SENIORS ADVISORY COMMITTEE - BUDGET INCREASE FOR PARA TRANSPO

Report to/Rapport au:

Transportation Committee/Comité des transports

January 5, 2005/le 5 janvier. 2005

Submitted by/Soumis par: R.T. Leclair,

Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe,

Public Works and Services/Services et Travaux publics

Contact/Personne-ressource: G. Diamond, Director/Directeur,

Transit Services/Service du transport en commun

842-3636 ext. 2271, gordon.diamond@transpo.ottawa.on.ca

SUBJECT: SENIORS ADVISORY COMMITTEE - BUDGET INCREASE FOR PARA TRANSPO

OBJET:             COMITÉ CONSULTATIF SUR LES PERSONNES ÂGÉES – AUGMENTATION DU BUDGET DE PARA TRANSPO

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That the Transportation Committee receive this report for information.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des transports prenne connaissance du présent rapport à titre d’information.

BACKGROUND

At the Transportation Committee meeting of December 1, 2004 the Seniors Advisory Committee put forth the following motion:

Whereas it is evident that there is a shortage of  Para Transpo services to fill the transportation needs of seniors and disabled persons; and

Whereas 5% of people calling for service to Para Transpo are being denied rides; and

Whereas new money for transportation will be forthcoming from provincial and federal governments;

The Seniors Advisory Committee strongly recommends that the budget for Para Transpo be increased to meet these needs and furthermore that the City of Ottawa allocates a portion of the new transportation funding to ParaTranspo services.

Transportation Committee requested a report on the issues raised in the Seniors Advisory Committee motion, including an overview of the current level of Para Transpo funding; the demand for service; the demand management strategies in place, and the accessibility improvement strategies currently in place and planned at OC Transpo. This report responds to that request.

DISCUSSION

Para Transpo is Ottawa’s (OC Transpo) door-to-door transportation service for persons with disabilities who are unable to use conventional transit services. The hours of service, geographic areas served and fare structure are similar to OC Transpo’s conventional transit system. 

There are over 12,000 persons with disabilities registered with Para Transpo.  Approximately 30% of registrants use either a wheelchair or scooter and therefore require a wheelchair accessible vehicle.  The remaining 70% of registrants are ambulatory and can usually travel in either a passenger car or a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Para Transpo service in the City of Ottawa is currently delivered through three distinct contracts, one using dedicated wheelchair-accessible vans; one using dedicated non-accessible sedans and one using non-dedicated/non-accessible taxis.

The operations (reservations, scheduling and dispatch functions) and administration (planning and policy development, client eligibility and certification and contract monitoring) are provided in-house.

Transit Accessibility

In recent years, there have been significant improvements in the availability of both Para Transpo and regular transit for persons with a disability.

OC Transpo’s Regular Transit Service

The City has a policy of improving the accessibility of OC Transpo's regular transit system so that people with disabilities and seniors will have more transportation options.  One of the main strategies is to purchase only low-floor vehicles, which can accommodate two customers in wheelchairs. 

Today, 50% of the OC Transpo regular transit fleet consists of low-floor, wheelchair accessible buses. These buses serve 40 routes that are designated as ‘fully accessible’. By 2006, approximately 60% of the bus fleet will be low-floor which will allow a further expansion of the accessible route network.

This initiative has provided the mobility impaired with enhanced travel choices and have also freed up some Para Transpo service for those with no other transportation alternatives. Each year a survey is conducted to determine the number of customers boarding accessible routes who use a mobility device. During a one-week period in June 2004, a daily average of 176 regular transit trips were made by persons using a wheelchair, scooter or walker.  This was an increase of 34% over the same period in 2003.  The vast majority of these customers were Para Transpo customers.

 As OC Transpo acquires more low-floor regular transit buses, more Para Transpo customers will move to conventional transit for at least some of their transportation needs, which will continue to free up service on Para Transpo for those with no other transportation alternatives. 

OC Transpo’s Para Transpo Service

The total 2004 budget for the administration and delivery of the Para Transpo service is $20.9 M, and this will increase to $21.9 M in 2005.  Some of the costs in the 2004 budget are offset by annual revenue of approximately $1.4 M.  The 2004 net cost to operate the service is $19.4 M.

Unlike OC Transpo’s regular transit system, Para Transpo did not cut service in 2004 and an increase in Para Transpo productivity, has resulted in increased rider-ship. 

By the end of 2004, Para Transpo will transport over 757,000 passengers, which will be 36,000 more passengers than in 2003.

Throughout the year, Para Transpo has been able to accommodate over 95% of their customers’ trip requests and persons using a wheelchair or scooter, who usually have no other transportation options, have rarely if ever been refused service.

Even though the vast majority of customers are receiving the trips they are requesting, it is estimated that 32,000 trip requests (4.2%) will not be accommodated in 2004. 

If new funds were provided in 2005 to deliver the same number of trips that will be refused in 2004 (32,000), it would cost approximately $800,000.  The result would be more Para Transpo service provided, but it will not eliminate the refusal rate, because historically, as more service has been made available the demand for service has increased.

Demand Management Strategies

In November 2001 the Transportation Committee approved a number of demand management strategies, which were intended to manage the rapidly growing demand for Para Transpo services and provide a reliable public transit service over the long term to those persons with disabilities who have the greatest need for accessible transportation.

Included in the strategies to manage demand were changes to Para Transpo’s eligibility criteria and registration process, changes to fare policies, as well as the introduction of travel training on regular transit for persons with disabilities.

Para Transpo Eligibility Criteria and Registration Process

Eligibility for Para Transpo service is now based on functional limitation, rather than physical limitation.  This has broadened eligibility to include some individuals with a mental or cognitive disability who do not have a physical disability, are unable to safely use regular transit but who can use Para Transpo’s shared ride service independently. 

Overall, the new eligibility criteria and registration process has reduced the number of new registrants because it is now easier to determine which applicants do not qualify for service because they do not have a functional limitation precluding their use of regular transit.

Fare Policy

Some customers have a choice between Para Transpo and regular transit for some trips. To encourage customers to choose regular transit whenever possible, wheelchair, scooter or walker users have been able to ride conventional transit service at no charge since April 1, 2003.

Travel Training

OC Transpo is involved in a Travel Training program.  On-going Travel Training is being provided in the community, where 60 participants using “Visitor Passes” are receiving training through their school or workplace. A Travel Training CD is also currently being developed to encourage greater use of conventional transit.

Additional Accessible Transit Initiatives

The following Accessible Transit initiatives are also part of improving services to customers with disabilities:

·        An Accessible Transit Specialist has been hired to improve the accessibility of regular transit services.

·        An Accessible Transit section within OC Transpo’s web site and an Access OC Hotline have been introduced, where transit customers can obtain accessible transit information.

·        A Rider’s Guide to Accessible Transit has been published, informing our customers, on the accessible services that OC Transpo provides. 

·        Priority seating and attendant cards are available for regular transit customers with a disability.

·        Community demos and information booths to promote awareness of OC Transpo accessible services are being provided at various locations within the community.

·        A customer Accessibility Awareness Campaign on the buses is currently being developed.

Accessible Taxis

In 2003, the City of Ottawa introduced accessible taxis along with a new training program to ensure accessible taxi drivers were capable of servicing the disabled community effectively.  The first vehicles went into service in November 2003 and by early 2004, twenty-two accessible cabs were in service. 

It is estimated that between 10% and 15% of the work undertaken by these accessible taxis is with clients who have specifically requested an accessible vehicle and are therefore, likely Para Transpo customers.

RESULTS

These demand management strategies and accessibility initiatives have provided the mobility impaired with enhanced travel choices and have freed up some Para Transpo service for those with no other transportation alternatives.

CONCLUSION

Due to the significant improvements in accessible conventional transit and increased number of Para Transpo trips in 2004, the recommendation by the Seniors Advisory Committee for increased funding for Para Transpo services is not supported.