FINAL 2006 MST ADA Complementary Paratransit (MST RIDES) Plan

85 Pages·2006·3.26 MB·English

FINAL
2006
MST ADA
Complementary Paratransit
(MST RIDES) Plan

June 14, 2006

Monterey-Salinas Transit
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Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................2
2 OVERVIEW OF RIDES PARATRANSIT SERVICES.......................................2
Existing Ridership.......................................................................................................3
Driver and Dispatch Training....................................................................................4
Vehicle Specifications.................................................................................................4
3 MST RIDES SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION (RIDES ST)................................4
MST RIDES Special Medical Trips.............................................................................5
MST RIDES Reimbursed Taxi Program.....................................................................5
4 OTHER PRIVATE PARATRANSIT SERVICES................................................5
5 CURRENT COMPLIANCE WITH ADA CRITERIA REQUIREMENTS.......6
6 MST RIDES CERTIFICATION PROCESS..........................................................9
Eligibility.....................................................................................................................9
7 HISTORY OF RECENT IMPROVEMENTS TO RIDES...................................9
8 SERVICE NEEDS/EVALUATION......................................................................10
Demand Estimates....................................................................................................11
Budget For RIDES Services......................................................................................12
Performance Measures.............................................................................................14
Analysis of Performance Results..............................................................................15
Additional Results.....................................................................................................16
9 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS................................................17
MST RIDES Advisory Committee.............................................................................18
Social Service Transportation Advisory Council......................................................18
Monterey-Salinas Transit Board of Directors..........................................................18
Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.....................................................19
10 CONCLUSION...................................................................................................19
APPENDIX…………………………………………………………….………..21
List of Tables
Table 1 General Service Overview.....................................................................................2
Table 2 RIDES Customers..................................................................................................3
Table 3 MST RIDES Passenger Registration Information (as of February 16, 2006).......3
Table 4 MST RIDES Monthly Ridership (FY 2004 to December of FY 2006).................4
Table 5 Eligibility, Six Service Criteria, and Full Compliance Date..................................7
Table 5 Eligibility, Six Service Criteria, and Full Compliance Date (continued)..............8
Table 6 Certification Requirements....................................................................................9
Table 7 MST RIDES Registered Participants (1990-2006)..............................................10
Table 8 ADA Paratransit Demand and Service Estimates................................................11
Table 9 ADA Paratransit Demand and Service Estimates................................................12
Table 10 ADA Paratransit Capital and Operating Budget Summary...............................13
Table 11 Total Transit System Cost Estimates (projection in thousands of 2005 dollars)14
Table 12 Key Business Drivers for MST RIDES.............................................................15
Table 13 Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Service Quality Measures for RIDES...............15
Table 14 Schedule of Significant Dates for Public Comments and Review....................17
1 INTRODUCTION
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandates the provision of
transportation service for individuals who have a disability that prevents them from
independently using MST’s regular fixed route transit services. Monterey-Salinas Transit
(MST) oversees the ADA Paratransit service for Monterey County, MST RIDES. Each
year the MST ADA Complementary Paratransit (MST RIDES) Plan will be updated to
reflect the most current MST RIDES information.
MST contracts with MV Transportation, Inc for the ADA Paratransit service, MST
RIDES. The MST RIDES program also provides the RIDES Special Transportation
(RIDES ST) service on behalf of Monterey County for eligible persons living in areas
outside of the ADA-required service corridor (up to ¾ of a mile either side of any MST
fixed route bus line). The North County zone covers 86 square miles of Monterey
County north of Salinas, while the South County zone spans an extra quarter mile beyond
the ¾ of a mile beyond the ADA service corridor, straddling Highway 101 between
Salinas and King City, and then for one mile on either side along Highway 101 between
King City and Bradley. MST RIDES ST passengers are required to certify under the
ADA Paratransit eligibility criteria before they may use the RIDES ST service.
Passengers pay an additional fare for pick-ups / drop offs outside of the ADA service
corridor. Once the RIDES ST passenger enters the ADA service corridor, they pay
regular ADA system fares. As with the MST RIDES program, there are no limitations on
trip purpose and the RIDES ST service is also available whenever MST’s regular fixed
route bus services are in operation.
2 OVERVIEW OF RIDES PARATRANSIT SERVICES
The MST RIDES program provides curbside-to-curbside Paratransit transportation
services to individuals with disabilities who cannot independently use regular fixed-route
service within ¾ mile on either side of, and at the beginning and end of MST fixed-route
transit services. . Table 1 provides an overview of the services available.
Table 1 General Service Overview
Days and Times of Service Same as MST fixed route service
Fares $2.50 Per Zone
Trip Restrictions There are no restrictions for MST RIDES customers in the
jurisdiction of Monterey County. Under the County of
Monterey’s Special Transportation program (RIDES ST),
there is a $2.00 fare for every trip made outside of the ¾
mile buffer from MST’s fixed route services within
Monterey County. Trips made within the ADA corridor
are the regular $2.50 per zone passenger fare.
Capacity Constraints None
Eligibility Passengers must meet ADA Paratransit eligibility criteria.
Existing Ridership
Serving alongside any regular fixed route, MST RIDES currently serves 14
municipalities in two counties and nearly 10 additional communities in the
unincorporated areas of Monterey County. The cities of Monterey and Salinas act as
major transit hubs. The coverage area includes the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel, Carmel
Valley, Salinas, Chualar, Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, King City, and north to the
Watsonville Transit Center.
Table 2 shows information about the users of the RIDES services in the fixed route
service corridor areas as of February 2006.
Table 2 RIDES Customers
1 The number of people certified as ADA Paratransit eligible as of 2,145
February 2006.
The number of people projected to have been certified by the end of 2,245
February 2006.
2 The total population in the Monterey County service area. 665,262
3 Estimated percentage of certified participants by age group:
0 to 16 years 0.7%
17 to 61 years 25.7%
62 to 70 years 11.2%
Over 70 years 62.3%

Tables 3, 4, and 5 illustrate the existing ridership of the MST RIDES program. Table 3
shows the mobility status of the 2,145 certified MST RIDES passengers and their cities
of residence as of February of 2006. Table 4 shows the month comparison changes in
MST RIDES over a three-year period (FY 2004 and FY 2006). Table 4 shows the trend
in monthly ridership.

Table 3 MST RIDES Passenger Registration Information (as of February 16, 2006)
Mobility Status Registered Passengers
Ambulatory 1,500
Manual Wheelchair 486
Power Chair 115
Power Scooter 32
Other Aid 9
Service Animal 3
Total Registered Passengers 2,145
City Reg. Pass City Reg Pass City Reg Pass
Salinas 805 King City 59 Las Lomas 0
Monterey 269 Soledad 29 Royal Oaks 4
Pacific Grove 203 Pebble Beach 20 Pajaro 0
Seaside 169 Greenfield 36 Spreckels 2
Marina 167 Del Rey Oaks 13 Bradley 0
Carmel 167 Gonzales 18 Lockwood 0
Carmel Valley 43 Moss Landing 9 Chualar 0
Castroville 33 Aromas 8 Big Sur 1
Prunedale 18 San Ardo 0 Sand City 1
Watsonville 16 San Lucas 1 Visitors 54

Table 4 MST RIDES Monthly Ridership (FY 2004 to December of FY 2006)
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
FY2004 FY2005 FY2006

Driver and Dispatch Training
As mentioned earlier, MST contracts the ADA Paratransit service of Monterey County to
MV Transportation, Inc. Their training includes 104 hours of classroom and behind-the-
wheel training to their drivers in areas such as: Company Orientation and Safety
Program, Sensitivity, Transportation of Passenger-Special Needs, Passenger Relations
and Assistance, Driving Skills, Equipment orientation (Lift / MDT operation), Map
Reading, Defensive Driving, Passenger Loading/Unloading, Accidents, CPR, Emergency
Procedures, and Operating General Procedures.
MV Transportation, Inc dispatch operators are trained to handle heavy volumes of calls.
Currently, there are four dispatchers and 21 coach operators working in Monterey County
for the MST RIDES program.
Vehicle Specifications
Twenty-three Paratransit vehicles and two sedans are assigned to the MST RIDES &
RIDES ST programs (described below). The RIDES Paratransit vehicles, vans and mini-
buses are fully accessible and are all lift-equipped.
3 MST RIDES SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION (RIDES ST)
The MST RIDES ST service is provided in areas not mandated by the ADA. However,
the County of Monterey funds this service for the unincorporated regions not served by
MST regular fixed route transit services.
The MST RIDES ST service area for North Monterey County includes unincorporated
areas within Prunedale, Castroville, and Aromas and along River Road between State
Highway 68 to and including Las Palmas Ranch II. The MST RIDES ST service area for
South Monterey County extends one mile on either side of Highway 101 from Salinas to
Bradley including the unincorporated communities of San Lucas and San Ardo.
MST RIDES ST services are provided whenever MST RIDES and MST’s regular fixed
route bus services are in operation.
MST RIDES Special Medical Trips
MST RIDES provides limited service twice per month to registered MST RIDES
passengers to the San Francisco Bay Area for medical-related trips only. Service is
provided to/from:
• University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
• Mount Zion Hospital, San Francisco, CA
• Veteran’s Administration Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
• Stanford Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA
• Santa Clara Medical Center, Santa Clara, CA
MST RIDES Reimbursed Taxi Program
As an alternative to the MST RIDES service, registered MST RIDES passengers may call
any taxi company for their transportation needs. The MST RIDES program will
reimburse passengers for up to half of their taxi fares per month. Monthly reimbursement
payments may not exceed $45 per person. The reimbursement could be less depending
on the available budget for this service and on the number of persons who use the
program.
4 OTHER PRIVATE PARATRANSIT SERVICES
In the Fall of 2006, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), conducted
a survey of the social service transportation providers in Monterey County for the Social
Services Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC), a citizen advisory group to the
TAMC Board Of Directors. The study resulted in an inventory report with concluding
recommendations on how to improve Paratransit services in Monterey County. The
recommendations are reproduced in Section 9, (Effective Implementation of the 2006
MST Complementary Paratransit (RIDES) Plan.)
Of the 88 identified social service transportation providers identified in the report and
surveyed, a total of 24 returned the survey. Of these 24 respondents, 10 (including MST
RIDES and RIDES ST) provide accessible transportation service. However, restrictions
apply (such as regional boundaries, required agency membership, etc.) and all but Hope
Services (providing one-way fares of $2.00) requires fares that exceed MST RIDES’s
$2.50 per zone.
Outside of MST RIDES, eight other agencies offer paratransit services, often in select
areas of Monterey County. These other agencies include:
• Alliance on Aging (serves the Salinas area)
• Carmel Foundation (serves Carmel, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, and Monterey)
• Central Coast Alliance for Health (serves Medi-Cal members in Santa Cruz and
Monterey Counties, operated by MV Transportation, Inc.)
• Central Coast Senior Services, Inc. (serves Monterey County with the exception
of the South County)
• Country Home Care (serves Monterey County)
• Gateway Center (serves the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas)
• Hope Services (serves Monterey County except for the South County and the
Carmel Valley)
5 CURRENT COMPLIANCE WITH ADA CRITERIA
REQUIREMENTS
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires MST to provide ADA Paratransit service to
qualified passengers who, due to a cognitive or physical disability, are not able to
independently use regular fixed-route transit service. As shown by Table 5 below, the
MST RIDES Paratransit Program is currently in compliance with the six ADA service
criteria provided by Table 5.
Table 5 Eligibility, Six Service Criteria, and Full Compliance Date
In Full Date of
Compliance Item
Compliance? Compliance
Eligibility Process
Requests for certification being accepted and all
1 aspects of policy (appeals, documentation, etc.) Yes
established.
Compliance with companion and personal care
2 Yes
attendant requirements
3 Compliance with visitor requirements Yes
Six Service Criteria
1) Service Area
See Exception
Service to all origins and destination with the defined
4 No Report
area.
(Big Sur)
Coordination with contiguous/overlapping service
5 Yes
areas, if applicable
2) Response Time
Requests accepted during normal business hours on a
6 Yes
"next day" basis
Requests accepted on all days prior to days of service
7 Yes
(e.g. weekends/holidays)
8 Requests accepted up to 14 days in advance Yes
Trips scheduled within one hour of requested pickup
9 Yes
time
3) Fares
No more than twice the base fixed route fare for
10 Yes
eligible individuals
11 Compliance with companion fare requirement Yes
Compliance with personal care attendant fare
12 Yes
requirement
4) Days and Hours of Service
Para transit provided during all days and hours when
13 Yes
fixed route service in s in operation.