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Happy fall from MassMobility! As temperatures begin to cool and we look ahead to foliage season, mobility managers across Massachusetts have been busy! This September 2016 issue of MassMobility covers news about community transportation, human service transportation coordination, and mobility management in Massachusetts. Read on to learn about new transportation services, projects, and partnerships from Southeastern Massachusetts to the Berkshires - and everywhere in between.
This newsletter is compiled by MassMobility, 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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MART wins national healthcare transportation grant
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The Montachuestt Regional Transit Authority (MART) is one of 19 winners of the 2016 national Rides to Wellness competitive funding from the Federal Transit Administration. In partnership with the Ashby Council on Aging, the Leominster Council on Aging, and software companies, MART plans to implement technology to improve dispatching and efficiency of healthcare transportation rides.
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MBTA RIDE partners with Uber and Lyft
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Similar to the
taxi pilot that launched last year, this program seeks to increase transportation options for
RIDE customers while also cutting costs for the MBTA. Customers win because the fare is cheaper - only $2 instead of $3.15 - and because they can request a ride spontaneously instead of reserving at least a day in advance; the MBTA wins because the agency only pays $13 for the trip instead of over $45 for the RIDE. For trips over $15, the customer is responsible for the balance.
To participate,
RIDE customers sign up with both Uber and Lyft. They are then assigned to one of the two services and receive an app they can use to book trips. Customers without a smartphone will be able to call Lyft to request a ride, and Uber will make a limited number of smartphones available to participants for trip booking.
The MBTA has taken steps to account for safety and accessibility.
Driver-partners will undergo third-party safety screenings, vehicle checks, and criminal background record checks, and will receive educational materials on providing service for RIDE customers with accessibility needs. Uber and Lyft will also offer sessions to train driver-partners to better serve pilot customers. To accommodate customers in wheelchairs, Uber will use the vehicles that are part of the UberACCESS program. Lyft is partnering with a paratransit company to make wheelchair-accessible vehicles available for Lyft drivers to rent, and the MBTA will pay Lyft drivers $12 extra per completed trip if they rent one of these vehicles.
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Berkshire Community College President rides the bus
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Berkshire Community College President Ellen Kennedy kicked off the school year - and Berkshire County Clean Air Challenge - on September 12 by
riding the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus from campus to downtown Pittsfield. Her ride highlighted the bus as a transportation option for students, who can use financial aid to pay for their fares on a Charlie Card. Kennedy found the bus to be very convenient, and reported that she plans to use it in the future whenever she has mid-day, downtown meetings.
Beth Wallace, Interim Dean of Students at Berkshire Community College and a member of the Regional Coordinating Council, organized the ride, based on a
similar event held earlier this year by Greenfield Community College and the Franklin Regional Transit Authority.
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Hospital pitches in to support new bus service in Milford
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People looking for help getting around Milford have a new option: the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)
Route 14
bus. The new route launched August 29 and serves key healthcare, shopping, and residential destinations around town with a connection to the entire MWRTA system via the
Holliston route
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The launch was the culmination of a long partnership between MWRTA and the Town of Milford, who had been working for over five years to assess need, build ridership, plan a route, and find funding. Milford Regional Medical Center donated $75,000 toward first year of operations in order to help their employees get to work and their patients access care. In addition, the state legislature provided $125,000 in pilot funding. The Town of Milford will pay the remaining $50,000.
MWRTA and the Town are working hard to publicize the new service through local cable, radio, and newspapers, as well as through partnering with community organizations to get the word out to their consumers. Carl Damigella, MWRTA Director of Community Relations and Outreach, reports that ridership is growing and attributes the success in part to the thorough, multi-year planning effort: "It was better to take the time and do the planning than rush it."
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MBTA awards travel instruction contract
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The MBTA announced that Innovative Paradigms will be taking over the travel instruction contract for the MBTA system. Innovative Paradigms currently operates THE RIDE Eligibility Center, which provides in-person eligibility assessments for RIDE applicants. Linda Shepard Salzer, the previous travel trainer under Ways2Go, has been hired by Innovative Paradigms and will continue on as a travel trainer.
Contact Linda at her new email address
or call (617) -945-6176 to sign up or learn more.
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MassDOT and MassMobility offer new travel instruction resources
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MassDOT has published a set of
travel instruction reports
that were researched and written by MassMobility. Scroll down to "Practice Briefs and Toolkits" for information on the costs of starting a travel training program, a listing of technical assistance and funding opportunities available from the state, and more.
The
Kennedy Center will be returning to Massachusetts to offer workshops for travel trainers. A new intermediate-level workshop will debut in November; travel trainers who have been travel training for a year or who have previously attended the Kennedy Center introductory workshop can
join the waitlist. If you are interested in an introductory workshop,
sign up to receive notification when the next one is scheduled.
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HST Office requests feedback and suggestions on brokerage
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The Human Service Transportation Office has released a Request for Information (RFI) on COMMBUYS, the Commonwealth's online procurement system. The RFI invites Regional Transit Authorities and transportation providers to offer feedback on and suggest changes to the brokerage that the HST Office uses to provide MassHealth non-emergency medical transportation and transportation for the Department of Developmental Services and other health and human service agencies. The goal of the RFI is to solicit input on the strengths and weakness of the current system and gather creative ideas for how to improve the brokerage model. Responses are due by 4 PM on Friday, October 28. To find the RFI, search for bid number BD-17-1039-EHS01-EHS01-00000009841 on
COMMBUYS
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New app helps blind riders navigate MBTA bus stops
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The app picks up where GPS leaves off - closing that last "30 feet of frustration" with information about permanent landmarks near a bus stop like trees and fire hydrants. The crowdsourced clues can bring riders within four to five feet of the bus stop - the length of the average white cane - so they can touch the bus stop sign and verify their location. BlindWays also identifies the three bus stops closest to the rider's current location and offers vehicle arrival predictions.
The success of BlindWays depends on crowdsourced information, and right now the app includes navigation clues for only a handful of the 7,800 bus stops in the MBTA system. The Perkins School and the MBTA are encouraging anyone with an iPhone to download the app to contribute information about their local bus stops.
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TRIPPS offers mobility management for seniors in Brookline and Newton
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TRIPPS, which stands for Transportation Resources, Info, Planning and Partnership for Seniors, is a mobility management initiative in Brookline and Newton that supports and empowers seniors to find transportation options that will get them where they want to go. Check out videos of TRIPPS forums from earlier this year where
seniors shared how they get around
- whether by walking, biking, the T, THE RIDE, taxis, Uber, and more - and professionals shared
tips for driving retirement
. This fall, TRIPPS is challenging seniors to try a new mode of transportation through the
TRIPPS Challenge
. Senior volunteers will also be leading "Field TRIPPS" for anyone who wants to participate in the challenge but prefers to go as part of a group.
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Municipalities pursue complete streets
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Municipalities across Massachusetts continue to pursue Complete Streets solutions to make roadways more accommodating to all users, including people with disabilities, youth, and seniors, and all modes, including pedestrians, bikers, and transit users, as well as drivers.
Selectmen in Adams and Upton recently took steps toward adopting Complete Streets plans.
On September 21, Lieutenant Governor Polito and MassDOT Secretary Pollack announced grants to 11 cities and towns for Complete Streets projects, such as intersection improvements, pedestrian paths, or separated bike lanes.
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GATRA staff win national photo contest
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Community transportation professionals study Design Thinking
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Although the Tri-State Transit Conference is targeted to transportation professionals from Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, this year's conference included a special workshop open to the rest of New England. Amy Conrick of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and the National Center for Mobility Management presented a two-day workshop on Design Thinking for community transportation. Massachusetts was well represented, with participation from Statewide Mobility Manager Aniko Laszlo, MassMobility staff Rachel Fichtenbaum, Transit Planner and Regional Coordinating Council Co-Chair Angie Azevedo, and
former BerkshireRides Director Jana Hunkler
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Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach adapted from the design sector. It centers the end users' experiences and needs, and pushes designers to seek out and listen to input and avoid jumping to conclusions about solutions. The goal of the process is to come up with solutions that are creative and innovative, but most of all effective. The process is designed to yield solutions that can be implemented successfully with the desired outcomes.
As a regional planner, Azevedo found the workshop extremely useful: "Prioritizing the end user's needs as a motivation for planning a solution to any problem is always the goal, but is often easier said than done. Design thinking, specifically how CTAA is presenting it, provides a real nuts and bolts method of looking at the end user's needs in a holistic way in order to provide a transportation service that not only meets their needs but results in a productive and viable service." Azevedo has already introduced Design Thinking to the
South East Regional Coordinating Council on Transportation, which plans to use it on their next project.
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On October 17, join the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind for White Cane Day at the Massachusetts Statehouse from 10 AM to noon.
Find additional upcoming events on our
calendar.
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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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