TRANSPORTATION FOR TRANSITION PACKET A Project of the Scott County, Iowa, Transition Advisory Board Thank you to the following people who assisted in developing this packet: Becky Passman, Project Manager/Iowa Quad Cities Transit Coordinator, Bi-State Regional Commission Steve Swisher, Director of Business Development, River Bend Transit Lori Brown, Orientation & Mobility Specialist, Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency Packet contents: Glossary of transit terms. Use for vocabulary development! Overview of Transit Systems in the Quad-Cities. To help you get started! Overview of River Bend Transit, including para transit information Points for Class Discussions and Activities Route Maps & Schedules overview. To help you plan routes! Sample City Bus routes from each high school in Scott County Transportation Skill lists to continually assess student skills. And to help write goals! This packet is intended to help schools and community agencies understand and teach the use of public transportation for persons with disabilities. After high school, the ability to travel in the community as independently as possible is essential for adult living, learning and working. Please request a Rider’s Guide if you do not already have one, to assist your efforts in teaching transportation skills to your students and clients. Call 309-793-6302, ext 144 to get a supply for your school, or get individual copies at bus terminals or city halls in Davenport or Bettendorf. The Rider’s Guide is an extremely valuable resource! For further information on the transportation topic, consider visiting the following websites: www.qctransit.com (For information on all Quad-City area public transportation) www.projectaction.org/initiatives/youthtransportation.aspx (An Easter Seals project to help schools meet the needs of students with disabilities) February 2013 Transit Systems in the Quad Cities: Descriptions & General Information (Please see Iowa QC Transit Rider's Guide for more in-depth and complete information) The Quad Cities is served by three separate fixed route transit systems: Bettendorf Transit, a City-provided service which operates as a division of the Bettendorf Public Works Department, Davenport CitiBus, a City-provided service which operates as a division of the Davenport Public Works Department, and MetroLINK (Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District), the Illinois Quad Cities system serving Rock Island County, which operates as an independent entity with taxing authority. These systems work together in many ways so that riders can travel throughout the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities: All three systems connect so that riders can use all three systems as needed to reach their destinations o Davenport CitiBus and Bettendorf Transit connect at the Bettendorf Hub and at the Hy- Vee on Utica Ridge Rd. and 53rd St.; o Davenport and Metro connect at 16th St. and Third Ave. in Rock Island o Bettendorf and Metro connect at Centre Station in Moline (16th St. & River Drive) If you have to use two or more systems to get where you are trying to go, you can transfer between systems. If you need a transfer, tell your driver when you board (ex. "I need a transfer to Route ___"): o Transfers between Davenport and Bettendorf are free (unless Davenport CitiPass is used, then rider pays full fare when boarding Bettendorf bus) o Davenport to Metro: 5¢ o Metro to Davenport: 10¢ o Davenport CitiBus to Bettendorf Transit to Metro: 30¢ (pay Bettendorf, Route 1) o Metro to Bettendorf Transit to Davenport CitiBus: 30¢ (pay Bettendorf, Route 1) On all three QC systems: o Fare is $1 per ride. Seniors, Disabled, and Medicare Cardholders pay 50¢ per ride. Page 9 of the Iowa QC Rider's Guide explains how to go about applying for an Iowa system half fare ID card Be sure to have the exact amount of cash -- drivers do not make change. o $30 Universal Bus Pass (the QC PassPORT) is good for unlimited rides for a calendar month on all three systems (also includes The Loop riverfront circulator); o Riders can board the bus at a bus stop OR the bus can be flagged down anywhere along the route. Here's how: Stand at a SAFE location, on the corner, with any cross street behind you (bus cannot stop in an intersection) Make sure you are on the PASSENGER SIDE of the street (side where the bus doors are located) When you see the bus coming, hold up your arm and give the drive a WAVE o Riders can get off the bus anywhere along the route. Simply pull the cord by the window 1 or 2 blocks in advance. This makes the "stop requested" sign light up and alerts the driver. o All QC buses are equipped with easy-to-use bike racks for bike and bus. There is no extra charge for bikes. o All QC buses have a farebox into which fare is deposited o All buses are wheelchair accessible, having either a ramp or a lift. Iowa Quad Cities transit systems run Monday through Saturday, with fewer Saturday service hours. Davenport CitiBus charges NO FARE on Saturdays. CitiBus named this feature "Green Saturdays" and they do it to help encourage people to use the bus. IN DAVENPORT ONLY - K through 12 Davenport School system students can ride CitiBus at no charge by showing their school ID. The ID acts as a bus pass. Transit: Glossary of Terms Fixed Route: The term ''fixed route system'' means providing designated public transportation on which a vehicle is operated along a specific route according to a fixed schedule. Demand Response: On a fixed route, this refers to service to a particular location that is by request only. This is generally done when the transit system wants to provide some service to a specific location but cannot do so on a regular basis. These limited service areas are identified on the route map along with instructions on how to use the service for both drop off and pick up. Paratransit: The Federal Transit Administration says that transit providers are required to provide "complementary" paratransit to destinations within 3/4 mile of all fixed routes during hours which mirror that of the fixed route service. Complementary paratransit service is required for passengers who are: 1) Unable to navigate the public bus system, 2) Unable to get to a point from which they could board the bus, or 3) Have a temporary need for these services because of an injury or some type of limited duration cause of disability. Note: River Bend Transit provides the paratransit services for both Bettendorf and Davenport transit systems. Bus Stop: Specific locations along bus routes where people can catch the bus, identified by either a bus stop sign or a bus shelter. Route: The set path along which the bus travels for each trip from one place to another. Some bus routes make more of a circle (examples: all Bettendorf routes, CitiBus Route 10B/10R, CitiBus Route 15); some bus routes are mostly up and back along the same line (example: CitiBus Route 22). Fare: The money that is paid, or how much it costs, to take a trip on public transportation (the bus). Farebox: A metal box into which passengers deposit money for the bus ride. It is located next to the driver in the front of the bus, just inside the doors where passengers enter. Transfer: A slip of paper given to a rider by the driver when more than one bus is needed to complete one trip. The transfer acts as your "fare" when you board the next bus. If you need a transfer, you must let your driver know this WHEN YOU BOARD. Destination Sign: Buses have two lighted signs: one above the front windshield and one by the door where riders board the bus. These signs identify the bus by route and final destination, so riders can check to make sure they are boarding the correct bus. Route Maps and Schedules: Time Points tell you what time the bus will be at a given location as it travels along the route. From this information you can estimate when to expect the bus at your location. Connection / Transfer Points 1 indicate locations where buses from different routes or systems meet and transfers can be made. The pale yellow "Connections" box(es) shown on the route maps list the specific routes that make connections at those locations. Directional arrows indicate which direction the bus is traveling along the route. Use this information to make sure you are on the correct side of the street (the passenger side) to "flag down" and catch the bus. Route Service Information box further identifies the route and provides hours of service and how often the bus runs (service frequency). Places along the route are indicated in several areas: Some locations are identified by name on the route map They may be listed in the "What's on the route?" section (located above the schedule) The "What Route is it on?" section organizes places of interest into categories (for example: groceries; parks; public service buildings; schools) and lists on what route(s) they are located. Davenport index begins on page 44 of the Iowa QC Transit Rider's Guide; Bettendorf index begins on page 64. RIVER BEND TRANSIT The mission of River Bend Transit (RBT) goal is to provide safe, affordable, flexible and efficient public transit services for members of the general public, persons with disabilities and seniors. RBT provides services that help eliminate transit barriers, advancing personal independence, socialization and opportunity. Since 1978 RBT has explored, innovated and improved the accessibility of services by increasing the opportunity for mobility with coordinated urban and rural services. For over 34 years RBT has fulfilled transit needs for residents of Cedar, Clinton, Muscatine and Scott County.