Travel Management and Coordination Center: Strategies for Coordinated Transportation and Mobility Management

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Travel Management and Coordination Center
Strategies for Coordinated Transportation and
Mobility Management

• Lynnda Bassham
• Lower Savannah Council of Governments
• Aiken, South Carolina
• April 23, 2009
• Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association
  Spring Conference and Expo

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Lower Savannah COG

• LSCOG is a regional planning and development
  organization, serving six counties in
  south-western South Carolina.
• Our region has a land area of nearly 4,000 square
  miles and a total population of only 300,800.
• We have two larger counties and four small, very
  rural ones.

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Our Region

• Two-thirds of our population lives in
  un-incorporated, rural areas.
• 13 of our population is elderly and 24 have a
  disability.
• Unemployment in three counties is above 12, and
  in our poorest county it tops 24.
• 5 of 6 counties are health professional shortage
  areas.

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Where We Started 2000

• Six rural counties - higher than average
  poverty, disability low population density one
  little sliver of large urban territory
• 1 sliver of large urban area we operate that
  system via contract
• No public transit in 4 of 6 counties
• Autonomous human service agencies were providing
  transit to meet many local needs
• Medicaid non-emergency transit WAS provided by
  one human service agency for each county good
  basis for adding coordinated trips!
• Funding streams provided vehicles for human
  service agencies, with little incentive to
  coordinate
• Duplication in trips to out-of-county work and
  medical destinations
• Many un-met needs
• Deficits a good environment for change!

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What Were Doing

• LSCOG is in the process of implementing a Travel
  Management and Coordination Center (TMCC), as one
  of three grantees in America under the United We
  Ride/Mobility Services for All Americans
  initiative!
• This center will offer mobility management
  services to help people link to rides and provide
  coordination among a network of autonomous human
  service and public transit providers.
• It will integrate with our one-call center for
  human services and benefits information and
  assistance.

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LSCOG s Definition

• Mobility managers help customers find ways to
  move from place to place according to their need,
  and they help transportation providers maximize
  the utilization of all their resources.
• Mobility Management requires a state of mind that
  emphasizes moving people instead of a fleet of
  vehicles helping one person at a time!
• It can involve planning, coordinating within the
  community, developing and operating a one-call
  center like the TMCC and/or offering one-on-one
  assistance to help customers find the right
  individual transportation solution.
• It is now an allowable capital expense under many
  FTA titles and a priority activity in national
  transit policy.

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How Did We Get Here?

• SCDOT designated us as the states first regional
  coordination lead agency and gave us funding to
  carry out coordination and transportation
  development work.
• Formed a Regional Transportation Management
  Association (RTMA) in 2000, involving local
  elected officials and coordinating human service
  and public transit providing agencies.
• Brought key providers of human service and public
  transportation together to plan, work together,
  build trust and begin thinking as a TEAM!
• 2003 - developed a vision for a one-call or
  one-click center to assist consumers in finding
  and arranging transportation AND a regionally,
  coordinated network of transportation providers,
  enabled by
• careful planning
• appropriate technology
• inclusiveness
• teamwork

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Working Toward the Vision

• RTMA transit providers identified communication
  as a major obstacle to coordination and efficient
  operation
• LSCOG acquired funds from an FTA Demonstration
  program to equip 100 partner vehicles with 800
  MHz radios
• SCDOT helped us to become the first region to
  test and use Route Match scheduling, dispatching
  and reporting software.
• We escalated our quest toward our vision!

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Stars Aligning!

• LSCOG also
• Began developing South Carolinas 1st Aging and
  Disability Resource Center in 2003 and one of the
  1st 10 in the US
• This enabled us to
• become a one-call center with certified
  information specialists
• put in place a web-based resource data base (SC
  Access)
• solidify new partnership agreements with local
  agencies
• broaden our focus and become known as a reliable
  source for information and assistance

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Lower Savannah COG/ADRC

• ADRC Programs currently include
• Area Agency on Aging
• Long Term Care Ombudsman
• Family Caregiver Support
• Medication Assistance Program
• Information and Assistance
• Benefits Counseling, including Medicaid Managed
  Care and Medicare Part D enrollment and
  trouble-shooting help
• Assistance to apply on-line for LTC Medicaid
  eligibility
• Medicare Fraud Patrol
• Rental Assistance
• Legal Service Referrals
• Mobility Information and Assistance
• Targeted assistance to people on waiting list for
  Medicaid HCB waiver services

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Big Picture/Local Action

• While pursuing the regional vision, LSCOG staff
  also focused on local transit development issues.
• Allendale County is the smallest and poorest
  county in the region and in the state.
• Only 18 jobs each year turn over in the county.
• The population is about 73 minority and nearly
  35 live below the poverty level.
• The only employment transportation in the county
  was to a beach resort - 2.5 hours commute each
  way.

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Allendale Scooter

• After nine months of meetings, LSCOG helped local
  leaders to develop a new public transit system in
  Allendale County with NO new vehicles.
• The system used existing human service agency
  vehicles and travel patterns, filling available
  seats with passengers from the general public.

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Allendale Scooter Coordination Success!

• Agencies providing human service transportation
  agreed to pool their vehicles in the coordinating
  system. These include
• Local Disabilities and Special Needs Board
• Allendale County Office on Aging (also the
  Medicaid non-emergency transportation provider)
• Local rural health center

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The Allendale Scooter How It Works

• Agencies found they could transport other
  passengers on their demand-response routes and
  agreed on a uniform reimbursement price per
  passenger mile.
• Local mobility manager answers calls from the
  public and matches them with participating
  agencies in the Scooter network passenger
  buys tickets 2.00/10 miles and agency is
  reimbursed per passenger mile for non-client
  passengers.
• LSCOG helped to secure additional funding to help
  with operation cost.
• Palmetto Breeze RTA, in a neighboring region,
  employs mobility manager and handles billing and
  reimbursements.
• 109 new, regular riders can go anywhere the
  providers go in or out of county to medical,
  work, shopping, etc. 95 trip request
  compliance a big success!

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Success Spreads

• The Scooters success led to more local requests
  for help!
• LSCOG helped to develop a similar system in
  Bamberg County, which shares a mobility manager
  with the Scooter.
• Worked with SCDOT and local leaders in our last
  two counties without public transit
• launched a similar model there in March
• beginning with coordinated demand response
  service
• later phase will offer downtown area fixed route
  system, will incorporate service for four
  institutions of higher learning
• Will link to a new commuter bus service into and
  out of our capital city.
• One important part of our overall work is to
  build a regional network of coordinating
  transportation providers with capacity to meet
  current and future needs. We take an inclusive
  approach.

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Back to the Big Picture...

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Integrating ADRC and Mobility Management

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  (CMS) gave SC a Systems Transformation Grant in
  2005.
• Enables LSCOG to begin development of the TMCC.
• TMCC will be integrated with our ADRC to offer
  much with one call!
• Next, sought and received one of 8 national
  United We Ride/MSAA Phase I Technology Planning
  grants enabled us to do our technology design
  for a coordinated transportation network and for
  the Travel Management and Coordination Center.

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Mobility Services for All Americans

• (MSAA) and United We Ride Phase I Planning
  assistance came at the perfect time and were a
  perfect fit to meet our needs in this area!
• The MSAA grant provided needed technical
  expertise and structure to produce a far better
  technology design than we would have been able to
  do on our own.

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MSAA Phase II

• The eight Phase I grantees competed for
  implementation funding through competitive
  proposals LSCOG was honored to be selected as
  one of three implementation grantees at the very
  end of 2008!
• Our Phase II grant will combine with our CMS
  grant funds and FTA/SCDOT program funds to help
  implement and operate the TMCC.

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Mobility Management

• These funds will provide the technology equipment
  and related costs and mobility management staff
  necessary to implement both the Travel Management
  Coordination Center (TMCC) and the coordinated
  transportation network of our 2003 vision!
• Funds from the Administration on Aging will also
  help to support the integrated ADRC/TMCC, which
  will provide both human services and transit and
  mobility information and assistance and transit
  coordination

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TMCC Technology Will Include

• Regional Reservations, Scheduling Dispatch
  System
• Will ease scheduling, dispatch, trip
  verification, customer tracking and billing
  processes
• Will help to track operational data more
  accurately
• Will have a fixed route application where needed
• Mobile Data Computers
• Automated Vehicle Location - know where vehicles
  are in real time
• Data Management (Electronic Manifests, which can
  be made flexible and responsive to customer needs
  throughout the day)
• Reduces driver manual record keeping, improves
  accuracy
• Regional Telephony System
• Voice Over IP ( Enables local transit provider
  staff to link in as virtual Agents as needed)

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TMCC Technology Will Include

• IVR Integrated Voice Recognition
• Voice Recognition
• Reservations
• Day before reminders, automated option for trip
  cancellation, ride is on the way automated
  reminders, emergency reverse calling
  communications
• Fixed Route CAD/AVL
• Schedule Adherence, Passenger counting,
• Medicaid Broker Data Integration help make
  providers work easier now burdensome
• Regional Billing System
• Fare Management Electronic Verification
• Coordination

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TMCC Technology Will Include

• Consumer Based On Line Reservations
• Provider Based On Line Transportation Management
• Data Management
• Better and more reliable data
• Good management tools

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Better Management/Better Customer Service!

• One number to call for transportation
• Automated pick-up reminders and ride confirmation
  calls
• Wheres my ride information in real time
• Automated, timely weather and cancellation or
  change outbound communications
• Reduction in costly no-shows
• Ability to track vehicle/driver performance (
  on-time, speed, adherence to schedule, location
  by time, etc.)
• Mobility managers help consumers and service
  providers find and access transit resources

• Driver manifests flexible all day, communicated
  by on-board mobile computer
• Less advance time for reservations and ability
  to meet last-minute requests
• Less time on radio communications
• Accurate and streamlined service tracking and
  reporting
• Ability to coordinate trips among providers
• Less duplication and waste more capacity for
  meeting unmet needs
• Filling more seats on vehicles means that
  transit providers can better contain costs

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And Down the Road

• Travel training for target groups who are
  reluctant or who need special help to use transit
• Help to form carpools and van pools
• Multi-modal approach to meeting individual needs
• Integration with volunteer driver programs
• Advocacy for riders who are not being well served
• Tracking customer service and unmet needs
• Business development for regional provider
  network/meeting new and escalating needs for
  transit
• Development of regional fare system
• Continued planning and enhancements of regional
  transit services

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Challenges

• Maintaining POSITIVE momentum with ALL
  stakeholders having faith in our design and
  ourselves
• Engaging front line operations staff fully in new
  practices and protocols and use of new technology
• Dealing with budget changes due to external
  factors and fitting all of the pieces and parts
  together to make a seamless whole
• Actually MAKING the change we planned and
  embraced as a region
• Working with Medicaid Non-Emergency
  Transportation system in SC changed to
  out-of-state broker in 2007.

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Next Steps!

• Implementation phase will be a busy year
• Acquisitions, installations, training, protocol
  development and testing and marketing March, 2009
  March, 2010
• Center fully operational and generating
  evaluation data by Spring 2010
• Quality monitoring and customer surveys already
  designed, more self-evaluation planning to come.
• We expect to make a difference for people in our
  region its all about them!

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For More Information

• Lynnda Bassham
• Director, Human Services
• Lower Savannah Council of Governments
• PO Box 850
• Aiken, SC 29802
• lbassham_at_lscog.org
• 803 649-7981