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P R E P A R E D F O R : P R E P A R E D B Y :

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY COORDINATED HUMAN SERVICES PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PLAN - APPENDIX

March 15, 2016

Solutions at the Intersection of Access + Mobility G R I D W O R K S . U S

Table of Contents APPENDIX A: DETAILED TRANSPORTATION INVENTORY ........................................................................................ 1APPENDIX B: TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER SURVEY & METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 10APPENDIX C: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................ 17

Current Plans and Studies ..................................................................................................................................... 17Mobility Management Summit & Workshop ......................................................................................................... 22Performance Evaluation ......................................................................................................................................... 23Stakeholder Interviews .......................................................................................................................................... 26

APPENDIX D: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ......................................................................................... 29Intercept Surveys ................................................................................................................................................... 29Community Interviews ........................................................................................................................................... 34

C O O R D I N A T E D H U M A N S E R V I C E S P U B L I C T R A N S P O R T A T I O N P L A N – A P P E N D I X

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APPENDIX A: DETAILED TRANSPORTATION INVENTORY

Initially, we had hoped to develop the inventory oftransportation services from the responses to the providersurvey.However,whilea24%returnrateisnotuncommon,itistoo low to be useful as a base for the inventory alone.Fortunately, LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. recentlycompleted an extensive inventory of transportation serviceswithinSanLuisObispoCountyaspartoftheongoingjointshort-rangetransitplanningeffortforRTAandSLOCityTransit.Theirfirst report (Working Paper One) includes detailed route andservice information for all fixed-route and demand responseservicesprovidedbyRTAandSLOCityTransit, aswell asbriefnarrative descriptions of other transportation providers in theregion.

Between these two information sources, and data collectedthroughout the project, we compiled two complementaryinventoryresourcesthatsummarizethetransportationservicesavailable in San Luis Obispo County. The first is a matrix ofexisting transportation services, including their service area,eligibility, and trip limitations. The information in this matrixwas compiled from the survey responses, the Joint STP,stakeholderinterviews,andsupplementalresearch.

The second is a list of organizations that provide some sort oftransportationservicewithinthecounty,includingchurches,taxicompanies, limousines, and wine tours. For each entry the listfeatures the organization name, type, contact name, email,phone,website,andsourceofinformation.


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Table A1: Transportation Inventory - Services

SERVICE NAME SERVICE PROVIDER

SERVICE TYPE SERVICE AREA SERVICE ELIGIBILITY SERVICE LIMITATIONS

Amdal Transportation Services

Amdal In-Home Care

Demand Response

Transportation services available throughout the state of California

No eligibility requirements but aimed at people with disabilities

None

Cambria Anonymous Neighbors

Cambria Anonymous Neighbors

Demand Response

County-wide Age, Disability Trips are limited to Medical purposes

Cambria Community Bus

Cambria Community Council

Demand Response

Cambria and San Simeon Age, Disability None

Homeless Transportation

CAPSLO Demand Response

Mostly near San Luis Obispo, but often to north and south county

Homeless and lack of transportation

Trips provided are very limited due to lack of staff and vehicles. Only people with an urgent need can be transported, such as to a doctor visit.

Head Start / Migrant Head Start School Bus

CAPSLO Vanpool To and from school Age, Pre School and Toddlers

Home to school and to disability services.

Atascadero Dial-A-Ride

City of Atascadero

Demand Response

Atascadero city limits General Public None

Morro Bay Transit

City of Morro Bay Deviated Fixed Route

City limits with the exception of the area south of the Mortuary on Quintana Road near South Bay Blvd.

Service open to the general public. Age and disability requirements for fare only.

None


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Morro Bay Trolley

City of Morro Bay Fixed Route 3 routes within the City limits

General Public None

Rideshare Vanpool

Enterprise Rideshare

Vanpool Enterprise Rideshare operates nation-wide

Age None

Bus Ministry Mid State Baptist Church

Express or commuter service

Templeton, Paso Robles, Atascadero

None Church activities and church services

AgVan Ride-On Demand Response

County-wide General Public Limited to trips to and from Agricultural work sites for Agricultural Workers

Airport Shuttle Ride-On Demand Response

County-wide General Public Trips limited to SLO & Santa Maria Airport and Amtrak stations

Community Interaction Program

Ride-On Demand Response

County-wide Disability Trips must be scheduled in advance for specific destinations only

Lunchtime Express


SLO City area General Public Limited to trips to and from sponsoring restaurants 11-2pm M-F

Non Emergency Medical


County-wide CenCal Health/MediCal eligible

Passengers must be "prescribed" transportation services by a CenCal Health network physician, pre-authorized trips must be for dialysis or prescribed medical appointments.

Private Shuttle Ride-On Demand Response

County-wide General Public Trips must be scheduled 24 hours in advance

Senior Shuttle Ride-On Demand Response

SLO City, North Coast, South County, Five Cities, North County

Age None


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Tri Counties Regional Center

Ride-On Contracted Subscription Service

County-wide Disability Developmentally disabled passengers served by Tri Counties Regional Center are picked up at residences and transported to work sites, vocational training centers, and/or day care facilities.

Veterans Express Shuttle


County-wide Veteran Limited to trips between home and VA clinics

Vanpool Ride-On Vanpool County-wide General Public Trips must be combined with other Vanpool riders

Runabout RTA ADA Paratransit Within 3/4 of a mile of all fixed route service in the county

Must be certified ADA eligible by RTA

None

Cayucos Senior Van

RTA Demand Response

Cambria with occasional trips to SLO City and Paso Robles

General Public None

Nipomo Dial-A-Ride

RTA Demand Response

Nipomo General Public None

Paso Robles Express Dial-A-Ride

RTA Demand Response

Paso Robles city limits (M-F 7am-1pm)

General Public None

Shandon/Paso Robles Dial-A-Ride

RTA Demand Response

Shandon and Paso Robles (MWF 8am-5pm only on request)

General Public None

Templeton Dial-A-Ride

RTA Demand Response

Templeton (TTh 8am-5pm only on request)

General Public None

Beach Trolley RTA Fixed Route Seasonal service in Five Cities and Avila Beach areas

General Public None

Paso Express A RTA Fixed Route Paso Robles General Public None


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Paso Express B RTA Fixed Route Paso Robles General Public None

Route 9 RTA Fixed Route SLO City North to San Miguel

General Public None

Route 10 RTA Fixed Route SLO City South to Santa Maria

General Public None

Route 12 RTA Fixed Route SLO City West to Los Osos, Morro Bay

General Public None

Route 14 RTA Fixed Route SLO City West to Cuesta College

General Public None

Route 15 RTA Fixed Route Morro Bay North to San Simeon

General Public None

SCT Route 21 RTA Fixed Route South County - Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande

General Public None

SCT Route 23 RTA Fixed Route South County - Grover Beach and surrounding areas

General Public None

SCT Route 24 RTA Fixed Route South County - Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande

General Public None

Old SLO Trolley SLO City Transit Fixed Route Downtown SLO City General Public None

Route 1 SLO City Transit Fixed Route SLO City, NW-SE via Downtown, Cal Poly

General Public None

Route 2 SLO City Transit Fixed Route SLO City SW-Downtown General Public None

Route 3 SLO City Transit Fixed Route SLO City SE-Downtown General Public None

Route 4 SLO City Transit Fixed Route West SLO City via Downtown, Cal Poly

General Public None

Route 5 SLO City Transit Fixed Route West SLO City via Downtown, Cal Poly

General Public None


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Route 6A SLO City Transit Fixed Route North SLO City via Cal Poly

General Public None

Route 6B SLO City Transit Fixed Route North SLO City via Cal Poly

General Public None

SLO Safe Ride SLO Safe Ride Demand Response

Anywhere within California None None

SLO Safe Ride SLO Safe Ride Deviated Fixed Route

Anywhere within SLO County

None None

Tri Counties Regional Center

SMOOTH, Inc. Contracted Subscription Service

Shell Beach-Pismo-Five Cites-Nipomo

Disability Developmentally disabled passengers served by Tri Counties Regional Center are picked up at residences and transported to work sites, vocational training centers, and/or day care facilities.

Non Emergency Medical

SMOOTH, Inc. Demand Response

Nipomo residents seeking transportation south to Santa Barbara County

CenCal Health/MediCal eligible

Passengers must be "prescribed" transportation services by a CenCal Health network physician, pre-authorized trips must be for dialysis or prescribed medical appointments.

Transportation for Mental Health Services

Transitions-Mental Health Association

Demand Response

County-wide Disability Trips associated with mental health services provided, including case management, residential assistance, wellness center activities, and employment.

Wilshire Good Neighbor Program

Wilshire Community Services

Demand Response

County-wide Age, Disability None


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Table A2: Transportation Inventory - Providers (A complete matrix with contact information for each organization was submitted to SLOCOG for their records).

ORGANIZATION TYPE SOURCE Agape Christian Fellowship Church PUC License - Exempt Atascadero Bible Church Church PUC License - Active First Baptist Church Of Cambria Church PUC License - Active First Baptist Church San Luis Obispo Church PUC License - Exempt Grace Bible Church Church PUC License - Active Landmark Missionary Baptist of Arroyo Grande Church PUC License - Exempt Mid State Baptist Church Schools & Ministries In Paso Robles Inc Church PUC License - Active New Life Community Church Nazarene Church PUC License - Active S L O Church Of The Nazarene Church PUC License - Exempt Saint Johns Lutheran Church Church PUC License - Exempt Cambria Anonymous Neighbors (CAN) Human Service Internet search CAPSLO Human Service PUC License - Active CenCal Human Service Rideshare Community Health Center (CHC) Human Service Rideshare Creative Alternative For Learning And Living Inc Human Service PUC License - Active/Past 5310 Applicant Escuela Del Rio Human Service Past 5310 applicant Life Steps Foundation, Inc. Human Service Past 5310 applicant NCI Affiliates Human Service Past 5310 applicant PathPoint Human Service Project Contact/Past 5310 applicant RISE Human Service Rideshare Smooth Human Service Project Contact Amdal Senior Services Project Contact Atascadero Christian Home Senior Services PUC License - Active Cambria Community Council Senior Services Past 5310 applicant Casa De Flores Senior Services PUC License - Active Cayucos Senior Club Van Senior Services Past 5310 applicant RSVP of the Central Coast Senior Services 2-1-1 Database


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ORGANIZATION TYPE SOURCE Wilshire Good Neighbor Program Senior Services Internet search Slo Saferide Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Central Coast Taxi Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Internet search Surf Cab Co Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Rideshare A Ride Awaits Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Internet search Mikellis Michael John Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Ventura Transit System Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Project Contact Tri-Counties Transit, Inc. DBA Yellow Cab Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Project Contact Fetch! Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Internet search 101 Wine Tours Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Bay Limousine Services Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Breakaway Tours Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Central Coast Jeep Adventures Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Central Coast Trolley Company Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Crown Limousine Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Drive 805 Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Elegant Image Limo Inc Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Grand Cru Limousine LLC Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Hop On Beer Tours Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Lush Limousine Services Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Obsession Limousines Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Pacific Vineyard Company Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Revel Rides LLC Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Roadrunner Shuttle & Limousine Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours Internet search Silver Bay Tours Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active The Wine Line Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Vines And Views Tours LLC Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Xsperience It Custom Tours Shuttle/ Taxi/Tours PUC License - Active Atascadero Dial-A-Ride Transit Rideshare Morro Bay Fixed/Call-A-Ride Transit Rideshare RTA Transit Project Contact SLO City Transit Transit Project Contact


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ORGANIZATION TYPE SOURCE R&D Transportation c/o Tri Counties Regional Center Travel Training Tri-Counties Transitions Inc., San Luis Obispo Travel Training Past 5310 applicant Enterprise Vanpool Vanpool Rideshare vRide Vanpool Rideshare Regional Rideshare Various Project Contact Ride On Transportation Various PUC License - Active / Past 5310 applicant


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APPENDIX B: TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER SURVEY & METHODOLOGY

Survey Methodology

Thesurveydistributionlistwasdevelopedusingthepre-identifiedlistofprojectstakeholdersasastarting point. Stakeholder organizations that provide transportation services or support wereincluded.Thisinitiallistwasthenaugmentedwithholdersofactiveorexemptcommerciallicensesfrom the California Public Utilities Commission, and recent recipients of 5310 funding. A fewadditionalcontacts-mainlytaxicompanies-wereaddedfromtheUnitedWay2-1-1databaseandInternet searches. Finally, Regional Rideshare staff provided a handful of additional contacts notlistedelsewhere.Thisinitialdistributionlistincluded66differentorganizations.After reviewing the final distribution list with Regional Rideshare staff, an online distributionmethod was determined to be most appropriate. The online survey was created using GoogleForms,andemailedoutinearlyJuly.The transportation survey was designed with three primary objectives in mind: 1) to betterunderstand the specific services and capacities of transportation providers, 2) to uncover needsandopportunities not yet identified, and3) to determine surveyparticipants’ level of interest inincreasedcoordination.Thesurveywasnotsentouttothethreelargesttransportationprovidersintheregion(RTA,Ride-On, and SLOCity Transit) orRegional Rideshare because their feedback and service informationwascollectedduringthestakeholderinterviews.Threeadditionalcontactswerealsoremovedfromthelistafteritwasdeterminedthattheyeitherwerenotprovidingtransportationorwerelongerinbusiness. This resulted in a final distribution of 59. The final distribution list is included asAppendixBandwillbeprovidedinaseparateMicrosoftExcelfile.InlateJulyfollow-upemailsweresenttothosethathadnotyetrespondedtothesurvey.OnJuly31the survey closedwith 14 responses, a 24% return rate. Tabulated responses to the survey areincludedinAppendixBandwillbeprovidedinaseparateMicrosoftExcelfileaswell.

Survey Responses

Halfoftheorganizationsthatrespondedtothesurveywereprivatefor-profitcompanies,whilesixwerenon-profitorganizations,andonewasapublicentity(FigureA1).ThisratioisroughlywhatwasexpectedgiventhatthesurveywasnotadministeredtoRTAorSLOCityTransit,theregion’sprimarypublictransportationproviders,orRide-On.AlongwithRegionalRideshare,theseentitiesrepresenttheprimarycoordinatingpartners,andtheirfeedbackisbeingcollectedseparately.


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Figure A1: Transportation Provider Survey participants by organization type

Thesurveyparticipantsrepresentamixofservicesspecificallyfordifferentpopulations,includingseniors, people with disabilities, veterans and people with low incomes (Figure A2). Otherpopulations reported include homeless individuals, wine consumers, business groups, privateparties,families,andthegeneralpublic.

Figure A2: Populations served by survey participants

Themost illuminating aspect of the survey proved to be the section asking about coordination.There is broad interest in sharing vehicles and maintenance, coordinating vehicle and capitalpurchasesanddrivertraining,andpoolingfinancialresources(TableA3)Foreachofthesetopics,interestwas shared across for-profit andnon-profit providers,with 2 ormore of each reportinginterestinexploringcoordinationintheseways.Thislevelofinterestbodeswellforthesetypesofcoordinationefforts.

7

6

1

Private For-profit

Private Non-profit

Public Sector

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Seniors

People with Disabilities

People with Low Incomes

Veterans

Other


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Table A3: Survey participants’ level of interest in coordination activities

Already Underway

Interested N/A Not Interested

Grand Total

Joint use, pooling, or sharing of vehicles among organizations

2 5 2 3 12

Coordinated service operations 2 4 1 4 11 Coordinated vehicle and capital purchases

0 5 1 5 11

Shared fueling facilities 0 4 3 4 11 Shared maintenance facilities 0 5 1 5 11 Joint purchase of supplies or equipment

0 3 1 7 11

Joint purchase of insurance 0 4 1 6 11 Coordinated trip scheduling and/or dispatching

1 2 3 5 11

Coordinated driver training and retraining programs

0 6 1 4 11

Contracting out for service provision rather than direct operations

1 2 2 6 11

Contracting to provide transportation to other agencies

0 4 3 4 11

Pooling of financial resources to better coordinate service

0 5 3 3 11

On the other hand, the survey participants expressed little interest in contracting additionaltransportationservicestothirdparties,or incoordinatingtripschedulinganddispatchfunctions.Thiscouldindicatethateffortstocoordinatethesefunctionswouldfaceaninitiallackofbuy-inbyprovidersinthecommunity.Finally,thereisinterestfromtheprivatesectorincontractingtoprovidetransportationservicestoother agencies, with three for-profit companies reporting being interested in this type ofcoordination. This findingwould seem to support the opportunities identified in the stakeholderinterviews.As indicated in Table A4, participants reported using a range of different training standards fortheirdrivers, ranging fromFirstAid toLimitedEnglishProficiency(LEP).Thisdiversity indrivertraining standards is particularly interesting given the high level of interest expressed incoordinatingtrainingprogramsaspreviouslydiscussed.Thisfurthersupportsthenotionthatthereexistsanopportunityforcoordinateddrivertraining,afunctionthatisoftenprovidebyaCTSA.


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Table A4: Driver Training Standards reported by survey participants

Which of the following driver training standards must your drivers meet? Passenger Service and Safety (PASS) 4 Wheelchair/mobile device securement 5 Commercial Drivers License 6 CPR and First Aid 6 Confidentiality and HIPAA 5 Bloodborne pathogen spill cleanup 5 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) 2 Other 6

Finallytheparticipantsalsoidentifiedadditionalservicegapsandareasofneed(TableA5).Someofthemostcommonneedsreportedwererecreationalactivitiesandevents,medicalappointments, and grocery or shopping errands. Thiswould appear to support the ideathereisaneedforconsistentandreliabletransportationforbasiceverydayactivities.Table A5: Transportation needs reported by survey participants

What transportation needs are most often communicated by your organization’s clients? Getting to work before 8:00 AM 4 Getting to work between 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 2 Getting to work between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM 4 Getting to work after 9:00 PM 2 Attending training, education classes or program sites 1 Getting kids to daycare or school 2 Recreational activities or events 6 Visiting family or friends 3 Going to the doctor 7 Groceries, shopping, or other errands 7 Getting to church or other faith-based services 4 Getting places during the weekend 4 Getting places during holidays 3 Getting places during evenings 3 Other 2 In regionswhere fixed-route transit is lacking, themost common needs reported tend to be theroutinedailytrips,suchasgettingtoworkorschool.Buttheone-offtripstothegrocerystoreoramedical appointment are not always easily filled by public transit systems, particularly fortransportationdisadvantagedpopulationslikeseniorsandpeoplewithdisabilities.Thesetripsareagreatopportunityforvolunteerdriverprogramsthatleverageexistingcommunitynetworksandsupport structures with driver training and capital investments or mileage reimbursements toprovideon-demandtransportationservicestothoseinneed.


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Participantsalsobroughtuptwoareasofunmetneedthathadnotpreviouslybeendiscussed.Oneparticipant cited a need for medical or personal transportation options that provide a careattendantduringtransport.Alsomentionedwasaneedforbettermentalhealthawarenesstrainingfordriversandtransportationproviderstaff.Finally,weaskedparticipants to look forwardand identifyareaswhere they foreseedemand fortransportation services growingmost in thenear future.Among the factors sitedwere the agingpopulation,morelow-incomeseniors,medicalappointments,andrecreationalactivities(TableA6).

Table A6: Factors sited by survey participants that will impact demand growth

Demand Growth Demand from seniors, as the population ages. Additional breweries in the county will drive growth for our business. The Black Lake subdivision on the Nipomo Mesa. Hospital discharges, long distance medical appointments and individuals with mobility issues moving to the Central Coast. Community involvement, networking with county agencies and informing our medical community of our services. Schools, secondary care facilities, and vanpools. People with disabilities are being expected to become more independent and will need to have more transportation services. Recreational trips for events, and business meetings with airport pick up and drop off. We expect our services to be at the same level for the next few years. Inbound tourism. Demand from seniors is an obvious area of growth, especially as more and more seniors will be getting by with less.


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Table A7: Transportation Provider Survey Distribution List (contact info provided to SLOCOG)

ORGANIZATION DBA TYPE Amdal Senior Services

Smooth Human Service

Ventura Transit System Yellow Cab Co, Smart Shuttle, SLO Cab Company

Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

PathPoint Human Service

Slo Saferide Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

RSVP of the Central Coast Friendly Rides 4 Seniors Program Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

234 Taxi Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Central Coast Taxi Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Fetch! Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Roadrunner Shuttle & Limousine Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Transitions Inc., San Luis Obispo George Lepper, Travel Trainer Travel Training

NCI Affiliates Human Service

Life Steps Foundation, Inc. Human Service

Cayucos Senior Club Van Senior Services

Escuela Del Rio Human Service

Cambria Community Council Cambria Community Bus Senior Services

Drive 805 Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Atascadero Bible Church Church

Xsperience It Custom Tours SLO Limo Rental Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Community Action Partnership Of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO)

EOC SLO? Human Service

101 Wine Tours Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Casa De Flores Senior Services

Mikellis Michael John Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Atascadero Christian Home Atascadero Christian Community, Pacific Christian Senior Services

Senior Services

Revel Rides LLC Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

First Baptist Church Of Cambria Church

Grace Bible Church Church

Mid State Baptist Church Schools & Ministries In Paso Robles Inc

Church

New Life Community Church Nazarene

Church

Bay Limousine Services Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Breakaway Tours Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours


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ORGANIZATION DBA TYPE Central Coast Jeep Adventures CC Jeep Tour Adventures, CCJTA Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Central Coast Trolley Company Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Crown Limousine Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Elegant Image Limo Inc Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Grand Cru Limousine LLC Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Hop On Beer Tours Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Lush Limousine Services Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Obsession Limousines Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Pacific Vineyard Company Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Silver Bay Tours Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

The Wine Line Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Vines And Views Tours LLC Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Wine Tours Vip Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Creative Alternative For Learning And Living Inc

Human Service

Agape Christian Fellowship Church

First Baptist Church San Luis Obispo

Church

Landmark Missionary Baptist of Arroyo Grande

Church

S L O Church Of The Nazarene Church

Saint Johns Lutheran Church Church

Enterprise Vanpool Vanpool

vRide Vanpool

Surf Cab Co Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours

Atascadero Dial-A-Ride Dial-A-Ride

Morro Bay Fixed/Call-A-Ride Flex Transit

RISE Human Service

Community Health Center (CHC) Human Service

CenCal Human Service

R&D Transportation c/o Tri Counties Regional Center

Travel Training

Wilshire Good Neighbor Program

Senior Services

A Ride Awaits Taxi/ Shuttle/ Tours


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APPENDIX C: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Current Plans and Studies TheSanLuisObispoRegion is the subjectofnumerousplans, studiesandevaluations relating topublicandalternativetransportation. Thereisagreatdealofplanningworkcurrentlyunderwayamongtransportationproviders.GridWorksreviewedtheplansandstudieslistedinTableA8.Oursummariesarelistedinchronologicalorderbeginningwiththemostrecent.

Table A8: Current Plans and Studies Matrix

Document Date Status Relevance to Coordinated Plan 2015 RTA/SLO Transit Joint Short-Range Transit Plan

Plan is currently underway

Three working papers are available on SLO City website.

Identifies current demographic data and detailed transit data, maps. Much of this information can be used directly in the Coordinated Plan.

Ride-On Transportation Plan and Future Strategies Report

May 2015 Grant awarded to study brokerage concept further.

Includes demographic maps, Transit dependency index.

2014 Transit Needs Assessment Update

January 2015

Includes route and paratransit maps, Identifies recent changes in services, provides detailed demographic data including DSS caseloads, labor force, LEP populations, and veterans.

2014 Regional Transportation Plan

December 2014

Identifies long-term trends and regional desired outcomes relating to transportation. Visually appealing – can serve as model for Coordination Plan Update.

SLO and RTA 2014 TDA Performance Audits

June 2014 Includes recommendations relevant to Coordinated Plan.

2007 Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan

October 2007

Partially implemented. See CHSTP Performance Evaluation.

Includes stakeholders and inventory information that can be updated.


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2015 RTA/SLO Transit Joint Short-Range Transit Plan RTAandSLOTransit are currentlyworkingwith a consultant to jointlyupdate their short-rangetransitplans.WereviewedthreeundatedinterimworkingpapersavailableonlineattheSLOCitywebsite1:• Working PaperOne:Overviewof ExistingTransit Service.Provideshistoryofoperations

and governance issues, service descriptions, financial data and vehicle inventories for bothtransitagencies.Includesdetailedroutemapsandfrequency/cycletables.Includesanarrativedescription of other transportation providers that we have incorporated into ourtransportation services inventory.Mentions thatRunabout is currently complyingwithFTA’sMarch2015FinalRuleonreasonablemodifications.

• WorkingPaperTwo:Goals,ObjectivesandStandards.Includesareviewofexistingservicestandardsandpolicies.Includespeercomparisonsandoffersrecommendationsforimprovingservicestandards.o RelevantrecommendationsforRTA:

§ Introductionofservicestandardsfordial-a-ride§ ReductionofRunabouton-timewindowfrom30to20minutes§ ReductionofRTA’ssystemwideproductivitystandardto10passengersperhour§ Allowstandeesonhigherpercentageofshortrunroutes

o RelevantrecommendationsforSLOTransit:§ AdoptseparatemissionfromCity’s§ Evaluationofexpandingweekendservice§ Evaluatebusstopshelterstandardof25boardings,considerloweringto20boardings§ Updatepublicinformationstandardtoincludewebsiteandsocialmedia

• WorkingPaperThree:ServiceandSystemEvaluation: Includesdetaileddemographicdataandmaps, includingcurrentdemographicdata fornon-driverpopulations typicallyevaluatedaspartofacoordinatedhumanservicespublic transportationplan. Includessurveyofdial-a-rideusersanddetailedoperatingdataforrunaboutincludingon-timeperformanceandmissedtrips.Also includes relevant feedback fromstaff that couldbebeneficial toCHSTP. Staff frombothRTAandSLOTransitmentionanincreaseinhomelessridersandgrowthinboardingsbypeoplewhousewheelchairs.KnownservicegapsidentifiedincludetheareaaroundtheAirportandserviceontankfarmroad.MentionsthatjointSRTPisintendedtohelpIDopportunitiestocoordinatetransfers.

Ride-On Transportation Plan and Future Strategies Report The Ride-On Transportation plan and Future Strategies Report was completed in May 2015. ItcoversRide-On’sfunctionasbothaTMA&CTSA.WefocusedourreviewontheCTSAfunctions.Theprimarydata sources for the recommendations in theFutureStrategiesReportwerea focusgroup comprised of stakeholders identified primarily by Ride-On staff and a discussionwith theRide-OnBoardofDirectors.InputfromtheseparticipantswasusedbytheConsultanttodevelopaseriesofgoals,objectivesandperformancestandardsforRide-On’sCTSAandTMAprograms.1 http://www.slocity.org/government/department-directory/public-works/slo-transit/short-range-transit-plan


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ThereportincludesthefollowingrecommendationsfortheCTSA:

• Improvemarketing,publicinformationandcustomerservice

• Formalizegrouptripsonseniorshuttles

• Expandvolunteerdriverprogram

• Providelinkstoregionalorlocaltransitservices

• Serveasamaintenancecoordinatorandprovider

• TransitiontoCountywideHumanServiceTransportationBrokerage

• PositionorganizationasacontractoperatorforADAparatransitoperations

The brokerage strategy includes a short-term recommendation for Ride-On to provide travelnavigationservicesasaprecursor toperformingbrokerage functions.A five-year fundingplan isidentified including capital requirements. However, the financial plan does not include cost orsavingsestimatesfortherecommendedbrokerage.

Thereportincludesasectiononorganizationalrecommendationsandbestpracticesbutdoesnotincludespecificchanges.

Theappendix includesadetailed listofpartnersandamatrixofprograms, includingbudgetandperformancedata.

2014 Transit Needs Assessment Update The 2014 Transit Needs Assessment Update from SLOCOG covers recent changes anddevelopments in transportation options in the region. It includes a helpful summary of transitoptions by jurisdiction, an assessment of service coverage, review of ridership trends for fixed-routeproviders,andasummaryofknowndeficienciesinthesystem.

Knowndeficienciesinclude:

• Intercommunitytransitoptions

• Servicehoursanddays

• Farechoicesandinformation

• Fullyaccessiblebusstopsandstrategicallyplacedregionalstops

• Visibility,serviceawarenessandunderstanding

• Increasedfrequencies,reliabilityofconnections,newservicesinunderservedareas

SLO and RTA 2014 TDA Performance Audits TDA performance audits were conducted for SLO Transit and RTA in May and June 2014,respectively. Theseauditscontaindetailedoperatingandperformancedataforbothservicesandrecommendations for improvements. Recommendations fromtheaudits thatarerelevant to thisplanarelistedbelow:

Recommendationsfrom2014TDASLOCityAudit:

• ImplementaUpassprogram

• UpdateandrefineperformancestandardsforSLOtransit


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• ExploreopportunitiestocoordinateserviceswithRTAroutes

• Establishstandardsandproceduresforhandlingcomplaints

Recommendationsfrom2014TDARTAAudit:

• ExploreopportunitiestocoordinateserviceswithSLOTransitroutes

• TaxisubsidyprogramtosupplementRunabout

• In-personeligibilityassessmentsforRunabout

• Establishgoalsandperformancestandardswithperiodicandannualreports

2014 Regional Transportation Plan The2014RegionalTransportationPlanoutlinesa long-rangevision for transportation in theSanLuisObisporegion. ItemphasizesLivableCommunities,PublicTransitandActiveTransportationas a means of supporting more active and healthy lifestyles among the region’s residents. Keyfindingsoftheplanarethattheregioncannot“build[its]wayoutofcongestion”andthattheregionmust focus efforts to achieveamoreefficient and interconnected system that accommodates theneedsofallusers.Theplanidentifies$91MillioninSystemEfficiencyinvestments,$589MillioninPublicTransportationinvestments,$132MillioninActiveTransportationinvestments,and$1,364MillioninStreet,RoadandHighwayimprovementsandmaintenance.

The plan identifies a systems approach to transportation planning that links transportationinvestmentswithoutcomesrelatingtoeconomicprosperity,safetyandsecurity,health,airquality,andsustainability,asillustratedinFigureA3,excerptedfromtheRTPexecutivesummary.

Figure A3: RTP Planning Framework and Desired Outcomes

KeyinsightsfromtheRTPrelatingtotheCoordinationPlaninclude:

• Agingpopulation:Seniorswillmakeup25%ofpopulationby2035.

• Highcostofhousing:RTPnotesthatthehighcostofhousingexacerbatestransportationissuesbydrivinglower-incomeandyoungerfamiliestoliverfurtheraway.


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• Drought: TheRTP anticipate a reducednumber of newhomes built due to scarcity ofwater.

This reduced supply combined with continued population growth could exacerbate high

housingcosts.

• PreferredGrowthScenario:PreferredgrowthscenariooftheSustainableCommunitiesStrategy

(SCS) identifies more concentrated development patterns and greater mobility options for

individuals.

• Desiredoutcomes:FigureES-12providesatypeoflogicmodel,linkingtransportationbenefits

todesiredoutcomesidentifiedintheRTPandSCSplans.

2007 Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan The2007CoordinatedPlanprovidesanassessmentofexistingtransportationoptionsforSeniors,

PeoplewithDisabilitiesandPeoplewithLowIncomes. Itexplorestheneedsofthesepopulations

usingdemographicdata,astakeholdersurveyandavarietyofoutreachmeetingsheldthroughout

thecounty.Theidentifiedneedsaresummarizedintofourbroadcategories,including:

• Individualizedneeds

• Needforinformation

• Seamless,understandableoptions

• Expandedconnections

The2007CoordinatedPlanprovidesalistofpotentialprojectsbasedontheidentifiedneedsanda

frameworkforprioritizingprojectselectionaspartoftheannualcallforprojects.Amajorfeature

ofthe2007CoordinatedPlanisitsrecommendedFrameworkforCoordination,whichestablishes

the Regional Mobility Manager role within SLOCOG. As part of this framework, the 2007

CoordinatedPlanalsorecommendedasystemofsub-regionalandagency-levelmobilitymanagers.

It includes a vision statement with three supporting goals, fifteen objectives, and fifty-three

implementing actions. The actions are organized into two phases: first to establish the regional

mobility manager followed by implementation of county-wide travel training, continued data

collectionandtransit inventorywork,expansionofvolunteerdrivers,andotherpriorityprojects.

Whilemostofthefirstphasehasbeenimplemented,limitedprogresshasbeenmadeonthesecond

phase recommendations. See the 2007 Coordinated Plan Performance Evaluation for a detailed

assessment.

Current Plans and Studies; Conclusion Theseplansprovidemuchof thedataandbackgroundinformationthat isrequiredaspartof the

CoordinatedPlan.Weareabletorelyontherelatedplansformuchoftherequiredtransportation

inventory and formaps anddemographicdataneeded to gain insights into theneeds and issues

facingthecommunity. Theavailabilityofthisdataenablesustofocusmoreprojectresourceson

thequestionsofwhatstrategiesandtacticsarebestabletomeettheneedsandhowbesttocarry

outthosestrategiesandtactics.


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Mobility Management Summit & Workshop TheRegionalMobilityManager role–brandedasKnowHow toGo!– is currentlyhousedwithinSLO Regional Rideshare, a division of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments. While theRegionalMobilityManagerrolewas formallydelegated toRideshare in2007,momentumaroundmobility management has grown in recent years through the annual Mobility Managementworkshopsheldin2013and2014.

These workshops have helped Rideshare gain an improved understanding of the transportationneedsof social serviceagenciesand their customers.The followinghighlightsweregleaned frommaterials provided byRideshare. The conclusion of this section provides our synthesis of theseworkshops and how the information gained from these workshops will be used in the 2015CoordinatedPlanupdate.

2013 Mobility Management Summit The 2013 Mobility Management Summit was the first annual meeting focused on MobilityManagementfortheregion.ItmarkedarenewedfocusonhumanservicetransportationintheSanLuisObispoarea.Actionitemsresultingfromthisworkshopinclude:

• PartnershipwithHearstCancerResearchCenter andWilshireCommunityCenter to leveragevolunteerconnections

• TrainingsandguidancetoRISErelatingtotaxisubsidy

• MobilitymanagementtrainingfordischargenursesatFrenchHospital

• PartnershipswithCountyDrugandAlcoholAbusePreventionProgramtodeterminepossiblepartnershipoptionsformeetingtransportationneeds

• Spanishlanguagetransportationtrainingforsocialserviceagencies

2014 Mobility Management Workshop The second annual mobility management meeting was styled as a workshop and facilitated byHunterHarvathofMonterey-SalinasTransit.Rideshareusedclickertechnologytopollanaudienceofover76individualsrepresenting55socialserviceorganizations.The2014eventdrewalargeraudiencethanthe2013meetingandfocusedonhowandwhyclientsoftheparticipatingagenciesusethetransportationsystem.

Keyresults:

• Over eighty percent of the agencies who participated deal with client transportation. Mostdisseminateinformationviatelephone.

• Thirtypercentofparticipatingagenciesprovidetransportation.

• Limitedhours/daysoftransitisabarrierforreferringindividualstousefixed-route.

• Moreagencieswoulduse/referfixed-routeifthereweremoreresourcesfortripplanningandbetterunderstandingofthedifferentproviders.

Nextsteps:

Participantsidentifiedthefollowingnextstepsasaresultoftheworkshop:

• RideshareisworkingwithRTAtoevaluatereferralstoRunabout.


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• AkeytakeawayforRidesharewasthehighlevelofinterestamongpartnersinpersonalizedtripplanningandtrainings.Ridesharesetagoalofmarketingservicesspecificallytoaudienceswhowouldbenefit fromtheseservices.Rideshareidentifiedathree-tieredtrainingprogramandiscurrentlyworkingoncollateral.

Surveyhighlights:

• 71%ofparticipatingagenciessupportacoordinatedintake/screeningprocess

• 44%ofclientsneeddoor-to-doorwhereas16%requiredoor-through-door

• 44%ofparticipatingagenciesindicatedthattrainingonalltransitoptionswouldbehelpful

• Participantsexpressedagreatdealofsupportforshuttlesandsame-dayservice

• Information, trip planning and training were rated as most important topics for agenciesreferringriderstofixed-route

• Medicalappointmentsarethemostfrequenttripmode

Synthesis of Recent Mobility Management Workshops; Conclusion TheMobilityManagementSummitandWorkshopresultedinbeneficialdataandrelationshipsthatcan be built upon during development of the 2015 Coordinated Plan. However, in subsequentfollow upwith the RideshareMobilityManagerwe learned that some of themomentum gainedduringthesummitandworkshophasnotbeenmaintainedduetostaffchanges.Mostoftheactionitems coming out of these two meetings have not been completed or their status is currentlyunknown.

Performance Evaluation The2007CoordinatedPlanincludesthreeoverarchinggoals,15objectivesand53“implementingactions.” Each of the implementing actions was reviewed to determine its current status andimpact. Each implementing actionwas rated as “Implemented,” “Partially Implemented,” or “NotImplemented.” For those implementing actions that were classified as either partially or notimplemented, barriers preventing their implementation were assessed. Tables 27 and 28 belowsummarize the findings of the evaluation. Barriers and other challenges are described in thesynthesissectionthatfollows.

Table 9: Status of “Implementing Actions” as a Percentage of all Actions by Goal

Implemented Partially Implemented

Not Implemented

Goal 1.0 – Coordination Infrastructure 29% 29% 42% Goal 2.0 – Build Capacity to meet Needs

4% 29% 67%

Goal 3.0 – Information Portals 25% 50% 25%


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Table 10: Status of “Implementing Actions” by Objective

Goal/Objective Status of Actions Goal 1.0 – Coordination Infrastructure 1.1 Establish a Regional Mobility Manager’s capability to lead the coordination of specialized transportation within the San Luis Obispo region.

4 Implemented 3 Partially Implemented

1.2 Establish the Regional Mobility Manager’s role in developing, “growing” and strengthening projects responsive to regional coordination goals and objectives.

1 Partially Implemented 1 Not implemented

1.3 Promote human services agency-level Mobility Manager(s)’ capabilities through the Call for Projects and through outreach by Regional Mobility Manager.

1 Implemented 1 Partially Implemented 2 Not implemented

1.4 Develop visibility around specialized transportation issues and needs, encouraging high level political and agency leadership.

1 Implemented 1 Not implemented

1.5 Establish a SLOCOG Call for Projects process sufficiently flexible for applicants to design and implement projects responsive to identified needs.

3 Not implemented

1.6 Report on project performance, promoting project successes to regional partners and at state and federal levels.


Goal 2.0 – Build Capacity to Meet Needs

2.1 Promote policies that increase the quantity of public transit, paratransit and specialized transportation provided.

1 Implemented 3 Partially Implemented 1 Not implemented

2.2 Identify and invest in strategies to improve the quality of specialized transportation, with attention to meeting individualized needs.


2.3 Develop strategies for improving transportation solutions in identified corridors or areas of need.


2.4 Promote capital improvements to support safe, comfortable, efficient rides for the target populations.

2 Partially Implemented

2.5 Establish mechanisms to support transportation services provided by human services agencies.

5 Partially Implemented

2.6 Establish procedures to measure the quantities of trips provided, existing and new.


Goal 3.0 – Information Portals

3.1 Integrate and promote existing information strategies, including 211, 511 and web-based tools to get specialized transportation information to consumers.


3.2 Develop information portal tools for wide distribution. 1 Implemented 2 Partially Implemented 1 Not implemented

3.3 Promote information opportunities for human services agency line staff and direct service workers

1 Implemented 1 Partially Implemented


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Synthesis of Performance Evaluation Findings The following observations are offered as an overall synthesis of the performance evaluation

findings.

• Progress has beenmade in building coordination infrastructure, but roles need to bebetterdefined.Objective1.1–whichdealswithestablishingaregionalmobilitymanager–hadthe greatest number of successfully implemented actions. Four out of seven implementing

actions under Objective 1.1 were implemented. Despite progress on the regional mobility

manager role,many of the Phase II implementing actions identified in the 2007plan remain

unfulfilled.Weattributethistoseveralfactorsexploredbelow.

• Clarification of CTSA functions and accountabilities will help implement technicalassistance functions.Actions2.1.4,2.2.3,and2.5.1 through2.5.4dealwithspecific technicalassistance activities such as driver training, maintenance, dispatch, procurement, risk

management, and insurance. None of these actions were fully implemented. Coordination of

thesetechnicaltransportationactivitiesisconsideredabestpracticeandshouldbepartofthe

regional coordinationplan. Ride-On as the CTSA currently performs someof these functions,

butthisrolewasnotexplicitinthe2007plan.CTSAresponsibilitiesandaccountabilitiesneed

to be clarified in the updated plan. Specifically, we recommend the updated plan explicitly

designate these Phase II strategies from the 2007 plan as CTSA functions with specific

performancemeasuresandaccountabilities.

• Lack of impact evaluation is a severe weakness. None of the actions that have beenimplemented have been formally evaluated to determine impact. Of the 53 implementing

actions,wewereunabletoidentifywhetherperformancecriteriawereestablished,reported,or

evaluated.Thelackofformalperformanceevaluationisamajorobstacletoimplementationofa

successfulcoordinationprogram.

• The majority of “promotional” actions were not implemented. Sixteen of the fifty-threeimplementingactionswereto“promote”someotheraction. Tenofthesepromotionalactions

were partially implemented, and six were not implemented. We believe these actions were

poorly executed partly because the action language was vague and indirect. This lack of

specificityresultedinpooradoptionandownershipamongcandidatestakeholdersresponsible

forimplementation.

• Actions are complex, overwhelming.Thereare toomany implementingactions. The list isoverwhelming,evenforusastransportationprofessionals.Whiletheoverallstructureofgoals,

objectivesandimplementationactionsishelpful,itneedstobesimplified.Werecommendthe

future plan include no more than 10 major implementing actions, each with specific

accountabilitiesandperformancemeasures.

• Actions lack independent utility.Manyof the implementingactionswerenot implementedbecausetheirimplementationdependedonotheractionsthatwerealsonotimplemented.The

updated planwill bemore successful if the actions can be implemented independent of one

another.

• Purpose of some actions is lost in translation. Many of the implementing actions aredescribedusingtransportationjargon. Wewereunabletodecipherthepurposeandintentof

actions1.1.4,1.2.2,and3.1.2.Clearactionswillbemoresuccessfulthanambiguousones.

• Opportunity for supplemental local leadership in 5310 program administration. Ourperformanceevaluation identifieda leadershipgap inthe5310programintermsof technical

assistance, defining and tracking performance measures, and monitoring 5310 investments.

These functions are currently performed by CalTrans, but have limited follow through and

limitedlocalaccountability.Asaresult,manyofthesefunctionsweresimplynotperformedas


P A G E 2 6 O F 4 1

identifiedinactions1.5.1,1.5.2,1.5.3,1.6.1,1.6.2and1.6.3ofthe2007CoordinatedPlan.ItmaybebeneficialforSLOCOGtovoluntarilyprovidesupplementaloversightofthe5310program.

Stakeholder Interviews In late April and early May, interviews were conducted with representatives from stakeholderorganizations to understand the needs and opportunities for coordination of transportationservicesintheregion.TheorganizationsinterviewedarelistedalphabeticallyintableA11.

Table A11: Stakeholders interviewed.

Organization Location Number of Individuals

Interview Date

Adult Services Policy Council

CAPSLO, 1030 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA

14 5/12015

Amdal In Home Care Over the phone 1 5/5/2015 Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO)

CAPSLO, 1030 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA

9 4/30/2015

Regional Rideshare Regional Rideshare, 1114 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

2 5/1/2015

Ride-On Transportation Ride-On, 3620 Sacramento Drive #201, San Luis Obispo, CA

2 4/30/2015

San Luis Obispo Transit SLO City Transit, 919 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

1 4/30/2015

San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG)

Bello Mundo Café, 980 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

1 4/29/2015

San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services

SLO County DSS, 3433 South Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

1 5/1/2015

San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA)

RTA, 179A Cross Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

1 4/29/2015

SLO Safe Ride Over the phone 1 4/30/2015 SMOOTH Transportation Over the phone 1 4/23/2015 Ventura Transit System/Yellow Cabs of San Luis Obispo

SLO County Gov’t Center, 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

3 4/29/2015

Tri-Counties Regional Center

Tri-Counties Regional Center, 3450 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

3 4/30/2015

Manyofthethemesheardduringtheinterviewsechoedthefindingsofthefunctionalassessmentcovered in our firstmemo. For example, throughout these interviews a common themeemergedregarding the confusion and competition that resulted from overlapping roles, programs, and


P A G E 2 7 O F 3 5

offerings.MultipleorganizationsincludingSLOTransit,Rideshare,andTri-Countiesareperformingtraveltraining,buttheyarenotdoingsoinacoordinatedway.

Meanwhilethereisconfusionabouthowsomefunctionsareperformedandbywhom.Forexample,we heard wildly different interpretations about how the 5310 funding program operates in thecounty. Lack of clarity and mutual accountability around roles and responsibilities appear tocontributetoalackoftrustbetweenkeystakeholders.

Detailed summaries of the interviewswill not be provided as the interviewswere conducted inconfidence to ensure that stakeholders felt comfortable speaking freely. A summary of keytakeaways is included below, including specific service gaps, needs, and opportunities for bettertransportationserviceinSanLuisObispo.

Gaps

The following specific geographic areas within the county were identified by one or morestakeholdersas regionswith limitedor inadequate transportationservice. It is important tonotethatsomeoftheseareashavealreadybeenidentifiedintheongoingRTA/SLOTransitJointShort-RangeTransitPlan.

• SouthCounty.TheNipomoareainparticularwascitedbyanumberofstakeholdersasanareathatisnotwellservedbypublictransportation.

• NorthCounty.DowntownTempletonusedtohaveabusbuttodaytheareaisservedonlybyRTAroute9,whichstopsontheothersideofHWY101.

• Shandon. This relatively low-income area out onHWY46 to the East has dial-a-ride serviceonly3timesperweekoncall.

• Oceano. This unincorporated territory just South of Grover Beach has a relatively highconcentrationofnativeSpanish speakerswho travel toSantaMaria forgoodsandservices, abustripthat-despitebeingonly16mileslong-takesbetween1.5-2hours.

• MorroBay.Thiscoastalcityfeaturesanumberof low-incomemobilehomeparksandseniorlivingcenters,aswellasfull-timevacationrentalhomes.Thispopulationdichotomypresentsauniquechallengefortransportationasthesetwopopulationshaveverydifferentneeds.

Needs

In addition to the specific gaps above, three broader needs were identified throughout theinterviews:

• There is a need to reduce travel times on fixed-route transit. Oceanowas not the onlyexamplegivenwhere fixed-route travel timeswere too long tobeuseful. SLOCity routesarelargelyorientedtogetridersinandoutofdowntownandtheuniversity,makingcertaincross-towntripsdifficult.

• Thereisaneedforsame-dayserviceforriderswhoareunabletousefixed-routetransit.Anumberofhumanservicesandsocialserviceorganizationsofferedthisasaprimaryareaofneedfortheirclients,statingthatmosteverydaytripsaredifficulttoplaninadvance.

• There is a need for increased service to connect rural areaswith services in San LuisObispoand SantaMaria.Far-flungareas likeShandonandNipomoarehometosomeofthecounty’s most vulnerable and in-need residents. Without a consistent and reliabletransportation option residents in these areas often end up going without basic servicesincludingpreventativehealthcare.


P A G E 2 8 O F 4 1

Opportunities

Our firstmemodiscusses opportunities thatwere brought up in stakeholder interviews, such asjoint marketing and coordination of certain mobility management functions. Additionalopportunities were identified during the stakeholder interviews that had not already beenaddressedinourpreviousdeliverables.Itisimportanttonotethatthesearenotrecommendations,rather they are opportunities identified by stakeholders during our interviews. Even so, theyrepresentideasthatshouldbediscussedandconsideredfurtherforpossibleincorporationintothefinalplan.

• Joint driver recruitment, training, and certification.Multiple stakeholders expressed thatdespite there being plenty of demand for human service transportation and non-emergencymedicaltransportationservices,thebottleneckmaybefindingenoughqualifiedandinteresteddriverseitherforpaidorvolunteerpositions.

• Expansionofvolunteerdriverpool.Manyhumanserviceorganizationsstatedthattheirstaffmembers sometimes provide needed rides for their clients, despite not having any formaltrainingasapaidorvolunteerdriver.Meanwhile,therearetransportationprogramsthatrelyonvolunteerdrivers,buttheyarenotcentrallycoordinatedoralwaysmadeavailabletohumanservice organizations in the area. Putting investment and support behind a coordinatedvolunteerdriverprogramcouldhelp ensure thatusers get transportation that is appropriatefortheirneeds.

• Trip sharing.Many taxi vehicles and TNCs experience low volumes during the daytime onweekdays, the same general time period when Ride-On experiences peak ridership. Withproper coordination and training these vehicles anddrivers could helpmeet the demand forhumanservicetransportationduringweekdays.

• NEMT capacity. VenturaTransit Systemhas experienceprovidingNEMTservices inVenturaCountyandcouldpotentiallyusethatexperiencetohelpmeettheneedforNEMTserviceinSanLuisObispoCounty.


P A G E 2 9 O F 3 5

APPENDIX D: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Intercept Surveys InearlyAugustwetraveledtoSanLuisObispoCountytoconduct interceptsurveysandpersonalinterviewsinvariouscitiesandtownsacrossthecounty,includingSanLuisObispo,MorroBay,LosOsos, Grover Beach, Nipomo, and Paso Robles. One primary goal of this trip was to hear fromresidentsalloverthecounty,particularlyinsomeofthefurtherflungcornersofthecountywheretransportationneedshadbeenidentifiedbystakeholders.

Method Wefocusedouroutreacheffortsonlow-incomepopulations,peoplewithdisabilities,andseniors,as they represented the communities who would be most affected by changes in publictransportation. We sought out these populations over a four-day period at free meal events,homelessshelters,communityhealthscreenings,busstops,parks,andpubliclibraries.

Thesummarybelowcapturesresponsesfrom88individuals.Whilewerecognizethattheresultsofthissurveyarenotscientific,theyareinstructiveaboutmanyofthekeyneedsinthecommunity.

Demographics Togetabetter ideaof the typeofresidentswhotookthissurvey, the followingtablesshowhowparticipantsansweredthequestions,“Areyoudisabled?”and,“Inwhatyearwereyouborn?”Astheinterviewswere informal,noteverypersonchose tonorhad time toanswereveryquestion.Forthisreason,therearemany“NoResponse”answersrepresentedinthischart.

As shown in the Figure A4, a large number of survey participants identified themselves as“disabled.”Somedisabilitieswereobviousbecauseofthepresenceofawalkerorawheelchair,butnot all. Some of the less visible ailments included chronic back and hip pain, various types ofarthritis,fibromyalgia,andvaryingdegreesofmentalillnesses.


P A G E 3 0 O F 4 1

Figure A4: Do you have any disabilities that make it hard for you to get around?

Figure A5: In what year were you born?

Modes of Transportation Asthissurvey focusedprimarilyonresidents’ability togetaround,allparticipantsansweredthequestion,“Whatisyourprimarymodeoftransportation?”Becausemanypeoplealternatebetweentwo primary modes of transportation, Figure A6 includes two responses for many surveyparticipants. “Other” options in this figure represent people who have someone to drive themwheretheyneedtogoorwhouseaskateboardorpowerchairtogetaround.

26

26

6

17

Disability

Yes

No

Partially

No Response

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

No Response Under 18 19-30 31-45 46-60 61+

Age


P A G E 3 1 O F 3 5

Figure A6: What is your primary mode of transportation?

Since thissurvey targetedspecificpopulations, themajorityofpeopleuse thebusasoneof theirprimarymodestransportation.Webelievethisnumberwouldhavebeenevenhigheriftherewereotherways for low-incomepopulations topay forbus fare. Manyof thesurveyparticipants thatchosewalkingorbikingastheirprimarywaysofgettingaround,statedthecostofbusticketsasthereason. Transit fares in the county are in line with fares in the region, and organizations likeCAPSLOandthePradoDayCenterdoprovidesomesupport,butit’sclearthatthisisn’tenoughtomeetalloftheneedinthecommunity.

Asshown inFigureA7,notonepersonchoseRunaboutas theirprimarymodeof transportation.Therewere people, however, who had one or two experienceswith the service in the past thatclaimed theyused it “rarely.”While theywereall generallyhappywith theexperience, a fewdidmentiontheadvancenoticerequirementasaproblem.Itrestrictsusersabilitytobespontaneousandfeelliketheyhavefreedom.

Figure A7: How often do you use SLO, RTA, and Runabout?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Car Bus Walk Bike Taxi Runabout Other

How Residents Get Around SLO

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Daily 1-3/week 1-3/month Rarely Never No Response

Frequency of Use

SLO/RTA

Runabout


P A G E 3 2 O F 4 1

One participant with a walker told the story of how she had expressed interest in using theRunaboutserviceyearsbefore,butwasdenied.SheclaimedthatsheevenhadadisabilityplacardfromtheDMV,butstillwasn’tabletogetalloftherequiredpaperworktoproveherdisabilityforRunabout.Manyotherpeoplewespokewithmentionedthissameideaofneedingamoreefficientwayofauthenticatingdisabilities.

Informational Materials SanLuisObispohas awealthof informationavailable to informresidents and tourists about theavailabletransportationoptions.Twoofthesemainprogramsarethe511numberandthe“KnowHowToGo”informationalbooksandflyers.

Weaskedallsurveyparticipantsabouttheirfamiliaritywiththeseresourcesandwhatwefoundisthat a very small percentage of San Luis Obispo residents have ever heard of them. This isn’tsurprisingasmanyplaceswevisited–includingseniorcenters,homelessshelters,andtransitstops–didn’thaveanyofthepamphletsorflyersondisplay.Manysurveyparticipantsalsodidn’townaphonetobeabletocall511.Deliveringinformationalmaterialstocentersaroundthecommunitywould be an easy way to inform these and other residents about lesser-known transportationoptionssuchasseniorshuttlesandlocalvolunteerdriverprograms.

Figure A8: Are you familiar with 511 or "Know How to Go"?

Feedback and Recommendations Beyondthisrecommendation,allparticipantshadtheopportunitytogiveanyotherfeedbackandsuggestionstheyhadrelatingtotransportationinthecounty.Therewasalotofpositivefeedbackfrom participants complimenting the kindness of the drivers, the great customer service, thecoverageofstopsacrossthecounty,andcomplimentingthebussystemforbeingeasytofigureout.Residents are generally impressed by all of the transportation services that are offered for arelativelysmallandruralcounty.

Figure A9, however, shows the five common suggestions survey participants had for improvingservices.

7 2

70 76

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

100%

511 Know-How

Familiarity with Resources

NO

YES


P A G E 3 3 O F 3 5

Figure A9: What are the major transportation challenges that you regularly experience?

Themostcommonofthesecomplaintshadtodowiththefrequencyofbuses.Asbusesonlycomeonceeveryhalfhouroronceeveryhour,alotofpeoplehavedifficultiesgettingtoworkandmakingtransfers.Someparticipantsevenmentionedthatwalkingorbikingareoftenfasterwaysforthemtogetaroundthecity.Whilethisprovidesgreatexerciseforsomeofthecounty’sresidents,itisn’tapossiblealternativeformanyseniorsandpeoplewithdisabilities.This issue of frequency is exacerbated on weekends and during the summer. These changingschedulesnotonlycausepeopletohavetowaitlongerforbuses,theycausealotofconfusionforpeople trying to figure out the system for the first time. One survey participant evenmentionedbeingleftatabusstopmorethanamilefromherhousebecauseshedidn’trealizethatroutesaswellastimeschangeduringthesummer.Anotheroneofthebiggesthurdlesforpeoplegettingaroundisthefactthatservicestopstooearlyintheday.Manyofthepeoplethatrelyonpublictransitmostareunabletotakejobsthatstartorendintheeveningbecausetheydon’thaveawaytogetthereandback.Agroupofseniorcitizensmentioned a similar problemwith taking classes. Sincemany adult education classes are in theevenings,theyhavenoreliablewayofgettinghomeafterwards.Even though we conducted these intercept surveys all across the county, however, only a fewpeople mention the points of service as a problem. The few that did all mentioned the lack ofservicetotheGreyhoundstation,andtoandaroundtheairportasthebiggestproblems.Thefactthatthereisn’taneconomicalwayforpeopletogettotheselocationsmeansthatitisverydifficultforlow-income,anddisabledresidentstocoordinatewithvisitingfamilyandfriends.Beyond these most prominent findings, survey participants related a number of other opinionssurrounding transit services in San Luis Obispo County. The following list summarizes many ofthesekeysuggestions:• Moreeco-friendlybusestomatchtheenergyefficientcity• Lesscrowdedbusesaroundcertainstops(ie.thePradoDayCenterandCalPoly)• Morevoucherprogramstohelplow-incomepeoplepayfortransitpasses• Morededicatedbikepaths• Assistancetoseniorstointroducethemtotransit

0

5

10

15

20

25

Frequency Evening Hours

Weekend Hours

Summer Hours

Points of Service

Areas for Improvement

Number of times the suggestion was mentioned


P A G E 3 4 O F 4 1

• Moreattentiontoridersafetybyputtingmoresecuritycamerasonbuses

• Moreassistancefromdriverstogetonthebus

• MorelocationstobuyalltransitpassesoutsideofSanLuisObispocity

Complete tabulated survey resultswere provided in XLSX format to SLOCOG by GridWorks/C.R.PetersonLLConSeptember18,2015.

Community Interviews Inadditiontotheinterceptsurveys,wescheduledmorein-depthinterviewswiththreecommunitymembers. These residents all provideduniqueperspectives regarding the transportationoptionsavailableinSanLuisObispoCounty.

Peta Rimington Petahasheldaseatonthecommissiononagingfortwoyears.Asalow-incomeseniorwithhealthconcerns,shedescribesherselfastheonlypersonontheboardthatactuallylivesthelifetheotherseatholders talkabout. Recently,Petabegan toexperience thequick transitionbetweendrivingandwalkingeverywhere,andnothavingtheabilitytogetaroundonherown.Becauseofthis,shehas first-hand experience using many of the transportation and health services offered by thegovernmentandsocialserviceagencies.

WhilePetadescribedmanyof thesamedifficultiesas thepeoplewespokewithatbusstopsandhomeless shelters, she also provided insights into the disconnect between healthcare andtransportation.AccordingtoPeta,DentiCalandCenCalarebothlackingprovidersinherareaandin the county as a whole. Services such as healthcare, grocery stores, and pharmacies are alsofartheraway.Thisisaproblemconsideringthefactthatdial-a-ridedoesn’tofferservicesoutsideofthe county and volunteer driver programs are usually unwilling to give rides to people inNorthCountywhere she lives. As services change, itmeans thatexisting transportation servicesaren’tnecessarilycontinuingtomeettheneedsofthecommunity.

Peta’sconcernsareproblemsthattransportationalonemaynotbeabletofix.Thereare,however,waysthatthetransportationoptionscouldbeimprovedtohelpherandpeopleinsimilarsituationsgetaround.CoordinatingtransportationwithMedicaidandMedicareprogramsbetterwouldbeakey step in making sure that more San Luis Obispo residents are actually able to access theprovidersandservicestheyneedtobehealthy.

Dorothy Yelda Wewere introduced to Dorothy from one of her fellowmembers on the Commission on Aging.Dorothy is incredibly active in her community for a person in her mid eighties. While she nowprimarilyreceivesridesfromherson,sheusedtobeaveryfrequentuserofbothSLOTransitandDial-a-rideservices.Likemanyotheragingseniors,Dorothyexpressedconcernsaboutusingpublictransportationwithherdecreasingenergylevelsandincreasinghealthconcerns.

Dorothy’s biggest suggestions focused on making the existing transportation options moreaccessibleforseniorslikeherselfinthecommunity.EvenwithprogramslikeRunabout,whicharedirected toward people like her, she expressed difficulty getting cash to pay drivers, schedulingurgentrides,andgenerallyunderstandingallofthedifferenttransportationoptionsavailable.

She suggested little changes such as removing blue ink from informational materials for peoplewithvisionimpairments,havingpeopleincallcentersspeakslowerandmoreclearly,andhelping


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peoplewithoutsmartphonestoscheduleurgentrideswithcompanieslikeUber.Whilemanyofhersuggestions are very simple, they would make an enormous impact on the accessibility oftransportationforseniors.

Kathleen Riel As Program Manager at the Independent Living Resource Center, Kathleen understands theconcerns thatpeoplewithdisabilities faceeveryday.The transportationoptionsavailable to thispopulationarelimitedbyproblemswiththeParatransitsystemandthedifficultyoffindingotherservices that are able to accommodate a wheelchair, service animal, or other mobility device.Kathleenmirroredothers’concernsthat,whileserviceslikeLyftandUberarestartingtooffermoreaccessiblevehicles,theonlywaytoschedulearideisusingasmartphone.

KathleenalsohastheuniqueperspectiveofworkinginofficesinbothSanLuisObispoCountyandSanta Barbara County. Since there are no public buses from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara,people traveling between the counties without a car are often left with Greyhound as the onlyoption.Thisisnotonlymoreexpensive,butscheduledattimesthatforcemanypeopletohavetowaituntil thenextday forareturn trip. Shesuggested thatashuttlesimilar to theonebetweenSanta Barbara and Ventura County would be a step in the right direction for better connectingpeopleinthesetwocounties.

san luis obispo county coordinated human …wilshire community services demand response county-wide...

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