Welcome to the February 2022 MassMobility newsletter, which covers news related to transportation for older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals in Massachusetts.
This month's issue highlights examples of how organizations are supporting individuals in various subcomponents of taking a trip. Read on to learn about an Area Agency on Aging that incorporates falls prevention exercises into its mobility and travel training programming. Get tips from a new resource on how communities can transform bus stops to become more age-friendly, and check out the resources on snow clearance and dementia-friendly street design in our "Learn something new" section. To put these ideas into action in your community, check out our article on funding opportunities. This month's issue also highlights new options MassHealth members have for scheduling their PT-1 medical rides, as well as opportunities for members to provide feedback.
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In this month's issue
Apply for funding
MassHealth members can book PT-1 rides online, through an app, or by phone
GLSS TV highlights mobility tips
Resources promote age-friendly bus stops
Present at MassDOT's Innovation Conference
MArtap offers specialty courses
Learn something new
Job postings
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Taking a trip? Bring a mask!
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Municipalities and transit authorities can apply for a Shared Streets and Spaces grant from MassDOT to quickly implement improvements to sidewalks, streets, bus stops, and other public spaces in support of public health, safe mobility, and strengthened commerce. Projects that serve seniors or youth can receive bonus points. Applications are due March 1.
Nonprofits and government entities can apply for an AARP Community Challenge Grant for funding for quick-action projects to help communities become more livable for people age 50 and older - and people of all ages - including transportation projects. Apply by March 22.
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MassHealth members can now book PT-1 rides online, through an app, or by phone |
MassMobility thanks Sharna Small Borsellino, Director of the Human Service Transportation (HST) Office, for this guest article. The HST Office oversees MassHealth PT-1 transportation as well as transportation for five other participating health and human services agencies in Massachusetts.
MassHealth members who use PT-1 transportation to get to MassHealth medical appointments now have multiple ways to schedule a trip. You can still call your Broker to request a ride, but you can also schedule a ride with your Broker online through the member portal or through a smartphone app. The HST Office invites members and their care partners to try out the new apps and online portal and let us know how it goes. Your feedback helps us make improvements.
Before you can schedule a ride, the trip must be authorized. First, a medical provider must submit a PT-1 to authorize you to get a ride to a specific MassHealth provider location for a medical service covered by MassHealth. When the PT-1 is approved, you will receive a welcome letter from the Broker. Two Brokers cover Massachusetts, with GATRA serving as the Broker for Southeastern Mass, the Cape, and the Islands, and MART serving as the Broker for the rest of the state: Western Mass, Central Mass, Metro Boston, and Northeastern Mass. The welcome letter includes information on how to book a ride.
You can now book those rides online or through an app in addition to calling:
To log in to the online portal or app, enter your MassHealth ID as your username. Your password is your birth month and birthdate. Use two digits for each. For example, if your birthday is January 1, your password would be 0101. Whether you book online, through the app, or by phone, please book your trips at least three days in advance whenever possible. If you are booking a same day, next day, weekend, or holiday trip, please call your Broker as the app and online portal cannot accommodate these trip requests.
Medical providers booking rides on behalf of members can use the facilities portal to book online:
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GLSS TV highlights mobility tips for older adults |
Mobility Specialist Rose MacDonald has a segment every month on GLSS TV, a program produced by Greater Lynn Senior Services for older adults and people with disabilities on the Norh Shore. Some months, she covers topics related to travel training, such as how to use the MBTA trip planner or COVID safety on the MBTA. Other months, she focuses on helping older adults walk safely and avoid falling. Falls prevention has long been part of GLSS’s travel training efforts: “Being safe while you’re walking to buses or trains or walking in the community is an important part of safe travel,” explains MacDonald.
GLSS TV launched in August 2020 as part of GLSS’s strategy for serving older adults during the pandemic. Each month’s episode is about 30 minutes long and includes several short segments. Viewers can find the episodes online or on local cable access TV. Participating GLSS consumers can also watch the episodes through Uniper, a program that allows older adults to access recorded content and Zoom-like interactive meetings through their own television set. In addition to the monthly GLSS TV segments, MacDonald also offers weekly live falls-prevention exercise classes through Uniper. |
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Resources promote age-friendly bus stops |
A new handout and accompanying resource guide offer communities information and ideas about how to transform bus stops to be age-friendly. Compiled by the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative in partnership with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, MBTA, MassMobility, MassDOT, and WalkBoston, the handout encourages communities to improve age-friendly physical environments by creating bus stops for people of all ages. "Good bus stop design encourages use of the bus service – and it also creates public spaces for respite and social connection, provides weather protection, and improves walkability for pedestrians of all backgrounds and abilities," explains Molly Evans, Senior Programs Manager at the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. |
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Present at MassDOT's Innovation Conference |
MassDOT is seeking proposals for presentations at this year's Innovation Conference, which is scheduled for May 24-25. This year's conference will focus on infrastructure, and MassDOT welcomes abstracts on Innovations in Construction Methods, Promoting a Safe and Equitable Transportation Culture, Streamlining the Project Delivery Process to Improve Infrastructure, Best Practices in Municipal and Regional Transportation, New Techniques in Design and Materials, or Implementing New Technologies. MassDOT anticipates hosting this conference in a hybrid format, with in-person components held in Worcester. Submit your abstract by 5pm on March 4. |
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MArtap offers specialty courses |
MArtap has added some new virtual, optional, specialty courses to its menu of driver training available free of charge to transportation providers in Massachusetts. The new options include courses on Drug & Alcohol Program Management & Compliance, Reasonable Suspicion, and Diversity & Inclusion in Transit. For more information or to register, visit the MArtap driver training calendar. For other driver training opportunities available through MassDOT, check out the Transit Assistance Programs website. |
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Take a course
Read a report
Watch a video
Additional resources
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Snow clearance - information about snow and walkability from WalkBoston
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USAging is hiring two transportation-related positions to support their work on the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center and Transit Planning for All national initiative.
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You can read all past issues of the MassMobility newsletter in our archive
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Contact us anytime if you have a suggestion for something we could cover in a future article, or if you would like to submit a guest article! |
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