This March 2016 issue of MassMobility covers news about community transportation, human service transportation coordination, and mobility management in Massachusetts. Read on to learn about a new program helping low-income people access cars, a transit partnership to help paratransit riders access healthcare services, a new report exploring how transit systems can partner with taxis, opportunities to highlight your program at the national level, and more.
This newsletter is compiled by the MassMobility team, a joint initiative of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and MassDOT. Above, we have added the MassDOT Rail & Transit logo to the newsletter to emphasize the joint nature of the mobility management work between EOHHS and MassDOT and the close working relationship between MassMobility and our colleagues at MassDOT Rail & Transit.
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Join us on May 3 for the 2016 Massachusetts Community Transportation Coordination Conference
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Registration is open for the 2016 Massachusetts Community Transportation Coordination Conference, and space is filling up quickly! You must register to attend. This year's conference will be held in Worcester.
Highlights of this year's agenda include a keynote from Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito on opportunities for cities and towns to promote transportation coordination efforts through the Community Compact, as well as a panel of healthcare organizations discussing why they are taking steps to address patients' barriers to transportation.
The conference will also feature breakout sessions on key issues like employment transportation for lower-income individuals, marketing for community transportation programs, community shuttle services, travel instruction, volunteer driver programs, and starting a Transportation Management Association. Representatives of Bridj, Lyft, and Uber will also offer a workshop on their services and potential to help improve mobility for seniors, people with disabilities, and lower-income commuters.
The conference is open to all members of
Regional Coordinating Councils, as well as any other transit authorities, transportation providers, human service agencies, community-based organizations, advocacy groups, self-advocates, or consumers interested in community transportation coordination and mobility management. Last year, attendees represented all regions of Massachusetts. The conference is a great way to meet and network with peers from around the state.
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New program helps low-income individuals access cars and pay for car repairs
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Good News Garage, a program of Ascentria Care Alliance, turns 20 this year, and is offering a "birthday present" to 20 individuals. Through the
JumpStart
program, lower-income individuals who live in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Vermont and who need a car for work can apply for one of 10 used vehicles, or for one of 10 opportunities to get help paying for repairs.
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Two Massachusetts volunteer driver programs receive honorable mention in national STAR awards
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The National Volunteer Transportation Center announced the winners of the 2015 STAR Awards in early March. STAR awards recognize programs across the country for excellence in volunteer transportation service delivery. Two Massachusetts-based programs received honorable mention: Patient Navigators of Framingham, and St. Claire's Catholic Social Services of Hyannis. Congratulations!
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Travel trainers discuss street crossing and intersection design
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On March 14, nearly 20 travel trainers gathered for a presentation by Meg Robertson,
a Certified and Orientation Specialist and the
Director of the Orientation and Mobility department
at
the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. The presentation included information on
traffic-controlled street crossings
and intersection design. Street crossing skills are critical for riding transit, as riders often have to cross one or more streets to get to their destination or to get to the return bus.
Using images of Massachusetts intersections to illustrate her points, Robertson presented an overview of types of intersections and challenges each type can present to pedestrians. She emphasized that street crossing is a decision-making process, and that while no travel trainer can prevent all risk, risk factors can be reduced. Robertson discussed how technological advances in traffic signals have made intersections less predictable for pedestrians. Whereas traffic signals used to have a set flow, many now vary cycle length based on the number of cars waiting. She recommended building relationships with local traffic engineers - "take your traffic engineer to lunch" - to become more familiar with how intersections in your region work.
The presentation took place at a quarterly meeting of the Massachusetts Travel Instruction Network, which is open to all travel trainers and anyone working on developing a travel instruction program in Massachusetts. To get more information, join the network, or suggest a topic for a future meeting, please contact us.
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Transit authorities coordinate to help people access medical appointments
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Patriot Place in Foxborough is not only the home of the world famous New England Patriots, but is also the prime location of many top-notch medical services south of Boston.
However, many people living in the nearby towns of Canton, Sharon, and Walpole who rely on THE RIDE were unable to get to these facilities because Patriot Place is located outside of the MBTA's service area in Foxborough, a town served by GATRA.
All that changed when Joanne LaFerrara, GATRA's Director of Customer Relations, applied for and received a grant from MassDOT. This grant funds a coordinated transportation effort with THE RIDE. Consumers who have been approved for services from THE RIDE but who would like to travel to the medical facilities located in Foxborough now have that option.
If the approved consumer resides in Canton, Sharon, or Walpole, GATRA vehicles can travel to pick them up and transport them to Foxborough. If the consumer lives outside of those communities but would still like to make a medical appointment in Foxborough, GATRA and THE RIDE collaborate to try to make it happen.
For additional information please call Joanne LaFerrara at (508) 823-8828, ext. 275.
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WRTA launches system orientation
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On March 22, the
Worcester Regional Transit Authority
(WRTA)'s travel training department hosted staff from the Worcester Senior Center, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, Worcester Public Schools, Carroll Center, and City of Worcester for an orientation to the WRTA fixed route system. Tess Sebastian, Travel Trainer, and Anna Kosterski, Director of Customer Relations and Paratransit Services, provided an overview of the fixed-route buses in Worcester, as well as bus and shuttle service in surrounding towns. They explained how to read a schedule, demonstrated how to track buses in real time, and gave an overview of fares and discounts. After about 75 minutes of presentation, the group headed to the WRTA hub for a tour. Attendees practiced loading Charlie Cards, and the group rode the WRTA Route 80, which does a short loop around downtown Worcester.
WRTA plans to offer orientation sessions at least quarterly for human service agencies and potentially for the general public as well.
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New report explores partnerships between taxis and transit
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"
Use of Taxis in Public Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults: A Synthesis of Transit Practice" is a new Transit Cooperative Research Program report describing how transit systems across the country are currently partnering with taxis to serve seniors and people with disabilities. The report includes case studies of four systems and discusses benefits, challenges, and lessons learned. The report also considers the effect of transportation network companies and app-based services on existing transit-taxi partnerships.
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MassDOT's Mobility Management Center launches updated website
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Check out the updated website of MassDOT's Mobility Management Center, with links to information about key initiatives, as well as funding and technical assistance resources.
If your own website links to MassDOT's mobility management center page, you may need to update the urls to avoid broken links.
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National opportunities to highlight your program
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Many of you are piloting innovative models and promising practices in mobility management and community transportation coordination. Share your best practices and lessons learned with peers around the country through these two opportunities:
Get listed!
Showcase your success!
The Community Transportation Association of America is inviting mobility managers and others involved in transportation coordination to
apply to present a poster at this year's
EXPO conference in Portland, Oregon.
Applications are due April 7.
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On April 5, volunteer driver program staff, drivers, and anyone looking to start a volunteer driver program are invited to the next
MassMobility
volunteer driver program forum in Leominster.
Topics will include volunteer screening, training, recruitment, scheduling, and insurance and liability issues. RSVP.
On April 9,
TranspoCamp New England returns to Cambridge for a third year. Participants determine the agenda at this "unconference," so bring your ideas.
Check out our
calendar
for additional upcoming events and opportunities.
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Follow us on Twitter
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| Are you on Twitter? If so, follow us @MassMobility for links to community transportation resources relevant to organizations and agencies here in Massachusetts. If you aren't on Twitter, you can still see our posts online at twitter.com/MassMobility/. |
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We want to know your stories
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| If you have suggestions for news items or topics to cover in future newsletters, please contact us or submit a guest article. Comments, questions, and feedback are also welcome. |
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Please share this newsletter
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| Please forward this newsletter widely to others who are interested in mobility management, community transportation, or related topics and encourage them to subscribe to receive future newsletters and publications. You can also read past issues of all MassMobility newsletters. |
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