Metro Magazine

AUG 2014

Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904

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tors to deliver rides, with the top two companies being MV Transportation and First Transit. About 65% of respon- dents reported their contractors billed by the hour, with 35% billing by trip. For those billed by the hour, 75% of those are based on revenue hours (hours when the vehicle is actually in revenue service). ELIGIBILITY, NO-SHOW POLICIES Forty-one percent of respondents re- quire in-person interviews for eligibili- ty. Te average percentage of denial de- cisions is less than 5%, while 69% are reporting denials. Denials experienced as a percentage of trips scheduled is, on average, .5%. More than half of respon- dents had no denials as a percentage of trips scheduled. Eighty-seven percent of respondents have a no-show policy. Some respon- dents cited considering a no-show pol- icy "to insure resources are not wasted and efciency of the service." WHEELCHAIR USE The majority of respondents (58%) rep or te d that less than half of their paratransit riders use wheelchair lifts. One-third reported that half of their riders used lifts, while fewer than 9% say most do. TRAVEL TRAINING More than half of respondents (55%) reported having a travel training pro- gram in place, and 13% said they are looking into creating one. Some reasons in favor of the program include provid- ing better customer service and alleviat- ing customer's fears about riding public transportation. "We have heard of the successes that other sister transit authorities have had with their travel training programs and the potential benefts it can have for rid- ers and the transit system," according to one surveyed operator. Tirty-two percent of respondents do not have a training program and are not looking into creating one, primarily due to lack of funds. "I honestly can't afford to staff, de- liver and evaluate a travel training pro- gram. We're barely hanging on to pres- 18 < m ETRO m AGAZINE AUGUST 2014 metro-magazine.com 2014 PARATRANSIT SURVEY Chattanooga, Tenn.-based CARTA's Care-A-Van service (pictured), is one of many operators featured in our online photo gallery at metro-magazine.com. CONTRACTORS WHAT IS YOUR TOP DRIVER-RELATED CONCERN? DO YOU HAVE A TRAVEL TRAINING PROGRAM TRAVEL TRAINING SUPPORT* of surveyed operators do not use contractors to deliver rides. Recruiting/Retention: 38% Customer service: 25% Training: 8% Injury: 19% Other: 10% Yes: 55% No: 13% Looking into: 32% Nonprofts: 47% Disabled Advocacy Groups: 47% Senior Advocacy Groups: 26% Universities and Colleges: 5% Other: 37% 56% 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 10 20 30 40 50 *Note, numbers overlap due to multiple responses.

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