common requests were for medical transportation and local bus information with 49 and 41 calls respectively. Unmet needs were also recorded and according to the annual report, there were 145 calls where service was unavailable, such as automobile repair assistance, auto loans, bus fare, auto insurance assistance and driver’s license fee assistance. There were a total of 29 calls where all services were exhausted without a satisfactory outcome. Other common unmet needs were the caller was ineligible for the service, service hours were not sufficient (13 calls), or transportation was unavailable (7 calls). The project provided data that was needed to help make informed decisions on services needed. The analysis of the data shows that the public that contacted 2-1-1 did not express an unmet need for one or more significant new or adjusted service. This contract is expected to continue through September 30 2014.
Under New Freedom funding, a new program in transportation education was proposed. The program known as Getting There is part of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), through the Chemung Volunteer Action Corps (CVAC), and the program will provide community education regarding transportation options/mobility for seniors and those living with physical disabilities in Chemung County so that they can access vital community services. CVAC will work in cooperation with the County Transit Specialist and the County’s Mobility Manager. Bus Buddies/Transportation Stewards will provide the community education on how to ride public transit, and utilize other existing modes of transportation, teaching the skills necessary to become more independent, maintain independence, and be connected with the community’s life enhancing and life sustaining services. This program is currently in the planning stages.
Under SAFTEA-LU, Chemung County was the designated recipient for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds for several FTA programs, including New Freedom and JARC program funds. As designated recipient, the County is responsible for application and receipt of funds and for oversight of the federal programs. Under MAP-21, NYSDOT Public Transportation Bureau will serve as the designated recipient. For the 2013 and 2014 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program, the application process will include electronic application through NYMTC's SharePoint site. Each MPO and NYSDOT for rural will set up a committee to rate and rank applications. ECTC's Transit Subcommittee will rate and rank the applications in Chemung County. As the MPO for a small urbanized area, ECTC has selected to accept applications for the following types of projects: mobility management, operating assistance, capital projects, and vehicles. The NYSDOT rural program will only fund vehicles. For the 2013 and 2014 funding years, NYSDOT anticipates that the MPO will have $283,124 available and the rural program will have $3,676,681 available. In the future NYSDOT anticipates accepting project solicitations annually.
IV. Profile of the Region
This section is a brief overview of the demographic, socioeconomic, travel patterns, and business trends for Chemung County based on the 2010 U.S. Census data.
Chemung County had a population of 88,830 in 2010. From 2000 to 2010 Chemung County’s population declined by 2.5%. That change continued a trend of decline from a high of 101,537 in 1970. The County is primarily rural nature by area with the majority of the County’s population located in five population centers. The table below shows the five population density centers in the County and the percentage of minority populations represented in each. 7
Table 2: Chemung County Population Centers & Minority Populations, 2010 U.S. Census
% minority Town/City Population population City of Elmira 29,200 21.75% Town of Horseheads 19,485 6.55% Southport 10,940 10.9% Big Flats 7,731 5.92% Town of Elmira 6,934 4.95% Rest of Chemung County 14,540 2.94% Chemung County Total 88,830 11.39%
In 2010, 78,711 out of 88,830 people living in Chemung County, or approximately 86.61%, were white. The minority population density according to the Census indicates that concentrations of minority population are found primarily in the City of Elmira (see Table 2). If you subtract the minority populations that are inmates in the two State correctional facilities in the County from the Census data, then the minority population would be considerably less than 11%. According to the Census, 4.8% speak a language other than English with only 1.3% speaking English less than “very well.”
Chemung County has significant elderly and youth populations. The 2010 U.S. Census reported that 15.7% of the County’s population was 65 or older. The average age of the population of Chemung County is 40.9, higher than the New York State average age of 38.0. The 2010 U.S. Census also reported that 19,880 people, or 22.4% of the county’s population, were 18 years old or younger.
Chemung County was included in the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council’s Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) based on 2006-2008 3 year American Community Survey (ACS) data. Of the 30,330 workers in Chemung County, the majority (79.6%) drive alone, 7.4% carpool, and only 1.1% take the bus. Nearly half have a commute time of 5 to 14 minutes with a mean travel time of 19.5 minutes. Most commuters are ages 25 to 59 years, and the highest percentage of employees work in the “Education, Health Care” field (28.9%), with Manufacturing (15%) and Retail (12%) following. More detailed information is provided in Table 3 and at the website http://www.tompkins-co.org/itctc/statistics.htm.
Table 3: Chemung County Workplace Data, ITCTC 2008 CTPP
Number 2008 Percentage Mode of travel 30,330 Drive alone 24,150 79.6% Carpool 2,255 7.4% Bus 325 1.1% Bicycle 35 0.1% Motorcycle 65 0.2%
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Undefined other means 3500 11.6%
Commute by Age 30,330 16 to 17 years 700 2.3% 18 to 24 years 3,630 12.0% 25 to 44 years 11,740 38.7% 45 to 59 years 11,410 37.6% 60 to 64 years 1,575 5.2% 65 to 74 years 1,020 3.4% 75 years and over 255 0.8%
Travel Time to Work 28,890 5 minutes or less 1,800 6.2% 5 to 14 minutes 13,490 46.7% 15 to 19 minutes 6,285 21.8% 20 to 29 minutes 4,890 16.9% 30 to 44 minutes 1,690 5.8% 45 minutes or more 735 2.6%
In 2010, 12,332 individuals, or approximately 15% of the County’s population, were living at or below the poverty level, an increase from 12% in 2000. The 2010 U.S. Census shows a total of 35,418 households in Chemung County with 9,980, or 28.2 %, with a household income and benefits of less than $25,000 annually. In the County 34% of households have Social Security Income, 6.3% have Supplemental Security Income, 3.7% receive cash public assistance income, and 12.6% of County households received Food Stamp/SNAP benefits in the past 12 months. Chemung County has lower per capita personal income than the balance of New York State. The per capita income in Chemung County was $24,437, 81.4% of the statewide average in 2010.
There are a total of 13,065 people with disabilities living in Chemung County. Table 4 shows the highest percentage of people with disabilities and specifically with ambulatory disability were ages 18-64.
Table 4: Chemung County Disabled Population, 2010
People with disability Number % of County % of Disabled Number with by age population population ambulatory disability Under 18 years old 727 0.82% 5.56% 73 18-64 years old 7,262 8.18% 55.58% 3,690 65 and older 5,076 5.71% 38.85% 3,464 Total 13,065 14.71% 100.00% 7,227
V. Inventory of Services and Resources
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The transportation services for Chemung County residents are provided by one public transit operator, various human service agencies, and contract/limousine/taxi private operators.
A. Public Transit: C TRAN
Chemung County has one public transportation service for the whole county. First Transit, Inc., a private company, operates the service under contract to Chemung County, as the Chemung County Transit System. In October of 2011, the system was rebranded under the name C TRAN.
Chemung County has opted to use a public\private partnership to operate several of its transportation services. In the past, First Transit has combined the services for the fixed route and Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation contracts to avoid duplication and provide the County with cost savings. Management responsibility was held with the C TRAN Dispatch office, and the contractor was able to move half of the annual Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation rides to fixed route. In 2011, the County purchased web-based scheduling software from HB Software Solutions and implemented it for transit use. Beginning October 1, 2013 in Chemung County, NYS Department of Health implemented use of a regional transportation management contractor for Medicaid rides. All requests for Medicaid transportation are now fielded at MAS (Medical Answering Service) in Syracuse, NY and dispatched to their provider of choice. Within the first six months of implementation, First Transit has seen a 70% decrease in the number of Medicaid riders on the Dial A Ride service. Medical Answering Services has not increased the number of riders on fixed route to make up for the loss to Dial A Ride. Due to the loss of $1 million in funding from New York State Department of Health Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation, C TRAN was forced to consider how the system could ensure long term sustainability. In the summer of 2014, Chemung County began consideration of a proposal to “right size” the transit system by implementing service cuts and fare increases. Many riders will be impacted by the proposed changes, and the need for new funding sources and/or transportation coordination will become even more important if public transit becomes unavailable or unaffordable.
C TRAN has a service area covering 408 square miles. The fixed route (route deviation) bus system provides service along nine local routes (proposed to be seven) and three regional routes (proposed to be two) throughout this service area. For service coverage, it is typically assumed that the transit system covers all areas within ¾ mile of the fixed route system. Headways (the time between buses) are 60 minutes on the local routes. These routes run throughout the day, Monday through Friday, with several having limited Saturday and Sunday service. There is limited nighttime service. The fixed route (route deviation) buses have specific bus stops, but will also stop anywhere along the route if properly flagged down.
In 2011, the mobility managers from three counties (Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben) developed a Tri-County Transportation Guide. The guide was a project developed during a Steuben Coordination Committee meeting that representatives for Chemung County attend. CSS Workforce NY, a participant in the coordination effort, funded the printing of the guide which the three mobility managers developed with considerable assistance from the Institute for Human Services staff. On pages 5 to 20 of the Guide are the routes and service levels offered by C TRAN. The best system map is available through the ECTC Transportation Guide to Chemung County illustrating the C TRAN routes by color on a map with all streets identified. Both the Tri-
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County Transportation Guide and the ECTC Guide are available through links on the C TRAN website www.ridectran.com
C TRAN provides route deviation services on all routes, except for the three commuter services. The service to ADA-eligible and all riders is provided on all days and at all times when non- commuter services are provided. C TRAN provides the route deviation services within ¾ mile of the fixed route. Requests for route deviation service must be made the previous day in advance of the trip. If the regular route bus cannot accommodate the trip, C TRAN will dispatch a Dial A Ride bus to provide the trip.
C TRAN operates a fleet of 36 vehicles and 35 of these vehicles are equipped with wheelchair lifts or ramps and therefore may be used for either fixed route or Dial A Ride service. Four 40’ heavy-duty commuter buses were purchased in 2011, five small buses were purchased in 2012, and seven heavy duty 29' buses arrived in early 2014. An inventory of the C TRAN vehicles is found in Appendix D. Given the decreased need for buses to use in both fixed route and Dial A Ride service, a reduction in the size of the fleet is anticipated. In the next two years, applications will be made for the purchase of one heavy-duty 40’ bus and 12 smaller buses. All new buses will be accessible and will include bike racks.
In November 2009, ECTC conducted a ridership survey. The most striking information was that 47% used public transit for the purpose of getting to and from work. On the commuter route to Ithaca, it was 82%. On the route from Elmira to Corning, 55% of the riders are riding with the purpose of riding to school (Corning Community College). 83% of passengers ride every day or at least 3-5 times per week. The highest concentration of housing with no car available was close to downtown Elmira, and most riders walk to their bus stop. Fifty percent of C TRAN riders have an income of less than $15,000 annually, about 40% are ages 18-29 years, and another 40% are ages 30-49 years. There were a significant number of new riders with 42% indicating they had started riding in the past two years. One recommendation of the study was to decrease service duplication and increase schedule efficiency by dropping the Pine City service and adding service to the Wellsburg-Waverly route. The changes were implemented in January 2011.
Previously, C TRAN provided travel training through the Chemung County ARC. The current travel training program is provided by riders who belong to the Rider’s Advisory Council and have been trained by the Mobility Manager, who received training through the Easter Seals Project Action Travel Training Program. The volunteer travel trainer will ride out to the individual’s home or meeting place, explain the transit system, ride the system with the individual, demonstrate transfers, and answer questions until the individual feels comfortable riding the transit vehicles. The mobility manager, along with assistance from ARC, the former RSVP program and C TRAN staff, has trained a core of six senior volunteers who will provide peer-travel training. The volunteer travel trainers are all current transit riders and represent five senior housing facilities. Next steps include exploring through the Coordinated Committee shared training of the trainers workshops for diverse human service agencies and marketing of the current travel training available. As discussed earlier, the CVAC Getting There program will also provide transportation education for people who wish to learn to ride the bus. This program is still in the development phases.
B. Public Transit: Other Systems Operating In Chemung County and Intercity Operations
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C TRAN’s twelve trips per day on the Route 20 Elmira/Corning run help to connect Corning Erwin Area Transit System (CEATS) and Steuben County riders to Chemung County. The mobility managers in Steuben and Chemung Counties, along with the general manager at First Transit, have met to discuss further fixed route service that will improve the transportation connections between the counties. Endless Mountains Transportation Authority operates a shopping service to and from the Arnot Mall from Wellsboro, PA and Mansfield, PA on every Saturday and every other Tuesday. As of January 16, 2012, Tioga County Public Transit, also called RIDE TIOGA, discontinued operating its one fixed route that came to the Elmira Transportation Center. Adjacent counties of New York (such as Schuyler, Steuben, and Tioga Counties) and Endless Mountains Transportation Authority do provide medical trips into Chemung County to access healthcare facilities.
There are two other private transit bus operators providing services in Chemung County: Birnie Transportation Services, Inc. and Terp’s Enterprises, Inc. Both of these operators provide services under contract to individuals, businesses, and private groups. These services are not public transportation services in the traditional sense, although a contract with a supermarket company to provide senior citizens with transportation from senior housing to that company’s business to shop for groceries does meet a transportation need.
There are three private intercity bus lines that serve the Elmira Downtown Transportation Center: New York Trailways, Susquehanna Trailways, and Coach USA\Shortline. These private carriers provide service to destinations throughout the continental United States and parts of Canada.
C. Private Taxi Companies
There are five taxi companies that provide service in Chemung County. The major one providing services to Chemung County residents is Totem Taxi, Inc. Totem Taxi, with a fleet of 24 cars and vans (one wheelchair accessible), provides services to clients of Chemung County DSS, County Office of Aging and Long Term Care, and other agencies. Regionally, Totem Taxi is transporting clients to Corning, Bath, and Hornell in Steuben County and in/around Schuyler County. There is also some transportation to Broome County.
On October 1, 2013, New York State Department of Health implemented a change in transportation management for non-emergency Medicaid trips. Many new providers, especially providers who already provided medical trips, expanded service. Finger Lakes Medical Transportation/Lundy Services, is based in Schuyler County and also provides medical trips within Chemung County. They provide ambulette and wheelchair service to both Medicaid enrollees and private pay customers as well contract work. Traditional ambulance services such as Erway Ambulance Service, Erway Wheelchair Express, Greater Valley EMS/W/C, and Rural Metro have provided ambulette rides to Chemung County Medicaid clients. Located in Elmira, TLC Limo has expanded into the NEMT transportation field.
D. Human Service Agency Transportation Providers and Purchasers
Client transportation programs in Chemung County generally fall into two categories: service providers and service purchasers.
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1. Service Providers -- includes entities that own or lease vehicles and employ paid drivers or maintain an organized workforce of volunteers to operate fixed or flexibly scheduled weekday passenger services as an internal function.
(a) Able2 Enhancing Potential, Inc., dba ABLE2, formerly Cerebral Palsy and Handicapped Children’s Association of Chemung County, is an organization that operates a significant transportation system to support its customers. This organization serves over five hundred clients, 85% requiring wheelchair accessibility. Provided services include transport to and from various day treatment programs, transport for several group homes, and transport for community integration activities. Able2 services also include residential facilities, clinical services, therapeutic care, Medicaid Service Coordination, and dental/hearing/podiatry services that are accessible to Medicaid clients. Their transportation system currently consists of thirty-eight vehicles including a variety of mini-vans, ramp accessible mini-vans, lift accessible vans and wheelchair accessible buses. The bus fleet consists of Type III Aerotech El Dorado’s and Starcraft Allstar conversions. In 2014 they will place into service 4 new Ford Phoenix models.
(b) Chemung County ARC operates a significant amount of transportation service for its clients. The ARC has over 750 clients which it provides transportation to with 33 vehicles (cars, minivans, and 12-passenger van-type buses) that they lease. The vehicles are driven by residential staff. The agency provides transportation to and from its home base at 711 Sullivan Street. It also provides transportation at 19 residential facilities, and to work sites, schools, hospitals, the Chemung County Department of Social Services, and other locations. It also provides transportation by purchasing service from others, reimbursing staff for use of their personal cars and obtaining volunteer drivers. A local C TRAN route does a pull in to Chemung ARC/Southern Tier Industries for the many clients who are able to use public transit to commute to/from work and appointments.
(c) Pathways, Inc. is a not-for-profit agency providing a variety of services/programs for disabled individuals in both Chemung and Steuben counties. Transportation services are provided to Pathways program participants only. These services include transport to and from program, recreation, medical, and personal related activities. They also meet the daily transportation needs of individuals living in Pathways’ community residences. Pathways, Inc. currently operates 19 vehicles in Chemung County, which includes standard cars, minivans and wheelchair accessible vehicles. However, much of the fleet travels through multiple Counties to meet the transportation needs of program participants. They contract with private contractor, Bernie Bus, for all of their school program transportation.
Pathways, Inc. locally has 70 vehicles (two of which are Section 5310-funded, one in Chemung County and one in Steuben County). Drawing from a pool of 600 employees, Pathways uses regular day staff to drive the routes. The AM and PM routes bring consumers “To & From” a specific day rehabilitation site. Once the consumers are at the site, the consumers then go into the community on various trips called “Outings” The destination of the outing trip varies from day to day. Some outings are scheduled weekly and are repetitive. Others outings may go to community events, parks, shopping, volunteer opportunities etc. as scheduled by program staffs. These routes are very 13
specific and are driven by regular program staff familiar with the consumers’ program needs. Each “To & From” route is specifically designed to meet the expressed needs of the program participants.
(d) CVAC- Chemung Volunteer Action Corps is a Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County program providing community education on transportation options for individuals residing in Chemung County. In 2013 CVAC transitioned out of RSVP of Chemung County, a program that served mainly seniors and met some transportation needs with a small fleet of vehicles. The transportation program has ended, and CVAC focuses on providing community education and works with volunteers of all ages.
(e) Other providers: There are a number of organizations that provide transportation to their more limited number of clients than the four human service organizations listed above. These organizations nonetheless provide transportation that is important to the people they serve. Some of these organizations are assisted living facilities such as Bethany Village, Woodbrook Assisted Living, Elcor, and the Chemung County Nursing Facility. The Elmira Housing Authority manages 335 apartments that serve the elderly and disabled. Arnot Health at Arnot Ogden Medical Center and at St. Joseph’s Hospital manages long term skilled nursing departments. Many of these organizations own a small number of vehicles or contract with charter bus service to offer recreational trips or to meet other needs. Other non-profits such as the Salvation Army and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) offer transportation specific to their programs. The DAV provides medical transportation five days per week from Chemung County to the Bath VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Steuben County. The Bath VAMC is considering expanding transportation services to include bus service designed to connect with C TRAN from Chemung, Steuben bus systems and Schuyler bus service at the Corning Transportation Center. This new service is in the planning phase with no official start date planned. VTS (Veterans Transportation Services) another program of the Bath VAMC provides regularly scheduled bus service from Bath to larger facilities in Buffalo and Syracuse. Buffalo service is provided with two shuttles a day, five days a week, while Syracuse service has been provided three days a week once a day. The VAMC is also considering utilizing the 511 Southern Tier Rideshare program. This initiative is being facilitated by the Mobility Manager and is currently in the planning process.
In 2012, Seniors Helping Seniors became a new start up with a transportation element, and program managers joined the Coordinated Transportation Committee. The program matches seniors who want to help with seniors who are looking for help and provides a unique transportation option for seniors who have the ability to pay for assistance with transportation as well as a variety of tasks.
2. “Service purchasers” is a category where the agency primarily purchases transportation from a public transit provider, a private bus, a taxi company, or another human service agency.
a.) The Chemung County Department of Social Services (DSS) is the major transportation funding agency for low income persons, persons over 65, and other transportation dependent persons. In October of 2013 Department of Health changed the process in 14
which NEMT (Non-emergency medical transportation) is dispatched throughout New York State. The new contract provides MAS (Medical Answering Service) in Syracuse NY the authority to assign these rides. This has resulted in a significant decrease in C TRAN revenue. In 2010, Arnot Health’s Eastside Family Medicine office, formerly Priority Community Health Care relocated to St. Joseph’s Health Services Building Suite 2B at 200 Madison Ave., Elmira. The office is well serviced by a local C TRAN route. Also, the County DSS contracts for pre-school transportation for children with disabilities. The previous Able 2 program has been discontinued, and it appears that Pathways will be the new provider for the program.
b.) The county’s Department of Aging and Long Term Care provides information and assistance regarding transportation options to residents over 60 and at any age if in need of long term care, as well as transportation services through a contract with Totem Taxi, a local taxi company. Transportation is provided to residents over age 60 in greatest social and economic need, generally with incomes below 150% of federal poverty level, who are ineligible for or unable to afford other transportation options, and who do not own a car. Transportation is provided within Chemung County to medical appointments, health and wellness activities, and trips to apply for government and non-profit benefits and services. In 2012, the Department of Aging and Long Term Care purchased service for an average of 212 one-way trips per month, twenty-seven percent needing an accessible vehicle. Transportation services are coordinated with other services providers, including C TRAN, to ensure comprehensive service provision with no duplication. Programs are funded through the Older Americans Act, New York State Office for Aging, Chemung County, and participant donations.
c.) Needs Analysis
a. Partnerships and Needs Input --Meetings and Survey
Chemung County’s Coordinated Transportation Committee meets quarterly and is made up of about thirty non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and transportation providers:
Providing information and resources for the public, including seniors/people with disabilities: 2-1-1 HELPLINE, AIM, Creating Healthy Places Community Partnership, Chemung Childcare Council, Department of Aging and Long Term Care, Economic Opportunity Program, CVAC, Chemung County Poverty Reduction Coalition, and mobility managers from adjacent counties
Assisted living facilities, mainly for seniors/people with disabilities: Able-2, Chemung ARC, Barton’s Adult Home, Bethany, Carpenter Apartments, Chemung County Nursing Facility, Cogswells Adult Home, Elcor, Elmira Housing Authority, Pathways, and Woodbrook
Employment-related partners: Capabilities, CSS Workforce New York, Chemung County Department of Social Services, Economic Opportunity Program, NYS Jobs Program, Southern Tier Industries, Corning Community College
Health-related organizations: Arnot Health at Arnot Ogden Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital, Creating Healthy Places Community Partnership, Guthrie Health Care System
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For-profit transportation providers: First Transit, Totem Taxi, TLC Limousines, Finger Lakes Medical Transportation/Lundy Services, Seniors Helping Seniors, Erway Ambulance
Not-for-profit direct transportation providers: Able-2, Arnot Health, Chemung ARC and Pathways.
History of needs analysis: The mobility manager made many community contacts and agency visits in 2011, new agencies joined the Coordinated Transportation Committee and 2011 meeting focused on: transportation provide by each agency and\or funding, what they see as the unmet transportation needs for their clients\customers, and, if appropriate, what fleet of vehicles they use to provide transportation services. In January/February 2011, ten members of the Coordinated Transportation Committee operating assisted living facilities were surveyed with the purpose of identifying unmet employee transportation needs that might be met through a JARC-funded project. Four agencies returned surveys completed by their employees, but no significant unmet need was identified. In October/November 2011, an Unmet Needs Survey, a copy of which is Appendix E, was completed by 11 stakeholders. A copy of the survey results summary is provided as Appendix E. In addition, 6 agencies completed a Passenger Transportation Services Provided if they provide transportation or contract for services. In 2011, the mobility manager completed 45 agency visits to gather information about transportation services being provided and assess unmet needs and continued the process throughout 2012. In 2013 through contract with 2-1-1 HELPLINE unmet transportation needs are being tracked through their service.
Additional information was gathered in a Transit Summit held in November 2010. During the Summit, 61 riders, human service agency staff, transportation providers, community leaders, and government officials worked in small groups to brainstorm improvements to Chemung County Transit. Suggestions include: Meet the needs of an aging population who must stop driving. Provide bus ambassadors and/or travel trainers. Improve website and have an interactive web-based route finder with cost and time estimate. Improve fare collection to include student fare, daily/weekly passes, and a discount for disabled monthly pass. Create more user-friendly maps on the schedules. Improve communication with riders. Develop business/transit partnerships that encourage an employee/employer incentive to take discounted monthly pass in pre-tax dollars. Seek regional collaboration among transportation providers in the Southern Tier. Launch a major marketing campaign to improve the image of public transit and attract new riders. Add more buses to the fleet that are larger, have more flexible seating, are easily accessible, and have bike racks. Make improvements at the Transportation Center such as better lighting.
Since the Summit, the mobility manager successfully addressed many of these areas. A travel training program has been established, bus schedules were redesigned, inroads have been made with employers (Employment Solutions, DeMets, Sitel, CVS Distribution Center, CAF USA,
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CCC, Ithaca College), rebranding started the process of marketing a better image, and four new 40’ buses with bicycle racks were put in service in December 2011. Appendix F details improvements that have been achieved by C TRAN since the Transit Summit. There are also projects in process such as website redesign and a new fare collection system. Regional needs have also been discussed and addressed as new mobility managers have been hired in adjacent counties. There have already been some successful projects through the collaboration of mobility managers in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben counties. More ties are being formed with mobility managers in Allegany, Tioga, Tompkins, Broome, Cortland, Chautauqua, Delaware, and Livingston Counties.
One outcome of the Transit Summit is the formation of a Riders Advisory Council that has allowed a dialogue between local transit riders and those responsible for transit-related decisions. The mobility manager facilitates the Riders Advisory Council, made up of mainly senior citizens and people with disabilities. The Council meets quarterly. Also, there were four meetings to discuss transportation-related needs and issues with Corning Community College students, staff, and administration. The needs addressed by CCC students reflected more of the regional approach as exhibited by their student body. Their students come from Steuben County (where Corning is located) as well as surrounding counties such as Chemung.
b. Transportation Needs Summary
The needs gathered through the Ridership Survey (Nov. 2009), Transit Summit (Nov. 2010), Agency visits (2011), the Riders Advisory groups (2011), and the surveys with the Coordinated Committees (Nov. 2011) are summarized under the following:
NEED 1: COORDINATION Coordination efforts need to be championed through a paid mobility management program where the mobility manager serves as a staff person for an organization with goals that correlate with mobility management goals. A top priority is continuing and improving the County’s significant public transportation services. Public services need to be maintained at an affordable cost to riders, and human services client transportation needs to be coordinated with public services. If C TRAN’s Dial A Ride program continues to experience large decreases in ridership and reimbursement because of the change in Medicaid transportation management, the need for coordination with local agencies will be even greater. If the situation results in significant cuts to public transit fixed routes, there will be a larger number of individuals in need of transportation and possibly a greater demand on existing human services agencies. If there is a significant fare increase, there could be a larger number of individuals unable to afford riding public transit. There is a need for greater coordination among human services agencies and their transportation services.
NEED 2: COMMUNICATION & MARKETING It is easy to gather anecdotal evidence of unmet needs, but difficult to identify and quantify unmet transportation needs with statistical data. Chemung County residents need a customer-service driven call center where they can access information about both public transit and transportation programs through human services agencies. 17
In order to meet the needs of an aging population, travel training needs to be more broadly available, transit-oriented development needs to be encouraged, and marketing needs to calm the fears of those afraid to “give up the keys.” Communication of transportation services need to be provided in a user-friendly format accessible in a variety of ways such as print, web, and through outreach programs. Marketing needs to develop new audiences, such as high school and middle school students and senior citizens who have never used public transit. Long term funding is needed for 511 NY Southern Tier Rideshare marketing to continue to grow the database, track results, provide supportive services, continue outreach to employers, and provide customer service through 2-1-1 HELPLINE’s contact center and the Mobility Manager. In the future, rideshare would benefit even more residents if expanded to serve health and human services needs or meet the need for infrequent trips.
NEED 3: REGIONAL COORDINATION The role of mobility management in regional coordination is significant. Funding must be in place throughout NYS to continue the efforts. There is an unmet need for additional transportation services for work, education and medical trips outside the County to locations such as Corning, Bath, and the Guthrie Health Facility in Sayre, Pennsylvania. However there does not appear to be enough need to justify a new transit service funding, and the fixed-route service to the Guthrie Health facility in Sayre is being proposed for elimination due to the NEMT funding cut. CVS and Vulcraft, given the proposed discontinuation of Route 10 Wellsburg-Waverly may also have need for the discussion of alternate forms of transportation. Carpooling/ridesharing is needed to cut the cost of lengthy employment trips. Increased coordination with public transit services provided by surrounding counties is needed to make intercounty trips possible and more seamless. There is a need for non-emergency medical travel to the Veterans Hospital in Bath and to health care providers in Rochester and Syracuse.
NEED 4: SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & FUNDING Mobility management efforts need to be continued and plans need to be made for future sustainability. With the new Medicaid transportation management by NYS, C TRAN will need to rework its transportation funding model or locate a new funding source to be able to continue fixed route and Dial A Ride service at current levels. Use of Section 5310 program funds for operating assistance may be considered for a modest amount of elderly and individuals with disabilities Dial-A-Ride services. Section 5310 funds are also being considered for development and marketing an expanded 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare to these same two groups for medical and other trips on a one-time or recurring basis. Vehicle replacement of overage buses needs to continue at C TRAN. Private non-profit agencies need to replace their client transportation vehicles that have outlived their useful lives (are old and\or in need of constant\expensive repair). These agencies often in this economic and government funding climate do not have sufficient funds to replace those vehicles. Some agencies that have their main funding through the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities are experiencing increasing difficulty of absorbing the cost of mandated transportation with the current level of funding per individual.
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Responses to the transportation survey question on “unmet need” most often cited the need for “subsidized taxi service”. With the new Medicaid transportation management by NYS, taxi providers and medical transportation providers have been assigned the majority of the Medicaid rides for ambulatory individuals. While new providers have surfaced in the Chemung County region, it is uncertain that there is capacity to meet both Medicaid and non-Medicaid need for rides, especially if public transit is forced to down- size. Low income family workers who do not own a car have difficulty dealing with child care and school trips in addition to their work trips. The need for extended weekday night hours (to accommodate non-traditional shifts) and for longer hours on weekends for public transit service was noted across the board. Additional transportation services in rural areas were also identified as needs. JARC and New Freedom funding streams are not sufficient enough to meet the new services detailed in these unmet needs.
c. Coordination Issues
It is not clear whether the County’s private non-profit agencies can address some of the barriers that could keep them from better coordinating services. The barriers that have already been identified include client confidentiality and clients with unique behaviors, increased insurance coverage, agency funding which is targeted exclusively to agency clients, the tangle of accounting for the distinguishing client trips by agency and funding reimbursement (major accounting\bookkeeping efforts) and additional funding to support additional staff or vehicles needed to provide additional services. There is also concern over increased costs for maintenance, program administration, and drivers if agencies must follow State DOT regulations, reporting, and vehicle inspection schedules. These barriers appear to be significant impediments to increased coordination of services. However, other counties have addressed these or similar barrier and achieved increased coordination. Centralized ride dispatch might be a coordination improvement. However, centralized ride dispatch brings up the issues of impartial ride assignment and the payment for services that goes with the ride that will take time and cooperation to resolve if that coordination objective is to be achieved. As part of the Plan implementation going forward the mobility manager will spend more time addressing these issues, as well as looking at how scheduling software or regional efforts may assist in achieving improvements.
With limited government funding, with no long term funding commitment, and the potential for funding cuts, it will be a challenge to hold services at current levels and to better use available funding to provide the most trips possible.
d.) Implementation
The Coordinated Transportation Committee continues to meet to discuss how to implement the Plan by addressing needs identified in the Plan. Top priorities are continued funding of the mobility management program, finding ways to retain current levels of public transit service, and increasing awareness of/improving access to transportation options. The mobility management team of the transit specialist and the mobility manager need to be in place to continue to guide coordinated efforts and projects appropriately. Needs that can be addressed with fewer barriers will be identified and actions taken to implement those improvements. The 19
mobility manager is needed to continue the communication, to build the trust of the coordination process, and to be there when the time is right for progress. Under MAP-21, ECTC will work with NYSDOT to solicit projects that are eligible for funding under FTA 5310 New Freedom program and that address the unmet needs identified in the Plan. ECTC will only seek solicitation until existing levels have been expended. Existing SAFTEA-LU JARC funding needs to continue providing transportation to Sitel and DeMets workers who are dependent on this transit service and to support the mobility manager who administers the program. All of these items remain as top priorities for Federal funding as they are key to maintaining the advances made under the old Plan and are key to further implementation of the Plan. An important element that should not be overlooked is the continued FTA Section 5307 and 5311 funding of the County’s existing public transit operating and capital needs. This funding supports the County’s public transit system operated by First Transit.
GOAL 1: COORDINATION Create more rides for target populations with the same or fewer assets.
Seek continued funding and sustainability of mobility management efforts in Chemung County. The mobility manager, transit specialist, and ECTC staff will work with C TRAN staff to improve the County’s public transportation services and to encourage coordination with human services agencies. Due to the decreased NEMT funding of the transit system and subsequent service decreases, there is an even greater need for coordination. Coordinated transportation projects will be a win-win situation benefiting both riders and transit. The Coordinated Transportation Committee, with the leadership of the mobility manager, will continue to meet to seek greater coordination among agencies and to provide vehicles and services for the general population of clients of all agencies. In 2011, the mobility manager has been moderating discussions about coordination of services with two human services agencies that have similar clients/routes and have their main funding through the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. As these opportunities become available, the mobility manager will work with various organizations as they are willing to explore coordination, especially those that do not require additional FTA funds. Seek use of volunteer drivers in their own vehicles as alternative transportation, especially for rural areas.
GOAL 2: COMMUNICATION & MARKETING Communicate and market effectively to riders, potential riders, and coordination stakeholders to increase utilization of transportation services.
Use 2-1-1 HELPLINE to provide information to consumers about human services programs, volunteer opportunities, and transportation services/options and to better identify and quantify unmet transportation needs. Increase public awareness and use of 2- 1-1 HELPLINE. The mobility management program and CVAC will continue to administer and market the travel training program as well as meet the “training of the trainer” needs at human services agencies. Through STEG and coordinating with area planners, ECTC staff will encourage transit-oriented development. The mobility manager will spearhead marketing campaigns that will emphasize transportation solutions for individuals with changing mobility issues. 20
The mobility manager, transit specialist, and C TRAN staff will build off the successful rebranding of C TRAN in 2011. C TRAN marketing efforts will provide better information to current riders, solicit new riders, and increase human service agencies’ awareness of current services. As a part of the 2011 rebranding, the mobility manager redesigned bus schedules with a larger print and to-scale maps. Print communication will continue to be a priority as current bus riders have indicated they are best reached through posting of information both on buses and at transfer points. C TRAN website redesign was completed in 2013. The new website allows for better communication with riders through 511 enhancement, C TRAN staff log-in for updates, and the ability to use on-line surveys/polls. In August 2011, C TRAN began a student fare (half fare) for those ages 6-18 years old. The monthly average of student ridership increased from 304 in 2011/12 to 1,100 in 2014. The mobility manager will target increased transit use by high school and middle school audiences for the purpose of getting to work, to school, and to shopping. Since 2012, the mobility manager (now transit specialist) will served on the Advisory Committee to the Department of Aging and Long Term Care, on the Chemung County Human Relations Commission, and on the newly-formed Chemung County Poverty Reduction Coalition. Agencies on the Coordinated Committee that represent seniors will look at marketing and information directed to seniors.
GOAL 3: REGIONAL COORDINATION Increase efficiency and transportation service by coordinating with regional entities to create solutions that break down current boundaries and parochial thinking.
Encourage continued funding and sustainability of mobility management positions across NYS, particularly in counties adjacent to Chemung. As of February 1, 2014, Chemung and Schuyler Counties combined resources to share Mobility Management Services. The Regional effort promotes continued regional coordination while extending available resources. Ridesharing is a potential way to address work and education trips, and Chemung County is a pilot site for rural use of NYSDOT 511NY ridematching software. Some of the mobility management JARC funds will be used to market the carpooling ridesharing program to Chemung County residents or those who work in Chemung County. Steuben County is also participating in the marketing efforts so that intercounty employment trips can be better met in the region. The mobility manager will continue to seek additional ways to meet needs that fall outside of what public transit can achieve. Regional coordination with Tioga County has become more important with transit systems in both Chemung and Tioga County reducing service in 2014. The mobility manager and ECTC staff will continue to attend coordinated meetings in adjacent counties and to be involved in regional efforts, working with many providers. The Transit Subcommittee of the Schuyler Steuben Transportation Committee can continue its efforts to better coordinate services in those two counties and Chemung County. Seek funding for continued production and map of the Tri-County Transportation Guide and continue to promote the distribution and use of the Guide in the region. The mobility manager has been meeting with mobility managers from Steuben and Schuyler Counties to discuss shared solutions to provide medical travel to the Veterans 21
Hospital in Bath. The connectivity of current transit routes with a proposed VA shuttle service is currently under discussion as well as use of 511 Southern Tier Rideshare program to access services. Through the efforts of New York State’s Berger Commission and the resulting task forces, the Arnot Ogden Medical Center has merged with another local healthcare facility, St. Joseph’s Hospital. The merger is an effort to remove duplicative services and to capitalize on the strengths of each facility. In 2012, Arnot Health will oversee operations at both Elmira hospitals as well as Ira Davenport in Bath (in adjacent Steuben County). The recent coordination among area hospitals might foster further transportation coordination to meet unmet needs for regional medical trips. The mobility manager and ECTC staff participated in a regional 7-county transportation study being led by Tompkins County, which is a major employment destination for Chemung County residents. Work continues to regionally and or virtually connect systems within the seven county study area.
GOAL 4: SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & FUNDING Look at unique, significant unmet needs and seek creative solutions and funding to meet those needs.
Seek continued funding and sustainability of the mobility management program in Chemung County to lead this effort. The mobility manager will encourage private non-profit agencies to replace their client transportation vehicles through 5310 funding where the agencies agree to more coordination of services, or where needed transportation services are at risk. The mobility manager will seek funding and solutions to the following unmet needs: subsidized taxi service, transportation for child care, extended public transit hours, and additional transportation in rural areas. Potential options are additional demand responsive public transit service, increased coordination, improved development, and new ways to subsidize additional trips. The mobility manager will work with CSS Workforce NY, Southern Tier Economic Growth, temporary employment agencies, taxi providers, and DSS to maximize the number of employees served using the former Job Access Reverse Commute program- eligible projects. If new, significant low-income employee transportation to work needs are identified that are best served by transit, those new transportation services will be considered for any unused JARC funding to the extent that funds are available. Also, any services funded by JARC will be carefully monitored and adjustments made to ensure its efficiency.
In 2012, a New Freedom project through the 2-1-1 HELPLINE helped to identify unmet needs and service gaps. Using the data generated and input from the Coordinated Committee, the mobility manager may identify projects to apply for New Freedom funding. This project is scheduled to continue through September 30, 2014 e.) Achievable Benefits
GOAL 1: COORDINATION If human service agencies can finance vehicles in need of replacement using Enhanced Section 5310 funds, existing needed services can be maintained. As a condition of
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receiving the Enhanced Section 5310 funding, agencies will increase coordination with other agencies, and thus meet additional transportation needs. If existing public transit services and human service agency services are better coordinated, more needed trips can be made in a cost effective way. If human service agencies providing transportation can better coordinate services and vehicles between such agencies, more needed trips can be made in a cost effective way. Continued coordination efforts will allow agencies and government to better meet changing conditions and needs.
GOAL 2: COMMUNICATION & MARKETING Better communication and marketing will result in increased use of transportation services by low income, elderly, people with disabilities, and others in the public not currently using the services. Riders and potential riders will have the tools necessary to assist them in utilizing transportation resources, and the result will be increased ridership, increased employment, better quality of life, and better customer satisfaction. Increased awareness of and improved access to transportation resources through the 2-1-1 HELPLINE. Their resources include on-line chat and connection to 7-1-1 New York Relay (for deaf and hearing impaired), a searchable database through 211helpline.org, monthly newsletter, social media channels, and contact center accessible by 2-1-1 dialing or a traditional toll-free number. Callers without English proficiency may utilize an interpreter service (150+ languages) provided by 2-1-1 HELPLINE via conference.
GOAL 3: REGIONAL COORDINATION If more of the regional services among Chemung, Tioga, Tompkins, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties are better coordinated, more residents will receive more rides in a cost effective manner. Transportation needs do not stop at county lines, and coordination of routes and schedules can allow a more seamless system not encumbered by long wait times or non-coordinated drop off locations. Better use of regional resources will allow for a more seamless transportation system across political boundaries and will save taxpayer dollars. Increased ridesharing\carpooling can lead to more employment, more sustainable employment, and a larger recruiting area for employers.
GOAL 4: SERVICE DEVELOPMENT & FUNDING Continued funding of the mobility management program results in a team dedicated to identifying needs, seeking solutions, and implementing projects related to service development. Some service development may involve minor, low cost service adjustments that met identified unmet needs. Service to the CVS Distribution Center, which began in 2011, is an example of such service. If sufficient funds are available, soliciting for the remaining Job Access Reverse Commute program-eligible projects could result in new services to meet unmet transportation to work trips both inside the County and to employers in surrounding counties. If additional services\projects are identified to meet the needs for seniors or persons with disabilities, and any remaining New Freedom funding or Enhanced 5310 is obtained to fund those services, that will help meet the needs identified.
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Appendix A Mobility Management Workplan
Chemung County Mobility Management Work Plan 2014
Objectives Expected Specifics/Collaborators/Timeframe Assessment Method Outcome Collaboration
Identify collaborators Accessibility Coordinated Committee, C TRAN general Participation by affiliations, and stakeholders who and cooperation manager, ECTC, Coordinated Committees coalitions and partnerships who have will help increase and among groups and or Mobility Managers from contiguous expressed interest in expanding strengthen the mobility for maximum counties. transportation in and around the management concept in results. county. Chemung County and Efforts continuous. Increased participation in throughout the region. Coordinated Committee. Increased projects developed as a result of the Coordinated Committee meetings. Identify and assess Keep the Plan Regularly update ECTC Chemung County Dissemination of Plan updates to unmet transportation current by Coordinated Plan as a living document to ECTC, Coordinated Committee, and needs in Chemung including new include projects and direction from Chemung County Legislature. County through a thoughts, needs, Coordinated Committee variety of informational and direction. Number of persons responding to venues including Update the Plan by August 2014 for surveys, meetings, forums. surveys, public forums, approval by ECTC. local public meetings, etc. Continue 2-1-1 project through project completion date of September 30, 2014 to help determine unmet needs. Liaise with area Agreements CVS and Vulcraft: given the proposed Number of area employers who employers to support among discontinuation of Route 10 Wellsburg- participated in transportation to work the JARC project employers to Waverly, discuss trip coordination for discussions. solicitation to ECTC. consider employees Number of potential projects. Under MAP-21 implementation Demets Service: JARC service, June 2011 Number of employer presentations Mobility management of employee has proven steady ridership and is and considerations as partners for and employment benefit programs considered a successful service. Rideshare project. related projects still that focus on Continuation to be considered outside of qualify under 5307 transportation, employment service. urban and 5311 rural including ride funding. share, van pools, Coordinate Rideshare with DOT, employers, subsidized and Steuben County MM, IHS 211HL public contact center, 2014-2016 transportation, etc. Created spreadsheet for employer list for Rideshare and other employment related projects.
Make appropriate Individuals with Meet with organizations representing the New Freedom Projects submitted for contacts to set the disabilities will disabled: funding. foundation for ECTC enjoy greater Aktion Club, Able 2, Pathways, ARC,
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New Freedom projects. mobility with ACESS VR, STAVI, AIM. Number of appropriate contacts and The goal is to increase increased public potential projects. provision of accessible transportation Assist in the expanded service of Chemung transportation for and public County transportation information through people with disabilities transportation 2-1-1 New Freedom project that is currently beyond the alternatives to funded through September 30, 2014. requirements of the and from jobs ADA. Under Map-21 and employment Assist with CVAC Volunteer Travel New Freedom is an support services. Ambassadors by offering a train the trainer eligible expense under program and will assist with outreach of the Enhanced 5310. program.
Facilitate the Riders Chemung Scheduled transit RAC meetings in 2014: Implementation of significant number Advisory Council to County Transit Feb., May, August, October of riders’ suggestions. Ride the bus provide a voice for the will consider CCC Student RAC, scheduled to meet once per month to talk to riders and riders. future spring and fall in 2014 frequent visits to talk with riders improvements waiting at transfer points. through the eyes Rider suggestions considered in the of the users, the ECTC Long range Plan. riders. Participate in various Individuals from Transit Specialist to continue with following Active participation at regular community boards and many participation: Chemung County Human meetings. committees to outreach backgrounds and Relations Commission and Office for Aging to specific interests and experiences will Board & Age Friendly Communities Track special transit service requests. to minority enjoy greater communities. mobility and Mobility Manager to continue with the Number of contacts for outreach increased public following participation: BACPAC-Bicycle programs, coordination, and awareness of & Pedestrian Advisory Council, Chemung JARC/New Freedom project ideas. transportation Co. Poverty Reduction Coalition services. Coordinate Title VI and LEP information for C TRAN, ongoing
Marketing
Provide stakeholders Increased use of Created Agency visit schedule for 2014 with Record of contacts made and with awareness transportation agency names and contact information. Will outreach visits completed. education on services by low visit at least four agencies in 2014. coordinated income, elderly, Number of individuals successfully transportation services people with C TRAN website updates travel trained (2014). and public transit. disabilities, and non-traditional Participate in community events such as Number of Travel Ambassador audiences. Wisner Park and Strong Kids/Safe Kids requests through CVAC program.
Assist with educational programs and Number of calls received for outreach through CVAC’s Getting There transportation referrals. program Disseminate practical People who have Press releases to Karen Miner as needed Tracking of public information in information to potential not used public local media, riders so they can transit will have Update cases for posting of current system Number of sites with public postings, access previously the tools map and route information. website usage reports. under-used modes of necessary to Number of website updates. transport. assist them in Tri-County Transportation Map on line Number of media releases that appear utilizing buses, updated and printed map expected 2014 to the public. private or other anaged C TRAN website updates 2014-2015 Recommendation from unmet needs transportation Arrange media contracts for C TRAN, of 211 project 25
resources. ongoing
Outreach for Rideshare, 2014 Coordinate information sharing with 2-1-1 HELPLINE, throughout 2014 and beyond when funding identified. Provide awareness of Riders will Marketing efforts for Rideshare will be Rideshare Logos to be approved in 511 Southern Tier identify a new throughout 2014 and 2015. These to include Spring 2014. Rideshare and work transportation digital media, print, radio and other in- with regional systems option. A person outreach and marketing events. Increase public knowledge of transit to brand a network of consulting firm website with links to Rideshare from transportation services. will give Ongoing in 2014: website changes, signage mobility management page. direction to improvements, office communication. marketing efforts. Professional Development Continue education in Best practices Appropriate readings such as MAP 21 Status reports and inclusion in mobility issues and will be utilized regulations and the impact on JARC and Coordinated Transportation Plan. connect regularly with by mobility New Freedom projects. Record of contact with other mobility area mobility manager and Host the Regional Mobility Management managers. managers. disseminated to meeting stakeholders. National center for Mobility Management List all professional development webinars and resource material for improved workshops, conferences, webinars efficiency, ideas and best practices. and events. Various webinars, newsletters Connecting with regional mobility managers Attending coordinated transportation meetings in Steuben and Schuyler counties. Look at potential for adding Tompkins County Coordinated meeting for additional regional ideas and projects. National Development opportunities such as CTAA or APTA conferences. Report vision and Meet Ongoing: Number of reports submitted, number progress to monthly requirements of Monthly calendar and activity report of meetings attended and facilitated. transit board in order to grant & allow submitted to Transit Specialist establish clear, ECTC to measurable goals for provide Monthly meeting with Transit Specialist mobility management feedback and initiative. direction. Reports of mobility management activities submitted to the GM for report to the Transit Board Expand knowledge of Continue the Involved in staff briefings, 2014 Number of C TRAN management transit and learn good Created calendar of events/projects meetings attended, bus routes ridden, differences between relationship Attend transit safety trainings and safety meetings attended. urban and rural between First Ride routes to understand riders, drivers, and systems. Participate as Transit and system part of the team at First ECTC; to secure Work with local/regional/corporate staff to Transit. mobility assist with First Transit’s Passenger management Appreciation Nights (Mar & July 2014) within the system.
Revised 8/13/14
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Appendix B Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes – August 20, 2014 at 10:00 AM, Elmira Chemung Transportation Council (ECTC) Lower Level Conference Room 400 East Church St., Elmira
Attended: Adam Hungerford, Able 2; Carol Wood, 2-1-1(IHS); Bob Harris, Chemung Co. Youth Bureau; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Pam Brown, Chemung Co. Dept. of Aging and Long Term Care; Kelly Duby, Steuben Co. Mobility Manager (IHS); Lori Kain, Chemung ARC; Craig Mennig, Chemung ARC; Carol Houssock, Chemung Co. – CVAC; Jim Arey, ECTC; Bob Raj, Seniors Helping Seniors; Bruce Flaherty, Capabilities; Amber Simmons, Chemung/Schuyler Mobility Manager; Tina Hager, Chemung Co. Transit Specialist
Chemung Co. Youth Bureau-presentation: Bob Harris presented to the group relating to Chronic Absence in Elementary and Primary school children. Chronic absence is when children miss 10% or more of the school days which equate to 18 days a year or 2 days a month. The national average for chronic absence is 10%, while Chemung County is at 54%. They have formed 4 committees looking into the three main causes: health, transportation and culture. These committees are looking at specific interventions to try and may be looking at this committee for assistance. Several committee members expressed an interest in helping with the project and handouts will be forwarded to interested committee members.
Transit Updates: Tina Hager, Transit Specialist reviewed the proposed changes in service and fares due to a dramatic cut in revenue from Medicaid. She mentioned these changes have been discussed prior to the change in the Department of Health’s change in Non-emergency Medical Transportation, as the change happened and Mike reported the dramatic drops in Dial-A-Ride Medicaid service (70% decrease) and over a projected $1 million loss in one year. These changes were not what anyone wanted to do, they are a result of what had to be done to preserve a level of transit within the county. As a result, there are three major changes: #10 Wellsburg/Waverly service has been proposed to be eliminated. This is due to low ridership, in connection with run time (over two hours). #12 Southside Loop – Service reduced to evenings, weekends and holidays via #9 Mall Express. #2 St. Joseph’s Hospital Loop – Route to be discontinued, but service areas will be realigned with #4 Arnot Ogden Medical Loop connecting to Sullivan Street portion of route under the new name “Hospital Loop”. The #5 Golden Glow and the Water Street and East market Street portions of ST. Joe’s will create a new east-west route under the new name, “Crosstown”. Golden Glow will remain accessible via route deviation.
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Jim Arey and Tina stated a study was conducted to track where riders were getting on and off. Its purpose was to look at these points and see what could be done to preserve destinations. The alternative was simple route cuts, leaving more people without service. The timeline for these changes: Another public information table will be available at Wisner Market August 28th from 10AM-2PM. Information is posted on buses and at the transit center as well as on the C TRAN website. A public hearing is scheduled for September 2nd at 6:45PM at the Hazlitt building 5th floor. If you know of riders who utilize your organizations programs we encourage you to attend and participate in the hearing as some riders have expressed their interest in attending, but due to the hour, transit service will not be available for them to get there and return. The Legislature will then vote on the proposed changes on October 14th at which time, if approved a 30 day notice advising the changes will be posted and the changes would be effective November 17th. Monthly pass increases would become effective December 1st and CCC semester passes would increase January 1, 2015. Since the Coordinated Meeting, it was decided a second public meeting would be held on September 18th at 1:00PM at the Hazlitt Building.
Tina asked if the group knew of specific places for outreach and suggested venues were: Golden Glow Fire CO., Southport Fire Co., Post offices and VFW’s and American Legions, Staff Training for people who directly support people with disabilities such as Capabilities, Family Services, ARC and Pathways. Department of Social Services, Catholic Charities, AARP monthly newsletter, ACCESS VR, and other employment venues. It was suggested that many staff use the C TRAN website to disseminate information and that should be updated. TV was also suggested and Bob Raj suggested he could assist with the contact for WENY Twin Tiers Sundays and also suggested Senior Notebook. WETM hosts a similar program, Twin Tiers weekly.
Human Services Update 5310 Vehicle delivery – Pathways representative was not present, but they have received their vehicles. Adam Hungerford of Able 2 reported that they have experienced delay through the dealer. The good news is the vehicles will be 2015 chassis, but they are utilizing a significant amount of money to keep vehicles running until the new busses are delivered.
Mobility Management Update JARC 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare site is active and Amber showed the group what the new logo looked like. She also requested suggestions for additional employer/employee outreach to help populate the data base. DeMet’s Candy Ridership report: Amber reported that ridership for May was 812 trips, June 777 trips and July DeMets ramps up production and had 1267 trips. 211 – Carol Wood reviewed the April – June Chemung County Transportation calls and Unmet needs report. There was a total of 40 calls over 1 quarter. Cross County transportation seems to be an ongoing issue. Of the unmet needs 3 were ineligible for services (local transportation and long distance transportation), 6 the service 28
was unavailable (local transportation, expense assistance and transportation organizations). Carol gave examples of what the unmet needs were ranging from a medical appointment in Pennsylvania, travel expenses to get home after a visit to the area and transportation to court in Seneca County. Carol also passed around the new Services guide which IHS members may download as a PDF for free. Regional Efforts Tri-County map update – Kelly Duby reported and showed the group the draft of the tri-county map that shows the connections or lack of between various bus systems. Printing will wait until it is known if the C TRAN routes are approved to change. Veterans Transportation- Amber reported the group has met and is looking at additional outreach venues and will be utilizing the Southern Tier Rideshare site to help connect Veterans.
Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Update 5310 Program—the group will be notified once a solicitation is made. NYDOT has suggested it will be “soon”. Coordinated Plan Update – This was intended to be a simple update to reflect the changes made in MAP-21. Tina asked the group verify their information as future projects must be included in the plan in order to be considered. She also noted that the Chemung plan is quite lengthy as minutes are added as part of the plan, allowing more flexibility for projects considered. ECTC Long Range Plan- Jim Arey explained it is in draft form and tentative roll out of the plan on Thursday, October 16th. Public sessions are scheduled Thursday, October 16th at 2 pm and 6 pm. Tina stated if the Coordinated Committee would like to schedule a meeting for 10 am that day, the consultant would hold an exclusive meeting to discuss with the committee, the group seemed to think this would be a good idea. Stakeholders Share: Creating Healthy Places: Connie received grant funding for the projects and will be working on lighting at Mark Twain River Park and others. The equipment purchased last year is now on queue for installation on the Lackawanna Trail. Tina mentioned the Chemung County Human Relations Committee will be holding their annual breakfast with a speaker focusing on diversity. The breakfast is set for Tuesday October 7th at 7:30AM at the Holiday Inn Riverview. Dept. of Aging and Long Term Care: Pam reviewed that through LTC transportation is provided to anyone of any age thru their NY Connects unit. They also provide transportation to people over 60 through contract with Totem taxi for medical, general health and wellness and to get to other government organizations or benefits appointments. 2-1-1: Funding was expanded to provide 2-1-1 service to the rest of the state. They are also developing a Teen helpline which is connected to the same database but has a different look and feel to appeal to this market. Steuben CO. Mobility Management (IHS): Kelly reported she is marketing her new Travel Training program or Bus Buddies program. There are new rack cards available to recruit volunteer drivers. They currently have one 29
driver who lives in Corning and is willing to drive to Horseheads area. The Volunteer Driving program is providing 15-20 NEMT rides per day. Chemung ARC – Craig reported they have recently made their day hab rooms available if anyone needs space for events after 4-5PM at their location on Sullivan Street. Their Case managers or Service Coordinators are serving 330 families, so if you have a message you’re trying to get out, this group of people is a good target audience to reach people with disabilities. CVAC – Carol reported they are trying to get more information on Car Fit and have not been that successful in getting inquiries answered. She is willing to offer her new Travel Ambassadors to assist with information dissemination if the C TRAN new routes are approved. Capabilities- Bruce stated they are still working through the various changes presented by Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Next Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting— Tentatively November 12, 10AM hosted by Chemung ARC .
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Employment Sub-Committee Meeting Minutes – July 1, 2014 2-2:30 pm, Elmira
Attendance: Veronica Hart, Chemung County DSS; Tina Hager, Chemung County Transit Specialist; Jessica Belgrade, First Choices Job Developer; Amber Simmons, Mobility Manager
Tina Hager asked to discuss any other potential JARC-funded projects for a discussion of transit service or partnership for 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare .
1. Ronnie Hart and Jessica Belgrade expressed that some County clients are having difficulty with transportation to the CVS Distribution Center. Ronnie shared that she doesn’t hear a lot about Vulcraft, but has heard of a need to the Best Buy Distribution Center in Lounsberry (Tioga County). 2. Jessica Belgrade stated that Tioga Downs is always hiring and is a good match for many of her job seeker’s skills, but transportation is a problem. She will confirm with her contacts at both Tioga Downs and CVS which shifts are hardest to fill due to lack of transportation. She will be providing this contact information within a few days. Amber will follow up on the potential for JARC-funded C TRAN service or for rideshare. 3. Ronnie Hart shared that nursing homes such as Bethany Village continue to provide transitional jobs to permanent employment for clients. 4. Ronnie continues to see many clients working in the retail sector, so they are using Mall Express and Shopper Shuttle transit routes.
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5. Tina Hager reported that the JARC-funded service to DeMets continues to go well and communication with the HR manager is strong. 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare will be launched with a media event on July 16th, so will be operational soon. 6. Ronnie Hart offered to contact Cindy Ryan to see if there are other destinations that are heavily used. 7. Since some clients are employed by temp agencies, Tina Hager asked Amber Simmons to follow up with Employment Solutions and Adecco to discuss the transportation needs of their employees and employers. Adecco is a partner with 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare. 8. Jessica Belgrade will also provide Amber Simmons information regarding a “Wake Up Elmira” outreach event on August 9th. Jessica will email Amber the details of the event.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes – May 21, 2014 Capabilities, 1149 Sullivan St., Elmira
Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung Arc; Tina Hager, Chemung County; Belinda Vogt, Pathways; Sisi Rerr, Chemung ARC; Greg Denman, Falck Cancer Center; Bruce Flaherty; Capabilities; Kelly Duby, Institute for Human Service; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Tami Herendeen, Metropool
Capabilities Tour & Services: A tour of the completely renovated building and services was provided. Special attention to natural lighting and spaciousness as well as a soothing color palette were the theme throughout. Capabilities has been in service since 1956 and receives referral services from ACCESS VR and provides supported employment as well as direct employment placement. Changes from Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and the Olmstead plan states that people with disabilities should be in the most integrated setting and move from sheltered workshops to integrated employment within the community. Capabilities used to have 200 individuals working in a sheltered workshop, and now they have about twenty. While capabilities takes a proactive approach to these changes, transportation and availability of transportation will play a key role in the success of Capabilities services. Services provided by Capabilities: Upholstery Services for both commercial and residential locations, Janitorial Services for commercial locations and printing services. Employment services include specialists to offer job coaching and supplemental training, on-site training for new tasks or responsibilities, disability awareness to increase employee’s work team of various disabilities and legislation and set up and implementation of any worksite accommodations.
511 RideShare Update: Tami Herendeen: Rideshare also known as carpooling, allows people to provide, share, or request a ride depending on needs. This free service provides possible ride matches that are either in a radius around their home or along the path of travel. Employers are an important piece to the project’s success. It allows people who share a common employer a way to share the commute and save money on commuting costs. By having large employers participate in the program the data base will be populated faster than waiting for individual travelers to register. An email address is needed to register and people may 31
choose to disclose as much or as little personal information as they want until the ride match is actually provided. Employers who participate with their own portal (website) may capture data such as usage and other carpooling information. This pilot project is a joint effort between Chemung and Steuben Counties. More information will be provided as the official launch date is determined.
2-1-1 HELPLINE: An updated provider list is in progress and once completed, we will forward to the group to review. The group was reminded that the 2-1-1 project is designed to help Chemung County residents with enhanced services such as warm transportation transfers as well as track unmet needs.
NYSDOH Non-Emergency Medicaid brokerage through MAS: Chemung County Department of Social Services has not received any increase in customer service complaints as a result of the new system, but C TRAN has reported dramatic drops in ridership on the Dial-A-Ride service. NEMT ridership is down 70%. This decrease, combined with the low reimbursement rate from DOH, will eventually affect service C TRAN is able to offer, even on fixed route. A decrease in C TRAN service will increase the unmet needs currently reported by residents, so new funding sources or new ways to coordinate need to be explored right away.
Human Services Update (Other): Amber Simmons shared that the Getting There program through Chemung Volunteer Action Corps is being developed. The Tina Hager reported that she has been working to get the New Freedom grant submitted into the FTA.
Also, Tina Hager brought an unmet need to the attention of Committee members. A sub-committee of the Chemung County School Leadership Committee has been discussing causes of school absenteeism and proposing solutions. The top three causes are health, transportation, and culture (if school is valued by family). Youth Bureau Direct Bob Harris has expressed that there is a need for a “late bus” to provide transportation for K- 2nd graders who have missed their school bus rides. He would like to come to a Coordinated Transportation Meeting to discuss the issue and brainstorm what transportation resources might exist in the community to meet the need. He is aware that 5310 vehicles can be used to meet community needs beyond the needs of clients from individual agencies that operate them. Due to regulation, public transit is unable to provide transportation specifically for school children. More research would need to be done to see if 5310 vehicles can do school transportation.
Tina reported that the Elmira City School District has been discussing with C TRAN a joint effort to coordinate rides for upper level students. If any specific routes were developed in the partnership, C TRAN would need time to develop routes and they would have to be open to the public. In the school restructure planned for September, Superintendent Hillary Austin feels that educational information to families about current bus routes that serve schools should be a priority.
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Mobility Management Update: Finger Lakes Transportation Summit: Will be held Thursday, May 22nd in Penn Yan NY. This transportation summit will bring together transportation and healthcare providers to discuss the unique challenges of providing access to medical care to those who do not have Medicaid. JARC : The April 22nd regional job fair was located at The Domes and many human service providers as well as representatives from retail, manufacturing, construction and C TRAN had booths. Tri-County mobility management provided information on transportation available to/from various employers as well as information on the new 511 NY Southern Tier Rideshare program. DeMet’s Candy: April ridership on the JARC funded DeMet’s service in the morning was lighter at 5.36 trips for the morning shift, while an average of 13.27-14.9 was the average in the afternoon/evening. July DeMet’s will switch to their two 12 hour shift schedule. Veterans Event: June 29th Veteran’s will have free access to the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen event at Watkins Glen International. The Mobility Managers will be proving information on transportation and the new Rideshare program. Transportation Solutions workshop? The group was asked if there’s interest in developing another Transportation Solutions workshop. The group agreed it may be well timed as there‘s staffing changes and since the NEMT changes have gone into effect.
Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Update The FTA (Federal Transit Administration) site visit is scheduled for June 5-6th. This triennial visit will review transit oversight and processes to ensure the system is in compliance with federal regulations and is a requirement of any urban systems that receive federal transportation dollars. 5310 Program—Pathways has ordered 4 vehicles (2 for Chemung and 2 for Steuben) and Adam Hungerford from Able 2 is expecting delivery of his vehicles in September. According to NY Department of Transportation, the next cycle for 5310 may be July or August. The funding will cover 2013 and 2014 appropriations, and ECTC will advise once notice has been received. Per the new Federal transportation bill, MAP-21 includes former New Freedom funds in the 5310 program and is now 5310, Enhanced Mobility. It may include more than vehicles. The application will need to be filed electronically. ECTC will accept the applications and rank them through a subcommittee as there is less than $300,000. Categories being considered are Mobility Management, Operating assistance and possibly a third category. It’s being considered to not to offer vehicle purchases for the urban funds as the $300,000 won’t buy much. Tina Hager, Transit Specialist took an informal survey of the current recipients. Belinda Vogt, Pathways explained that they purchase from the NYS OGS contract and they have no other funding source for vehicles. Adam from Able 2 advised they have no plans this round to apply and Greg from the Falk Cancer said they also have no plans for this round. Chemung ARC leases vehicles and currently does not participate in the 5310 program. Coordinated Plan Update—Tina Hager will email for review and comments. Once the group has reviewed it will be presented to the ECTC for approval. 33
ECTC Long Range Plan- 20 year outlook is currently underway. Public meetings are scheduled for May 20- 22nd (flyers distributed) at the Big Flats Community center, Southport Community Center, Horseheads Library and the Steele Memorial Library in downtown Elmira.
Next Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting—August date TBD
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes February 12, 2014 10:00-11:30 AM, Able 2 1. Attendance: Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Kelly Duby, Steuben County Mobility Manager; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Pam Brown, Dept. of Aging and Long Term Care; Adam Hungerford, Mark Peters, Able-2; Babak Raj, Seniors Helping Seniors; Carol Houssoock, CVAC at Cornell Cooperative Extension; Craig Mennig, Chemung ARC; Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Bruce Flaherty, Capabilities; Tina Hager, Chemung County Transit Specialist.
2. Programs/Projects by Host—Mark Peters shared information about Able 2 and its history. Founded by families over 60 years ago, Able 2 has grown from an all-volunteer organization to 350+ employees and 9 locations. Services include Children’s preschool, early intervention & therapeutic services. Clinical services include dental, podiatry and audiology. Able 2 also provides community Support services, adult day programs, Service Coordination, Respite services and residential sites. Their dental services are one of the few in the area which will service Medicaid recipients, not just people with disabilities. Able 2’s transportation fleet consists of 35-40 consisting of vans, mini vans sedans and 7 busses. These busses are used to transport people to/from Able 2 programs. Able 2 is still waiting on their 4 new 5310 busses.
3. Human Services Update A. 2-1-1 HELPLINE Chemung Report— Carol Wood submitted the report and it is attached with the minutes. Tina summarized the data does need some interpretation and many of the unmet needs seem to be related to finances. Kelly Duby reported on the total number of calls received by the 2-1-1 HELPLINE and currently 2-1-1 is scheduling appointments for free tax service. For Chemung County this location is the N. Presbyterian Church. The service is free, but 2-1-1 must schedule the appointment. Kelly also explained there will be a new specialized website for individual disaster services.
B. Age Friendly Communities- Pam Brown reported on the draft plan for Age Friendly Communities. She distributed information from the plan that included their 8 domains, one of which is transportation. She has requested feedback from the group asking if the project indicators were reasonable. A handout
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showing six proposed Transportation Action Plans was provided. The plan is due December, 2014 in order for Chemung to keep its designation as an Age Friendly Community.
C. NYSDOH Non-Emergency Medicaid brokerage through MAS- Tina reminded the group the change to transportation management for NEMT was implemented in Chemung County on October 1st. Mike Steele provided the data that prior to October 1st, First Transit/C TRAN would bundle the rides to promote efficiency in service. MAS does not bundle trips and each is one trip, one rider. Dial-A-Ride which had a high percentage of usage by NEMT riders dropped 50% in the first month of the transition and NEMT DAR ridership is now down 70%. As a result, C TRAN has cut 2 Dial-A-Ride routes and the 2 driver positions were eliminated by attrition. In January the Transit Board invited DOH and MAS to discuss the data since the change. The County position is that competition for the Medicaid rides is good overall if clients are getting to their appointments. Realizing that the change has caused a significant revenue loss for the Transit system, County leaders are hopeful that a funding source to make up the difference will be identified through NYSDOT. Moving forward there’s an effort through Legislators, NYDOT and NYPTA (NY Public Transit Association) to seek stable transit funding and a “hold harmless” temporary funding while service adjustments can be made and the true impacts are studied. Craig Mennig suggested the SANYS (Self Advocates of New York State) be contacted. They are a strong voice in Albany and a group that heavily supports transit. Kelly Duby reported Steuben County’s Volunteer Driver program has seen an increase in business since their transition and Amber Simmons reported that Schuyler County which transitioned August 1st has also seen a dramatic drop in ridership. Schuyler County Transit has partnered with the Arc of Schuyler to open to the public some of its existing routes that provided specialized transportation to/from Arc services. This does not replace the missing revenue, but will provide some relief.
D. Other- Getting There Project - Carol Houssoock, of CVAC at Cornell Cooperative Extension reported that their Travel Training and Mapping project has had some changes and they are working on the adjustments.
4. Mobility Management Update A. Shared Mobility Management with Schuyler County: Tina Hager reported that Chemung County has decided to partner with Schuyler County to share a mobility manager position. This will allow the limited funding to last longer and encourage more regional projects. Amber Simmons started in the C TRAN office on February 3rd, and is accessible through her cell number 607.220.9476 and at [email protected] .
B. JARC
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1. DeMets—Tina Hager reported that DeMets changed to a three shift structure which is 7-3, 3-11 and 11-7. Monthly ridership numbers have been fairly stable. DeMets is working with Kelly Duby in Steuben County to bring workers to the plant. Due to the hours of operation and distance traveled, transit may not be feasible, but ridesharing may be a possibility. 2. 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare— Tina Hager reported MetroPool was the vendor selected for marketing rideshare in Chemung and Steuben counties. MetroPool has 30 years’ experience in Rideshare although this is their first rural area. MetroPool will be working with Michael Orr & Associates of Corning to help with the Design and marketing.
C. Other—Kelly Duby shared that IHS (Institute for Human Services) will provide funding to finish the design of the tri-county map that shows the connectivity of transit in Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties. Tina Hager proposed and asked the committee if there were objections to Chemung County using some Mobility Management funds to assist with the project. There were no objections from the committee. A draft map is available at www.needaride.info click on the maps tab.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Project Solicitation Update A. 5310 Program – Updates according to Able 2, Adam reported that according to NYSDOT, they are looking at a fall delivery for the vehicles. There apparently had been a problem with the bus provider as they modified floor plans on the contracts and NYDOT is working to resolve the issue. In the next project solicitation, 5310 is now “enhanced 5310” as previous New Freedom money has been included. ECTC will hold a meeting and the MPO will make the decisions about what categories they may want to fund and what the process for application will be. NYSDOT plans to release applications in March. All Coordinated Transportation Committee members will be invited to an information session at ECTC once the grant funding process is ready to be released.
B. Coordinated Plan Update—As the funding streams have changed under the new MAP-21 transportation bill, the Coordinated Plan needs to be updated to reflect the changes to MAP-21. As before, your projects need to be included in the Plan in order for FTA funds can be used for them. Amber will be contacting you to make sure that your organization information is correct. You will receive a draft of the entire Plan for review before the Plan goes on to ECTC for approval in April.
C. ECTC Long Range Plan: Tina reported that Jim Arey is spearheading the development of a Long Range Transportation Plan that will look at transportation needs and projects for the next 5-20 years. In 2014 there will be opportunities for public participation, and both the Coordinated Plan and elements of the Age Friendly Communities research will be included. Your ideas and involvement is encouraged.
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6. Stakeholders Share— Mike Steele announced there was a Press conference today to roll out the seven new 30’ C TRAN busses. They have a 12 year life cycle and it will extend the new branding as it replaces older vehicles. The Media event is scheduled at the C TRAN offices on Clemens Center Parkway at 2PM. Adam offered tours of Able 2 for those interested. 7. Next Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting— Bruce mentioned the next meeting may be at Capabilities to highlight the renovations to their facility. Meeting date TBD late April, early May.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes November 20, 2013, 10:00-11:30 AM, Chemung County Cornell Cooperative Extension
1. Attendance: Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Greg Denman, Arnot Health; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Kelly Duby, Steuben County Mobility Manager; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Randi Quackenbush, Cornell Cooperative Extension; Pam Brown, OFA and Long Term Care; Adam Hungerford, Able-2; Babak Raj, Seniors Helping Seniors; Lori Kain, Chemung ARC; Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Carol Wood, the Institute for Human Services; Tina Hager, Chemung County Transit Specialist.
2. Programs/Projects by Host--Randi Quackenbush shared information about Cornell Cooperative Extension activities in Chemung County from Agriculture & Natural Resources, to 4-H Programs and Nutrition & Wellness. Randi also shared that CVAC (formerly RSVP) has about 900 senior volunteers and has added an additional 60 who are under 55 years old. Randi, as an Americorps VISTA member, has been project manager for the Chemung County Poverty Reduction Coalition. Community agencies have been collaborating for over a year to participate in subcommittee discussion groups with the goal of drafting an Action Plan. A conference held this past Monday brought together one hundred individuals who participated in a Poverty Simulation, workshops, and discussion groups. During the Poverty Simulation, participants had to use their “transportation” passes to gain access to food, employment, and services, bringing to light the role that transportation plays when every day is a struggle to survive. Randi will be taking a job with the Foodbank and will be replaced by Americorps member Sandon.
3. Human Services Update a. 2-1-1 HELPLINE Chemung Report—The project is currently at the end of the first year of grant funding, and Carol Wood submitted to the Committee a report covering 10/1/12-9/30/13. The report listed 156 Chemung Transportation calls out of the 29,012 total calls to 2-1-1 HELPLINE for the 12 months. Of the Chemung calls, 49 were for medical appointments transportation and 41 were for local bus transit service. There were 145 unmet needs recorded. Carol explained that report numbers are a bit “fuzzy” because sometimes a caller is double counted since they have expressed more than one need. The call numbers remain low for the project, and increased numbers in the second year would give us better data to use for analysis. One bright spot for Chemung County is the increase in Elmira website visits that increased 76%. The most productive links are from the Chemung County, Workforce NY, Star Gazette, and Chemung Legal Aid websites. 37
During the discussion, we talked about the lack of volunteer driver programs in Chemung County. Greg Denman shared that the American Cancer Society has a volunteer driver program to serve those diagnosed with cancer. The DAV also may utilize volunteer drivers in their transportation service to veterans.
b. NYS Non-Emergency Medicaid brokerage--Tina shared that transportation management for NEMT was implemented in Chemung County on October 1st. Medicaid clients are to call an 855-733-9399 to set up transportation needed, and Medical Answering Services (MAS) will qualify the individual and assign the ride to a provider. Tina Hager has talked social workers to find out if residents are getting their rides. There has been mainly positive feedback with a few communication mix-ups and the complaint that the process has been time-consuming. Kelly Duby reported that MAS implementation has sent many rides to their Volunteer Driver program resulting in a need for additional volunteer drivers.
Transit services have been impacted adversely. Schuyler County was implemented on August 1st, and Amber Simmons shared that her assigned rides and corresponding revenue has been cut in half. In her opinion, MAS isn’t using local resources very well and doesn’t honor coordinated systems that are already in place. It is easier to assign individual rides to taxi rather than bundle them. Mike Steele reported a similar decrease in NEMT trips on the Dial A Ride (DAR) service (normally 16,000 per year). MAS is currently buying a good number of monthly passes for the fixed route (normally 20,000 trips per year). DOH has directed MAS to assign to the lowest cost provider. It appears most of the trips are being assigned to taxis, although Mike Steele shared that taxis don’t normally have operating authority to transport a client in a wheelchair and don’t normally follow the regulations required for that service. In the first month, C TRAN eliminated two DAR routes based on the decreased demand. Next steps are reviewing the rate and obtaining analysis of the number of rides and of transportation providers that are being assigned the rides. The Chemung County Transit Board currently has a meeting scheduled with DSS, DOH, Transit, and MAS for late January. More information and forms (including mileage reimbursement) may be found at www.medanswering.com.
c. Other--Tina Hager shared that Chemung County and First Transit expect to finalize a two year contract extension. Given the risk that will be facing the transit system with the loss of NEMT revenue, the two entities will continue to work together to plan for the future of the system. Currently, neither fare increases nor service changes are planned.
4. Mobility Management Update a. JARC
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1. Demets—Tina Hager reported that DeMets changed to a two shift structure in July. Monthly ridership numbers for September and October were lower than they have been. DeMets has expressed an interest in working with Steuben County to bring workers to the plant. While a transit bus might not be feasible, ridesharing may be a possibility, and Kelly Duby reported she is working on creating a proposal for the service. 2. 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare—Tina Hager shared that four proposals have been received for marketing rideshare in Chemung and Steuben counties. A vendor should be selected by mid- December. b. ITN Everywhere Update--Pam Brown requested an update on this national program; however, Tina tabled the discussion. If you would like more information, view Katherine Freund’s transit conference presentation at the 10:05 am session on September 12th at: http://www.nypublictransitpartnersinprogress.org/index.php/session-descriptions/session-presentations
c. Other—Tina Hager shared the tri-county map that is being discussed as a tool to provide transit information for the area. The mobility managers will need to secure funding to print a large number, or the map can be produced in-house on an as needed basis. This week, local transit buses began to utilize the new Transportation Center in Corning that provides a regional hub for connectivity.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Project Solicitation Update a. 2012 JARC and New Freedom Awards— Tina reported that the award for JARC (continued DeMets, mobility management funding) and New Freedom (CVAC Getting There Program) applications have been approved locally. When the FTA site is open to be able to do the application, Tina will request pre-award authority so CVAC will be able to begin their program right away. b. 5310 Program Changes, Coordinated Plan Update-- Adam Hungerford reported that Able-2 plans to order his four vehicles awarded under the 5310 program, but there have been changes in the order forms so there has been a delay. Tina explained that, under MAP-21, the 5310 program has now become “enhanced 5310”, combining both the vehicle purchase program and New Freedom-type projects. NYSDOT is estimating that a project solicitation will be released in January 2014. Belinda Vogt shared via e-mail that Pathways will continue to have need for 5310 vehicles, some to be used in Chemung County. The changes under MAP-21 will necessitate an update to our Coordinated Plan, so Tina will try to do some edits (shown in a different color) and send out to the Committee in December. Since there may be more competition than there has been in the past and the process will be a little different, Tina proposed holding a meeting of interested applicants once ECTC has more direction from NYSDOT. 6. Stakeholders Share—Lou Marino felt that travel training would become even more important as ARC attempts to move about 80 individuals out of the sheltered workshop environment and into off-site volunteer sites. ARC staff member Lori Kain who is new to the group said the purpose is to create person-centered options and opportunities. She has been working with job coaches to make sure that they have the information they need to do travel training for their small groups of 4-5 people. Connie Scudder said that she continues to work without a contract as she has since April 1st. She reported on a new community garden sponsored by the Near Westside 39
Neighborhood Association, the resurfaced tennis courts at Miller’s Pond Park, and the new restrooms built at McKinnon Park. The City of Elmira provided resources for the projects at Miller’s Pond and McKinnon Park. A switchback/accessibility ramp is still planned at Quatrano Park. Pam Brown informed the Committee that her Transportation Specialist on staff will be on medical leave for about four weeks, so please be patient if you are trying to set up transportation. Also, OFA has extended the deadline to complete the Chemung County Age- Friendly Community Survey has been extended to November 30th. Tina Hager reported that over 150 surveys have been completed, and she felt that information from the surveys will also prove valuable for the Coordinated Transportation Plan, the ECTC Long Range Plan, and the Chemung County Poverty Reduction Coalition. The survey is available at the following link: Chemung County Age-Friendly Community Survey
7. Next Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting—Adam Hungerford confirmed hosting the next meeting on February 12th at 10 am at the Able-2 facility on Ithaca Road in Horseheads. An information meeting on 5310 project solicitations is expected to be held in January at ECTC, date TBD.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes July 24, 2013, 10:00-11:30 AM, Chemung ARC
1.Attendance: Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Greg Denman, Arnot Health; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Kelly Duby, Steuben County Mobility Manager; Carol Houssock, Chemung Volunteer Action Corps @ Cornell Cooperative Extension; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; Daniel Nichols, Pathways Inc.; Randi Quackenbush, Cornell Cooperative Extension; Pam Brown, OFA and Long Term Care; Adam Hungerford, Able-2; Babak Raj, Seniors Helping Seniors; Craig Mennig, Chemung ARC; Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Carol Wood, the Institute for Human Services; Tina Hager, Chemung County Transit Specialist.
2. Programs/Projects by Host: Craig Mennig took the group through the occupational section of the building and out to the Community Garden at Quatrano Park. The raised beds were abundant with tomatoes, squash, and other veggies, and the entire garden is surrounded by a high fence with a locking gate. The Committee could see names of sponsors for the sections—individuals, families, organizations, and group homes. Much of the surplus food is donated to the Food Bank. The area is paved and allows for better accessibility. Craig said that Chemung ARC takes reservations for a bed year round and gives priority to the area neighborhood. Part of the initiative is to create a sense of belonging. Craig noted there seems to be less vandalism and trash in the park. New playground equipment has also been installed, and area daycare providers are utilizing it. Connie Scudder led the group to the Lackawanna Rail Trail access and showed the exercise stations and the pavilion that will be moved up on to the old rail bed. She told about a partnership with BOCES. Vocational students will create a switchback to allow an entrance with an easier grade. Additional flyers about the 2.5 mile trail are available through ECTC. Craig talked about plans to have an area artist create artwork near the tunnel underpass.
3. Human Services Update
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a. 2-1-1 HELPLINE Chemung Report --Carol Wood handed out the report for 4/1-6/30/13. The report listed 50 Chemung Transportation calls out of the 6,076 total calls in the quarter. Of the Chemung calls, the most (15) were for local bus transit service, and sixteen of the calls were transferred to C TRAN. Twenty-seven calls were from residents in the 14901 zip code. There were fifteen unmet needs recorded. Carol explained that four were for Air Transportation, sometimes for the purpose of attending a funeral or visiting an ill family member. Four called requesting Gas Money, three asked about automobile loans, and three were callers seeking financial support for bus fare. The call numbers remain low for the project, so ideas for marketing would be welcomed. b. NYS Non-Emergency Medicaid brokerage—Tina shared that the implementation date for Chemung County is now October 1st and a meeting is scheduled with DSS, DOH, Transit, and MAS (vendor Medical Answering Services) for late August. Schuyler County is to be implemented August 1st, so had some information to share. Amber Simmons created two posters to give information about the change. One is directed to agencies, healthcare providers, and transportation providers. The contact information is for the Field Liason who will work with them. The other is directed to Medicaid clients. Each county will have a dedicated 800 number, and the line is available M-F 7 am to 6 pm (emergency number 24/7). More information and forms (including mileage reimbursement) may be found at www.medanswering.com. Amber sees that a positive result of the brokerage will be that medical providers will better be able to navigate requirements as there is a unified system regardless of the patient’s county of residence. Access to information may be an issue initially as MAS has only provided a few large posters and some business cards for clients. It was suggested that information be distributed at Farmers Markets, at mental health facilities, and at drug & alcohol counseling sites. The following is some additional information derived from the Steuben County Coordinated Transportation Committee minutes: Starting August 1st Medical Answering Systems (MAS) will be taking over all Medicaid related travel requests for Schuyler County residents. In General everything that is billed through Medicaid has to go through MAS. People who are driving their own cars and being reimbursed for mileage will also have to go through MAS. MAS is requiring 72 hour notice and they are tracking it and will address repeat offenders. Once trips are scheduled with MAS they will be assigned to a provider. Providers may view assigned trips through the MAS website. There is an export feature if your scheduling software is compatible with theirs. Hours of operation will be 7am to 6pm. While MAS will verify eligibility when the reservation is made, providers must ensure the enrollee is eligible the day the trip is provided or they will not be paid. Amber noted; One key thing for to be aware of is that there will be Common Medical Market Areas of service which are defined as the geographic area from which a community customarily receives its medical care. It is important to note that if the enrollee requests transportation to a distant location for a service that is available within the CMMA, transportation may be denied. Doctors’ offices are going to have to become familiar with the new forms and billing processes as well. MAS is willing to share data on a quarterly basis so that your county can keep track of ridership and the potential effect on each provider. MAS and DOH have asked that we monitor rides and report anything unusual such as rides that were commonly transported and now are not riding. MAS had told Schuyler County that they would contact Medicaid enrollees by letter and that posters and business cards would be provided to the Department of Social Services to distribute to enrollees.
c. Other—Adam Hungerford reported that Able-2 was approved for four vehicles under the 5310 program. He expects delivery in February or March. Belinda Vogt shared that Pathways expects three 5310 vehicles, with 41
one to be used in Chemung County. Tina participated in a phone conference call where NYSDOT staff said they were waiting for the guidance to be finished on New Freedom in the new Transportation Bill. Once that is done, they will be able to finalize the application process for the next round of 5310 funding. It is likely that there will be no application process released until 2014. Tina will keep members updated.
4. Mobility Management Update a. Personnel Transition—Tina explained that she started as the County’s first Transit Specialist on Tuesday, May 28th. She is housed in the Elmira Chemung Transportation Council office, located with Chemung County’s Planning Department at 400 East Church Street. Her new duties will include oversight of the C TRAN system and compliance with Federal Transit Administration regulations. She is currently continuing with mobility management tasks during the transition and hopes to hire a mobility manager (possibly part-time) this fall. Tina handed out her new business card with her updated contact information. b. Summer Events & Outreach—C TRAN participated in the Juneteenth event at EOP, held a Passenger Appreciation Night at the Elmira Pioneers, and plans to participate in the Strong Kids/Safe Kids event on August 17th. ECTC staffer Scott Shaw has set up a table at Wisner Market the last Thursday of every month. Information will be available from ECTC (trails), C TRAN, Creating Healthy Places, Chemung River Friends, Tanglewood, and AARP.
c. JARC 1. Demets has continued with consistent ridership, and, on July 5th, DeMets changed to the two shift structure (6-6). Tina praised First Transit for its service to DeMets, particularly the 11 pm shift change that occurred at a time when a limited staff is on site to handle bus issues. A new Route # 20 Elmira- Corning schedule has been printed that updated the DeMets run information and the 2013-2014 CCC schedule. 2. 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare-- Tina Hager reported that an RFP for the 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare will be sent out after the draft is reviewed by the partners. The project combines JARC funding from Chemung ($40,000) and Steuben ($40,000) to hire a marketing firm to advertise local use of the rideshare software available through NYSDOT. Also, ECTC is considering completing a NYSERDA grant to bring rideshare to a ten county region.
d. Other—Tina handed around articles that included photographs and information about the new Corning Transportation Center expected to open in September. The Center will be beneficial for regional connectivity as buses from many systems will be able to connect in one place in the City of Corning.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Project Solicitation Update—Tina reported that the award for JARC and New Freedom applications was voted on at the Chemung County Transit Board. Next, the solicitations will go before the Chemung County Legislature. There should be information to release at our next Coordinated Meeting.
6. Stakeholders Share—Pam Brown gave thanks to Mike Steele and First Transit for a quick response to fill in and help out people who needed accessible transportation to dialysis during hours that are not traditionally Dial A 42
Ride hours. Totem Taxi no longer has wheelchair accessible vehicles available in their fleet. Also, Pam shared that Chemung County has been accepted as a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, committing us to an ongoing process to help older residents live rewarding, productive, and safe lives. Please share your ideas about how to make our community more age-friendly by clicking on this link to complete the Chemung County Age-Friendly Community Survey. Deadline for the surveys is early September: Chemung County Age-Friendly Community Survey Information was shared about the Food Bank Program Picnics in the Park that will last through August 16th. The four meal sites might be good places to hand out information about the changes to Medicaid Transportation. Connie Scudder just received information that their funding has been approved and she will execute the contract for Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work, & Play. Mike Steele announced that seven new 29’ buses are on order and 2 Dial A Ride vehicles are expected to be ordered soon. Carol Wood, stated she was recently invited to sit on a National Veterans Administration Advisory Committee and she has been able to share about the call center start up process. Kelly Duby has been collecting information from her five providers and the County to be able to present to DOH and MAS (regarding the NEMT brokerage) prior to Steuben County’s implementation on October 1. Also, Kelly reported that the scheduling software implementation continues with HBSS and IHS staff. She expects a go live date in September. Carol Houssock reported that CVAC has completed their move to the Human Resources Center and has decided to keep one of their vans for programming. If anyone is interested in acquiring a used vehicle, RSVP’s other vehicles will be offered through Chemung County’s auction process. CVAC continues to assist volunteers with transportation by paying for bus tokens, taxi fares, or mileage reimbursement. Amber Simmons has put the idea of a medical run to Elmira on hold until Schuyler County is more aware of the NEMT brokerage and its impact on Transit. Also, the rideshare project to service veterans to their appointments at the Bath VA has begun with outreach events encouraging vets to sign up to receive more information. Randi Quackenbush reported that the Poverty Reduction Coalition has recently broken up into sub- committees, so it is a great time to get involved. There was a public program that presented an overview of DSS, and about 50 people attended. Randi would welcome something similar on transportation using the same format, a luncheon meeting hosted at Catholic Charities. Tina will work with Randi and other transportation providers to create a public program.
7. Next Meeting Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting—One of the agencies in the Human Resources Building (CVAC, Cooperative Extension, OFA) will host our next meeting. After experiencing Coordinated Meeting overload (with Schuyler, Chemung, and Steuben all in two days), I have decided to move the next meeting to Wednesday, November 13 at 10 am. Please contact me if you need anything before that time.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes April 24, 2013 from 10:00-11:30 AM, YWCA, 211 Lake Street, Elmira
1. Attendance: Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Greg Denman, Arnot Health; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; Daniel Nichols, Pathways Inc.; Gail Walker, Chemung County Human Relations Commission; Randi Quakenbush, Cornell Cooperative Extension; Pam Brown, OFA and Long Term Care; Adam Hungerford, Able-2; Bob Raj, Seniors Helping Seniors; Michele Kyler, Seniors Helping Seniors; Brianna Parker, Capabilities, Inc.; Carol Wood, the Institute for Human Services; Jim Arey, Elmira Chemung Transportation Council; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager.
Gail Walker, Coordinator for the Chemung County Human Relations Commission, explained that the Commission is a non-mandatory human rights organization that does advocacy and education. The 43
Commission assists residents with concerns about discrimination in housing, education, employment, and experiences with law enforcement/the legal system. More information is available through a link on the Chemung County website. The YWCA is currently the host for the Human Relations Commission. Director Pat Lambert stopped in the meeting to give some information about YWCA programs including: youth programs, breast health & the Pink Boutique, fitness programs, and empowerment programs. Pat distributed information about Safezones, Teen Scene Theater, Stand Against Racism event, and the Tribute to Women event in June.
2. Human Services Update c. 2-1-1 HELPLINE Chemung Transportation Report-Carol Wood handed out the report for 1/1-3/31/13. The report listed 41 Chemung Transportation calls out of the 11,909 total calls in the quarter. During this quarter, there is a heavy call volume to 2-1-1 HELPLINE because of arrangements for volunteer assistance to fill out tax returns. Of the Chemung calls, the most (12) were for transportation to medical appointments. Eleven calls were for local bus transit service, and six calls were regarding bus terminals. Twenty of the calls were transferred to C TRAN, seven to OFA, six to DSS, and five to RSVP. Twenty-six were from residents in the 14901 zip code. There were three unmet needs recorded. Two were callers seeking financial support for bus fare; one caller wanted to rent a wheelchair accessible van. The Institute also tracks the web traffic. In this quarter there were 2,371 visits to the 211HELPLINE.org website. Carol reported that efforts right now are to make the database deeper and to boost the use of 2-1-1 HELPLINE as related to transportation services. Carol would like to look at mapping agencies that are on public transit routes, especially agencies that are used frequently. She also directed people to the County-wide Community Directory that is accessible through her website. It is an active database (continually updated) and contains information on over 700 regional agencies (many food, transportation, utility support, financial assistance). As Carol heard of the changes to programs in the region, she reiterated the need to update your information to be sure it is accurate.
d. NYS Medicaid brokerage- Tina described the DOH directed change to a Finger Lakes Medicaid transportation brokerage. The winning proposer has not been announced, but DOH confirms that roll out is still planned for spring/summer of 2013.
e. Agency Updates/Changes- Carol Houssock was unable to attend, but Tina shared that RSVP transitioned to the “CVAC,” the Chemung Volunteer Action Corps on April 1, 2013. The transportation program is no longer funded, and First Transit was able to hire RSVP’s Transportation Coordinator as a C TRAN driver. Carol expects the office to move to the Chemung County Human Resources building in June. The Chemung Valley Rural Health Network has lost its funding; efforts are being made to see if it can be absorbed into a nearby rural health region. Gail Walker reported that the
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Rural Minority Health Program is seeking association with the Steuben County Rural Health Network to continue moving forward smoothly. Pam Brown attended her first meeting as Director of OFA. Pam mentioned that the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and Diabetes Self -Management programs would continue despite the change at the CVRHN. John Oswald retired from Able-2, and Adam Hungerford will be taking his place on the Committee. The Coordinated Committee be will informed of information and impacts that come out from the health-related programs discussed.
4. Mobility Management Update a. Outreach 1. Similar to last year, C TRAN had about twenty people use route deviation off the Route #6 Lake Road to attend the April 23rd Regional Job Fair. Tina reported that she helped to staff a First Transit table at the Job Fair. It was very organized, well attended, and had many collaborative partners (CCC, EC, STEG, Chamber of Commerce, and CSS Workforce NY). 2. Programs-Tina continues to do many outreach programs including a presentation and table at Horseheads High School Transition Night (200 special education students and their parents), a tri-county mobility management table at the STC Planning Leadership Conference (elected and appointed officials attending), and GST BOCES Career Development Council Teacher Training with twenty-eight participants hosted at C TRAN. 3. Agency involvement- The Chemung County Mobility Manager serves on the OFA Advisory Council and on the Human Relations Commission. She mentioned that Gail Walker has been doing some diversity and cultural competency training for area employers. Gail encouraged any agencies that would be interested in that training to contact her. Pam Brown suggested the YWCA or EOP offer the same type of discussion sessions and have them open to the public. Tina also shared that she has joined the Chemung County Poverty Reduction Coalition. Randi Quackenbush, Americorps VISTA staff with Cornell Cooperative Extension, is organizing the project working with a Cornell University faculty member and community leaders toward the goal of reducing and preventing poverty in the City of Elmira and Chemung County. Subcommittees are being formed right now, so it is a great time to get involved. A Poverty Simulation will be held at the YWCA on May 4th from 11-1:30 pm. Coordinators will consider holding a poverty simulation on a week day morning. b. JARC 1. Demets- From August 2012 to January 2013, the DeMets run maintained a monthly average of over 27 riders per round trip. The DeMet’s ridership was an average of 15 riders per round trip from February 1 to April 12. Good communication with DeMets continues, and recent ridership shows a decrease consistent with the seasonal nature of work at DeMets. 2. 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare-Rideshare is carpooling, and our project will initially focus on employment. The partners (Steuben County, Chemung County, NYSDOT) are finalizing the Request for Proposals for a three year marketing contract. c. Regional Efforts 1. Seven County Regional Transportation Study (Tompkins County led)-Final Report to be given on Friday, May 3rd starting at 9:30 am. Tina has asked the consultant to provide a call-in number for 45
participants to join remotely, and the Coordinated Committee be provided with electronic access to the final report as it is available. Although the Tompkins County MPO had to limit the number of counties involved in the study, some of the short and long term goals/best practices will be applicable to the larger region. 2. Chemung-Schuyler-Steuben meetings with VA- Tina asked Amber Simmons to give more information about working with VA services to set up 511NY Rideshare for carpooling to weekly group sessions. A recent meeting involved a tour of the Bath VA facility and meeting with significant number of staff. Next steps involved working with the VA Public Relations officer to create a message to use in materials that will be distributed at several summer events. The first event is a regional gathering on June 30th at Watkins Glen International. Also, we will work with VFWs, American Legions, and Veterans Services Officers to assist veterans with using the Internet to sign up for 511NY Rideshare. d. Other-On April 23rd, Tina sent out information on the Active Transportation Summit held in Rochester on April 30th.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Project Solicitation Update- Jim Arey gave a hand-out of JARC and New Freedom Grants Status. From New Freedom funds, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County applied for the Chemung Volunteer Action Corps’ “Getting There” program. The project will include new transportation education initiatives such as Transportation Stewards, CarFit, and an interactive GIS/mapping capability to enhance the current mobility management program. For JARC, C TRAN applied for operating assistance for the continuation of bus service to DeMets. Combined with current funding, this should take the service into 2015. C TRAN applied for continued funding for Mobility Management in Chemung County from both New Freedom and JARC funding sources. A committee from ECTC will meet to select funding award amounts, and awards will be announced in October. The administration of the 5310 program (used to purchase buses) has not been fully developed under the new transportation bill, MAP-21. Jim Arey reported, and Belinda and Adam confirmed, that NYSDOT has not released information on the 5310 awards from 2012.
6. Stakeholders Share- Gail Walker mentioned that there is funding coming from the Rural Minority Healthcare Project. One collaborative project might be to do some GIS mapping related to the results. Jim Arey suggested the databases be county-wide, not agency by agency. An ad hoc committee will be formed to work on this project. Current members are Jim Arey, Carol Wood, Gail Walker, and Tina Hager. The rest of the coordinated partners are invited to join if they wish to.
Mike Steele shared that C TRAN has the new URL ridectran.com. Jim Arey said that the Lackawanna Trail is finished and a dedication is planned for June 1st. Pam Brown invited everyone to the Dept. Of Aging and Long Term Care’s Public Hearing on June 13th from 9:00 am to noon at New Beginnings Church. The program this year will focus on programs at OFA, and the theme is “Creating An Age Friendly Community.” Tina will forward information as the date nears. Connie Scudder shared that there are two bikesharing spots: the
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Painted Lady Bed & Breakfast and Quatrano Park (near ARC with easy access to the Lackawanna Trail). Carol Wood mentioned that the Institute for Human Services sends out a weekly on-line newsletter, the Provider. It contains workshop information, job ads, and volunteer opportunities as well as articles. Carol is working on Southern Tier VOAD, updating summer food service information, and has a new statewide Foreclosure Prevention Program.
7. Next Meeting Coordinated Transportation Committee—Planned for Wednesday, July 24th, at 10 am. Brianna Parker with Capabilities offered to host if their construction is completed. If not, Randi Quackenbush will try to accommodate us at Cooperative Extension.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee January 23, 2013 from10:00-11:30 AM, STEG Conference Room
1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Craig Mennig, Chemung ARC; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Greg Denman, Arnot Health; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Kelly Duby, Steuben County Mobility Manager; Jerre Cress, Chemung County Planning; Carol Houssock, RSVP of Chemung County; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; Katherine Reynolds, AIM; Gail Walker, YWCA/Human Relations Commission; Randi Quakenbush, Cornell Cooperative Extension; Sam David, OFA and Long Term Care; Jim Arey, Elmira Chemung Transportation Council; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager.
Jim Arey gave information about the host agency, Elmira Chemung Transportation Council, and its staff. The building brings the business, economic development, and transportation-related agencies in Chemung County under one roof. It also houses STEG, Chemung County Planning , and the Chamber of Commerce.
2. Human Services Update a. 2-1-1 HELPLINE Chemung Transportation Report-Carol Wood was unable to attend, but sent the baseline report for 10/1-12/31/12. Fourteen agencies are currently listed with 211 under Chemung Transportation. Carol noted in her report that agencies providing transportation as a secondary service (only to their clients, not to the general public) were not included, yet DAV is veterans-only (and on the list). The committee would like 2-1-1 to find a way to add our partners like Pathways, Able-2, ARC, Arnot Health. (It was noted later that those agencies are in the 2-1-1 HELPLINE database and transportation is included as a secondary service, for current clients only not general public.) Also, taxi service really should be a part of the resources and reporting. Mobility management seeks to provide people with options, and taxi service may be the only option in some cases. Carol encouraged all stakeholders to check your listing at 211helpline.org to see if it is up to date. Get in touch with Carol or Tina if you have 47
questions or concerns. We are at the beginning of a two year project. Let’s make corrections now before we gather the data. We plan to use the statistics for our 2016 coordinated plan update. Lou Marino asked if 2-1-1 would provide information on travel training resources. The report listed 29 Chemung Transportation calls out of the 5,381 total calls in the quarter. b. NYS Medicaid brokerage- Tina described the DOH directed change to a Finger Lakes Medicaid transportation brokerage as “a time of uncertainty.” Because Medicaid transportation is the backbone of most rural NYS public transit service, depending on the effects of the Medicaid brokerage system, C TRAN may need to consider decreased public transit routes and/or a reduced fleet. Also, there is no guarantee that the winning proposer will honor existing coordinated transportation already in place. Amber Simmons has done some outreach to her elected officials to let them know how public transit may be affected by the change. More information can be found on her website www.SchuylerCountyTransit.org. Craig Mennig of Chemung ARC expressed concerns over the movement to a managed care system for their clients. If ARC can’t provide as many services, then the gap will have to be picked up by someone, perhaps local government. Sam David felt that with privatization often citizens with the greatest needs are shut out of services to meet their needs. While NYS Medicaid might be saving money, there is an economic cost to the local community. c. Agency Updates/Changes-Jim Arey talked of some of the changes that are coming about due to the new transportation bill, MAP-21. In Chemung County, the 5310 program may be administered differently than it has been in the past. Funding for New Freedom has now been folded into the 5310 program and funding for the JARC program has been folded into the 5307 program. Future or continued funding of mobility management and related projects (2-1-1 HELPLINE project, DeMets service, rideshare) is in jeopardy. Also, it is possible that there will cease to be vehicles available through the statewide Section 5310 contract administered by NYSDOT. Without that statewide vehicle purchasing contract individual non-profit agencies and\or municipalities would have to go out to bid for vehicles on their own – which takes time and would make the vehicles cost more. Carol Houssock shared RSVP’s transition to the “Chemung Volunteer Action Corps” will take place after March 31, 2013. The transportation program is not funded after the transition and will stop. Carol expects the office to move to the Chemung County Human Resources building in June. Carol is trying to find a way to assist volunteers who depend on RSVP transportation and placement for her two transportation staff members. Sam David also mentioned that OFA had provided some dialysis transportation through RSVP, and they are looking for solutions for these very vulnerable clients. Sam shared that he will be retiring on January 30th, and Pam Brown will take over as director. Jim Arey thought it would be helpful if Carol could further define the transportation that RSVP provides so everyone on the committee would know and understand the community needs. Specific numbers should be reported to ECTC and to the Chemung County Transit Board.
4. Mobility Management Update-In the interest of time, Tina handed out the “Mobility Management Accomplishments” since the Transit Summit was held in November 2010 and highlighted a few things. Specifics were given for agency visits, outreach programs, regional efforts, communication improvements, marketing efforts, and transit system improvements. During the discussion, Amber gave more information about the grass 48
roots solution to VA transport in dialoging with VA services to set up carpooling to weekly group sessions. Jim Arey pointed out that even though 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare will initially focus on employment, it has the potential to meet some human services needs and to do one time trips. Colleges and universities have been using rideshare in that way for some time.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council-After Jay Schissell retired from ECTC at the end of 2012, Jim Arey has taken over the director’s position. Jim will have less time to be involved in the coordinated process, so you will probably see him less frequently. Other ECTC staff are transitioning roles as well: Jerre Cress will be working on transit –related tasks for part of his time, Scott Shaw will be doing Bike/Ped (pedestrian), Mike Perry is now working out of the Elmira Department of Public Works, and Chemung County will be hiring a Transit Specialist since Jim will be less hands-on with C TRAN. Mike Steele shared the news about the six new 18-passenger buses that have arrived in the community, one with a hybrid electric assist motor. Jim said that currently C TRAN has enough funding to complete the bus replacements that are needed long term.
6. Stakeholders Share-Randi Quackenbush, Americorps VISTA staff with Cornell Cooperative Extension, is organizing a project working with a Cornell University faculty member and community leaders toward the goal of reducing and preventing poverty in the City of Elmira and Chemung County. The first meeting of the Chemung County Poverty Reduction Coalition was held on January 22nd with twenty people in attendance. Jim Arey suggested the Coalition consider the continued difficulty that the single parent with one or no vehicle in the household has in both getting to a low paying job and to appropriate child care (affordable, accessible, after 8-5 timeframes) via bus. If your organization would like to be a part of this effort, contact Randi at [email protected]. Gail gave an update on the Rural Minority Healthcare Project. They have met all of the requirements with gathering data. Now the analysis begins and projects will be set up for the second year of the grant. Jerre Cress shared that there have been rider complaints about repairs and updates that need to be done at the Chemung County Transportation Center. Some of the items involve accessibility issues with the entrance doors and doors to the bathrooms. When the Center was built in 1998, it met all ADA standards at that time. The Chemung County Transit Board has explored a couple of projects, but a discretionary grant submitted was not approved and another project came in with engineering bids too high to complete the project with existing funding. Just after the meeting, Katie Reynolds suggested that AIM might be able to provide some partial funding for accessibility projects, and Gail Walker suggested checking into block grant funds through the City of Elmira.
7. Next Meeting Coordinated Transportation Committee—Planned for Wednesday, April 24th, at 10 am with the YWCA/Human Relations Commission as the host.
Human Services Sub-Committee Of the Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes– December 3, 2012 10:00-11:00 AM 49
Held at Chemung County Cooperative Extension 1. Attendance: Carol Houssock, RSVP of Chemung County; Andy Fagan, Chemung County Cooperative Extension; Jim Arey, Elmira Chemung Transportation Council; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager.
2. Carol shared about RSVP transition to “Chemung Volunteer Action Corps.” Her organization will do education, training, recruitment, and referral for volunteers of all ages. Most of her staff will be able to transition over for the new configuration, but Carol did express a concern about her transportation program. Currently she anticipates some of the funding for the transportation program will run out on March 31, 2013. Based on ridership and the critical role the RSVP transportation program has played in meeting the needs of seniors in Chemung County, funding needs to be continued. If the current RSVP transportation services cannot be continued due to a lack of funding, the lack of those services would represent a significant unmet service need in Chemung County. A next step would be to bring together management of organizations that will be greatly affected by the change or who may be able to work together toward solutions including EOP, Catholic Charities, Meals on Wheels, Cooperative Extension, Office for Aging.
3. Next Meeting: TBD
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes – June 21, 2012 @ 10:00-11:30 AM, Chemung County OFA, 425 Pennsylvania Avenue, Elmira 1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Sam David, Department of Aging and Long Term Care; Joyce Hyatt, Chemung Valley Rural Health Network; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Katherine Reynolds, AIM; Carol Wood, 2-1-1 HELPLINE/Institute for Human Services; Greg Denman, Falck Cancer Center; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager.
2. Sam David of Chemung County Office of Aging and Long Term Care gave an overview of program/services. Sam talked about the history of the OFA that started forty years ago after the 1972 flood. They began as a service for the elderly and over the years have progressed to assisting additional vulnerable populations. They are a combination of direct (information and referral, advocacy, casework) and sub-contracted (legal, nutrition, transportation) services. The core mission is as an information broker. The next 4-5 years should be interesting as the medical model and social models are fused. This should include managed care and Medicaid redesign, so agencies will need to work together. Currently OFA transportation is accomplished through taxi with funding capitated (finite amount per year). The staff screens callers and helps them find other alternatives such as RSVP’s SOS or RIDE programs. Dialysis transportation has been costly to provide,
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and RSVP has been covering the need. Sam said OFA doesn’t currently use bus tokens, but would consider that approach.
3. Update on Human Services Sub-committee Meeting, held May 30th a. Tina passed around information on a Transportation Solutions Workshop for Human Services Agencies to be held on August 8th from 9-12. The intended audience is people who recommend transportation services, schedule appointments, or provide travel coaching. This free workshop is a tri-county endeavor, and Pathways in Corning will host the event. Registrations are done through the mobility managers in each county. b. 5310 Update: In Chemung County, John Oswald of Able-2 applied for 4 vehicles. In Steuben County, Pathways applied for 4 vehicles (2 to be used in Chemung County) and Steuben ARC applied for vehicles. If the applications are successful, the vehicles should be in our communities by summer 2013. c. 2-1-1 Update: Carol Wood told about state funding, information collection, and the developing Southern Tier/Finger Lakes VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). Joyce Hyatt added that the preparedness message is an important one as it is difficult to explain why you weren’t ready. Businesses need to prepare as well. Emergency response offices claim that you will need to plan to deal with issues on your own for at least 72 hours before any rescue teams will reach you.
4. Mobility Management Update a. Extended Shopper Shuttle and Adjustment to Demets/Airport Corporate Park: DeMet’s average ridership for May was 5.6 per round trip. On May 7th, C TRAN began adjusted service times for shift changes occurring at 7 am, 3 pm, and 11 pm. Average ridership for the first eleven days of June service was 15.27 riders per round trip, with the 11 pm shift change the lowest average and 7 am shift change the highest. Also, a temporary JARC-funded pilot service will run May 14th-August 24th that will add five trips to the Shopper Shuttle route. Since the pilot began, the average ridership of the extended Shopper Shuttle has been 1.38 riders per 30 minute trip. To increase the number on the late Shopper Shuttle, the mobility manager has ramped up marketing efforts for the service including 65 radio spots on WLVY and WOKN, a television commercial on WETM TV, and going door to door to businesses along County Route 64. Service to DeMets is only Monday through Friday. Tina handed around schedules for the temporary pilot services.
b. Service for Annual Community Events: Tina shared the brochure for the trolley service that runs July and August. There will also be an Independence Day Shuttle (6/30), Strong Kids/Safe Kids Shuttle (8/18), and NSM Community Soaring Day Shuttle (9/15). During the Juneteenth at Ernie Davis Community Park, C TRAN coordinated bus tours of sites relating to John W. Jones and the Underground Railroad. c. Bus Buddies (Travel Training) Update: On May 21st, a resident of Flannery Apartments began training with bus buddy and RSVP volunteer Marilyn Plate. Tina has six RSVP volunteers throughout Elmira who are trained to be bus buddies (show people how to use C TRAN). d. C TRAN is planning a Passenger Appreciation Night @ the Elmira Pioneers on Monday, July 23rd . e. Other: Tina, as well as Jim Arey, participated in a recent discussion session for the Seven County Regional Transportation Study (originating out of Tompkins County). The consultant plans to do public outreach in
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September and have strategies to present by the fall. Tina reported on an agency visit with Arnot Health that included discussion about the facility off Colonial Drive in Horseheads (seeing 500 patients per day), the transportation needs of patients receiving dialysis (growing number of people with very few receiving transplants), and the needs of patients with the Falck Cancer Center. Tina is working on redesigning the C TRAN website. She will be creating some mobility management pages and would like each coordinating agency to be included with name, logo, and link to website. Tina attended the Community Transportation Association of America’s Expo in Baltimore in May. She handed out one screen shot from a presentation by Will Rodman of Nelson/Nygaard. As a consultant who works with many transportation agencies, Will presented his Top 9 Rural Mobility Management Strategies as part of the “Mobility Management Strategies for Rural Areas.” Some of these ideas might serve as good discussions in the future. You can view his entire presentation at http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=3089&z=112.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council: Jim was unable to attend the meeting but sent a written update. He is still waiting for FTA approval on: continued mobility management funding, the 2-1-1 project to provide increased transportation service information, and continued funding for the JARC-related C TRAN service. In the works right now, C TRAN will be ordering seven 30’ buses and six small buses. The larger buses will not arrive until the end of 2013. The smaller buses should arrive this fall. All new vehicles ordered will have lifts/ramps, air conditioning, and bike racks. C TRAN has applied for a new discretionary grant. There is no word on whether it will be approved yet.
6. Stakeholders Share: Carol Wood shared that a new mobility manager has been hired for Steuben County. She will start on July 9th. Carol also would be happy to use IHS resources to push out press releases on workshops, trainings, events that are going on in the region. Joyce Hyatt mentioned that the Southern Tier Bicycle League worked with area police departments to issue warning tickets to bicyclists and to uphold the tickets in the court system. Elmira had 58 tickets issued in May, some repeat offenders. Also, Joyce encouraged people to participate in a NYS Rural Health Conference that will be held in Corning on September 10 and 11.
7. Next Meetings
a. “Transportation Solutions: A Workshop for Human Services Professionals”—Held Wednesday, August 8th, 9-12 at Pathways
b. Coordinated Transportation Committee—Wednesday, October 10th Who would like to host?
Transportation to Medical Services Minutes 52
May 11, 2012 9:00-10:15 am Arnot Health, Petrie West
1. Attendance: Rosemary Anthony, Arnot Health; Greg Denman, Falck Cancer Center; Brett, Van Driver; Tim Doty, Dialysis Center; Dawn, Social Worker; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager
2. What facilities do significant numbers of patients need to get to? a. 100 John Roemmelt Drive- Rosemary shared the information she had gathered about the facility and its specialties. The approximate number of persons visiting the Horseheads medical offices is 500/day. About 400 persons visit the facility to see Arnot Medical Service providers, and another 100 persons visit each day for physical therapy, occupational therapy, the laboratory, pediatrics and other services. With our aging population, many of the persons seeking medical care at these offices are older in age, which can limit mobility. Original concern to Rosemary was difficulty in getting to diabetes education. This occurred in 2011 when Endocrinology moved from the Women’s Health Center to John Roemmelt Drive. Expect numbers of patients served at the facility to increase. b. Dialysis- Dawn and Tim shared about dialysis. Patients need to come in 3 times per week for 3-4 hours per session. Number of patients are 10 in hospital, 90 at the Ivy building, 40 in Corning (Bridge & Pulteney Streets), and 14 at Schuyler Hospital. Their units are full and in a type of gridlock right now. One way to accommodate more people is through opening a third shift at facilities that do not have one. Dialysis sessions currently start at 6-7 am, 11-12, and 4-5 pm. Those in third shift will often have family transport or take a cab for the 7-9 pm ride home. One concern is the need for flexibility on the return trip home because sometimes the catheter becomes clotted and takes time to clear. Very few patients receive kidney transplants (5-7%); therefore, eliminating their need for dialysis. c. Falck Cancer Center-Greg and Brett shared about the Cancer Center. They have two accessible vans and two drivers. They serve half outlying areas and half city of Elmira. Radiation treatments take about 20-30 minutes for a duration of 2-9 weeks. Some patients come every day, sometimes twice per day. Greg estimates about 40 patients seen per day for radiation and about 20 per day for chemo. Chemo treatments start in the morning. One challenge is that the Cancer Center services people in Watkins Glen, Bath, and Prattsburg so drivers are using valuable time to get to patients who live far away. Cancer appointments are usually from 7-3:30 pm, so the vans are available later in the day but dialysis doesn’t have a driver. The long term care unit on 4D does use the vans on off hours and 4D has two staff trained as drivers. The Cancer Center does give people taxi vouchers, but they do not have a contract with Totem Taxi. d. Others?
3. What specific mobility issues do patients have? a. Physical condition/limitations: Rosemary has a chart that shows for Horseheads facility. b. Timing (frequency of treatment, hours of operation) Included above.
4. What is the best form of transportation for patient needs? a. C TRAN fixed route: Tina handed out the ECTC Transportation Guide that shows all routes, the Need A Ride guide for 3-counties that includes schedules with times and routes, and a sample bus schedule (Route #4 Arnot Loop). Route deviation is described on the bus schedule as well as on the website chemungtransit.com. A phone number for patients to use is 734-5211 (First Transit dispatch covering both Chemung and Steuben counties). Dawn reported that the new phone system has been working much better with only a 2-3 minute wait time. Patients may also call 2-1-1 HELPLINE for transportation information. b. Paratransit (C TRAN Dial A Ride) C TRAN has ten Dial A Ride routes, mainly servicing Chemung County Medicaid patients. Dial A Ride also is available to people with disabilities in Chemung County (who are not Medicaid recipients) at $8.00 per ride. 53
c. Arnot Health van(s) d. Others?
5. What are unmet needs to work on? Didn’t discuss this specifically.
6. Action Steps: a. Tina will find out if Totem Taxi still has an accessible taxi.
When I called the taxi dispatch on 5/11, they indicated that they have two accessible vans. b. Tina will discuss with appropriate First Transit staff:
-Can C TRAN safely service fixed route riders to John Roemmelt Drive? -Can C TRAN be more flexible when dealing with patients whose appointments run long or have emergencies arise? -Is C TRAN currently servicing Medical Arts building near St. Joe’s? c. Greg Denman currently serves on the Coordinated Transportation Committee that Tina chairs. This committee is a good conduit for discussing unmet needs and transportation solutions. Completed by Tina Hager on 5/11/12
Human Services Sub-Committee Of the Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Agenda – May 30, 2012 10:00-11:15 AM Held at Economic Opportunity Program 1. Attendance: Carol Houssock, RSVP of Chemung County; Joyce Hyatt, Chemung Valley Rural Health Network; John Oswald, Able-2; Anita Lewis, Economic Opportunity Program; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager. During introductions, Carol mentioned that she has been involved with the Literacy Volunteers program that is sponsored by EOP. Carol did purchase an accessible van from Able-2, so she will soon be able to transport people who need to use a wheelchair lift. Tina will check on what training First Transit might be able to provide to the two RSVP drivers in using the lift. Joyce explained about what the Rural Health Network does and said that her organization is working on a funding cycle for the next five years. Joyce will be engaging people in conversations about viable projects that will need funding to meet goals that align with CVRHN goals.
2. Program Information from Economic Opportunity Program: Anita Lewis shared information about their programs including Ernie Davis Community Center, Literacy Volunteers, Culinary Arts Training, Headstart, and support programs to families caring for people with developmental disabilities. Anita also reported that her facility has office space for rent. One discussion focused on the need for energy audits. RSVP does energy audits, but their volunteers are not certified auditors. EOP does have certified auditors, but there is a waiting list for their work. Chemung County does not have a contractor who is NYSRTA certified. Because the efforts help with “aging in place,” Carol and Anita will talk further about how they can work together to bridge this gap. Anita talked about their major fund-raiser for the year, the Southern Tier Jazz Festival to be held August 18th at Thorne Street Park. EOP will also host the Juneteenth on Saturday, June 16th at Ernie Davis Park.
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3. Workshops
a. Joyce shared information about the Living Well Chemung six session workshop that will help participants develop skills to control chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis. More information is available at www.cvhn.org. b. May 31-June 1 Two Day Training of Trainers (Travel Training) Tina will attend Thursday’s session and report back. More information is available at www.accessallegany.org.
c. Carol Wood forwarded information about an Easter Seals webinar entitled “Customer Service for People with Disabilities: Taking Your Training to the Next Level.” More information at: http://www.projectaction.org/News/tabid/299/token/detail/nid/84/Default.aspx d. “Transportation Solutions for Human Services Professionals” Tina and the mobility managers in Schuyler and Steuben Counties will be hosting a transportation/transit orientation workshop on Thursday, August 8th from 9am to noon at Pathways, Corning. The target audience is job coaches, case managers, and human services workers who seek transportation solutions for their clients. More details will follow. Joyce offered to send the brochure (once it is created) out to her thirty-some contacts in the Rural Health Network. AARP (who did “complete streets” project) may also be interested.
4. 5310 Applications: Deadline for the FTA 5310 funds that are administered by NYSDOT is June 1st. There are specific vehicle types, and they must be used by a non-profit for the elderly and/or disabled. In Chemung County, John Oswald of Able-2 has sent an application asking $198,000 for four vehicles (covers 80% of the cost). Tina reported on two other applications: Pathways (with two vehicles used in Chemung) and Steuben ARC. Since the money is allocated per county, neither of the other applicants will compete with Able-2’s. John did emphasize that he had to plan ahead as information on the award won’t come out until December 2012 and vehicles won’t be delivered until summer 2013.
5. 2-1-1 Update Carol Wood was unable to attend, but sent the following report: 2-1-1 New York has gotten some funding by the state for this fiscal year (at an amount quite a bit less than we requested but at least we’re in the budget) and we are continuing to work on leveraging the phone number and its usefulness for both Find Help and Give Help. Continuing to develop the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) involving public and private disaster response & human service organizations. Next meeting tomorrow in Bath; contact me for more information or visit http://www.ihsnet.org/pages.asp?CatID=10&PageID=187 for meeting notes & background information. Collecting information now for summer food service programs and summer activity programs – contact Polly Fay for more information ([email protected] or dial 211). Facebook & Twitter being used for disseminating information about programs, services and volunteer opportunities – 211helpline is the username for both. 55
6. Next Meeting: Coordinated Transportation Committee—Thursday, June 21st at OFA, 425 Pennsylvania Ave.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes– April 5, 2012 @ 10:00-11:30 AM, AIM Independent Living Center, 1316 College Avenue, Elmira
1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; Jane Davis, Institute for Human Services/Steuben County Mobility Manager; Sam David, Department of Aging and Long Term Care; Carol Houssock, RSVP; Cindy Ryan, Chemung County DSS; Joyce Hyatt, Chemung Valley Rural Health Network; Amber Simmons, Schuyler County Mobility Manager; Mike Steele, C TRAN; Katherine Reynolds, AIM; Lisa Santamain, AIM; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager.
2. Katherine Reynolds of AIM gave an overview of AIM programs and services. There are four core services: Peer Counseling, Information & Referral, Independent Living Skills, and Individual Advocacy. Mobility falls under Living Skills Training. They have Independent Living Skills Trainers (ILST) that work with youth who are transitioning from living with their families. Travel training includes using mobility devices. Mike Steele suggested that riders in motorized wheelchairs have a loop that stays with the chair. This makes securing the chair easier. Another program designed to bring senior back into the community after a hospital stay has a connection to Long Term Care. AIM is truly regional with six sites across the Southern Tier. We discussed certification for travel training, and Amber Simmons shared that Easter Seals Project Action offers training and materials for free. In the Southern Tier, AVRE has certified mobility experts.
3. Update on Human Services Sub-committee Meeting, held March 14th a. Shared transportation services: Where can we share rides? Where aren’t there issues? b. Travel Training: Many agencies identified travel training as a top need. Tina is working with the mobility managers in Steuben and Schuyler counties to plan a regional “training the trainers” workshop aimed at the staff of human service agencies. c. Information on volunteer driver programs: Tina is researching volunteer driver programs in the area. Joyce suggested contacting the American Cancer Society and Guthrie. d. Change to Managed Care: Tina gave information about the Tri-county Long Term Care Coalition, and Sam David told about the upcoming privatization of Medicaid. It is to be fully phased in by 2014. Tina shared that another mobility manager felt that managed care will make coordination more difficult, especially if transportation decisions are made by employees in centralized call centers who are not familiar with regional issues and providers.
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4. Mobility Management Update a. C TRAN Phone System: The new phone system has been in place for over a month. Cindy Ryan hadn’t heard any complaints recently. Sam David brought along three e-mails from DSS staff reporting problems with missing faxes and difficulty with communication. The incidents occurred in late February/early March. b. C TRAN Website Redesign: We talked about log-in capabilities, survey applications, and 511 enhancement that will be included in the website redesign. 511 is sponsored by NYSDOT and will cover public transit resources and a pilot rideshare (carpooling software), but it currently does not cover agency transportation. Currently, 211 is more appropriate for human services transportation. On the C TRAN website, people need a simple explanation of how to access Medicaid transportation. Links should go to other providers. Katie asked about accessibility features. Since the web designer who works with NYSDOT is familiar with ADA requirements, this should not be a problem. Mike said the website should be designed so that a phone app will interface appropriately. c. Tri-County/Regional Efforts: Mobility managers are working on the “training the trainers” workshop, Job Fair transportation, and transportation to non-emergency medical appointments. d. Bike Giveaway: We drew the winning ticket, a Southside High School student who has been participating in Smart Moves (a four week after school program through BOCES)! When the bike is awarded, the winner will receive a bicycle helmet and a Bicycle Safety Awareness booklet by the Southern Tier Bicycle League.
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council: The County has hired a consultant who will administer the purchase of buses for C TRAN and improvements to the garage facility. New buses will arrive 6-18 months after ordered, so be patient. The County has submitted a discretionary grant to make some of the replacement cutaway buses low floor. With JARC funding, the route to Sitel Call Center ended March 5th. Service to DeMets continues. ECTC may do a solicitation of new projects.
6. Stakeholders share concerns/questions: Tina mentioned a few items. Via e-mail, Rosemary Anthony expressed concern for clients trying to get to the Arnot Health facility off Colonial Drive. Tina has heard from riders and drivers that there are safety and accessibility issues. Lou Marino suggested that C TRAN allow people to board there on the safer side of the road and not charge an additional fare when the bus returns to Elmira. Also, Mary, the Shortline rep at the Transportation Center, mentioned that vans are taking riders to a dental clinic in Binghamton. Joyce suggested that they might be students enrolled in a Broome Community College Dental Hygiene course. Another possibility is that they are Medicaid patients, and the dentist is paying for their transport. The local dental clinics that take Medicaid may not provide certain services (such as extractions). Katie from AIM had a question about people with motorized mobility devices using streets rather than sidewalks. She has been talking to law enforcement and the Traffic Safety Board, and the law is not clear on this. Amber suggested that AIM access a Project Action Best Practices Guide. During the Human Services meeting, Carol Houssock of RSVP connected with Able-2. Soon Carol will be purchasing a used van from Able-2 and will be able to transport seniors who need a lift-equipped vehicle. AIM offered to donate a
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used wheel-chair to RSVP. Joyce Hyatt shared that there will be a rural health conference held in Corning in September (NYSARH.org). Connie Scudder handed out the newly designed Get Active brochures and talked about improvements to Grove Park.
7. Next Meetings
a. Human Services Sub-committee—Wednesday, May 30th, hosted by Economic Opportunity Program, 650 Baldwin Street
b. Coordinated Transportation Committee—Thursday, June 21st at OFA, 425 Pennsylvania Ave.
3/24/12 Human Services Sub-Committee Meeting 10:00-11:20 am Held at RSVP (American Red Cross meeting room) Attendance: Belinda Vogt, Pathways; Carol Houssock, RSVP; John Oswald, Able-2; Craig Mennig and Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Mike Steele, First Transit and C TRAN; Jane Davis and Carol Wood, Institute for Human Services; Jim Arey, ECTC; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager 1. Carol Houssock of RSVP told about the RIDE program (Retired Individuals Driving the Elderly) and the SOS program (Supporting Our Seniors). Carol told of income requirements and specific purposes for the transportation. OFA is the entry point for the client. After a referral process, RSVP matches the individual with an appropriate volunteer. RSVP does some limited dialysis transportation. When asked if there is a lack of transportation for dialysis patients on holidays an week-ends, Beth Beckwith offered to pose the question to the social work department and report back. Jim Arey suggested that dialysis transportation on a limited basis might be a good use of New Freedom funds. Carol did express a need for a good used vehicle, especially a lift-equipped vehicle since she doesn’t have one now. John Oswald offered to sell her a used vehicle from Able-2 at a reasonable price. Jim Arey mentioned that the 5310 program is not out yet (normally see workshops in March with applications due in May). Lou Marino asked if the summer trolley is accessible. Currently, if a person calls C TRAN the day before, a lift-equipped vehicle (currently not a trolley) could be put on the route for the day.
2. In response to our “barriers to shared transportation services” discussion of the last meeting, Tina discussed the barriers with Mike Labello of NYSDOT. Mike Labello felt that agencies using 5310 vehicles did not need to follow DOT regulations related to 19A drivers and more frequent vehicle inspections. Transit agencies with 5311 funds need to follow the stricter regulations. There seemed to be some disagreement about this as Jim Arey pointed out that if an agency becomes a third party “for hire,” then the regulations would apply. Mike Labello stressed that shared transportation should be a win-win for everyone involved and should result in cost savings or more trips for the same money. There are examples where ARCs have opened their routes to the public. Belinda said that her concern about confidentiality is about another agency’s staff being trained on her client’s needs. The shared transportation does not have to involve public transit, although many models do. Mike Steele felt that a good model to look at is the Tahoe Basin Coordination Model where a central dispatch sends trips to vehicles for all of the agencies involved, capturing idle time. NYSDOT’s Mike Labello felt that it is not true that you “can’t get insurance” for taking other riders. It may cost your agency a bit more in insurance premium, but it is definitely do-able. Mike also encouraged everyone to look at shared transportation with a positive spin. Where can we share rides? Where aren’t there issues?
3. In discussing future efforts of the Sub-committee, Tina had pulled needs from the Coordinated Plan that related to human services organizations. Each member of the group identified a top priority short term 58
and long term. Travel training/access to public transportation was identified by many as a short term need. Coordination among human services organizations/shared services was identified by many as a long term need. Some placed value in: public transportation, customer-driven call center, vehicle replacement (short term), use of volunteer drivers, and awareness of all available services (not just public transit).
Each person was asked to share and the discussion included: Craig feels ARC clients are often socially isolated so the independence of riding transit is important. Travel training needs to get out to the job coaches who are front line people with the clients. Carol Wood of 211 has numbers she can share about transportation needs. John talked about the change from center-based day programs to site-based programs. Agencies would be able to cut back on size of fleets, but people would get out of the group homes less. Beth expressed concern about the change to managed care and regional Medicaid call centers. She invited people to join the Long Term Care Provider Coalition that meets on the third Tuesday of every month. The purpose of the group is to design and implement a high standard of care to be efficient and cost effective (transportation issues are part of the Access Committee). Here is a link to a presentation from their February meeting: http://elderchoiceinc.com/images/LTCPC%202-21.pdf. Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee January 5, 2012 Minutes Held 10-11:40 am @ Elmira Chemung Transportation Council Lower Level 1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Craig Mennig, Chemung ARC: Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; Jane Davis, Institute for Human Services/Steuben County Mobility Manager; Greg Denman, Falck Cancer Center; Elizabeth Beckwith, Department of Aging and Long Term Care; Cindy Ryan, Chemung County DSS; Jim McLaughlin, Wendel Company; Tina Hager, C TRAN/Chemung County Mobility Manager.
2. Updating the Coordinated Plan: Tina thanked members of the committee for their input to the plan through survey participation and careful reading of the draft. She discussed the importance of creating a plan unique to Chemung County that surveys agencies to assess the scope of mobility management in the county and to look at how we can do things better. Tina did an overview of each section of the Plan and encouraged further discussion. She pointed out that a large portion of the Plan is the minutes from Coordinated Transportation Committee meetings. This approach in presenting the Plan will allow human services agencies and transportation providers applying for funds to name specific pages in the plan where ideas for coordination first came to life.
3. Seven County Regional Transportation Study: Jim McLaughlin is a consultant with Wendel Companies, the firm hired to do the study. The Regional Transportation Study (RTS) is being led by the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council and its partners to study transportation in the seven-county area including the counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Tioga, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca and Tompkins. It is a regional mobility study with the purpose to generate recommendations that will lead to the increase and better management of mobility alternatives for inter-county travel in the Study Area. A regional approach to mobility management looks to: increase the efficiency and effectiveness of existing mobility services across all modes, develop and market real mobility choices to the public, and enable coordination among counties to provide the best possible cost effective transportation. Jim McLaughlin gave the background on the study and on the current 59
coordinated effort. He talked about quality of life and general mobility and mentioned today’s buzzwords such as livability, sustainability, and complete streets. He was looking for multiple perspectives from different interest groups such as: higher education, human services, public transportation, government, and county planning. Tina mentioned that the Coordinated Committee has strong advocates (not present at this meeting) for volunteer drivers and for a one stop call center and referral service (or a virtual one). Jane Davis mentioned that 2-1-1 is marketing their service as community services rather than just human services. Lou Marino knew that some riders are seeking transportation to Watkins Glen. Jim Arey explained that the previous service from Chemung County to Schuyler County was paid for by Schuyler County residents, and they have discontinued the service due to cost. Tina also has heard riders mention a need to get to the Falls Home to visit relatives. Elizabeth Beckwith said that both the Falls Home and Elderwood (in Waverly) are part of the Assisted Living Program (ALP) so may have Chemung County residents housed there. Elderwood is serviced by C TRAN’s route 10 that goes to Wellburg and Waverly six times per day. Wendel will continue to gather information for the study throughout 2012.
4. Mobility Management: Tina has been Chemung County’s mobility manager for just over a year, and she shared the progress that has been made on eleven suggestions from the Transit Summit (November 2010).
5. Human Services Sub-Committee: The group met in November and Tina read the list of perceived barriers to shared transportation services that was generated by the group.
6. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council: Jim shared that Bob Williams retired from First Transit as of December 1st. Also, C TRAN has a new phone system, but the bugs are still being worked out so be patient. Committee members should connect with Jim or Tina if they have C TRAN issues before a new GM is in place. Jim talked about the NYSDOT rideshare software that will allow people to set up carpools online. It will be piloted in Chemung and Steuben counties with proposed stakeholders CSS Workforce NY, Gunlock, Corning Community College, and CAF USA. Jim shared about the New Freedom project from the Institute for Human Services to expand the 2-1-1 service to provide more transportation information to Chemung County callers and provide statistical analysis of unmet transportation needs. Jim is waiting on Federal Transit Administration for the 2-1-1 project before it can be implemented. He updated the committee on the JARC- funded service run through C TRAN. Sitel ridership is below 5 per trip (workers only riding one way). After three months of ridership below the required minimum of five riders per trip (4.8 October, 4.1 November, and 4.2 December), the Chemung County Transit Board has voted to discontinue the service on March 5, 2012. A letter will be sent from Mike Krusen to Sitel, and the current riders will be given at least 30 days’ notice. DeMet’s average ridership continues to be encouraging with an exceptional December at 13.48 per ride, 27 per trip. In preparation for the possibility of DeMets changing to three shifts, C TRAN has been creating an analysis of how this need could be met through bus service.
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7. Other Discussion Items: Greg Denman mentioned that Falck Cancer Center’s new van is being used and Arnot Health is ready to proceed with a news release. Tina will contact Dustin Hewit at Arnot. Cindy Ryan asked about the numbers of transit riders going to CVS Distribution Center. She has been told that CVS sometimes has mandatory overtime that makes it hard for employees to use the bus. Tina will contact Curt Steinhauser of CVS. After the meeting Craig Mennig mentioned the need for more training for ARC’s community-based (non-residential) clients to use public transit. Like other agencies that are funded by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), he is seeing decreases in funding and would like to plan for future cuts. Tina encouraged him to have a representative at our Human Services Sub-committee meeting, and Tina will continue to pursue a way to train human services staff to do travel training.
8. Next Meetings a. Human Services Sub-committee: Wednesday, March 14th at 10 am, tentatively at RSVP b. Coordinated Transportation Committee: Thursday, April 5th at 10 am, tentatively at AIM office (1316 College Ave, Elmira)
11/22/11 Human Services Sub-Committee Meeting 1:00-2:30 pm Attendance: Belinda Vogt, Pathways; Carol Houssock, RSVP; John Oswald, Able-2; Katie Reynolds, AIM; Jim Arey, ECTC; Tina Hager, Chemung County Mobility Manager
Brainstormed the following barriers to shared transportation services: DOT regulations (19A certification for drivers, rigorous vehicle inspections) OPWDD regulations (funding streams, 5 hour program requirement) Staff training Hours of operation Population served (HIPPA, confidential individual program plan) Shared cost and billing Revenue Insurance & liability Related to mission of organization and subject to approval by administration and board Need for different types of vehicles (accessible, # of spaces for wheelchairs)
Follow up: Able-2 and Pathways would like meet in December to look at their routes and times to see if coordination of their services is possible. Tina and Jim, with advice from NYSDOT, will analyze the barriers to determine what is real and what is perceived. The entire sub-committee will meet again after the January Coordinated Transportation Committee meeting.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee October 5, 2011 Minutes Held 10-11:30 am @ Chemung County Transit
1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Patricia Myers, AIM Independent Living Center; Jim Arey, Elmira- Chemung Transportation Council; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; 61
Carol Houssock, RSVP; Amber Simmons, ARC of Schuyler/Mobility Manager; Jane Davis, Institute for Human Services/Mobility Manager; Greg Denmon, Falck Cancer Center; Sam David, Department of Aging and Long Term Care; John Reel, NYSDOT; Tina Hager, CCTS. Tina recognized Lou Marino’s dedication and commitment to the committee. Lou will be retiring at the end of the year and will encourage Chemung ARC to continue to participate.
2. Mobility Management: In the last few months Tina has visited many assisted living facilities and hosted communication opportunities open to the public to explain fare changes, transit services, and how to qualify for Half Fare ID. She has also distributed the tri-county transportation brochure at these events. Tina talked about efforts with the youth market and progress with the Riders Advisory Councils. Regional coordination continues through networking made at the Upstate Transportation Forum held in Ithaca. Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben intend to work together on travel training, rideshare (through NYSDOT), and shared transportation to specific destinations. Tina shared the results of the rebranding. Chemung County Transit’s new name is C TRAN, with the slogan “the smart way to go.” The change over to C TRAN will take place gradually.
3. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council: Jim talked about the rideshare software that NYSDOT will be putting in place that will allow people to set up carpools on line. It will be piloted in Chemung and Steuben counties with proposed stakeholders CSS Workforce NY, Corning Community College, and CAF USA. Jim shared about the New Freedom project from the Institute for Human Services to expand the 211 service to provide more transportation information to Chemung County callers and provide statistical analysis of unmet transportation needs. Jim updated the committee on the JARC-funded service run through Chemung County Transit. Sitel is averaging 6-7 riders per trip, and DeMets is doing well with an average of 8 riders.
4. Updating the Coordinated Plan: Tina explained the significance of the coordinated plan. It gives direction for coordination efforts, and FTA funds are only available for projects that are in the plan. John Reel emphasized that it is important to survey agencies to assess the scope of mobility management in the county and look at how to do it better. During the meeting, participants filled out the Survey of Unmet Needs for Transportation Service based on their clients. For agencies operating their own transportation, there was a Survey of Passenger Transportation Services provided. Please fill out the easy answers and get the surveys to Tina ASAP.
5. Agency Unmet Needs: Craig Denmon mentioned that the hospitals have vans that are like transportable medical labs. Since St. Joseph’s and Arnot are now coordinating, this is working better. We might want to take a second look at how dialysis is being handled now that St. Joseph’s no longer offers dialysis. Sam David said the majority of unmet needs for OFA is running errands. Carol Houssock suggested the sub- committee of human service agencies be reinstated. John recommended the committee talk about barriers to
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coordination, both real and perceived. Belinda Vogt felt that in Pathways discussion with Able-2, there were concerns about insurance, cost, and how to bill. John Reel let the committee know that coordination doesn’t mean that you have to make your vehicles open to the public. Pathways and Able-2 could carry clients and or staff for each other. DOT likes to see, especially in the case of 5310 vehicles, that you can do things more efficiently with less money. You can do contractual work with your 5310 vans. Jim and Amber both gave Schuyler County as an example of how an ARC service can be opened up for public use. Don’t look at what can’t be done; look for what we want to do and how we can do it. Carol Houssock is still interested in having a fleet of vans that can be driven by volunteers or funding available for mileage reimbursement. Jim agreed that the volunteer effort hasn’t been fully explored in our plan.
6. NYSDOT representative: John Reel asked if Chemung County had been contacted about the seven county regional transportation study that is being led by Tompkins County. Jim has been involved, and the mobility managers knew about the large study. John also talked about NYS Department of Health’s plan to regionalize the brokerage of Medicaid Services. John showed a map that showed Chemung County is currently handling non-emergency Medicaid transport through a single contract with public transit (First Transit).
7. Next Steps: a. October–December: Tina will follow up individually with agencies and work to update the Plan. b. December: A draft of the Plan will go out to members c. January: The committee will meet to vote to accept the Plan. d. February-March: Approval of the Plan will be followed up through ECTC, our MPO, and through the Transit Board/Chemung County Legislature.
8. Next Meeting – Thursday, January 19th, at 10:00 AM, host site to be determined.
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee August 10, 2011 Minutes Held 10-11:15 am @ Chemung ARC
1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Michelle Nicholas, Chemung ARC; Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council; Carol Wood, 211 Institute for Human Services; John Oswald, Able-2; Connie Scudder, Creating Healthy Places; Belinda Vogt, Pathways Inc.; Carol Houssock, RSVP; Amber Simmons, ARC of Schuyler; Johanna Webster, EOP/First Choices; Tina Hager, CCTS
2. Chemung ARC: Michelle Nicholas, Community Support Manager, provided a short description of services that include vocational training, family support, residential services, and developmental health services. There were questions about current service coordination and hours of programs. Lou Marino talked about Southern Tier Industries that is housed at the site and the future possibility of a cafeteria that will be open to the community.
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3. Fare Changes- With no questions on the proposed Chemung County Transit fare changes, Jim Arey provided information on the cost of the system. Passengers pay about 20% of the cost of operating the system, with government paying the other 80%. Capital expenses are on top of that. Transit’s four new commuter buses that should arrive in December cost $1.6 million. Transit service costs about $100 per hour. In answer to a question, we haven’t experienced increased ridership due to higher gas prices. Fluctuations seem to be more closely linked to employment, since about 50 % of our riders are to/from work. In looking at a fare increase, Transit wanted to protect the integrity of the system long term, but not by hurting the people who could least afford it.
Two new fare categories were discussed. We will now offer a student fare for riders ages 6-18 and a discount on monthly passes for people with disabilities. Tina described her efforts to get the lower monthly pass fare information out to folks who might qualify for it. Lou suggested that Access (formerly Vesid), that works with many people with disabilities might be another place to provide this money saving information to persons with disabilities.
4. Mobility Management: Projects Update a. Tina shared the follow up she has done since the May Coordinated Transportation meeting. b. Employment Transportation: Saturday service to Sitel Call Center was dropped in July. Average ridership is still about 5 per trip, and Sitel administration is still unresponsive to providing Chemung County Transit with information or help attracting new riders. Service to Demets Candy Company began June 6th, and July figures show an average of 7.8 riders! The relationship with Employment Solutions, one of the employment agencies that supply employees to DeMets, has been very good. They sold 26 monthly passes in July and many more tokens using pre-tax dollars by deducting from the worker’s paycheck. The operation of this employment-related service is paid for with JARC money. c. Tri-county transportation services brochure: Tina, Jane Davis (mobility manager for Steuben County), Amber Simmons (mobility manager for Schuyler County) worked with CSS Workforce NY to create a 50-page tri-county transportation guide. Tina handed out copies to everyone. If you would like more, let her know. It is a great resource for staff members that need to refer someone to a particular bus route. It will also be very good for travel training. A press conference is planned for August 11th, then the guides will be distributed in various locations including the Chemung County Transportation Center. An electronic version should become available on the Institute for Human Services website. After the meeting, Connie Scudder suggested the guides could be distributed at the Food Bank’s Picnic in the Park summer lunch programs. d. Travel Training: Pam Brown at Office for the Aging has inquired about travel training. Lou Marino does that for ARC. Travel training is individualized training for someone who is not familiar with riding public transit. Tina proposes to train a group of volunteers to act as travel trainers, and Chemung County Transit will offer an incentive to trainers. Two of the riders from the Riders Advisory Council volunteered, and Tina will work 64
with RSVP and 211 to find 2-4 more. Lou Marino has agreed to train them to be travel trainers. Amber has attended a week-long training on travel training and felt that travel training is another area where the three counties might be able to collaborate. Lou suggested we might also consider agencies that need travel trainers on their staff. Belinda Vogt at Pathways says their direct care staff handles it. Discussed how to provide free transportation for the travel trainers, including Lou!
5. Elmira Chemung Transportation Council: Jim shared about the JARC project from Transit to continue the transportation to Sitel and Demets. There is also a New Freedom project from the Institute for Human Services to expand the 211 to provide Chemung County specific transportation information to people that call 211 (the caller will be able to be connected directly with Chemung County Transit or other transportation provider, rather than the current process where they are given a number to call, but not connected) or get on the online service. Instead of anecdotal information, 211 will provide statistical analysis of unmet transportation needs and the nature of the request.
6. Updating the Coordinated Plan: Tina explained the significance of the coordinated plan in that FTA funds are only available for projects that are in the plan. The plan is considered a living document, and the original plan done four years ago was written by Jim Arey. Jim stressed the importance of collaboration on the plan. “Our” plan needs to become “your” plan. The timeline involves: Oct.- survey introduced at the Coordinated meeting Oct/Nov.- follow up (thru Tina one on one) Dec. 30 - submission to ECTC Feb. 2012 - vote by the MPO Information that will be needed: Assessment of available services Assessment of needs Gap analysis-Strategies and activities to meet needs Priorities for implementation Belinda Vogt of Pathways has several 5310 vehicles and had questions about how to appropriately handle the issue of applying for and using them through their cross-county organization. After the meeting Carol Houssock of RSVP mentioned there were questions on ownership of some of the vans that RSVP had purchased in the past. Jim Arey had mentioned that things have changed since the forcible coordination of the 1990s. Jim and Tina will use their transportation contacts to get more information if it is needed.
7. Next Meeting – Wednesday, October 5th, at 10:00 AM, Chemung County Transit conference room, 1201 Clemens Center Parkway (across from Wegmans). We have invited a NYSDOT representative to attend! Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes – May 11, 2011 from 10:00-11:30 AM @ Able-2
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1. Attendance: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Laurie Hansen, CC Dept. of Aging; Cindy Ryan, CC Social Services; Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council; Jane Davis, Institute for Human Services; John Oswald, Able-2; Leisa Alger, Able-2; Maureen Allesi, NYS Jobs Program; Tina Hager, CCTS
2. John and Leisa took members through Able-2 and described transportation, residential, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and day services programs. 85% of the people they serve use wheelchairs. They have recently downsized their transportation fleet, and the agency is experiencing decreased funding from its main source of funding, the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities. John and Leisa also described the Charles Street site that houses a dental care clinic (serves their clients and anyone on Medicaid) and has a podiatrist.
3. Mobility Management Activities a. Marketing- Tina told about new cases with transit schedules that have been installed at the Elmira Transportation Center and at Grand Central Plaza and passed around Jeff Murray’s March 27th Star-Gazette article that highlighted mobility management. Tina is currently working on a project to rebrand CCTS and complimented Able-2 on their successful rebranding. They have great name recognition just one year later! b. Employment Transportation: Tina had a meeting with Sitel last week. Ways to increase ridership on the route were discussed. Regardless, Saturday, the day with very low ridership (0-3), will be dropped in June. Maureen asked if training hours were conducive to the bus schedule, and Maureen and Cindy would like the new HR contact information sent to them.
Service to Sitel and Demets was included in the CCTS project solicitation submitted May 6. The request is to fund both the Sitel and Demets service for two more years with Federal Transit Administration Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program funds. Service to Demets will begin on June 6th using the existing JARC funds. Demets uses many temporary employees from Employment Solutions and Adecco. Demets currently runs two 6-6 shifts. Although Demets runs 7 days per week, CCTS is taking a conservative approach to start the service just Mon-Fri. Maureen suggested the new route 20 schedules (that will carry the Demets and Sitel services) be sent to the 318 Madison Ave. site. Also, Tina will make sure that Shelly Madden of CCC gets the information to put a scrolling message in the career center. Maryann Tombasco of the First Choices program will also want the information as they have large groups of people looking for work. Maureen runs a Job Club that meets every Monday from 2-4 pm. Tina will set up to speak to this group. c. Riders Advisory Council-There is now a Transit Riders Advisory Council (meet in Elmira) made up of mainly senior citizens and a CCC Student Riders Advisory Council. The Elmira group has met three times and has provided input on improvements they would like to see for the system. The group has also been valuable in providing a dialog where CCTS can explain services and riders can bring concerns to the table. The Job Club might provide an opportunity to reach working people. 66
d. Outreach programs-Tina reported she has done many visits to schools and organizations. e. Tri-county transportation services brochure- Tina, Jane Davis (mobility manager for Steuben County), Amber Simmons (mobility manager for Schuyler County) are working with CSS Workforce NY to create a services brochure that will describe transportation services that are alike in all three counties, then sections for each county with specific information on routes and schedules. It will come out in print by July with a phone application and website to add to the longevity. Cindy suggested that the guide include a step by step for how someone follows the procedure to secure Medicaid transportation. Jim pointed out that different counties handle it differently. One possibility is to include something in the Chemung County Section or to give general information and allow the 211 line to assist direct a caller to the correct agency/path. Cindy confirmed that Carmen Bubacz of CCTS came in to DSS to explain the Medicaid billing process to caseworkers. Leisa expressed that would be helpful to her also. Jim said CCTS operations also might be able to give Leisa an idea of what time would be better to accommodate people to get Dial A Ride service to the dental clinic. Able- 2 has had some trouble getting their people scheduled.
4. Transportation Project Solicitations: Update on Applications Received
Jim received two project solicitations. First, the Institute for Human Services in Bath has requested $22,370 in New Freedom funds over two years to expand 211 services as it relates to Chemung County Transportation. Jim will discuss with them their 20% match source. If funded, they will provide a direct transfer to CCTS (dispatch), they will give callers more information about Chemung County transportation, and they will collect data on unmet needs. Second, CCTS applied for $103,928 over two years of JARC funds for the Sitel and Demets service. The total project cost is $270,000. The projects will now follow a process where they go thru ECTC and Chemung County legislature for approval.
5. Unmet Needs/Concern-Able-2 have over 100 employees at the Ithaca Road site who might benefit from public transit to their site. Jim asked Tina to send a survey to John so we can look at the specific need. Maureen said Able-2 could be a work experience site for them. Maureen asked about the CVS service now that they have adjusted their hiring plan. The CVS service is dovetailing into an existing route to Waverly. On June 17th, the CCTS driver reported there have been no riders getting on/off at CVS. Lou noted that some plan/info should be created about the detours that the buses must use due to the construction on Broadway.
6. After the meeting John Oswald expressed that he sees duplication when Able-2 and Pathways are transporting to/from the same locations. Tina is working on setting up a meeting with the two organizations.
7. Next Meeting – Wednesday, August 10th, at 10:00 AM, confirmed for ARC
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Minutes – March 2, 2011 @ 10:00 AM, ECTC Conference Room 67
1. Attendees: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Maureen Allesi, NYS OTDA; Carol Wood, IHS 2-1-1 HELPLINE; Elizabeth Beckwith, NY Connects, Greg Denman, AOMC; Laurie Sweeney, Woodbrook; Jim Arey; Elmira- Chemung Transportation Council; Bob Williams and Tina Hager, First Transit.
2. Survey of Hospital\Assisted Living Employee Transportation Needs a. Survey results- Although AOMC is the largest employer in Chemung County, only 30 surveys were returned. Many of them did not reflect lower income employees. Results from the Chemung County Nursing Facility were a little more promising. The surveys were attached to paychecks of 225 employees. 23 employees returned the surveys to the payroll department, with 8 individuals indicating a need for transportation (from job titles, some appear to be low income). b. Ideas for gathering info – There was some discussion about going to EOP and DSS to ask if their clients have problems and for more specifics about the transportation issues in getting to health\nursing facilities for employment.
3. Employment Transportation a. CVS- Service began in January 2011. So far, Transit has not had a passenger dropped off or picked up at CVS. It was expected that ridership would not happen until more employees were hired. b.. Sitel/Demets- The Sitel run continues to be about 5 passengers. Tina has been working with Demets Candy company that employs a large number of temporary workers through two local companies, Adecco and Employment Solutions. Currently, most of the temp workers walk to the temporary agency to take a taxi or carpool to Demets. Beginning in April 2011, the current traditional three shifts at Demets will go to two 6-6 shifts. In May, CCTS will be submitting a JARC grant application to pay for transportation from Elmira past the two temp agencies, to Demets and return trip. If our current JARC funding for the Sitel run can be amended, we will begin service sooner. 4. Riders Advisory Council Update-The first meeting was held on February 10, 2011. Twelve riders were present. Tina would like to see a better diversity in age and race. The next meeting is scheduled for March 28th at 10:00 AM at the library.
5. 5310 Grant Assistance Program for elderly persons and persons with disabilities – Jim Arey asked Greg Denman if they had gotten their 5310 vehicle yet. Greg said no. There did not seem to be any interest from other agencies in pursuing Section 5310 grants for vehicles.
6. Federal funds solicitation for new projects for jobs transportation and additional transportation services to persons with disabilities: Jim Arey noted the upcoming Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council solicitation for Job Access reverse Commute and New Freedom projects on April 6th and the application deadline of May 6th. This is a call for new projects that can be funded with these Federal transit programs. Jim provided some details. Carol Wood provided some information on a potential new project involving the Institute and the 211 program – see more discussion below. A project to provide employee transportation to DeMets was mentioned here, earlier in the meeting, and at the previous meeting of this group in January.
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7. Committee Assessment and Goal Setting-To help with future planning for the Coordinated Transportation committee, Tina created a short survey for committee members. This area was not fully discussed but will be followed up via email. a. What drew you to join this committee? Carol Wood said she was drawn by wanting to make more folks aware of 2-1-1 HELPLINE and to gather information on the transportation alternatives in the County. Maureen Allesi said seeking the options to job transportation for several employers drew her organization. Laurie Sweeney said she was seeking more transportation for her residents. b. What has been helpful for you? There was no new discussion on this topic. c. What are some large projects/concerns we should work on? Carol Wood mentioned the cross county boundary transportation issues. She also mentioned the need for better agency\non-profit transportation information being available to resident and data on unmet needs. She said that 211 if it had the resources could collect the transportation unmet needs data as they get the Chemung County calls for transportation that there are no current services to meet. And they could focus on providing Chemung specific transportation information to people that call 211 or get on the online service. There was some discussion about the Institute for Human Services\211 applying for a potential New Freedom project to fund these needed services. There was some agreement that this would be a good project and more general agreement that the services were needed. Elizabeth Beckwith noted that home care transportation is an issue when there are no cars for the employees to use to get to the folks that need the services. Lou Marino mentioned the need for general travel training. He can no longer provide that service to CCTS. He can only do the ARC clients. d. What are possible sub-committees? The OFA and ARC representatives thought that we should create subcommittees only when a specific issue comes up that would require a subcommittee to solve\address. e. What organizations/contacts should the mobility manager meet with about unmet transportation needs?
7. Next Meeting of this group– Wednesday, May 11th, at 10:00 AM, location Able-2, 398 Old Ithaca Road in Horseheads
Chemung County Coordinated Transportation Committee Summary-January 12, 2011@ 10:00 AM, Ernie Davis Community Center, Board Room B
1. Attendees: Lou Marino, Chemung ARC; Cindy Ryan, Chemung County DSS; Ronnie Hart, Chemung County DSS; Carma Frey, Totem Taxi Inc.; Maryann Tombasco, Economic Opportunity Program; Jim Arey; Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council; Tina Hager, First Transit.
2. Mobility Manager
Tina Hager started on December 6, 2010. The position includes marketing existing service (really information sharing) and collecting information about unmet needs. One of the first tasks is developing and spearheading the Riders Advisory Council that came out of the Transit Summit. 3. Survey of Hospital/Assisted Living Employee Transportation Needs 69
Tina Hager and Jim Arey have developed a survey to determine unmet employee transportation needs at area hospitals and nursing homes. Tina also developed an internal survey to help HR people determine if there is a significant need for transportation. Tina will send out both surveys electronically to all appropriate contacts and follow-up with phone calls before the next meeting. Jim Arey talked about possible subscription service (from home to central point, then to work), a cost effective monthly fare, and available tax incentive for employers. The group discussed facilities and contacts to complete the survey. 4. Transit Summit
Jim and members of the group were very positive about the results of the Summit. Mary Ann Tombasco said First Choices participants felt good about being included and listened to. Attendance at the Summit was higher than expected and included participants from many different segments of the community (riders, human services, transportation, government). Lou Marino said the morning had interesting presentations with a nice flow. Evanna Koska has grouped the ideas discussed into five categories and created a typed list that is nearly six pages long. Jim is working to identify the items that are already policy. On these items, correct information will need to get out to the community. Tina has a list of about 15 contacts for the Riders’ Advisory Council. A list of contacts will be sent to the Transportation Coordination group so they can suggest additional contacts. Next week Tina will begin calls to determine what is the best day and time for meeting. The first meeting will be held at the Steele Memorial Library for about one hour. The Council will review the ideas from the Summit and choose top priorities to work on. The Council will also discuss the best place and time to meet and ideas for adding new members. 5. Other Updates
a. Sitel Service
Because Sitel ridership remains low and Sitel management continues to not communicate with the County or transit, Jim Arey drafted a letter for the Chemung County Deputy to send informing Sitel that the service will be cut. The Sitel service has stayed near the margin of five riders, but four are transit dependent (can’t get to work without the service). Jim Arey is looking to expedite the process required to stop a grant-funded service such as Sitel. It currently takes about four months to make a change. Jim will recommend to the Chemung County Transit Board that the Sitel service be discontinued. b. CVS Service
Effective January 17th, the #10 Wellsburg-Waverly Route will expand from five service runs to six service runs. To accommodate shifts at the new CVS Distribution Center, the bus will stop there at 6:30 AM and 3:45 PM. Cindy Ryan expressed that she understood the new jobs were highly competitive with about 3,000 applicants for 100 jobs. Jim and Tina noted that the HR contact said the hiring would be staggered, taking some time to get up to more significant numbers. c. Federal Funds Solicitation
Jim Arey announced that he will be doing March workshops and May applications for federal funds solicitation for new projects for jobs transportation and additional transportation services to persons with disabilities. Jim Arey announced that New York State DOT will be doing their annual February workshops and March solicitation for federal funds solicitation for the purchase of vans and buses for non-profit organizations that serve the elderly and persons with disabilities. Generally the grants cover 80% of the cost for a new vehicle. 6. Other discussion
Carma Frey mentioned that Totem Taxi is doing a significant amount (sometimes up to 20 people) of service from Employment Solutions (a temp. agency) to Demets. Tina will contact both Demets and Employment Solutions to see if this is a possibility for new employment bus service (and possibly funded by JARC funds). Jim noted that there may be the need for employment-related subcommittee meeting soon – if service to DeMets looks viable. While discussing the CVS Distribution Center jobs, Cindy Ryan noted that Maureen Allesi, a Jobs Program Specialist with NYS, should be invited to join the Transportation Coordination Committee. 70
Currently Maureen is not available for a Wednesday meeting in Elmira as she splits her time with another county. Lou Marino expressed that the discontinuation of the Pine City run did affect an ARC client. ARC has made a change so that the client can ride their van, then pick up the Bulkhead bus. This will keep the client current on bus riding skills. 7. Next Meeting
Wednesday, February 9th at 10 AM, Chamber of Commerce Building, 2nd floor
Chemung County Transportation Coordination Meeting Summary – October 6, 2010
Attendees: Greg Denman, Falck Cancer Center AOMC; Jan Davis, Steuben County Mobility Manager, Institute for Human Services; Bob Williams, General Manager, Chemung County Transit; Maryann Tombasco, EOP; Veronica Hart and Cindy Ryan, Chemung County DSS; Lou Marino, travel trainer, Chemung ARC; Chet Coddington, RSVP ;and Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council
1. Why are we here? And what do we expect to accomplish today? A brief summary of the meeting’s topics was given.
2. Human Services Subcommittee status – Jim Arey noted that he has not scheduled any meetings of the subcommittee because there had been no significant discussion issue or problem had been brought to his attention. However, Jim noted that recently Greg Denman had asked if there was any accepted policy or safety procedure for securing air\oxygen tanks used by riders when they ride the bus. Bob Williams provided the First Transit corporation (corporation that provides the Chemung County Transit System services) general policy on securing all loose items. It was noted a couple of times that the rider often did not have a securement device on their wheelchair, if they used one, and that people that were not using wheelchairs but were using oxygen tanks presented a consistent issue. There was not a resolution on an accepted securement approach. Jim said he would try to look into it further.
3. General Coordination Discussion a. Employment Transportation – Jim said the bus service to Sitel Call Center continued to have just barely enough ridership to warrant it to continue with Federal transit (JARC) funding. He said DSS and he would have to look at the ridership early next year to determine whether to continue it, or drop it. b. Next round of JARC and New Freedom funding: Jim stated that there would be another annual call early next year for projects to be funded with Federal transit JARC (Job Access Reverse Commute – funds transportation to employment) and New Freedom (funds services beyond the minimum required by the Americans with Disability Act). He asked folks to start thinking about that and provide him with ideas. He noted several years ago a need was expressed for employee transportation to local hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. He thought that such a service would need to pick up employees where they lived and take them to their jobs at the various facilities. Such a service might be possible with JARC funding to pay up to 50% of the cost of operating it. He asked, “Is there still a need for such a service?” There was some interest expressed. Several folks asked for a survey to determine if the
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owners of the facilities think there is a need. Jim said he would perform the survey before the next meeting. c. Status of Falck Cancer Center grant for a van under Federal program – Greg Denman said they had not heard from New York State DOT about their application. d. JARC and New Freedom approved project – Jim said a Mobility Manager project for Chemung County had just been approved for JARC funding. Jim and Bob Williams provided some of the details of what the position would do. The grant is for 2 years. Jim stated that part of the Mobility Manager duties would be to replace him in coordinating transportation in the county – at meetings like this. e. Ridesharing\carpooling – applying for grant under JARC – Jim noted that the County would be applying for a Federal grant to provide an internet based ridesharing\carpool matching service for employees, and he hope to have approval by January. He thought such a service could better meet the trip to work needs of employees that travel long distances.
f. Transit Summit -- A Transit Summit will be held November 10th at 8:00 AM to Noon, Clemens Center, at no cost, for bus riders and agencies. Jim said he is looking forward to this opportunity for agencies and especially riders to say what is positive about the existing bus service and optimistically look at ways to better the service in the next 5 years. The Summit was directly related to an idea brought up by the County OFA Community Empowerment effort. The objectives of the Summit are to get input on the future of the County transit system and to interest folks in joining a rider advocacy group to provide input to the transit system in the future.
4. Next Meeting – January 12th, at 10:00 AM. Maryann said the EOP would tentatively offer to host the meeting.
Chemung County Human Service Organizations Transportation Coordination Summary – April 8, 2010 @ 10:30 AM at Chamber Building, 2nd Floor
1. Attendees: Carol Houssock, RSVP: Ben Smith, County Office For Aging and Long Term Care; Greg Denman, Arnot Ogden Hospital Flack Cancer Center; Lou Marino, Chemung Arc; and Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council
2. Job Access and New Freedom Program Funding announced and projects solicited a. What, who, when and why – Jim Arey briefly went through some of the details for the annual solicitation process for transportation projects under these two Federal programs: required workshop April 30th, application deadline May 21st, local match to Federal funds are required, and programs are reimbursement of costs. b. Current project – Employment transportation to Sitel – Jim Arey described the employment transportation services to this call center employer (Sitel) as marginally successful.
3. Mobility Manager potential project – description and discussion: Jim Arey described the Mobility Manager project which is being considered by Chemung County and the private transit operator for funding under 72
JARC and New Freedom funding. The project eligible activities are described in the project solicitation information provided to the group members before the meeting.
4. Transportation Services for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities – Federal Transit Section 5310 – two potential applicants in Chemung County – discussion of process: Jim Arey said both Arnot Ogden Hospital Falck Cancer Center and Bethany Village are considering applying for vehicles under this federal program. The specifics of what they are applying for is not known at this time. Mr. Arey is meeting with both agencies the afternoon of the meeting to describe the details of what they have to do to comply with the transportation coordination requirements and to get his agencies required approval. Carol Houssock asked what the transportation coordination requirements would be in order for the agencies to meet those program requirements. Mr. Arey noted that both organizations had been active participants in the coordination group meetings such as this one and said he was not sure that there would be specific coordination actions required at this point (but more likely coordination actions would be identified later).
5. Transit Summit – Fall, purpose, participation needed: Jim Arey said that First Transit and ECTC planned a large group meeting in the fall: for the public (specifically riders) and human service agencies\non-profits, to provide information on existing transit services in the county and do visioning of what transit service should be like 5 or 10 years from now, and from that “summit” try to develop a citizens transit advisory committee to provide rider input\comment on the transit services provided.
6. Other transportation discussion items – purpose of group to address transportation issues – There were no other issues raised by the group.
7. No Next Meeting of this group – unless there is a next meeting issue, any meetings will be scheduled as requested by the group. The larger Coordination group will meet quarterly and part of that group’s task is to address human service transportation coordination issues.
Chemung County Human Service Organizations Transportation Coordination Summary– October 8, 2009 @ 10:30 AM at Capabilities
Attendees: Mike Gorman and Lou Marino, Chemung Arc; Carol Houssock, RSVP, Jim Mark, Bethany Village; Brianna Goff, Capabilities Inc.; Steve Wright, Pathways and Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council.
1. Vehicle Maintenance RFP – After briefly describing the agenda, Jim Arey said the first item was to explain that, based upon the agencies’ input over the past few months, joint purchasing of vehicle maintenance was not needed or desired.
2. Ridesharing\carpooling\vanpooling for agency employees – Jim Arey started a conversation concerning the possible value\use of ridesharing\vanpooling to get agency employees to and from work. Jim said the concept was just an idea he had based upon previous comments that had been made at previous meetings from a couple agencies concerning better transit service for their employees. A ridesharing\vanpool software vendor made a presentation to Jim (and, Jerre Cress of County Planning and Shawn White of Chemung County Transit) last week. He asked if the agencies at the meeting would be interested in exploring the concept of ridesharing for their employees. He was not asking for any sort of commitment because at this point it was just a concept for 73
discussion. A couple of the agencies said they might be interested. Jim said he would ask the other agencies as part of sending out the meeting minutes. Jim mentioned that he had developed a low tech bulletin board sort of ridesharing program when he worked in Oneida County. The bulletin board was used to display the poster, explain how it worked, and provided paper slip to write down if you needed or could provide a ride (seeking a ride, or seeking riders), He said he would try to resurrect the concept\hard copy he used in Oneida. Jim said he might progress the concept to local employers (like CVS, DeMets, and Sitel and other call centers). Local large employers would be the ones whose interest or lack of interest would determine if the concept should be implemented.
3 Chemung County Transit – Jim Mark asked Jim Arey if Chemung County Transit had a list of types of transport they can and cannot do in regards to client trips and wheelchairs. Jim Arey said he would approach Bob Williams with the group’s question on a one page list and invite Bob to the next group meeting. The need for training on wheelchair securement and what the current practices for securing wheelchairs in vehicles were also discussed. Steve Wright noted that he was a certified trainer for transportation and he was current on wheelchair securement practices. Jim Arey said he would ask the larger group if they thought there was a need for wheelchair securement training.
Brianna Goff asked if the bus schedules were available in colors for people who cannot read. Jim Arey said no but he would mention the issue to Bob Williams of Chemung County Transit.
4. Next Meeting of this group – The next meeting will be December 3rd at 10:30 AM. Carol Houssock will check to see if the Red Cross meeting room is available that day. If the Red Cross is not available then Bethany Village offered to do it as a back up.
Chemung County Transportation Coordination Summary – August 20, 2009 @ 10:30 AM
Attendees: Ruth Krusen, Chemung County Child Care Council; Carma Frey, Totem Taxi; Ben Smith, Chemung County Office for Aging and Long Term Care; and Jim Arey, ECTC.
1. Human Services Subcommittee –Jim Arey noted the items discussed and achieved at the recent Human Services Subcommittee meeting last week and at meetings the last few months. The group was informed of the human service referral service 211 which serves Chemung County. The group was made aware of the availability of handicapped accessible services (lift\ramp-equipped van) by Totem Taxi for availability consolidated vehicle maintenance
2. Chemung County employment transportation and potential New Freedom (beyond ADA) projects a. Employment Transportation –Service to Sitel started July 28 b. Extended Sunday night retail services – on hold c. New Freedom -- Another lift-equipped taxi for Totem Taxi?, had meeting with Totem Taxi reps
3.Other transportation discussion items – d. No action taken on child care near transit center e. Next meeting agenda items?
4. Next Meetings -- Move from monthly to every other month meetings or quarterly?
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Chemung County Human Service Organizations Agenda – July 9, 2009 @ 10:30 AM at Elcor
Attendees: Steve Wright, Pathway;, Ben Smith, Chemung OFA: Bob Page, County Health Department; Mike Gorman and Lou Marino, Chemung Arc; Steve Gursky, Bethany Village; Ed Linsler, Elcor Health Services; and Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council.
1.Why are we here? And what do we expect to accomplish today?
a. Vehicle Maintenance data sharing b. Maybe reach a decision on whether to pursue RFP to combine maintenance work
2.Current Maintenance Practices c. Round table – who does what and why? d. Discussion of possible RFP e. If go with RFP, next steps
3.Other transportation discussion items
4.Next Meeting of this group – next meeting issue, where and August 13, 10:30 AM?
Chemung County Transportation Coordination Summary – June 18, 2009
Attendees: Jerre Cress, Chemung County Planning, Chet Coddington, RSVP; Ben Smith, Chemung OFA; Cindy Ryan, Chemung DSS; Kate O’Brien, EOP; Mike Gorman, Chemung Arc; MaryAnn Tombasco, EOP; Bob Williams, CCTS; Carma Frye, Totem Taxi; Jim Arey, ECTC; and Carol Wood, 2-1-1 HELPLINE and Institute for Human Services.
1.Why are we here? And what do we expect to accomplish today?: Jim Arey started the meeting by saying that the meeting would: update the recent accomplishments of the Human Services Subcommittee and some details of new transit service proposals; and an update on the coordination efforts in Steuben County as well as a presentation by Carol Wood, the Director of the 2-1-1 HELPLINE.
2.Human Services Subcommittee Update f. Information Sharing with CCTS and Totem Taxi – Dialysis Transportation, Totem Taxi option—Jim Arey noted that this subcommittee had been meeting and had addressed a high priority issue – transportation to dialysis treatment when treatment is during hours agencies cannot serve --- late afternoon, or Saturday and Sunday. Totem Taxi came to one of the committee meetings and described their 24/365 services, including use of their lift-equipped van. The group felt this taxi service would meet the needs they had previously not been able to meet. Chemung County transit was at the same meeting addressed three service issues the group had raised and wanted answered. g. Next issue – Jim Arey said that the subcommittee was exploring whether it made sense to try consolidated vehicle maintenance purchasing. He said he would be sending out a survey to the subcommittee members seeking information on the vehicles they get maintained and by who.
3.Steuben County – transportation coordination progress h. Institute for Human Services—current services for Steuben and Chemung—Carol Wood, Director of the 2-1-1 HELPLINE for 5 counties described the services they provide and passed of a handout. Many at the 75
meeting were aware of the services, but some were not aware of everything. Carol said she would supply an electronic version of 2-1-1 HELPLINE information sheet to share with group members unable to attend the meeting. i. Potential Mobility Management grant funding by Institute -- Carol and Jim explained how the Institute had submitted a grant application to coordinate human service agency transportation and try to develop\increase employment transportation in Steuben County. j. Steuben actions as model for Chemung? Jim asked the group if the Steuben model of hiring the Institute to coordinate human service agency transportation was something the group would recommend Chemung County seek? He said the JARC (employment transportation was already being progressed by the DSS, Chemung County Transit, County Planning and E-CTC (Jim). But the New Freedom funding was not being progress beyond what he was doing now, and which he could not do for many more years. 4.Chemung County potential JARC (employment transportation) and New Freedom (beyond ADA) projects k. JARC –Jim said that the County, ECTC and a call center in Painted Post (called Sitel) were progressing a potential new employment transportation from Elmira to the employer for both a first and second shift. He and Kate O’Neil were going to a meeting with Sitel on this topic right after the meeting. Note: There has been agreement and the new service to Sitel should start July 28, 2009. He noted that another employment service to provide extended Sunday night retail services in Horseheads and Big Flats was under development. l. New Freedom -- Mobility Management and\or another lift-equipped taxi – Jim noted that purchasing a new lift-equipped van (80% Federal funding, 20% match) for Totem Taxi would increase the transportation alternative for those needing the services of such a vehicle for trips other than medical. The use of the New Freedom funds for a Mobility Manager, and using the Institute to do that had been discusses previously in the meeting. Bob Williams noted that with the private bus operator was funded for scheduling software in a Stimulus grant and this might make them better able to coordinate their services with those of the County’s human service agencies. Thus there was potentially more than one group wanting to coordinate human services transportation using the New Freedom funding ( approximately $ 35,000 per year with 3years’ funding currently available). Jim said he thought that the ECTC would have to run another solicitation and workshop to try to sort out if projects would be pursued and by what group.
5. Other transportation discussion items – Jim said he had wanted for quite some time to see if the issue of transportation services to child care and work and return in an efficient and effective manner could be address somewhere around the downtown transit center. He was wondering, for example, if something could be done to set up a day care center in the old post office when that building is redeveloped. Maryann Tombasco said that the other issue involved was lack of “wrap around services”-- those at the end of the school day but before the parent’s work day ends. She said she thought that maybe Maryann Bryant of Family Development and Bill Brodginski of Head Start could be contacted to discuss their thoughts and any funding opportunities.
6. Next Meetings -- The full committee meet July 16th at 10:30 AM at this meeting’s location. The Human Services Subcommittee will meet July 9th at 10:30 AM at Elcor.
Chemung County Human Service Organizations Summary – May 14, 2009 @ 10:30 AM at Woodbrook
Attendees: Lauire Sweeney, Woodbrook Home: Greg Denman, Arnot-Ogden Medial Center; Mike Gorman and Lou Marino, Chemung Arc; Steve Gursky, Bethany Village; Ed Linsler, Elcor Health Services; and Jim Arey, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council.
1.Medical Transportation Issues a. Does Totem Taxi meet this need for dialysis transportation? Several of the group said Totem Taxi works for them. b. Any thing else involving medical transportation needs to be discussed? Nothing was mentioned 76
2. Previously Identified Transportation Issues – Jim Arey briefly described the three issues below which were noted as needs in the responses to the Human Service Agency transportation survey he sent out earlier in the year. a. Pool of vans to “lend out” \vehicle replacement – The concept of having an agency being able to “lend out” one of its vans\buses when another agency needed one because one of theirs was out of service. There was a limited interest because, as Laurie Sweeney of Woodbrook said, their agency uses its van full time. The liability issue was also raised by members of the group as another barrier to another agency using an agency’s vehicle. Jim Arey again noted that there was a federal program to fund vans and buses that no agency in Chemung County was currently using – Federal Transit Section 5310 provides 80% grant reimbursement funding for private non- profit agencies to purchase vans and buses. b. Pool of drivers to share – Jim Arey briefly described the concept. Because of the liability and lack of staff issues, no one expressed interest in addressing this issue. c. Vehicle maintenance – Jim Arey briefly described a pool purchasing of maintenance by a group of agencies, using a request for Proposals (RFP) approach. There was some interest in learning more about this approach to address this issue. Group members provided some information on Arnot Cancer Center uses Beam Mack and some vehicles at Elm Chevrolet. Bethany Village uses Elm Chevrolet. At the request of the group Jim Arey will prepare a questionnaire for agencies to complete to provide the group with consistent data. Addressing the vehicle maintenance issue --- group purchasing of vehicle maintenance will be the major focus of the next group meeting in July.
3. Other transportation discussion items - none
4. Next Meeting of this group – no June meeting, next meeting on July 9th at 10:30 at Elcor Health Services. Chemung County Transportation Coordination Working Group Meeting Summary – January 9, 2009 10:00 – 11:30 AM At Chemung Arc
Attendees: Carol Houssock, RSVP; Bob Williams, CCTS, Mike Gorman and Lou Marino, Chemung Arc; and Jim Arey, ECTC.
1.Why are we here? And what do we expect to accomplish today? – Jim Arey went over briefly why the group was meeting --- to cover the three topics below: a. Coordination Implementation Process – committee formation and first meeting b. Information on Progress on Draft Plan – ECTC is currently voting to approve the Plan c. Project Solicitation
2. Coordination Committees – There were two discussions about committees – one was this “steering committee” and the other is a human service agency committee that would meet to do the coordination 77
activities they could do in conjunction with the general coordination of transportation effort or on their own for the things they can control. a. Human Service Agency (HSA) Coordination Subcommittee—The group agreed that there were items to discuss and there was value to trying that type of committee. The draft letter was reviewed and approved for use to invite HSAs to a meeting February 5th at Chemung Arc at 10:00 AM for a two hour or less meeting (letter copy is attached). The Arc will send out the letter. b. HSA Meeting Agenda Items – The group agreed to the following agenda: a general introduction to what we are doing, discussion of the Federal Transit for private non-profit vehicles program (FTA Section 5310), a travel training presentation by Lou Marino, and end with a discussion as to whether meetings of the HAS group would have value. Jim Arey will facilitate the meeting.
3. Acting on Plan Implementation items a. Transit system information – Bob Williams described his meetings with a representative from Guthrie Clinic and EOP. b. Transportation Grant – soliciting projects – i. Draft nearly complete – Jim Arey handed out a draft summary of the actions that ECTC will facilitate in soliciting projects to use the Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedoms Federal Transit programs. These two programs have 3-years of funding available to Chemung County. Jim hopes to have a solicitation letter out in the next couple of weeks, with applications for the funding to be submitted to ECTC by late February\early March. ii. JARC funding – Jim said that an old $ 74,300 JARC grant is still available to Chemung County Transit (and only them) to fund new transit service. The County will be working with County Transit to get an application in by February. Jim said that, if the service in this grant is good, it will be a priority to continue funding it (instead of starting any additional services). Jim put forward some ideas as to new services that were identified in the Coordination Plan and from prior meetings that he thought should be considered: more services to the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre to support both employment and medical trips, additional service to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Arnot Ogden Hospital to support employment, weeknight additional service, more service to Corning Community College’s three campuses (Corning, Big Flats, and Elmira). Jim suggested a County transit meeting with DSS to discuss where employment transportation is needed. Jim asked for a fuller discussion of what other services might be needed. Bob Williams had previously noted that the person from Guthrie Clinic had talked about possibly doing a survey of their employees and services to see when additional transit is needed. Lou Marino mentioned a human service agency transit service that went from agency to agency to meet client needs. Lou asked if a rural service beyond the ¾ would be eligible for the New Freedoms program. Jim said yes it would be and possibly State Operating
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Assistance funding. Jim mentioned service for dyalisis treatment for non-Medicaid clients. iii. Private Non-Profit Bus\Van Program (FTA Section 5310) -- Jim noted that he would try to get NYSDOT to provide more information on their HSA bus\van purchase program. He hoped to get NYSDOT to provide a webinar or session at Binghamton. Mike Gorman said he thought with the funding decreases agencies would be interested in this program. It was agreed that providing information on this program at the February 5th HSA would be a good start. Jim mentioned that an accessible van to the Disabled American Veterans to travel to Bath has been mentioned previously as a good candidate project. Carol Houssock said that RSVP would be interested in applying under this program for vehicles to replace its vehicles.
4. Next Meeting of this group – Coordination Steering Committee – February 12th – ECTC conference room, 10:30 AM. The first meeting of Human Service Agency Coordination group – February 5th 10:00 AM at Arc.
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Appendix C FTA Funding Programs
Section 5310 under MAP-21: Program is to enhance the mobility for seniors and persons with disabilities by providing funds for programs to serve the special needs of transit-dependent populations beyond traditional public transportation services and Americans with Disabilities Act complementary paratransit services. Eligible activities under the new Enhanced Mobility of seniors and Individuals with disabilities are 55% of program funds must be used on capital projects that are public transportation projects planned, designed and carried out to meet the special needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities when public transportation is insufficient, inappropriate or unavailable. The remaining 45% may be used for: Public transportation projects the exceed requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, that improve the access to fixed route service & decrease reliance by individuals with disabilities on complementary paratransit service and alternatives to public transportation that assist seniors and individuals with disabilities. This includes projects that were formerly eligible under 5317 New Freedom formula funding.
Former Section 5310 under SAFETY-LU makes funds available to meet the special transportation needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. These funds were apportioned to the states annually by a formula that is based on the number of elderly persons and persons with disabilities in each state. The program is administered in New York State by the New York Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Capital assistance is provided on an 80 percent Federal, 20 percent local matching basis. Examples of capital expenses include, but are not limited to buses and vans. In New York State, private nonprofit agencies are eligible to receive program funding, and must demonstrate that they coordinate services for elderly persons and persons with disabilities
Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Grants: (Projects formerly supported by JARC 5316 under SAFETY-LU are now combined as part of the 5307 and 5311 formula grant programs.) Provides grants to Urbanized Areas for public transportation capital, planning, job access and reverse commute projects as well as operating expenses in certain circumstances.
Section 5311 Rural Area formula grants. (Projects formerly supported by JARC 5316 under SAFETY-LU are now combined as part of the 5307 and 5311 formula grant programs.) Provides capital, planning and operating assistance to states to support public transportation in rural areas with populations less than 50,000, where many residents often rely on public transit to reach their destinations.
5316 JARC under SAFETY-LU was a formula grant program to provide funding for local governmental authorities and agencies, and non-profit entities that offer job access and reverse commute services to transport welfare recipients and low income individuals to and from jobs, training, and child care, and to develop transportation services for residents of urban centers and rural and suburban areas to suburban employment opportunities
Job Access grants may finance capital projects and operating costs of equipment, facilities, and associated, capital maintenance items related to providing access to jobs; promoting use of transit 80
by workers with nontraditional work schedules; promoting use by appropriate agencies of transit vouchers for welfare recipients and eligible low income individuals; and promoting use of employer-provided transportation including the transit pass benefit program. For Reverse Commute grants, the following activities are eligible – operating costs, capital costs and other costs associated with reverse commute by bus, train, carpool, vans or other transit service. Eligible activities for JARC funding include late-night and weekend service, guaranteed ride home service, shuttle service; expanded fixed-route public transit routes; demand-responsive service; ridesharing and carpooling activities; transit related aspects of bicycling; local car loan programs that assist individuals in purchasing and maintaining vehicles for shared rides; marketing promotions for JARC activities; supporting the administration and expenses related to voucher programs; using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and/or implementing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS); integrating automated regional public transit and human service transportation information, scheduling and dispatch functions; deploying vehicle position-monitoring systems; and establishing regional mobility managers or transportation brokerage activities. The Federal/local share is 80/20 for capital projects and mobility management, and 50/50 for operating projects.
Section 5317 New Freedom under SAFETY-LU: is a Federal transit formula grant program to encourage services and facility improvements to address the transportation needs of persons with disabilities that go beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Funds can be used for associated capital and operating costs to provide the new services. Examples of projects and activities that might be funded under the program include, but are not limited to: purchasing vehicles and supporting accessible taxi, ride-sharing, and vanpooling programs; providing paratransit services beyond minimum requirements (3/4 mile to either side of a fixed route), including for routes that run seasonally; making accessibility improvements to transit and intermodal stations; supporting voucher programs for transportation services offered by human service providers; and supporting mobility management and coordination programs among public transportation providers and other human service agencies providing transportation. The Federal share for the net project capital cost of a project may be up to 80 percent, and not more than 50 percent of the net operating cost of a project.
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Appendix D: C TRAN Bus inventory
UNIT W/C Passenger Length NO. Year Manufacturer MODEL Capacity GVWR of Bus 82930 1988 International Trolley No 15 19,280 24 1201 2011 Gillig 30-2wc 36 39,600 40 1202 2011 Gillig 30-2wc 36 39,600 40 1203 2011 Gillig 30-2wc 36 39,600 40 1204 2011 Gillig 30-2wc 36 39,600 40 35385 2001 RTS RTS 39-2wc 43 39,500 40 35386 2001 RTS RTS 39-2wc 43 39,500 40 35387 2001 RTS RTS 39-2wc 43 39,500 40 1401 2013 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 1402 2013 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 1403 2013 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 1404 2013 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 1405 2013 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 1406 2014 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 1407 2014 Gillig 20-2wc 26 24,300 29 84041 2005 Eldorado EZ Rider II 17-2 wc 29 31,280 30 84042 2005 Eldorado EZ Rider II 17-2 wc 29 31,280 30 84043 2005 Eldorado EZ Rider II 17-2 wc 29 31,280 30 84044 2005 Eldorado EZ Rider II 17-2 wc 29 31,280 30 84045 2005 Eldorado EZ Rider II 17-2 wc 29 31,280 30 89630 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 16-2 wc 22 23,500 30 89631 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 16-2 wc 22 23,500 30 89632 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 16-2 wc 22 23,500 30 89636 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 16-2 wc 22 23,500 30 89639 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 16-2 wc 22 23,500 30 89640 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 16-2 wc 22 23,500 30 89641 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 12-4 wc 18 23,500 30 89642 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 12-4 wc 18 23,500 30 89643 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 12-4 wc 18 23,500 30 89645 2004 ElDorado Aero Elite 12-4 wc 18 23,500 30 1250 2012 FORD E450 12-3 wc 18 14,500 27 1251 2012 FORD E450 12-3 wc 18 14,500 27 1252 2012 FORD E450 12-3 wc 18 14,500 27 1253 2012 FORD E450 12-3 wc 18 14,500 27 1254 2012 FORD E450 12-3 wc 18 14,500 27 1255 2012 FORD E450 12-3 wc 18 14,500 27
Revised March, 2014
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Appendix E 2011 Surveys
Chemung County 2011 Coordinated Transportation Survey
UNMET NEEDS FOR TRANSPORTATION SERVICE Please fill out this survey based on your current knowledge of the needs of your clients, customers, members, or employees.
1. Estimate the number of people associated with your organization: ______clients/customers ______employees ______other (specify:______)
2. Estimate the number of persons in your population who currently use the following transportation services and how frequently they use them: Type of Service Use 5-7 Use 3-4 Use 1 x Use 1-3 Never x per x per per x per use week week week month
Chemung County Transit System (CCTS)
For-profit taxicab services Volunteers giving rides using agency vehicles Volunteers giving rides in their own vehicles Rides from agency staff Other (specify: ______)
Other (specify: ______)
3. How frequently does a lack of transportation prevent persons from participating in the programs, activities or services offered by your organization?
____ Daily ____ Weekly ____ Monthly ____ Never
4. List places and destinations in Chemung County that should be accessible via public transportation but are not currently accessible:
5. List places and destinations in neighboring counties that should be accessible via public transportation from Chemung County but are not currently accessible: ______
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6. Please estimate what number (or percentage) of your participants have limited or unreliable transportation due to: a. _____ Developmental, mental or physical disability? b. _____ Age – over 65 years old c. _____ Age – under 18 years old d. _____ Low/no income (under $15,000 annually) e. _____ Limited auto availability f. _____ Court-imposed driving restriction g. _____ Limited English language proficiency h. _____ Other reason (Please specify: ______)
7. Please rank from “1” to “7” the relative importance to your participants of the following potential future transportation services in Chemung County. (Use “1” for most important, “2” for second most important, “3” for third, etc.- DO NOT REPEAT NUMBERS)
____ Expanded commuter bus service to Ithaca, Corning, or Waverly\Sayre Describe when and to where:______Bus access to other places in the Southern Tier not currently served by Transit Describe when and to where:______Additional subsidized taxi trips for seniors, low-income and persons with disabilities ____ A pool of vans and sedans for use by volunteer drivers ____Additional service times before or after traditional routes (6 am-6:30 pm) Describe when and to where:______Other type of service (Describe: ______)
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Organization:______
Name of Contact: ______
Telephone: ______
I value your opinion. Thank you for taking the time to share your unmet needs with me. Please feel free to contact me if any further needs arise. Tina Hager, Mobility Manager
Chemung County 2011 Coordinated Transportation Survey
PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PROVIDED Please complete this section if your organization manages, operates, purchases or otherwise sponsors transportation service on behalf of your clients, customers, members or employees.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
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Organization:______
Name of Contact: ______
Telephone: ______
1. How does your organization provide transportation? (check all that apply) ____ operate vehicles directly ____ purchase service from another entity ____ reimburse staff to use personal cars ____ use volunteers, parents and guardians ____ provide vouchers or other assistance to clients or members ____ other method (please specify: ______)
2. How much service was actually provided? a. ______one-way passenger trips per ______(day, week, month, year). b. Percentage of trips needing an accessible vehicle (lift or ramp-equipped): ______% c. ______(insert #)vehicle service ______(hours, miles) per ______(day, week, month, year).
3. Please list places that your clients, customers, members and employees commonly travel using transportation services provided by your organization:
Within Chemung County
For employment: ______For medical appointments: ______For program: ______For shopping/recreation: ______Outside of Chemung County For employment: ______For medical appointments: ______For program: ______For shopping/recreation: ______
4. Please attach your fleet inventory or fill in the appropriate boxes:
NO. Manufacturer MODEL Year Mileage Cost Mileage Replacement Year
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Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey that will help in updating Chemung County’s Coordinated Transportation Plan. Your assistance and involvement is appreciated.
Tina Hager, Mobility Manager
Chemung County Appendix E Survey of Unmet Transportation Needs
Eleven surveys were submitted.
1. 11,820 duplicated persons are served or employed by the agencies that completed the surveys.
2. Transportation Limitations:
a. Several agencies serve primarily persons with disabilities b. Many agencies had significant elderly with unmet needs c. Low income made up a high percentage of clients d. Little reported need for ages 18 and under, court-imposed driving restriction, and LEP.
3. Lack of Transportation Frequency – 4 agencies said daily, 2 weekly, 2 monthly, 2 never, and 1 no response.
4. Use of Transportation Services -- Agency staff transportation tops the list. Transit is frequently used, followed by volunteers giving rides (in either agency vehicles or their own), then taxis.
5. Unmet Need Locations
a. In Chemung County – Not many responded to this question, but often was a specific rural area when answered. One noted need for travel to obtain groceries or prescriptions. b. Outside the County – Corning, Sayre, Watkins Glen, and Bath were mentioned.
6. Unmet Needs Priorities
a. Subsidized taxi trips were given the highest ranking by the most participants. b. Additional service times before/after traditional routes received a number one ranking by the most participants. 86
c. Services to other places in Southern Tier was next, but often locations were not given. d. A pool of vans for use by volunteer drivers was fourth. e. Expanded commuter service was chosen by just three participants. f. Other types of services written in were medical trips and the use of bike racks.
7. Vehicles providing service –There were 53 vehicles used by private non-profit agencies\residential homes.
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Appendix F Improvements Made Since Transit Summit
Transit Summit Suggestions Improvements made since Summit was held in November 2010
1. Meet the needs of an aging population who must stop driving. Mobility manager has: done 6 “How to Ride” programs for senior audiences and 9 agency visits to human services agencies focusing on the senior population attended the Aging in Place Conference in November 2011 will speak to local AARP Chapter in February 2012 will join the board of Office for the Aging 2. Provide bus ambassadors and/or travel trainers. Mobility manager trained six travel trainers in November 2011. 3. Improve website and have an interactive web-based route finder with cost and time estimate. Mobility manager secured funding to redesign the website with 511 trip planner, Google maps transit route design, web (login) editor, and poll/survey integration (2012-2013). 4. Improve fare collection to include student fare, daily/weekly passes, and a discount for disabled monthly pass. Transit instituted a student fare on August 21, 2011 and discounts on disabled monthly pass on September 1, 2011. Plans and funding for a new farebox collection system are in the works. 5. Create more user-friendly maps on the schedules. Mobility manager directed schedules redesign in Oct-Nov 2011 using to scale maps showing a grid of all streets and larger format and font. 6. Improve communication with riders. Mobility manager formed a Riders Advisory Council that met six times in 2011 and coordinated seven opportunities for riders to ask questions by hosting information tables at a community venue. Mobility manager also met twice with CCC riders, including a CCC Riders Open Forum in October 2011. In 2011, the mobility manager purchased and installed cases to hold communication to riders and plexi brochure racks to make schedules more accessible. 7. Seek regional collaboration among transportation providers in the Southern Tier. Collaborating on “Need a Ride?”, a tri-county transportation guide, the mobility managers in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties received a NYSDOT Rural Transit Marketing Award (November 2011). In 2012, area mobility managers are exploring collaboration for non-emergency medical transportation to Rochester, Bath VA, and Guthrie in Sayre, PA. 8. Launch a major marketing campaign to improve the image of public transit and attract new riders. In 2011, the mobility manager contracted with a marketing firm for rebranding under the new name, C TRAN. In 2012, the C TRAN rebranding will continue 88
with signage, office communication, and marketing give-aways. In 2012, C TRAN will have a stronger web and television presence through a Seek-It-Local contract with WETM TV. 9. Add more buses to the fleet that are larger, have more flexible seating, are easily accessible, and have bike racks. In December 2011, four 40’ Gillig commuter buses arrived with the C TRAN branding, accessible ramps, and bike racks. Plans for the future include additional bus purchases. 10. Make improvements at the Transportation Center such as better lighting. Better lighting was achieved in 2011 through the creation of the Promenade under the railroad overpass. Also, new garbage cans with cigarette trays were purchased and installed at the Transportation Center, and the interior of the building was repainted. Information cases and plexi brochure racks were installed. In January 2012, the first photo exhibition opened as a part of programming for the Promenade. 11. Develop business/transit partnerships that encourage an employee/employer incentive to take discounted monthly pass in pre-tax dollars. The mobility manager worked with three local employers, DeMets, Employment Solutions, and Adecco, to create a public transportation service to DeMets Candy Factory. Federal funding was secured to run the service, and Employment Solutions is pulling transportation costs out of employees’ checks in pre-tax dollars. In 2011 Ithaca College began a pilot program of offering a free monthly pass to employees who would use the bus for their daily commute. Business partnerships are further being created through a pilot ridesharing program through NYSDOT. The mobility manager attended 7 Chemung County Chamber of Commerce events in 2011 and participates in the Chamber Convention and Visitors Bureau and other boards and committees in the area.
Completed on 1/12/12
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