Innovations in Transportation for Welfare-to-Work Metropolitan - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CalACT Spring Conference

San Diego April 2004

Innovations in Transportation for Welfare-to-Work

Metropolitan Transportation Commission Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Population Bay Area 6,783,760 San Jose 894,943 San Francisco 776,733 Oakland 399,484

MTC Overview

MTC is the Transportation Planning, Coordinating, and Financing Agency for the 9 county S.F. Bay Area Created in 1970 MTC is the regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) MTC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

What is an MPO?

Transportation Funding: allocation of state funds, programming of federal funds Planning: Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) identifies long-range transportation investments Coordination of services and programs Advocacy/Legislative Role

MTC’s Welfare-to-Work Activities to Date:

• Nine countywide Welfare-to-Work plans
• Regional Welfare-to-Work Plan, adopted by MTC in

2001

• Regional “Lifeline Transit Network” in the 2001 RTP
• Initiated study on affordability of transportation
• Initiated Community-Based Transportation Plans
• Sponsorship of Low Income Flexible Transportation

(LIFT) Program

Countywide Welfare-to-Work Plans: Key Findings

Gaps exist in the public transit network Not all transportation needs are best met by public transit Issue: Transportation for children to school and day care Cost of Transportation is a barrier Strategies for auto ownership: viable solution

Lifeline Transportation Network: What did we learn?

Where are the disadvantaged communities located? Where do people living in low-income communities need to go? How well does the existing public transit network serve the needs of low-income communities?

Lifeline Transportation Network: Methodology

Mapped CalWORKs home addresses Identified and mapped key destinations for transit dependent people

Includes schools or day care centers, employment

sites, hospitals or other medical facilities, grocery stores, community and recreational centers, etc.

Identified and mapped existing transit routes

Lifeline Transit Route

Serves high concentrations of key destinations; or Serves low-income communities as defined by high concentrations of CalWORKs households; or Is part of the transit operator’s core service network as defined by that operator; or Is a key regional link

Identifying Gaps

Spatial gaps: No transit service exists to serve low-income communities or key destinations. Temporal gaps: Times of day or frequencies do not match desired Lifeline Transit Network Standards.

Lifeline Analysis: Key Findings

• 43% of region’s public transit routes considered

“Lifeline”

• 83% of Lifeline routes directly serve

neighborhoods with high concentrations of CalWORKs residents

• Very limited or no late night or weekend service

available outside urban core

• Not all gaps are best met by adding more bus

service: need for solutions developed at the neighborhood level

LIFT Program

Established in 2000: 32 Projects funded to date through 2006 Projects address gaps identified in welfare- to-work plans and Lifeline analysis Goal: Promote collaboration between social service and transportation agencies

MTC’s Role

Recipient of JARC grants/provides additional funding Solicits projects consistent with previous planning efforts Contracts with sponsors Disburses funding Administrative oversight Evaluation/Information Sharing

Types of LIFT Projects: Total 32 Projects

C hi l drens' shuttl es 16% Fi xed-R oute 34% M obi l i ty M anager 9% Fare A ssi stance 6% Shuttl es/D R esponse 16% G R H 13% A uto P rogram s 6%

Projects to Spotlight:

Santa Rosa Route 15: New bus route OUTREACH Give Kids a Lift: transportation for low-income children in Santa Clara County San Leandro Shuttle Auto Programs

Santa Rosa Route 15

New route initiated in 1999 with JARC earmark received by City Supplemented with MTC LIFT funds Route designed in consultation with social service agencies Ridership has steadily increased: 150,000 trips provided in one year Successfully transitioned into City’s service

Santa Rosa Route 15

OUTREACH Give Kids A Lift: Santa Clara County

Provides transportation for children after school to day care or other supervised activities Private-non-profit contracts for service Included in RFP for paratransit Service provided in vans or sedans Attendant rides on every trip 26,000 trips provided in one year

OUTREACH

San Leandro Shuttle

Operated by City of San Leandro Shuttle service from BART to local employment centers not well served by local bus Pilot funded for 2 years Seeking establishment of Business Improvement District for sustainability

San Leandro Shuttle

Auto Programs: Contra Costa County KEYS Auto Loan

Provides up to $3,000 for 2 year car loan at competitive interest rates 60 loans per year Requirements: auto diagnostic test, budget management class 50% JARC, TANF funding

(no public transit dollars)

Auto Programs: San Francisco City Car Share

Expands car-share program in low-income neighborhoods in SF Allows access to autos for occasional or emergency use JARC funds subsidize fees for CalWORKs recipients Extensive outreach/marketing

City CarShare

LIFT Program Sponsors: 20 Sponsors for 32 Projects

C i ti es 15% C ou n ti es 35% P ri vate N on -P rofi t 10% P u bl i c Tran si t O perators 40%

LIFT Program Sources/Amounts Of Funds: 2000–2006

T otal : $20, 401, 148

500, 000 1, 000, 000 1, 500, 000 2, 000, 000 2, 500, 000 3, 000, 000 3, 500, 000 4, 000, 000 4, 500, 000 5, 000, 000 JA R C C M A Q /ST P T D A /ST A Local T ransi t Fares T A N F/D O L C i ty/C ounty O ther

Tot al : $20, 401, 148

JA R C 15% C M A Q /STP 22% TD A /STA 16% Local Transi t 20% Fares 5% TA N F/D O L 12% C i ty/C ounty 4% O ther 6%

LIFT Program Funding Sources

LIFT Program Evaluation: Cycle One Key Findings

13 projects funded 2000–2003 $5 million federal transportation + $5 million local match Combination expanded or new bus routes, emergency ride home, shuttles

Extended

3

D i sconti nued

1

C ont/reduced

1

U nknow n

1

C onti nued

7

Project Sustainability

More Key Findings

More than 50% of projects will continue beyond grant cycle Difficulty in quantifying direct benefits for CalWORKs recipients Anecdotally, service well received by passengers, social service and transportation agencies

Key Findings: Challenges

Social service agencies aren’t transportation “experts,” and vice versa Funding: sustainability will be an issue with decline in economy Quantifying results of projects: “units of service” inconsistent Complex funding arrangements

Key Findings: Benefits

LIFT Program provides a wide range of non-traditional transportation solutions Multiple sources of funding has allowed the program to grow Projects designed at community level Baseline of important new data sources

Future Goals

Document “success stories” for future advocacy efforts Quantify project outcomes Foster collaboration between transit and social service agencies Seek creative funding solutions

Advocacy: What can we do?

Maintain or increase current levels of JARC funds in transportation bill’s reauthorization TANF Reauthorization: support flexibility in use of funds for transportation Seek flexible interpretation of regulations at the local level Bring resources to the table Document needs through planning process

M e t r o p o l i t a n T r a n s p o r t a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n M e t r o p o l i t a n T r a n s p o r t a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n