NCMM Presents: Mobility Management Connections“The Future of Mobility Management Post COVID”

May 26, 2021

Some Things to Remember
Please add your name and affiliate in the chat
Please mute yourselves if you are not speaking
A recording will be available on the NCMM website
Please add your questions to the chat box

Closed captioning is turned on for this session
Enjoy and learn from each other!

Who We Are

nc4mm.org

A national technicalassistance center fundedthrough a cooperative
agreement with the Federal
Transit Administration andoperated through aconsortium of three nationalorganizations

Our Mission

To promote customer-centeredmobility strategies that advance
good health, economic vitality, selfsufficiency, and community.
We work to promote cross-sector
partnerships and help communities
create/improve transportation
options – “mobility management”

What is MMC? Who
is it for?
A platform to share ideas andmobility management strategies
related to building transportation
connections and identifying
mobility solutions

This community is for mobility
management practitioners who are
actively advancing mobility
management in their communities,
regions and states

How to sign up for MMC
SIGN UP at https://learn.pyd.org/ - Tell us about your role asmobility manager, interest areas, and contact information
ENGAGE - Share experiences, network, and ask questionsof peers with experience in the field
LEARN - From your peers, NCMM technical assistance, andother national resourcesMobility ManagementChampions• Each champion acts as a facilitator ofmonthly community activity by:• Sharing questions and issues of theirchoice that are relevant to mobility
management activities;• Disseminate resources and tools thatpertain to this topic; and• Respond to questions posed by othermobility management professionals via theMMC discussion forum.

Today’sModerator
Amber SimmonsToday’s Panelists

Alan Herrmann

Vernon S. Chambers

Joy Annette

Presenter
Alan Herrmann

SmartLinkMobility Management-A Journey

MAPensing

Trainings
Sharing Agreement/Contract

ensing

SmartLink History••••••••••••

1980 -2008 Scott and Carver provided Dial a Ride(DAR) and volunteer driverprograms independently
2007 –Scott County took on ADA transportation (Metro Mobility)
2009 - Scott and Carver combined services and formed SmartLink Transit
2010 –Provides Non-emergency medical transportation administration (NEMT)2013 –Marschall Road Transit Station opens
2014 - Full Merger
2015 –Contracted out for all Dial a Ride /Metro Mobility Contract lost
2016- Mobility Management - DAR, Volunteers, NEMT, Shared vehicle
2017- Shared Vehicle begins- NYA Pilot
2018- Travel trainer/ Marketing2019 Software Investment
2020 Covid changes how we work

Trainings
Sharing Agreement/Contract

ensing

Mobility Management Roles• Administrator- Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) volunteer
driver program, travel trainer,
Manager- Dial-a-Ride contract, NEMT contracts oversight•• Coordinator- provider inventory, connections, networking, 5310-shared

Trainingsvehicle, Uber/Lyft, Hop Scott
Sharing
Agreement/Contract
Centric- Needs assessment, access, travel training,• Customer••education, marketing
Partner Centric- service providers, human services, cities, non-profits,
service organizations
Formal Mobility Management Board- guiding coalition•ensing ••
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Software/Technology
Hosted environment
DAR scheduling, dispatch,
NEMT- Contracted providers, oversite
Volunteer driver- acceptance, communication
Shared vehicle programing
1st mile/last mile- self booking, notifications
Mobility on demand
Customer Service Tracking
Trip Brokering
Online booking (Web Portal)
Booking application (cell phone app)
Bike Trail connections
Van Pools
Tablet solution/communication

Trainings
Sharing Agreement/Contract

ensing

Linking People to Transportation••••

Set up cooperative agreements between areas (Counties)- reviewed yearlySet up oversight (Board)and members- Quarterly meetings
Call in Center 1 click, 1 call- what is next technology needed and accessible to all
Working groups• A.) Needs and gaps discovery- localized Meet throughout year
• B.) Inventory of existing transportation services (report to Board) Updated YearlyTravel Training and follow-up Individual to large groups, how to videos Multiple staff trained
Shared vehicle- shared vehicle coordination help- Multiple processes researched and outlined
Non-Emergency Medical Transportation network/contracts- other purposes
New resources- on demand, autonomous, new taxis in areas- Expanded DAR, HopScot
Senior needs- grocery loops, evening or weekend, medicals Constant Interviewing
Service outside regular hours- evenings and weekends, employment (In Scott, not Carver)
Foster Care transportation (outside school district) in Carver not Scott-Pre-covid
Work with County and City planners- Comprehensive plans, bike paths, transit connections UTMP-Scott County, ResilientCommunities –U of M
Coordinate with regular route services in area- (MVTA, SW)- DAR- Use Volunteers/Hop Scott for denials
Networking- employers, medical institutions, Daily Treatment and rehabilitation centers, Senior Centers, Senior
Organizations, service organizations, entertainment venues Involvement is key to success
Grant funding opportunities- 5310, Live Well at Home Grant- Scott- through 2022

Trainings
Sharing Agreement/Contract•••••••••••

And then a Pandemic….
••••••••

Involved in County Emergency Operations Centers
Transit Link buses(DAR)- capacity limitations
Safety procedures such as temperature taking, sanitizing ofequipment, passenger capacity limitations
Deliveries of essential goods such as food and PPE
Non-emergency medical transportation network for Vets
Non-emergency medical network for positive COVID
transports
Essential worker transportation
Working remotely if possible

Emerging into a New World•••••
•
•
•
•
•

Hospital/Clinic Transports- health care workers
NEMT network uses-foster care, child and family…
Veterans Transportation CoordinationMobility Hubs/Automated vehicles
Continued Food/PPE Distribution
Minority/Senior/Disabled Outreach- equity
TNC-Uber/Lyft solutions
School Needs
5310 shared vehicle shopping loops- NYA bus
Launch new service Hop Scott in more rural communities

Amber Simmons

Alan Herrmann

PresenterVernon S. Chambers

KeepingHarrisCountyMoving:Specialized Transportation

Who Are We?
qLocal transportation study revealed gaps intransportation services within Harris County,Texas.
qLocal Stakeholders became engaged in theplanning process.
qProgram is administered by the Harris
County Community Services Department Transit Division.

Service AreaqHarris County - 1,772 square miles; Rides
fills gaps and expands mobility options
within our 1,772 square mile county; county
wide service.
qCity of Houston Metropolitan Transit
Authority - Fixed Route Service & ADA
Paratransit within the City of Houston(approximately 202 square miles);commuter park and rides.

Service Strategy
Rides is a coordinated program demand response
service to expand mobility options in the county
and across counties.
The program offers a flexible client centeredtransportation options within the region:
qProvides customers with choices
qPromotes independence for older adults
and individuals with disabilities
qStreamlined enrollment process
qMonitored for quality of service
qTurn-key contracted service

Program Overview
qTarget Populations:§ Adults 65+§ Individuals with Disabilities§ Vulnerable populations
qCoordinated demand response service
qMobility Management – Beyond ADA
qTrips subsidized at 50% (user-side subsidy)
qElectronic Fare card with GPS
qCoordination with United Way 211- Referrals

Providing Transportation
Solutions That Work!
A Seat For Everyone- No Trip Purpose!
qqqqqqqqqqq

Adults 65+
Community based human services clients
Personal care home clients
Assisted Living Centers
Veterans
Adult Day Centers
Senior Citizens Programs
Women's Shelters
ADA Paratransit
Short-term Disabilities
Underserved YouthMobility ManagementProviding Mobility Management Since 2008

Our Mobility Managers Offer Assistance In:
q Agency and 211 referrals
q 1st time reservation booking
q Booking trips
q Finding transportation options
q Help choosing the best provider to maximize
client and agency funds
q Providing resources for further assistanceq Service coordination with varioustransportation services across the region

Service Coordination Map

Coordinationq Partnering agencies funds q Assist with:are used as a local match– 50%
Ø Customer enrollment andintake
Ø 30 Partner MOU’s
Ø Customer education
Ø Cost Assistance forØ Health and Humanclients
Service Agencies(at discounted price)Ø Senior Citizen
Organizations and DayCenters
Ø Transitional andSpecialized Students
q Regional Coordination:
Ø 4 Inter local Agreements
Full Payment

COVID Modifications
qMobility Coordinators & Most Staff Moved toRemote WorkqCall Center Function programmed for
Remote Workq2 Staff alternate 1 Day Week – FinancialProcessing & Mail Handling
qService Impact – 35% decrease pre-COVID
qTaxi Service continued; Shared Ride reduced
to single occupancy
qStaff Communications/via TEAMCOVID-19 and Public Transportation
§§
§§§

§

On all modes of service, masks arerequired for both the driver andpassenger and social distancing
practiced.
Vehicles are cleaned and sanitized
after each ride.
Drivers have extra mask to provide
to passengers if one is needed.
Fares have been suspended on thefixed routes and the Paratransit
service.
Staff works from home, and only go
into the office on assigned days orfor necessary supplies.
Harris County Transit has continued
to provide the same level of service
throughout the pandemic.

Achievements During COVID
q Partnership Expansions§ Area Agency on Aging –Transport to Drivethru Testing Sites§ Drive thru Vaccination Sites
q New Partnerships§ Fostered inter-agency relationships§ County Judge’s Office§ Harris County Public Health§ Vaccination Drive thru

Embracing Mobility Management
Ø Who Knew?
Ø Virtual OutreachØ Partnership Growth +5
Ø Virtual Workshops
Ø “Transition To Tomorrow” Workshop for
Independent School District TransitionNavigators

MM Resource Tool
Coordination with MPO:Mobility Links
q Chaired Workgroup toOne Call One Click
Develop Regional
Transportation Resource
https://www.h-gac.com
Database – reside on MPO/mobilitywebsite
links/default.aspx
q Tool for Regional MM’s
q General Publicq Phase 2 launched during
COVID
q One Call One Click –answered by HC RIDES CallCenter

COVID Re-Entryq 50 Percent return to work
Policy in development
q Maintain Sanitation Policy onVehicles
q Re-launch SitSafe Campaign
q Maintain Virtual Outreach &Workshops
q Maintain mission to coordinate
and grow services throughMobility Management

Contact Information
RIDES
8410 Lantern Point Drive
Houston, TX 77054
www.rides.harriscountytx.gov
Vernon Chambers
Assistant Director of Transit Services
Vernon.Chambers@csd.hctx.net

Amber Simmons

Vernon S. Chambers

Presenter
Joy Annette

The Future of Mobility
Management on Tribal Lands
Joy Annette
Tribal Liaison
UGPTI
NDSU

Traffic safety, or the lack of it, leads to fatalities and injuries
in crashes throughout the United States, and is an important
public health and safety concern for everyone. American
Indians are disproportionately affected by traffic crashes.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of unintentional
injury for American Indians and Alaska Natives ages 1 to 44,
with adults one and a half times more likely to die in a crashthan whites or blacks, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).

Loss of lives and injuries on tribal roadways has made animpact on funding for our communities to better serve theneeds of having better and safer roadways. However,transportation on the reservations serves much broader needs.
Transportation impacts tribal member’s healthcare, education,employment, food, and continuation of tribal traditions andceremonies.

People on reservation came together to make planson how to deal with this new epidemic. Epidemics
are not new to indigenous people.

When Europeans arrived in the Western Hemisphere,
they brought diseases; particularly measles and smallpox, which indigenous people had never experienced.
They had no immunity to these diseases, The resulting
epidemics took the lives of 70% or more of the
Indigenous populations throughout the Americas.

Next came the expulsion of the Cherokee from their
homeland in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee
when the U.S. Army forcibly evicted Cherokees from theirhomes and held them for several months in concentration
camps with inadequate shelter, insufficient food, and nosource of clean water. The camps became death traps. Of
the 16,000 people held in them, about 2,000 died fromdysentery, whooping cough, measles, and “fevers”(probably malaria).

Then the journey west began; an additional
1,500 perished, as people, already sick andfurther weakened by malnutrition, trauma, andexposure, succumbed to multiple pathogens.
Once arrival in Oklahoma, an additional 500
died from similar causes. The death toll was
4,000, or 25 percent of the original 16,000
forced from their homes.

Indigenous people survive and adapt. Covid19 isanother pandemic Native Americans must dealwith.

When information about the impact on health that
Covid19 would have on people, tribes around thecountry closed their borders and casinos. Casinos
were and are the main employment on mostreservations, but the safety and protection of ourElders and children came before money. Elder are ourkeepers of all our knowledge, our language, traditions
and ceremonies… our libraries. The children are thefuture of indigenous peoples.

Many reservations were the first in the beginning to
lockdown their communities.
Locking down the tribal lands and native people washard. Reservations are mostly rural areas, whichmeans, access to essentials such as food, education,and medical is hard in normal times; Covid19 greatly
impacted tribal populations around the country. Goodtransportation plans had to be planned, prioritized andput in place.

Isolation of elders was a necessity in keeping themsafe. To do so, the tribe had to make sure all of theirneeds were met.
The children could no longer go to school where
many received not only their educations needs but
also two meals a day---breakfast and lunch. Families
depended on these meals to keep their children fed.

Medical needs were in the forefront. Indian healthService couldn’t close down. All precautions weretaken to keep staff and medical providers safe. The
tribes set up shuttle services to get those who needed
medical services to their appointments, and also todeliver medical supplies and prescriptions to thepeople. Many indigenous people rely on traditionalmedicines---volunteers set about gathering traditional
medicines, since our healers and medicine people(elders) could not do it themselves.

Isolation to people who are societal by nature is hard.
The pandemic has increased drug abuse and overdoses to an all-time high. Native Americans are
struggling to overcome increased drug abuse related to
the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers from Head-start and grade-schools
delivered meals as well as daily lessons since virtual
classes were not able to be done at the beginningsince computers and internet service is limited to nilon many parts of the reservations..

Cultural teachings have renewed on the reservations forour younger generations, through the use of socialmedia. Culture and traditions have been lifesaving tomany on the reservations, where isolation is a must.
..

Through mobility Indigenous
people will survive.
Miigwech – Thank you!

Amber Simmons

Joy Annette

Audience
PollPlease take a few moments toanswer the questions on yourscreenPanel Discussion / Audience Q&A

Amber Simmons

Alan Herrmann

Vernon S. Chambers

Joy Annette

Please take a fewmoments to fill outthe evaluation which
has been posted in
the chat box

Thank You!
We’re here to help!
Contacts:
Judy Shanley
Jshanley@easterseals.com
Brandon Roccio
Broccio@easterseals.com