Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) for Erie and Niagara Counties
January 2007
and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) for Erie and Niagara Counties
January 2007
This report was prepared with financial assistance of the U.S. Department of Transportation. However, the contents represent only the view of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the review or approval of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority HSTP Index:
Section: Page:
Introduction……………………………………………………….. 1
Background………………………………………………………... 2 - Section 5310 (Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities).…….. 3 - Section 5316 (Job Access and Reverse Commute)…………… 3 - Section 5317 (New Freedom)…………………………………. 4
Key Elements of the HSTP………………………………………… 4
Goals and Objectives………………………………………………… 5
Current Coordination Efforts………………………………………. 5
Outreach Plan for HSTP…………………………………………… 7
Regional “Snapshot”: Demographic Profile……………………….. 8
Needs Assessment from Other Sources……………………………. 12 - Gaps identified………………………………………………... 13
Needs Determination……………………………………………….. 13
Low Income/TANF Population…………………………………….. 14
Social Service Assistance Trends………………………………….. 18
Work Participation Rates…………………………………………... 20
Disabled and Senior Population…………………………………… 20
Economy and Employment…………………………………………. 24
Major Employment Opportunities………………………………….. 24
Analysis of Employment Opportunities……………………………. 27
Barriers to Permanent Employment………………………………… 31
Public Transit Access……………………………………………….. 33
Public Transportation Resources…………………………………… 33
Other Transportation Resources……………………………………. 34
Transportation Demand…………………………………………….. 34
Public Transit Ridership and Service………………………………. 34 JARC and New Freedom Application Process…………………… 35
Further/Future Strategies for Coordination………………………. 36
Schedule for HSTP Activities……………………………………. . 37
References………………………………………………………… 39
Maps: Page:
Map 1: MPO Planning Area – Erie and Niagara Counties………… 8
Map 2: Low-Income Household Population in Erie and Niagara Counties…………………………………………... 15
Map 3: Low-Income Household Population in the City of Buffalo………………………………………………….. 16
Map 4: Low-Income Household Population in the City of Niagara Falls…………………………………………….. 17
Map 5: Social Service Assistance – TANF Cases………………….. 19
Map 6: Seniors 65 and Older Population……………………………. 21
Map 7: Disabled Population…………………………………………. 22
Map 8: Employment, Health Care, Daycare, Shopping and Human Service Locations with Public Transit Overlay (6 AM until 6 PM)………………………………… 28
Map 9: Employment, Health Care, Daycare, Shopping and Human Service Locations with Public Transit Overlay (6 PM until 10 PM)……………………………….. 29
Map 10: Employment, Health Care, Daycare, Shopping and Human Service Locations with Public Transit Overlay (After 10 PM)…………………………………….. 30
Tables: Page:
Table 1: 1990 & 2000 Population – Erie and Niagara Counties…….. 11
Table 2: NAICS Based Industry Employment & Wages – Buffalo-Niagara MSA 2005………………………………… 25
Appendices:
Appendix A: Known Transportation Providers in Erie and Niagara Counties
Appendix B: JARC/New Freedom Funding Application
Appendix C: Acronyms in HSTP FINAL DRAFT – JANUARY 2007 Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) for Erie and Niagara Counties
Introduction
The Greater-Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC) is the interagency transportation planning group that establishes transportation policies and programs for the Niagara Frontier. In 1975, GBNRTC was designated by New York State to be the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which is responsible for transportation planning in Erie and Niagara Counties. The GBNRTC provides a regional decision-making forum for the development of a multi-modal, integrated transportation system that best fits the Niagara Frontier (i.e., Erie and Niagara Counties, the defined regional planning area). As MPO, the GBNRTC is responsible for developing a long-range transportation plan (LRP), as well as a short-range program of projects (Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP) that are funded with federal transportation money.
The GBNRTC operates within a structure based on the principle of collaborative planning, and is composed of member agencies representing the City of Buffalo, City of Niagara Falls, Erie County, Niagara County, New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). The GBNRTC receives further input on development and transportation issues from its strategic stakeholders, which include the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Seneca Nation of Indians, and Empire State Development Corporation.
As the area’s MPO, the GBNRTC has taken the lead in an effort to develop a regional public transit-human services transportation plan (HSTP). GBNRTC has worked in collaboration with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) - the region’s public transportation provider, member agency of the GBNRTC, and designated recipient for FTA funds - to respond to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) requirements, which were adopted into law in August 2005.
The purpose of this plan is to help improve transportation services for persons with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with lower incomes in the Erie and Niagara Counties area. The plan will provide a framework for the development of projects that will address the transportation needs of the target population, by ensuring that this two-county area and its human service agencies coordinate transportation resources offered through multiple Federal Transit Administration (FTA) programs. The end result of this plan will offer a new annual application and evaluation process for human service agencies to request Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC, Section 5316), New Freedom (Section 5317) funding; and to incorporate the results of the application process for Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) funding into a cohesive structure. This structure will become a part of this area’s ongoing Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which includes all federally funded transportation projects being implemented. The HSTP, as a part of this region’s TIP, will also become a part of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
As part of outreach efforts that the GBNRTC has been engaged in, this plan will also
1 identify other initiatives throughout the community that are currently focused on coordinating transportation resources. GBNRTC seeks to encourage collaborative planning and transportation service implementation efforts in Erie and Niagara Counties. Using transportation resources in a more efficient manner will result in enhanced access for clients, minimized duplication of service, and more cost-effective service.
The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)i has noted in a report: “…although transit providers and human services agencies operate similar services for similar types of riders, transportation is often provided through separate, parallel delivery systems. Reasons for this separation include differences in funding sources, administrative and regulatory requirements, and the importance of transportation to the missions of different types of agencies. The results of this separation are often duplication of services or of administrative efforts, inefficient use of vehicles and other resources, poor service quality, and unmet transportation needs”; and further adds: “Planning, designing, funding, and delivering transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged in a coordinated manner can help to address such problems.”
Through the HSTP, GBNRTC hopes to challenge the above-mentioned difficulties. With financial resources being stretched to crisis limits, and the demand for transportation services increasing, it is critical for all parties involved in providing transportation services to consider a more collaborative approach to using all available resources; to improving communication (either through the GBNRTC or some other named clearinghouse) among agencies to avoid duplicating services; and to strive for coordinating delivery systems through strategies such as mobility management or brokerage services.
The ultimate goal (strategy) of the HSTP is to identify gaps in transportation service based on a demographic and demand assessment profile, and to fill those gaps with appropriate transportation projects solicited through the Sections 5316 and 5317 application process. The plan will introduce the mechanism for applying for those funds; the actual application package will be available for distribution by early January 2007. The idea, over time, is to gradually build a coordinated, cohesive regional transportation system that can be used by all transportation disadvantaged individuals.
The plan itself is also intended to be flexible; the process and information contained in this plan may change over time as federal guidelines become clearer, and as local entities indicate the needs of an effective human services transportation plan. FTA, in guidelines recently released, recognizes that plans will evolve as they mature; and in fact, FTA is still working to clarify program and plan specifics. GBNRTC, in collaboration with its member agencies and various other agencies working to improve transportation access for their member clients, will continue to investigate methods and strategies for coordination that are within the feasibility of implementation.
Background
In late 2005, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced transit program changes authorized through SAFETEA-LU. Included was a requirement for local areas to develop a coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan for all FTA human
2 service transportation programs that provide funding for transportation services: • Section 5310 - Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities Program, • Section 5316 - Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Program, and • Section 5317 - New Freedom Program.
Section 5310 (Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities Program) provides grant funding, usually for capital projects, for private nonprofit groups to meet the transportation needs of elderly and disabled persons when other transportation services (public and private) are unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate to meeting those needs. Eligible capital expenses may include buses/vans and related vehicle equipment; vehicle shelters; vehicle rehabilitation; preventive maintenance and extended warranties (within specified limits); computer hardware and software; initial component installation costs; vehicle procurement, testing, inspection and acceptance costs; lease of equipment when lease is more cost effective than purchase; acquisition of transportation services under contract, lease or other arrangement; the introduction of new technology and transit related intelligent transportation systems (ITS); and new mobility management and coordination programs among public and/or human service transportation providers. Within New York State, the Section 5310 State Management Plan states that the money can be used only for the purchase of vehicles. Funds are distributed to each State based on its share of elderly and disabled population; States apply for grant funds on behalf of local private not-for-profit agencies and certain eligible public bodies. Grants are distributed on an annual basis, with an 80 percent federal and 20 percent local match. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), through its Transit Bureau, administers the program in New York State. It has a well-established process, which includes an inter-agency review committee, for selecting fund grantees on a discretionary basis. GBNRTC is one member of the review committee that annually reviews grant applications for this area. At this time, GBNRTC will incorporate the annual list of Section 5310 grant recipients as a part of the HSTP yearly program results. GBNRTC has informally requested the opportunity to prioritize local Section 5310 applications, with consideration to its HSTP, when it submits its annual application reviews. Recently released information from the FTA, however, indicates that program changes will be adopted soon to reflect SAFETEA-LU requirements. The HSTP will be revised accordingly once those changes are adopted.
Section 5316 (Job Access Reverse Commute Program) is a formula program for local government authorities/agencies (including federally recognized Indian tribes) and non- profit agencies, to develop transportation services to transport welfare recipients and low- income persons to and from jobs (Job Access); and to transport residents of urban centers, rural and suburban areas to suburban employment opportunities (Reverse Commute). Job Access grants can be used for capital and operating costs of equipment, facilities, and capital maintenance related to providing access to jobs. Costs to promote transit for workers with nontraditional work schedules, the use of transit vouchers, and the use of employer-provided transportation are also covered. Reverse Commute grants can be used for operating, capital and other costs associated with providing reverse commute service by bus, train, carpool, vans or other transportation services. 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
3 the administration and expenses related to voucher programs; using Geographic Information Systems (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. Federal funds for the program are allocated on a formulary basis, with 60 percent going to areas with population over 200,000; the federal/local share is 80/20 for capital projects and mobility management, and 50/50 for operations projects.
NFTA is the designated recipient for the funds and will act as the “pass-through” agent for those organizations that will receive funding. For 2006, FTA has approximately $489,500 available in Erie and Niagara Counties for JARC funding.
Section 5317 (New Freedom Program) is a new formula grant program for public or alternative transportation services and facility improvements to address the needs of persons with disabilities that go beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Funds will cover capital and operating costs to these programs to provide that new service. Examples of eligible activities for New Freedom funding include: enhancing public transportation beyond the minimum requirements of the ADA; providing “feeder” services; making accessibility improvements to transit and intermodal stations; providing travel training; purchasing vehicles to support new accessible taxi, ridesharing, and/or vanpooling programs; covering the administration and expenses of new voucher programs for transportation services offered by human service agencies; supporting new volunteer driver and aide programs; and supporting new mobility management and coordination programs among public and/or human service transportation providers. Federal funds are allocated on a discretionary basis, with 60 percent to areas with population over 200,000. Matching share requirements are 50/50 for operating, and 80/20 for capital projects. In Erie and Niagara Counties, FTA has approximately $289,200 in New Freedom funds available in 2006. As with the JARC funds, NFTA is the designated recipient for the funds and will act as the “pass- through” agent for agencies receiving funds.
SAFETEA-LU requires that projects selected for funding under the above-named programs be “derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan”, and that the plan be “developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public.”
Key Elements of the HSTP
Key elements, as described by FTA, of a coordinated plan should include (1) an assessment of available services; (2) an assessment of needs; and (3) strategies to address identified transportation gaps for target populations, which are based on the assessments of unmet needs and already available services.
4 Goals & Objectives
Initial goals for a coordinated transportation plan are as follows: