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Camden County Travel Management Coordination Center Demonstration Project NJ-26-7065

CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS

Revised January 18, 2008

Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center

Camden County TMCC Concept of Operations

Table of Contents

1 Scope and Introduction.............................................................. 1

Identification 1 Project Overview ................................................................................................. 1

1.1.1 Background and Scope ........................................................................ 1 1.1.2 Vision, Goals, and Objectives............................................................... 2

Reference Documents......................................................................................... 3

2 Current Conditions..................................................................... 5

Profiles of Current Transportation Providers and Users ..................................... 5 2.1.1 Advance Reservation Demand Response Providers............................ 6

2.1.1.1 ADA Paratransit (NJ Transit Access Link) .................................................... 6 2.1.1.2 County Designated Paratransit (Sen-Han Transit) ....................................... 6 2.1.1.3 Private Livery Companies............................................................................. 7

2.1.2 Modified Fixed Route Subscription Providers....................................... 7 2.1.2.1 South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) ............................................. 7 2.1.2.2 Municipal Services........................................................................................ 7 2.1.2.3 Faith Based Services.................................................................................... 8

2.1.3 Traditional Fixed Route Service Providers ........................................... 8 Description of Current Operational Conditions.................................................... 9 Description of System Users ............................................................................. 11

2.1.4 Advance Reservation Demand Response.......................................... 11 2.1.4.1 ADA Complementary Paratransit (NJ Transit Access Link)........................ 11

2.1.4.1.1 ADA Complementary Paratransit Customer ............................................ 11 2.1.4.1.2 ADA Complementary Paratransit Vehicle Operator................................. 11 2.1.4.1.3 ADA Complementary Paratransit Dispatcher .......................................... 12

2.1.4.2 County Designated Paratransit (Sen-Han Transit) ..................................... 12 2.1.4.2.1 County Designated Paratransit Customer ............................................... 12 2.1.4.2.2 County Designated Paratransit Vehicle Operator.................................... 13 2.1.4.2.3 County Designated Paratransit Dispatcher.............................................. 13

2.1.4.3 Private Livery Companies........................................................................... 13 2.1.4.3.1 Private Livery Customer .......................................................................... 13 2.1.4.3.2 Private Livery Vehicle Operator ............................................................... 14 2.1.4.3.3 Private Livery Dispatcher......................................................................... 14

2.1.5 Modified Fixed Route Subscription..................................................... 14 2.1.5.1 Modified Fixed Route Customer ................................................................. 15 2.1.5.2 Modified Fixed Route Vehicle Operator...................................................... 15 2.1.5.3 Modified Fixed Route Dispatcher ............................................................... 15

2.1.6 Traditional Fixed Route Service ......................................................... 15 2.1.6.1 Traditional Fixed Route Customer.............................................................. 16 2.1.6.2 Traditional Fixed Route Vehicle Operator .................................................. 16

2.1.7 Stakeholder and Consumer Focus Group Highlights.......................... 17

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2.1.7.1 Camden County Board of Social Services – January 11, 2008.................. 17 2.1.7.2 Winslow Township – October 22, 2007 ...................................................... 17

3 Proposed Concept of Operations ............................................ 18

Description of Proposed System Elements....................................................... 18 3.1.1 Customer Trip Information.................................................................. 18 3.1.2 Seamless Fare/Billing System............................................................ 19 3.1.3 Coordination of Provider Trip Functions ............................................. 21 3.1.4 One Stop “Call” for Services............................................................... 22

3.2 Justification of Proposed System Elements.................................. 22

4 Next Steps ............................................................................... 23

5 Appendix A: Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Definitions........... 24

6 Appendix B: Camden County Outreach Results...................... 25

Future Sections

Description of Proposed System Necessary Features/Functions Advisable Features/Functions Optional Features/Functions

Assumptions and Constraints Operational Scenarios Summary of Impacts

Operational Impacts Organizational Impacts Impacts During Implementation

Analysis of the Proposed System Summary of Improvements Disadvantages and Limitations Alternatives and Trade-Offs Considered


1 Scope and Introduction This section of the Concept of Operations presents the introductory elements of the Travel Management Coordination Center Project, as well as procedural elements of the Concept of Operations. Specific elements include Project Identification, Background and Scope, Vision, Goals, and Objectives, and Reference Documents.

Identification This document applies to the Camden County, NJ Workforce Investment Board’s development of a Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC) as a demonstration of enhanced human service transportation models for the US Department of Transportation. (CFDA Number: 20.514 and Opportunity Number: DOT-FTA-TRI-0002)

Project Overview The Camden County - United We Ride (UWR) Human Service Transportation Coordination Plan (2007) identified transportation service needs and gaps, along with transportation coordination needs, issues, and opportunities. The Camden County Travel Management Coordination Center’s project planning efforts build upon the previous UWR Human Service Transportation Coordination Plan, which was approved by the Camden County Board of Freeholders on June 21, 2007. The Camden County Workforce Investment Board (WIB), the workforce development, education, and training organization for Camden County, believes that a Travel Management Coordination Center has the potential to address these needs and gaps by enabling coordination to improve the efficiency, quality, and interconnection of human service and traditional transit services for all system users.

1.1.1 Background and Scope The Camden County Workforce Investment Board (WIB), with the support of its local elected officials, local and regional transportation providers, state and local human services agencies, and in conjunction with the local United We Ride planning effort, is working with Camden County and the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University to develop a Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC) that coordinates community transportation services through a comprehensive, technology-driven brokerage model. The Camden County WIB is working to design a TMCC that will focus on effectively creating access for all transportation-disadvantaged consumers in Camden County to all local and regional modes of transportation, including local fixed and flexible routes, and local demand-response services across a multitude of providers including public

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transportation, county and municipal transportation providers, and local non-governmental organizations, including faith-based organizations. The expectation is that the Camden County stakeholders will establish a TMCC design that is deployment-ready for Title XIX medical transportation, and replicable and scalable to support integrating services to seniors and disabled, low-income individuals and the public for all travel needs. Further, the support of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and NJ Transit will ensure that system development will be consistent with the State and regional ITS architecture already established. The Camden County Stakeholders will provide recommendations for augmenting and altering the regional architecture and standards to incorporate human services transportation.

1.1.2 Vision, Goals, and Objectives The overarching vision of this project is to design with Camden County the most effective transportation service delivery model by employing appropriate and current technologies focused on customer needs and the most efficient use of transportation and community resources. The Goals and Objectives of the project are as follows:

Goal 1: Develop a Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC) for

Camden County that creates opportunities for better and increased transportation service throughout the County.

Objective: Investigate and utilize ITS technologies as a tool to facilitate transportation coordination in Camden County.

Objective: Work collaboratively with Camden County public, private, non-profit, and faith-based organizations as partners in the development of the TMCC.

Goal 2: Increase access to existing human service and traditional public

transportation for Camden County consumers.

Objective: Develop improved marketing strategies targeted to consumers seeking human services transportation designed to create awareness for existing public transit and human service transportation.

Objective: Examine the feasibility of reorienting human service transportation as feeder service to traditional transit services, as one means to improve the efficiency of the overall passenger transportation network in the County.

Goal 3: Implement a comprehensive, inclusive, ongoing and responsive project

planning process.

Objective: Form a stakeholder committee comprised of a diverse network of interested parties to meet periodically with the project team to review and discuss findings and project progress.

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Objective: Convene a small steering committee of select stakeholder committee members to work closely with the project team in the development of the TMCC.

Objective: Provide a forum to solicit broad public participation from a variety of perspectives via means including town meetings, focus groups and small working group sessions.

Objective: Facilitate cross-communication between Camden County human service organizations (area nonprofits), faith-based organizations, transportation providers, government agencies and consumers, as a critical component of all project outreach efforts.

The project team recognizes the need to address the following issues, critical to the TMCC: 1) Facilitate greater coordination within the Camden County provider network. 2) Improve customer access to, and ease of use of, Camden County human services and the overall transportation system. 3) Simplify operational procedures across various Camden County transportation providers.

Reference Documents Previous Reports • Project Regulatory and Literature Review with bibliography • Camden County United We Ride Human Service Transportation Coordination

Plan (2007) • NJ Transit ITS Architecture Conformance Plan • DVRPC Regional ITS Architecture (2001)

Existing scheduling, routing, dispatching, billing and reporting systems currently in use by Camden County providers • Trapeze (Software Package) • Paratransit Management and Scheduling (PtMS) (Software Package) • Maintenance of client files

Stakeholder Input • Leadership Council meeting summaries • Focus Work Group (Camden City Initiative Committee of the Camden County

Workforce Investment Board) meeting summaries • Faith-based Work Group meeting summaries • Focus group and listening session meeting summaries with entities including,

but not limited to, parents of children enrolled in the Faith Tabernacle Labor Day Care program; participants of the Hopeworks youth initiative, which offers literacy, GED preparation and other youth-oriented programs to the community; members of the Pine Hill Borough Senior Citizen club; and residents of Winslow Township, which is located in the southern region of Camden County.

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Surveys of area transit users have been undertaken by the research team. (See Appendix B for further details.)

• Research team meeting summaries with area transportation providers and other key entities, including the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and the Transportation Management Association, Cross County Connection

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2 Current Conditions The purpose of this section is to indicate the factors that exist with regard to the transportation system functioning in Camden County. This description of current conditions will further illustrate the need for the changes proposed within the TMCC project. This section includes a description of the general characteristics of transportation, as well as specific profiles of the transportation providers and users, in addition to the roles of each system user.

Profiles of Current Transportation Providers and Users The goal of the TMCC is to provide expanded and more efficient mobility services through the integration of providers and users that in many cases have been functioning as independent entities. Technology is the means of promoting this more integrated approach to transportation; however in order to determine the appropriate technological solutions, it is important to understand the characteristics of both the providers and the users.

Since the characteristics of both providers and users are often a function of the mode of transportation, the profiles in this section will group Camden County providers and users by the following three categories of mobility:

Advance Reservation Demand Response This category includes services that may be operated on a curb-to-curb or door-to-door basis. The use of the term demand response refers, not in the purest sense to a trip scheduled in real time, but rather to vehicle runs that respond to variable trip origins and destinations that the user “demands”.

Modified Fixed Route Subscription This category includes those services that may deviate from a set fixed route but generally provide repeat services to a base of customers that are mostly the same from day to day.

Traditional Fixed Route Services This category includes a variety of bus and rail services that operate on a fixed route and time schedule that include local bus, interstate bus, light rail and heavy rail services. These include services operated by NJ Transit and by the Port Authority Corporation of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (PATCO).

As will be noted, some provider agencies operate services that fall into one or more of the mobility categories detailed above. Regarding the user profiles, some of the participants will have interaction characteristics that are similar but the way they interact will be largely determined by their mobility category. This interaction pattern will help to identify how certain technological solutions can enable providers and users in these different mobility categories to interact with greater efficiency and will lead to a more

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efficient use of funding and improved service metrics (i.e., more service for a set unit of funding).

2.1.1 Advance Reservation Demand Response Providers This section describes the three major Advanced Reservation Demand Response providers that serve Camden County. These providers serve users that are unable to utilize fixed route service; each service requires a reservation prior to service. These providers include NJ Transit Access Link, Sen-Han Transit, and private livery companies.

2.1.1.1 ADA Paratransit (NJ Transit Access Link) NJ Transit provides ADA complimentary paratransit service to serve individuals who by the nature of their disability are unable on a temporary or continuous basis to effectively use the accessible local bus or light rail services operated by NJ Transit. NJ Transit provides paratransit service to individuals, certified as unable to use fixed route service, and whose trip origin and destination are within ¾ mile of an NJ Transit fixed route local bus or light rail service. Paratransit fares are set equal to the price that fixed route service would charge for the same trip.

The service operates on a 14-day (beginning in January 2008 7-day) advance reservation basis and NJ Transit policy requires passenger pickup within 20 minutes before or after the customer requested time of pickup. The NJ Transit Access Link staff provides trip reservations, first assignment of passenger trip scheduling, cancellations and customer services. The contracted private providers that operate the five Access Link regions make final Vehicle Operator schedule assignments and changes; conduct Vehicle Operator management, vehicle maintenance, and Vehicle Operator dispatching. Dispatching includes the tracking of pickup and drop-off times. Mobile data computer (MDC) systems and an Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system now facilitate this process.

2.1.1.2 County Designated Paratransit (Sen-Han Transit)

Sen-Han Transit is the designated provider of County paratransit service in Camden County under the Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Act Program (SCDRTAP), which is funded through the Casino Revenue tax. The service operates on a 48-hour advance reservation door-to-door basis and requires passenger pick-up not more than 60 minutes before the scheduled appointment and not more than 30 minutes after the scheduled return trip.

The Sen-Han transit staff provides customer registration, customer trip requests, vehicle scheduling and dispatching. Dispatching includes driver contact through Nextel direct connect communications and an AVL (Comet Tracker) system that enables the dispatcher to identify the location of the fleet vehicles in real time. Sen-Han provides the majority of service in an Advance Reservation Demand Response mode; however, a significant portion of the service is a Modified Fixed Route Subscription Mode, including subscription trips for supported employment and medical shuttles to Philadelphia and for intra-county medical trips.

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2.1.1.3 Private Livery Companies

Fourteen livery companies provide ambulatory transportation services through the Medicaid Title XIX program administered by the Camden County Board of Social Services (CCBSS). The service operates on a 24 to 72 hour advance reservation basis for individuals certified as eligible by the CCBSS Medical Transportation unit. A rotation determines the trip assignment among providers with contracts for specific sub-regional areas of Camden County and for performance of service to out of County and out of state destinations. The majority of the fleet operated by these companies is composed of non-accessible minivans and sedans designed to serve the Medicaid eligible ambulatory population. The larger companies maintain a 24-hour dispatch and are able to provide accessible transportation with wheelchair accessible vans and buses. At least one company, To-and-Fro Transportation, has both computer assisted scheduling and AVL capabilities.

2.1.2 Modified Fixed Route Subscription Providers

This section describes the major service providers in Camden County that offer services similar to fixed-route service, however with a number of varying differences to the traditional fixed-route service. These differences may include features such as operation on fewer days, provision of some door-to-door or curb-to-curb service, limited hours of service, or volunteer operators.

2.1.2.1 South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA)

SJTA is the designated provider of employment passenger transportation services for a regional area including Camden, Burlington, Atlantic, Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem Counties. While most of its services operate on fixed routes, SJTA is providing some door-to-door service on its evening trips and is constantly modifying routes based on changes in the passenger residential origins and employer destinations. The SJTA is also operating door-to-door service for its service to the Veterans Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.

SJTA provides service using vehicles ranging between 15-passenger to 35-passenger buses and employment routes are operated on a fixed route with a set time schedule. The SJTA designed their routes to provide for transfers to and from stations on the NJ River Line Light Rail service and key NJ Transit local bus routes. Transportation providers use AVL to record bus stops, passenger miles, and vehicle condition.

2.1.2.2 Municipal Services

Twelve municipalities in Camden County operate passenger transportation services for transportation dependent persons. Most of these are limited to older persons however; some extend eligibility for persons with disabilities. The following are some common characteristics of these provider services:

• All operate from Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM with some operating 2-3 days per week;

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• Most transport for general merchandise and food shopping trip purposes and tend to transport on a subscription trip basis and curb-to-curb service, with a limited number providing door-to-door service;

• All of the providers limit their service to destinations within their municipal boundaries with limited shopping destinations in contiguous municipalities;

• All of the services operate four or fewer vehicles and most operate less than 4,000 annual vehicle hours;

• Virtually all of the municipal providers use shared positions to cover reservations and their limited scheduling needs; and

• None of the providers have two-way radio contact between the base office and vehicle operators.

2.1.2.3 Faith Based Services

Faith Based service providers are predominately religious houses of worship with two not-for-profit religious organizations (Jewish Federation and Catholic Charities) that use their vehicles to provide transportation for their registered consumers.

The religious houses of worship predominately operate 1-2 vans, which they use on Sundays and generally 1-2 evenings per week for a few hours. Bethany Baptist Church has the largest fleet of vehicles including six (6) 15-passenger vans and three minivans. Two of the organizations, Jewish Federation and Bernard Dubin House, own larger capacity 20-21 passenger minibuses that could prove to be useful in performing other forms of group ride transport since the major providers, including Sen-Han Transit and SJTA, have a limited number of larger vehicles.

2.1.3 Traditional Fixed Route Service Providers

NJ Transit and PATCO are the exclusive operators of traditional bus and rail services in Camden County. As noted in the beginning of Section 2.2, there are several forms of transit within the mobility category of traditional transit. PATCO is a 14.2-mile rapid rail system that operates nine stations in New Jersey and four in Pennsylvania. It offers direct service between the Lindenwold Station in Camden County and Center City Philadelphia. The Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden City provides connections between PATCO, 20 NJ Transit bus routes, and NJ Transit’s River Line.

NJ Transit operates the other forms of traditional transit in Camden County, which include the following:

• The River Line light rail transit system operates between Trenton and Camden and offers access from anywhere along the line for a flat $1.35 fare with a $.65 fare for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and children. 6 of the system’s 20 stations are in Camden County. The River Line offers connections to NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor and SEPTA’s R7 regional rail as well as Amtrak services at Trenton Station.

• NJ Transit interstate bus routes include 19 routes serving points in Camden County to Philadelphia. Most routes operate with 49 passenger coaches.

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• NJ Transit intrastate bus routes include 11 routes, 6 of which operate locally in Camden County and 5 that operate regionally predominately in South Jersey counties.

• NJ Transit Atlantic City Rail line provides service between Atlantic City and Philadelphia with Camden County stations in Atco, Lindenwold, and Cherry Hill. Connections to PATCO service are available at Lindenwold.

Description of Current Operational Conditions An extensive transportation network comprised of four primary types of transportation providers serves Camden County, including state and regional public transportation, county-based services, municipal shuttle services, and non-governmental organizations. These providers offer transportation services using the full spectrum of modalities including fixed route buses and shuttles, rail lines, flexible route shuttles, and demand-response shuttles. Human service transportation utilizes all of these types of providers and modalities. The current conditions found by the Camden County TMCC project team build upon the existing Camden County United We Ride Human Service Transportation Coordinated Plan which was approved by the Camden County Board of Freeholders in June 2007. Existing challenges faced by the Camden County human service transportation system that the research team has acknowledged and is attempting to address include the following:

Suppressed Demand Unmet demand for human service transportation exists in Camden County, particularly in southeastern rural areas of the county, and for specific trip purposes such as Medicaid and employment-related trips. For example, in Winslow Township, which is located in the southern region of the County, residents have difficulty tapping into public transportation. If they can get to Lindenwold Borough, they can go almost anywhere; but, without a car, getting to Lindenwold requires a $25 taxi ride one-way. Finding transportation options for traveling anywhere south of the Borough, where most of the new development in the Township is occurring, is impossible. The Camden County United We Ride Human Service Transportation Coordination Plan cited some of the following specific service gaps and needs:

• Expansion of Sen-Han services, currently, Sen-Han has extensive and increasing wait lists for medical transportation services that due to financial constraints they cannot meet demand.

• Increased employment shuttle services, including those that act as a feeder to/from rail lines. SJTA which provides employment trips like its medical counterpart Sen-Han cannot meet demand at its current financial constraints.

• Provide increased extracurricular/after-school youth transportation in communities with large transportation disadvantages.

Limited Service Area and Hours Area traditional and human service transportation providers typically offer limited evening and weekend service, which limits the ability of customers to access employment or meet basic needs (such as shopping and social trips). For example,

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senior citizens in Pine Hill Borough have Borough-provided transportation to shopping and the bank on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They have transportation options that help them remain independent, but access to quality of life and cultural activities, such as high school plays and church sponsored dinners, held in the evening and on weekends that are free or discounted for seniors are out of reach to this population on a fixed income, due to lack of transportation. The Camden County United We Ride Human Service Transportation Coordination Plan cited some of the following service area and time gaps:

• Increased weekend bus service that addresses the needs of transit dependant populations.

• Creation of a core bus service in the City of Camden that runs 24/7. • Increased transportation service in the southern and eastern parts of the county

where very limited options and an expanding population currently exist. Customer Communications Currently, there is no one-stop transportation information access point in Camden County, which complicates trip planning for the users of public transit and human service transportation, as well as referring agencies. At a Camden County Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) meeting held in September 2007, representatives of major health organizations, such as United Way, Women and Infant Children (WIC), American Cancer Society, and the Camden County Board of Social Services, were asked how their customers access transportation information. They responded that most of their clients do not have internet access; many receive transportation information by word of mouth through community networks; and some organizations provide transportation information to their clients. One agency noted that approximately 30 percent of their clients/patients are late for medical appointments due to transportation issues. Limited Coordination among Area Providers Limited coordination exists among Camden County’s human service transportation providers. Opportunities exist to eliminate duplicative service and to extend service hours and geographic coverage through the coordination of public, non-profit, and faith-based organizations. The Camden County Workforce Investment Board is currently meeting with key leaders in the Camden City Faith-Based community to develop a Transportation Collaboration that will allow each Faith-based Organization (FBO) who chooses to participate to do so at a level they are comfortable. As part of the TMCC, most FBO participants will provide transportation linkages, such as between the neighborhood in which they are located and South Jersey Transit Authority cluster pick-up points. Limited Integration of Human Service Transportation with Traditional Public Transportation There is currently limited use of human service transportation to provide feeder service to traditional transit at key transfer points and transit stations. Currently, the Camden County Board of Social Services has a list of 16 transportation service providers. When a client qualifies for Medicaid transportation dollars and they have

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four or more medical appointments a month they are issued a transit pass for the month provided their trips can be completed by fixed route transit service; otherwise, their case manager simply calls the next human service transportation provider on the list, who in turn schedules a vehicle for curb to curb service. Linkage to existing transport service is not considered, and, often, these Medicaid trips run parallel to existing fixed route service.

Description of System Users The relationship between System users including customers, Vehicle Operators, dispatch and operations management follow a similar pattern based on the general category of mobility described in Section 2.2, but also vary by the type of provider within these categories. Section 2.3 organizes the System Users within mobility category and by the individual provider category.

2.1.4 Advance Reservation Demand Response

This section describes the system users of the three major Advanced Reservation Demand Response providers that serve Camden County. These providers serve users that are unable to utilize fixed route service; each service requires a reservation prior to service. These providers include NJ Transit Access Link, Sen-Han Transit, and private livery companies.

2.1.4.1 ADA Complementary Paratransit (NJ Transit Access Link)

This section describes the responsibilities of the primary system users of ADA Complementary Paratransit (NJ Transit Access Link). These users include the paratransit customer, the paratransit vehicle operator, and the paratransit dispatcher. These sections illustrate how the roles of various users differ and correlate to one another.

2.1.4.1.1 ADA Complementary Paratransit Customer

The certified Access Link customer must contact the Access Link Customer Service office at least 14 days (beginning in January 2008 - 7 days) prior to the time of desired trip pickup.

The customer has the following responsibilities: • Pay the exact cash fare that is required based on the NJ Transit zones

determined by the customer reservations person in the fare collection device when boarding the vehicle;

• Wait at the agreed upon pickup point at the curb at least 20 minutes before the scheduled time of pickup and be prepared to wait up to 20 minutes after the scheduled time of pickup;

• Indicate the need for any assistance from the curb into the vehicle and from the vehicle to the curb including any required assistance with the wheelchair tie-down mechanism; and

• Register any trip complaints through the Access Link Customer Service office. 2.1.4.1.2 ADA Complementary Paratransit Vehicle Operator

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The Access Link Region Contractor Vehicle Operator is responsible for the operation of a wheelchair accessible vehicle and assisting passengers in a curb-to-curb service mode of operation. The Vehicle Operator will receive their trip manifest through a download on the mobile data computer on the vehicle. The electronic manifest will instruct the Vehicle Operator on the location and time of each passenger pickup and any special trip instructions related to the physical pickup location and/or customer needs.

The Vehicle Operator responsibilities include: • Provide any required assistance to the customer from the curb into the vehicle

including the operation of the wheelchair lift, assistance using the fare collection device, assistance with wheelchair tie-downs and/or seatbelts, and assistance out of the vehicle;

• Enter passenger data, including time of boarding and disembarking, which will enable the MDC system to record the customer and trip data (e.g., passenger miles); and

• Safely operate the vehicle and follow any instruction provided by Dispatcher. 2.1.4.1.3 ADA Complementary Paratransit Dispatcher

The Contractor Dispatcher has the following responsibilities: • Maintain radio contact with the Vehicle Operator when necessary; • Monitor the progress of the individual Vehicle Operator runs through the

Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system screen to determine that Vehicle Operator runs are proceeding within required pickup window tolerances;

• Provide any assistance, including run adjustments based on extreme traffic conditions or other emergencies; and

• Arrange backup vehicle coverage in the event of a vehicle breakdown. 2.1.4.2 County Designated Paratransit (Sen-Han Transit)

This section describes the responsibilities of the primary system users of County Designated Paratransit (Sen-Han Transit). These users include the paratransit customer, the paratransit vehicle operator, and the paratransit dispatcher. These sections illustrate how the roles of various users differ and correlate to one another.

2.1.4.2.1 County Designated Paratransit Customer

The majority of Sen-Han customers are senior citizens, age 60 and over and persons with disabilities. Most are unable to use traditional transit due to lack of direct access however, many have the ability to use transit if they had access to a reliable feeder service.

The registered Sen-Han Customer has the following responsibilities: • Make their reservation by telephone at least two full days in advance of their

time of initial trip pickup; • Be ready at the door or curb at least 60 minutes before the scheduled initial

pickup and up to 30 minutes after the scheduled return trip; and • Follow any additional instructions of the Vehicle Operator.

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2.1.4.2.2 County Designated Paratransit Vehicle Operator

The Sen-Han Vehicle operator is responsible for the operation of wheelchair accessible and non-accessible vans and minibuses in a door-to-door mode of operation. The majority of drivers have a Class C Commercial Driver’s License with Passenger Endorsement, and a few have a Class B Commercial Driver’s License enabling them to drive buses with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of over 26,000 lbs. All drivers have completed a nationally certified training course on passenger assistance techniques.

The Vehicle Operator has the following responsibilities: • Provide assistance from the front door or the curbside pickup and passenger

assistance with wheelchair tie-downs and/or seatbelts on the vehicle; • Follow the written manifest that describes the assigned pickups and drop-offs

for the assigned vehicle run; • Maintain radio contact with the dispatcher; • Record the time of pickup and drop-off on the written manifest including any

no-show trips; and • Safely operate the vehicle and follow any instructions provided by the

Dispatcher. 2.1.4.2.3 County Designated Paratransit Dispatcher

The Sen-Han Dispatcher is responsible for assisting the Vehicle Operator in maintaining their passenger pickup and drop-off schedules.

The Dispatcher has the following responsibilities: • Review driver runs to ensure continuing on-time performance; • Record any no-show trips reported by the Vehicle Operator; • Provide the Vehicle Operator with any vehicle manifest adjustments including

reassigned trips from other drivers; • Periodically review the AVL monitor to ensure that vehicle runs are operating

within on-time performance standards; and • Arrange backup coverage in the event of a vehicle breakdown.

2.1.4.3 Private Livery Companies

This section describes the responsibilities of the primary system users of private livery companies. These users include the private livery customer, the private livery vehicle operator, and the private livery dispatcher. These sections illustrate how the roles of various users differ and correlate to one another.

2.1.4.3.1 Private Livery Customer

The average customer served by the private livery companies in Camden County are Medicaid-eligible individuals with limited incomes. Those registered for Medicaid ambulatory transportation are more often without direct access to public transportation, as

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the County has been distributing NJ Transit bus passes and tickets to those who can use traditional public transit to reach their medical destinations.

The Livery Company Customers have the following responsibilities: • Reserve a trip on an advance reservation basis of 24 to 72 hours if they are a

Medicaid ambulatory transportation eligible customer; • Cancel a reservation if they are not going on their trip since private livery

companies are not reimbursed for no-show trips under the Medicaid ambulatory program; and

• Be ready at the pickup point in advance of the scheduled time of pickup. 2.1.4.3.2 Private Livery Vehicle Operator

Livery Company Vehicle Operators are generally drivers without a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) and with little or no passenger assistance training.

The Livery Company Vehicle Operators generally have the following responsibilities: • Follow a written manifest that describes the pickup times for passengers; • Provide limited assistance into the vehicles for passengers that are ambulatory

but require some assistance getting in and out of the vehicle; and • Operate the vehicle in a safe manner and follow dispatcher instructions where

there is cellular phone or radio contact with a dispatch office. 2.1.4.3.3 Private Livery Dispatcher

The Private Livery Dispatcher may provide real time scheduling of trip assignments to drivers by radio or cellular phone on the day of service.

The Private Livery Dispatcher responsibilities may include the following: • Provide instruction to drivers on trip cancellations received on the day of

service; • Monitor driver locations (for companies with an AVL system); and • Take customer reservations and cancellations.

2.1.5 Modified Fixed Route Subscription

This section describes the system users of the Modified Fixed Route Subscription providers that serve Camden County. These providers offer services similar to fixed-route service, however with a number of varying differences to the traditional fixed-route service. These users include the modified fixed route customer, the modified fixed route vehicle operator, and the modified fixed route dispatcher. These sections illustrate how the roles of various users differ and correlate to one another.

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2.1.5.1 Modified Fixed Route Customer The SJTA employment transportation customers register through the Camden County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and receive the appropriate route schedule for service.

The Customer has the following responsibilities: • Be at the designated bus stop prior to the arrival of the bus; and • Follow the instructions of the driver when riding on the bus.

There is no responsibility for registering for daily trips or for notification by the customer to SJTA that they will not be using the service on a given day. Most municipal customers, also utilizing modified fixed route service, are generally repeat riders who contact the municipal provider by telephone or have automatically scheduled pickups on set days and times.

2.1.5.2 Modified Fixed Route Vehicle Operator

The SJTA vehicle operator is responsible for the safe operation of vehicles ranging from a 15-passenger van to a 35-passenger bus. Drivers must record vehicle mileage and passenger trips on a written log sheet.

The Vehicle Operator has the following responsibilities: • Ensure that that they are not running ahead of schedule at the scheduled pickup

points; • Record the passengers transported on their written log sheet; • Require Veteran Hospital transportation customers to sign log sheet on bus; • Provide notices to customers on changes in route start times and pickup points;

and • Use Nextel Direct Connect to provide communication on route or to address

customer issues to Dispatch. 2.1.5.3 Modified Fixed Route Dispatcher

The SJTA Dispatcher is responsible for monitoring the AVL system and ensuring that drivers complete runs within the specified time frames.

Dispatcher responsibilities include the following: • Maintain radio communication with the Vehicle Operators; • Monitor the AVL system to ensure drivers complete runs within the specified

time frames; and • Arrange backup vehicle coverage in the event of a vehicle breakdown.

2.1.6 Traditional Fixed Route Service

This section describes the system users of the Traditional Fixed Route Service providers that serve Camden County. These providers offer fixed bus and rail service, operated by NJ Transit and PATCO. These users include the traditional fixed route customer and the

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traditional fixed route vehicle operator. These sections illustrate how the roles of various users differ and correlate to one another.

2.1.6.1 Traditional Fixed Route Customer

While the demographics of traditional transit users may vary between the sub modes of rail, local bus, and interstate bus, the way in which customers access information and use the services does have some similarities relative to the other mobility categories. Traditional transit users obtain information regarding route and schedule information in three general ways for each of the transit sub-modes, including:

• Hard copy timetables; • Telephone Information Center; and • Website.

In general, the higher income demographics associated with rail would suggest a higher percentage of persons with access to computers and obtaining information from the NJ Transit or PATCO websites. The provision of updated timetables for services on a periodic basis is a form of information that is greatest for the less frequent services and probably least used by patrons of the most frequent bus services.

In terms of vehicle location, only rail services currently provide any form of notification regarding arriving trains or delays. Currently, NJ Transit buses do not have any technological applications to provide updated information to customers about vehicle arrivals.

Traditional Transit Customers in general have the following responsibilities: • Wait for the train or bus before the scheduled arrival at the stop or station; • Pay the fare by either monthly pass, ticket or cash fare; and • Understand the availability of accessibility features for their particular mode of

service and follow the system rules for advance notification of accessibility features if required.

2.1.6.2 Traditional Fixed Route Vehicle Operator

The role of the vehicle operator varies between bus, rail, and light rail primarily due to the mode of fare collection. On bus, the driver is responsible for front line customer service and fare collection. On heavy rail, the conductor is responsible for front line customer service and fare collection. On PATCO and the River Line, the fare collection is through advance ticket purchase and on the River Line, operators conduct random spot-checks to ensure fare payment receipt.

NJ Transit bus and light rail services, the operator of service has two-way radio communications with the NJ Transit dispatch centers. AVL systems enable vehicle location identification in real time and NJ Transit is exploring the use of technology to enable passengers at key bus stops to identify the time of upcoming bus arrivals in real time.

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2.1.7 Stakeholder and Consumer Focus Group Highlights The role that stakeholder and consumer focus groups have played in developing the Camden County TMCC project thus far has been incredibly valuable. This section aims to deliver a sampling of the highlights of these findings as they pertain to current operational conditions for transportation in Camden County. It should be noted that the full findings are attached within Appendix B to this document.

2.1.7.1 Camden County Board of Social Services – January 11, 2008

Human services key stakeholder focus groups amplified and expanded upon the specific transportation needs of their clients. The Medicaid caseworkers noted the following key issues for their clients:

Medicaid • on demand transportation • if doctor moves, customers want to follow even out of county; they are

allowed to for 30 days only if doctor has moved out of Camden County • same day service • some have complained about sharing the ride with others • some want the whole family, not just an escort, to go with them • some request pick up at someplace other than home • weekend doctors appointments—these are difficult because only 3

carriers provide service on the weekends Workforce NJ:

• on demand • passes for all zones; right now zones are limited with customer paying

extra fee when going out of the designated zones; sometime WNJ will give tickets to cover the difference

2.1.7.2 Winslow Township – October 22, 2007 Winslow Township is located in the southern part of Camden County. In the United We Ride Overview, the population of Winslow Township can be best described as a large concentration of minority ethnic groups as well as a large concentration of veterans. General discussion before the meeting indicated at least a perception of a good size population of senior citizens; that a good number of those moving into the Township come from Camden City because of rising housing costs. The focus group had seven participants, four female and 3 male from various age groups. Six of the seven participants owned their own single occupancy vehicle. Only one participant did not work outside the home because that participant is retired. The commute trips included such various trip types as driving to Delaware, driving within 20 miles of home, and a short walk to work. Of the seven participants only the retired respondent qualified for a transportation subsidy, of the remaining five did not qualify and one respondent declined to respond.

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3 Proposed Concept of Operations The purpose of this section is to describe the possible outcomes of the changes proposed within this plan in relation to the existing conditions of transportation services in Camden County. It will describe why the changes are necessary, what the changes will be, and describe things that we know and can assume that will affect or constrain the process.

• Traditional Transit Consumers• ADA Paratransit

Consumers• Medicaid Consumers

• Employment Consumers

• Senior & Disabled Consumers

• NJ TRANSIT• NJ Dept of Human

Services• Camden County Board of Social Services (Medicaid)

• NJ Dept of Labor• NJ Dept of Veteran Affairs

• NJ Dept of Senior Services

• Unified and Comprehensive

Consumer Information Interface

• Universal Consumer

Registration• Funding Eligibility

Confirmation• Consumer Trip

Needs• Coordinated

Billing and Payment• Access to vehicle runs and schedules

in real-time

TMCCFunctions

• NJ TRANSIT (Rail/Bus/ADA)

• SEN-HAN (Senior & Medical)

• SJTA (Employment)• PATCO (Rail)

• Medicaid• Other Human

Services (Municipal)• Faith Based

Agencies

Operators

Consumers

The above diagram displays a unified vision for the Camden County TMCC. It emphasizes the TMCC

being the intermediary between Consumers, Operators, and Funding Agencies.

Description of Proposed System Elements The purpose of this section is to describe in detail the system elements that support the goals and objectives described in both Section 3.1 and 1.2.2. These changes fit into four categories, which work together in a comprehensive manner to address the goals of this project. Although the descriptions of change are detailed, they do not describe specific methodologies or technologies, but instead describe the customer service and operational changes that take advantage of appropriate technologies to improve service delivery.

3.1.1 Customer Trip Information

An important element of desired change in this project is to increase efforts to improve the dissemination of travel information to passengers regarding all transportation services available in Camden County. This involves three major components:

The Ability to Provide Full Information about All Transportation Services in Camden County at Key Outlets


Currently passengers are likely to experience great difficulty getting information about other services from a given transportation service provider. Little information is available without the user contacting each service individually. Remedying this problem includes a coordination element to ensure that each transportation service provider is knowledgeable of and provides information about other transportation services to their users to ensure that users have access to a maximum level of connectivity between services.

Provide Real-Time Information to Users at a Variety of Relevant Locations A major component of providing information to passengers is providing real-time information and to do it in a way that is relevant and accessible to system users. Such efforts can include the use of newer technologies or more traditional methods. Examples of real-time information distribution mechanisms include variable message signs or audible message announcements at stations, internet web sites available on kiosks and mobile devices, and automated or non-automated telephone systems. The most indicative example of the need to distribute information in a variety of ways is the internet. This method of information transmission has become increasingly popular in recent years, both due to the relative lack of expense of distributing information via the internet, as well as the ease this mode affords of information dissemination, particularly in terms of reaching a large audience. However, the internet is a medium that is inaccessible for many users due to cost, thus necessitating a variety of means to distribute information.

Get Information to Users in an Equitable Way. This is an important consideration for transportation services, especially when serving a diverse user population. It is important to ensure that information provided by transportation services does not discriminate or perceive to discriminate against users based on physical or mental abilities, as specified by ADA guidelines, or socio-economic factors. Project Actions: • Paper maps and timetables that include information for multiple services; • Online static or interactive maps that provide information for multiple services;

and • Information kiosks at station sites that help users access a variety of services

from their location. • Unified telephone and internet access to the TMCC.

3.1.2 Seamless Fare/Billing System

An important change put forward in this project is a level of coordination that results in the ability of the passenger to be able to pay their share or co-pay of their trip using a single method, regardless of the human services transportation service they use within Camden County. This is important, first because it presents the number of passengers in the area as one unified system and second because it makes using the system and paying for the services simpler for users. This is especially important for users with physical or mental challenges and where transportation services may be at, near, or exceeding

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capacity to allow more users to address their co-pay with less confusion and less delay to the service. This seamless system involves two inter-related categories: first, the behind the scenes office billing function that allows each funding source to contribute the subsidy that they are responsible for, while directing any co-pay to the appropriate agency; and second, the coordinated collection method at the point of payment for users.

Behind the Scenes Office Billing Function There are varieties of sources that fund transportation service within Camden County. These sources often provide funding for very specific purposes or specific users, which have led to the compartmentalization of transportation services in Camden County (see Figure 1), despite the overlaps in destination, user, and trip purpose, that many services may have in common. Billing is currently a major barrier to coordination among providers, as each funding source is fiscally constrained to serve specific user needs. Although the simplest way to ensure compliance with funding requirements is to provide separate services, the most effective way to deliver transportation is to share services across providers. By centralizing and organizing an account system for transportation users and providers, all of the current funds and fares that feed the transportation system could continue to go to the appropriate users and providers, while allowing for service sharing as appropriate (see Figure 2).

Figure 1 – Current Uncoordinated Fare Collection System

Figure 2 – Coordinated Fare Collection System

Coordinated Collection Method at the Point of Payment for Users This effort goes beyond the background work that matches users to their funding sources and co-payments back to the funding sources. Rather, it focuses on the payment method used at the time of payment. To tie seamlessly into the behind the scenes billing function, this effort requires a smart payment system. An example of this would be a smart card that is associated with an account that would have the user information that refers the payment to the appropriate funding source. This could

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interact with a general user system, such as a card that users may purchase on-demand, such as the MetroCard in the New York City MTA system, the New Jersey Human Services Smart Card, or the recently implemented Freedom smart card in use on the Delaware River Port Authority’s PATCO high-speed rail line to Philadelphia. In this case, a user who purchases a card that is not associated with an account would simply pay the standard fare that would align with traditional transit funding sources. Project Actions:

• Identifying the key stakeholders involved in funding and operations to enter into a partnership to develop, expand upon, or unify existing smart card applications in the region to provide electronic fare payment for human services transportation and public transportation.

• Implementation of a smart card, electronic fare payment system. 3.1.3 Coordination of Provider Trip Functions

Currently in Camden County, there are a number of transportation service providers that operate fully independent of one another. This can and often does result in duplication of services. Coordination among providers however can present an opportunity to eliminate duplications that may exist. This is important, as it reduces the operational costs without reducing the service area, by reducing the cost per passenger mile. This coordination essentially divides naturally into two categories; a behind the scenes coordination among providers and a coordination that takes place at the time when a request for service is made. Although there are overlaps in these two categories, there is importance in recognizing their differences.

Behind the Scenes Coordination among Transportation Providers This level of coordination essentially involves communication among providers to look at the transportation routes each service operates to determine if select routes or locations receive service multiple times needlessly. This exercise may allow service providers to eliminate stops on routes that other services cover; which will, in turn increase the efficiency of the routes. In addition, it will give service providers a better understanding of gaps in fixed route service coverage, which gives flexible route and on-demand services a better knowledge of what areas they can expect to see demand. Finally, this collaboration allows more costly services to determine when an existing fixed route will reduce subsidy on a marginal basis for passengers added without generating additional operating cost. Additionally, from a technological standpoint, coordination software packages exist that should be considered in the establishment of a TMCC in Camden County.

Coordination among Transportation Providers at the Time of Service Request This level of coordination is essentially the next step once providers have determined which services are practical for each provider to offer. This involves efficiently linking transportation services into functional trips. An example of this would be if a user wanted to travel from an origin to a destination and fixed-route service covered a majority, but not the entirety of the trip. It would be inefficient to send an on-demand vehicle to cover the entire route; however, it could move the user from the origin to

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the appropriate fixed-route stop or station. Such practice would avoid two services covering the same area, thus increasing efficiency. This however would only be appropriate for passengers deemed capable of handling the transfer between services. Project Actions:

• Provide unified interface for consumer interaction with transportation services.

• Coordinate scheduling, billing, and consumer eligibility functions through a central database.

3.1.4 One Stop “Call” for Services

This element of change relies heavily on coordination among transportation service providers, as it would essentially bring all services together functionally as one from the user’s perspective. This change would allow the user to access all transportation services using one action, such as a phone call, email, or via the internet, no matter which service the user chose to utilize. The result would be either information regarding fixed route schedules that the user could access or the scheduling of an on-demand service. Examples of this one stop function include the “211” telephone service that accesses a statewide human social services network, where users are directed to a number of resources. Another example is the state managed website, www.njfindaride.com, which serves to bring transportation provider information together in one centralized location (a website) that is readily available for users with and without disabilities.

3.2 Justification of Proposed System Elements Technologies that should be employed for the telephony interface of the TMCC should include Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus and TTY/TDD for hearing impaired individuals. In the interests of maximum information accessibility, the web portal should be available at information kiosks and should also have standard personal computer and mobile web formatted versions of the portal available. The web portal should be compatible with and employ the use of E-Mail and SMS messaging. As mentioned in Section 1.2.2 Vision, Goals, and Objectives, the vision of this project is to design with Camden County the most effective transportation service delivery model by employing appropriate and current technologies focused on customer needs and the most efficient use of transportation and community resources. The changes proposed within this project satisfy the primary goals and objectives outlined in Section 1.2.2.

All of the elements described in the proposed system interact with the previously stated project goals. However, it should be noted that each goal is different in how it relates to each proposed system element. Goal 1 is primarily focused on the final product, which is the establishment of the TMCC, and all of the system elements described are essential to the development of the TMCC. Goal 2 focuses on creating increased mobility access, which is an outcome of each of the described elements. Finally, Goal 3 refers to the process of establishing the TMCC and thereby each of the four major elements in this section.

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This project seeks to improve passenger transportation services in Camden County with minimal additional expense. Ideally, collaborative efforts may ultimately lead to either a reduction in total transportation costs or greater coverage for the investment. In general, this project has the opportunity to reduce the cost per passenger mile through increased ridership and reduced duplication of service. The proposed system elements to accomplish the project goals include making customer trip information more available to users, implementing a seamless fare/billing system for all transportation services in Camden County, developing coordination among service provider trip functions, and establishing a one stop “Call” function for services that will allow users to access all transportation services through one action.

4 Next Steps Description of Proposed System

Necessary Features/Functions Advisable Features/Functions Optional Features/Functions

Assumptions and Constraints Operational Scenarios Summary of Impacts

Operational Impacts Organizational Impacts Impacts During Implementation

Analysis of the Proposed System Summary of Improvements Disadvantages and Limitations Alternatives and Trade-Offs Considered

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5 Appendix A: Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Definitions ADA Americans with Disabilities Act

AVL Automated Vehicle Location

CCBSS Camden County Board of Social Services

WIB Camden County Workforce Investment Board

CDL Commercial Driver’s License

CFDA Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

ConOps Concept of Operations

DOT Department of Transportation

DVRPC Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

FTA Federal Transit Administration

GVW Gross Vehicle Weight

ITS Intelligent Transportation System

IVR Interactive Voice Response

MDC Mobile Data Computer

MTA (New York City) Metropolitan Transportation Authority

NGO Non-Government Organization

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit – Statewide transit provider in New Jersey

PATCO Port Authority Corporation of Pennsylvania and New Jersey

PtMS Paratransit Management and Scheduling (Software Package)

SCDRTAP Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Act Program

Sen-Han Transit Designated provider of County paratransit service in Camden County

SJTA South Jersey Transportation Authority

SMS Short Messaging Service

Title XIX Article of the Social Security Act that authorized Medicaid

TMCC Travel Management Coordination Center

VTC Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University

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6 Appendix B: Camden County Outreach Results

Discussion Groups

Transportation Discussion Comments, Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) Coalition September 12, 2007 Moderated by Donna Johnston, Transportation Project Manager, Camden County Workforce Investment Board (CCWIB) [email protected]; 856-931-9999. The WIB is working on a planning grant to improve access to and coordination of transportation services within Camden County.

1. What mode of transportation do your clients/customers usually use to get around? • He runs agency offering partial care in Berlin. 100 clients go there daily. Frustration

because clients are not being treated well. Clients try to get on right vans but the vans may be uncomfortable (e.g., no air conditioning) and be driven unsafely. Also, there is limited access to public transportation. For instance, one public bus comes through the area near the center but doesn’t stop nearby.

• He is from ARC of Camden County (http://www.arccamden.org/programs.html) . They

serve 500 people throughout county with disabilities in 9 centers. Clients use Acceslink para-transit, Sen-Han (http://scucs.org/transportation.html) to get to centers.

• [Note:Seehttp://www.transportationchoices.com/transit_seniors.htm and

http://www.transportationchoices.com/pdfs/ camdenseniorguide.pdf for a description of some of the transportation services available in Camden County).

• Also, in Cherry Hill, the municipality operates one bus but it has very limited service.

The ARC contracts on behalf of those they serve through Division of Developmental Disabilities with private transportation provider. Some of the ARC residential sites have vehicles. Public transportation is available. There is a wide range of transportation services. Some are customized to client while others are very inflexible and inconvenient.

• WIC population- Camden residents carpool or use public transportation to access WIC

(Women, Infants, Children) sites.

• She is part of Regional Family Support Planning Council- work on behalf of children with disabilities and caregivers. Many persons with disabilities use Accesslink. Her son in Berlin area takes bus to work. Because his workplace is not on a scheduled route he pays “astronomical” fee to get to work despite his limited income. He works part time but because of transport fees he really is working to pay for his bus ride. Costs $45-50/week for transportation but he makes only $69/week. With supplemental social insecurity (SSI) because he has job they look at his income in determining his benefits. He ends up

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mailto:[email protected]

http://www.arccamden.org/programs.html

http://www.transportationchoices.com/transit_seniors.htm

http://www.transportationchoices.com/pdfs/


getting less benefits but the fact that he is spending so much on transportation is not taken into account in determining his SSI.

• For Accesslink, there is a window for them to pick someone up of 20 min before/after a

meeting/appointment. This is tough especially for families that can’t leave someone alone at home. Also, people far from a facility may end up spending as much as 2 hrs on the bus both ways.

• Church vans- lots of vans. Many churches just want to use for transportation back and

forth to church. Do we have good idea of how many vans faith-based orgs have? Churches exempt from many Dept. of Transportation requirements. Could the vans be used for things besides going to and from church? Donna/WIB is speaking with churches/faith-based institutions about this possibility.

• One participant said that Camden City, churches helped provide transportation during

Camden City annual reunion. Retired drivers and senior citizens took attendees at reunion on tours of city.

2. Are there certain areas of Camden County where your clients have significant difficulty finding transportation?

• Anywhere outside of Camden City • The more rural you go in county, have more problems • Going East-west harder than North-south with PATCO speedline • Berlin area • Winslow area- have to take 2 buses to get to Camden City. • He is part of the NJ Self Advocacy Project (http://www.arcnj.org/html/nj_self-

advocacy_project.html). A couple yrs ago the group did surveys-a top issue for self-advocates was transportation. For him- he travels throughout state, sometimes to places where there isn’t public transportation. Another issue is drivers who don’t know exactly where they’re going.

• Parent: With her son, one of concerns is because of Accesslink time window. If you’re

not on standing order (i.e., automatic pickup and dropoff) you have to have the trip scheduled for a certain amount of time before you can be added to the standing order list. Drivers are often from North Jersey and don’t know Camden County area. Sometimes people wait for Accesslink long past the 20 minute window during which pick up/drop off is supposed to occur.

• Public transportation- they run substance abuse treatment program. A client may have

psych appointment in Cherry Hill and substance abuse treatment program is in Pennsauken. So the client has to spend lots of time going back and forth on transportation not receiving care. There often is no direct route from one place to the other.

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http://www.arcnj.org/html/nj_self-advocacy_project.html

http://www.arcnj.org/html/nj_self-advocacy_project.html


3. and 4. From your perspective, what things do your customers like most about transport options they have? From your perspective, what do your customers like least about the transportation options they use? Why?

• When transporting persons with disabilities, drivers/schedulers/dispatchers need to understand their clients and their needs. They need to understand it may cause anxiety for people if bus is late. Sensitivity training would help. Customers appreciate drivers who are polite, pleasant, have comfortable buses.

• Issue of respect, courtesy, sensitivity for drivers and scheduling agents is big difference;

can help alleviate aggravation of waiting times and other issues

• Predictability is important. Especially with Accesslink. The aggravation of having to schedule every trip is a nightmare. Some people need help to schedule which requires additional time from staff.

• Can schedule Accesslink up to 2 weeks in advance.

• Just to have transportation options is appreciated.

• Division of Youth and Family Services- Transportation to DYFS facilities in Camden is

still problem for people not on Speedline or near public transportation bus routes. There is increasingly need in Sicklervlle/Winslow area. Rich in transportation resources in Camden city but as people move elsewhere, more and more to South County, it is hard for them to get access to services in Camden City.

• Others also said isolation in certain parts of the county is an issue

• She works for substance abuse center for women-have onsite day care. Transportation is

big issue for them. If there is bad weather like rain or snow, women won’t come in because they don’t want their kids being out in the rain, etc. Another issue is that although their clients have access to medical transportation through Medicaid, sometimes the transportation providers won’t transport their children.

• Lot of times there will be camp or program but no transportation to get to it. (E.g., in

Camden City getting kids from school to after school program). Walking may be unsafe

• Some kids work at CH mall then at 11pm when work over employer sends them out to catch bus last bus leaving mall. May not be safe this time of night

• Sometimes transport providers lack sensitivity to complexity of lives of their clients. Ex.

Accesslink- if you have three ‘no shows’, you lose access to this service. But often the no show occurs because someone finds another way to get to their destination because the bus is late. His agency spends a lot of time appealing and working with Accesslink on this issue

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• Should be accountability for communication. Ex.- In one case someone called to cancel an Accesslink ride back from their destination but due to a misunderstanding the trip to their destination was cancelled. Better communication b/w driver, dispatch and client would help. Would be good if scheduler can confirm during the conversation what the customer wants.

5. What are your ideas for eliminating barriers and improving travel options in Camden County for your clients?

• Should be quality control checks, inspections for transportation providers. He runs a program – their transportation provider has 8 vans each day. He checks the vans and works with company to address issues but not everyone may do this.

• She works with welfare clients. If they don’t have access to transportation aid as part of

receiving their welfare benefits sometimes they can’t afford bus pass. Is there a way to get lower cost bus passes? Can organizations provide vouchers to low income clients to help with the cost issue?

• Another person said that some persons receiving welfare benefits qualify for transportation

through welfare but not all. Also, case workers don’t always know someone may qualify through another program - for instance, someone participating in a substance abuse treatment program

• A participant said that clients need to go to the Board of Social Services and ask for

transportation assistance. Also, an agency can get bus passes from board of social services for their Medicaid-qualified clients. Need communication from case workers to clients.

• Workforce investment board (WIB) as part of the transportation planning grant is looking

at electronic billboards/kiosks- can put on poles or other objects near bus stops and people waiting will be able to see exactly where bus is so will know if it is running late

• WIB also is hoping to coordinate all the different transportation providers in the county so

there is more cooperation and efficiency. WIB is examining travel management coordination center- would be one-stop service and hopefully can help with waiting and scheduling issues. Might be actual physical site or may be virtual/online -- looking for more input.

• NJ Transit doesn’t have variety of passes- just have one pass/one size fits all. Someone

working 3 days/week doesn’t want to buy pass for whole week. Would be good to have smartcard/electronic card so people can buy just what they need. Agencies/organizations could add money to the smartcard if the patient/client is supposed to be receiving subsidized transportation as part of Medicaid or other services.

• For someone with developmental disabilities, may be hard for them to know where bus is.

Need to have arrangement for caregiver to receive a call if bus is running late or will not get there.

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• Attitude can be a barrier - some transportation providers need to be more aware of the fact

they are transporting people with special needs. When bus is late has consequences for patient/client that may be more severe than for persons who do not have such special needs. (e.g., caregiver will need to make arrangements).

• Language barriers- Spanish especially common but increasingly population of persons

speaking other languages such as Vietnamese and Korean is rapidly increasing as well. Need to be able to help persons who speak languages other than English

• One idea to have Easypass-type system but with swipe card. Because New Jersey is one of

the highest taxed states, residents should lobby for federal aid to help people in our state who need low-cost/subsidized transportation services.

• Could be issues with abuse of swipe cards or smartcards. Ex. One issue with swipe card is

others not in need could abuse it such as relatives. So will need some sort of monitoring such as including photo ID on card and having bus driver to check photo ID. Some wondered if a bus driver would take the time to check someone’s ID.

• One participant suggested organizations bring more services to clients/patients at their

home. For instance, medicine and therapy. Provider going to where client/patient is would help reduce need for transportation.

• But another participant noted that this raises funding issues- we’re all doing more with less

and with fewer staff it becomes harder for someone to take the time to go to the clients/patients.

6. How do most of your customers find out about their transportation options (e.g., phone, agency staff, Internet)

• Some programs provide info about options to clients/patients. Organizations may in turn get their information from phone calls and the Internet. In some organizations, a staff member helps to coordinate transportation

• One representative of a family support group said that some of her group members have

been ‘in the system’ for a long time so they know about available resources. Parents often learn of services by networking with each other. DHS/Division of Developmental Disabilities sometimes helps too.

• Another participant said word of mouth is how her clients/patients obtain information

• Agencies need to be kept updated so they can share information about transportation with

clients/patients/caregivers

• She works in outpatient mental health programs- clients will let her know about access to transportation. Many clients don’t have access to internet and it is hard for them to make

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calls. So agency plays key providing/coordinating role. As often as 30 percent of time, clients come late to appointments or miss appointments entirely due to transportation issues. The organization tries its best to accommodate clients with transportation problems but it is difficult.

7. From your perspective, what methods would your customers prefer to use to receive information about transportation? Are clients/patients more comfortable with phone? Could they use Internet. What about mailings, etc.?

• Could give information about transportation at community fairs/health fairs

• Use the media (radio/TV) to share information

• Have information on the buses

• One participant said that in Chicago, information about transportation is printed in monthly newspapers which are sold by homeless persons for $1. Bus schedules and other transportation information are in the paper. Proceeds from the sale help the homeless. This helps provide information about transportation while helping the homeless.

• Problems in Camden City less severe than elsewhere in county. But are newly emerging communities of immigrants (e.g., some Asian, Latin American communities) who don’t know about resources available and/or are “intimidated” by the transportation system

• A travel management coordination center could have an outreach person/councilor to help immigrants/persons new to area and others navigate the transportation system

• Could put information about transportation and bus schedules in municipal buildings and county stores. Now are 3 county stores in Camden County.

• Sometimes bus schedules just sit at NJTransit. There is not a good distribution system to get information about transportation such as bus schedules to residents or agencies/organizations.

• One participant said that she called the 1-800 number for NJ Transit and they sent her information for all Camden County.

• Is 1-800 number for health dept? The department gets calls for many things, including transportation, but no longer has an operator. So calls are routed to other staff/program secretaries who have other duties and have not been trained for this. Some have lists of numbers for resources which they keep for future reference but if too busy can’t always look up information when it is requested

• UOSS/211- also a potential resource; should have information and will go out of their way to help find resources

Brain Dump onto index cards at the end:

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• Industrial Parks. . . (Cherry Hill, Pennsauken, . . .) benefit from links such as AccessLink into these areas for daily work day A.M. + P.M. hrs.

• Post the Schedules – it’s simple as laminating the schedules to the poles with clear contact paper. Q. How did you get the county wide bus schedules? We now go the NJ Trans terminal and pick up individual ones.

• Advertise in language specific newspapers, i.e. Asian, Hispanic, Korean, on how to access public transportation + where to access

• Transportation guides for Camden County?

• We promote pediatric therapy services as well as medical day care services for children. We have transportation available for children in Medical Day Care. If – however – a child needs additional therapy before or after the medical day care program, they often use medical transport. As the child needs to have a parent with them on transport, the parent arrives at the center – but because after therapy they will go directly to medical day care program – but parents aren’t eligible for a ride home with Medicaid transport because they don’t have a medical necessity.

• A percentage of the WIC population (small I believe) does utilize taxi services. Maybe this is less expensive for a family transport then a bus??! It is definitely more direct.

• What are thoughts for transportation needs of people with health needs? Example: Patients going to chemotherapy or radiation.

• Suggestions: Offer an educational class at local libraries about how to access transportation services as well as how to navigate the internet to find out about services. I think the idea about a resource fair is very good. The first step would be to get a comprehensive list of transportation services. Invite representatives from medical transport, AccessLink, etc to these meetings.

• 2 things: Market special services available to the public, e.g. bus voucher, etc. How are quality measures controlled to ensure vehicles, (particularly) vans are safe & up to date on maintenance?

• Thank you so much! A phone line people could call to see if transportation is late (i.e., if a specific bus is late). More shelters at bus stops (covered areas). A TV channel dedicated strictly to traffic reports, bus scheduling, or train issues. Crosswalks @ bus stops. More stops on the River Line train. You have been doing a great job working on this huge issue. Thank you so much for your help!

• Senior citizens have trouble getting to doctor’s appointments on time.

• Very helpful. More is needed to help those who can not afford or access these services. There were great ideas from everyone who interacted.

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• Positive process strengthened by full group participation.

• A resource manual listing resources in various categories would be very useful. This could either be hard copy or website (easier to update).

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Discussion Group: Camden County College, December 5, 2007 The discussion group was made up of 41 students in GED classes at Camden County College, a community college located in downtown Camden City. Of the 41 who participated in the discussion, 36 completed an abbreviated survey.

Demographics Gender: 22 females, 14 males Age: 5 (0-18); 10 (19-25); 19 (26-49); 1 (50-60); 1 (60+) Marital Status: 8 married; 1 divorced; 26 single; 1 no answer Children: 23 have children; 11 do not; 2 no answer Ages of children range from 6 months to 40 years old Good Health: 34 yes; 2 no Mobility issues: 29 no; 7 yes Own a car: 23 no; 13 yes Work outside the home: 17 no; 19 yes

Discussion 1. What transportation services are available for you to use in your area?

bus, Speed Line, cab neighbor, family hitch hiking, walking bicycle

2. Do you feel the transportation options available in your area are better or worse than the transportation options offered in other parts of Camden County?

worse! 3. What do you like most about the transportation options you have? Why?

heat! only the driver has air conditioning in the summer comfortable seats Just to have it!

4. What do you like least about the transportation options you have? Why? bus drivers are mean! drivers need to be more aware of passengers drivers ignore stops and drive right by me late/ not on time too slow; need more express or local runs over crowded odors/ not clean exact change is a problem; cost more than the fare; a few buses do have change

machines night runs outside Camden do not exist, problem if you work at the mall in

Cherry Hill and don’t get off until 11 pm need to run more often

5. How do you find out about the transportation options in your area? transportation center

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bus schedules phone, which is voice automated, but if you need to know something that is not

standard it is no help 6. Do you have difficulty locating this information?

no 7. Where do you need to go and how do you get there?

NA 8. Are these usually direct trips or are transfers involved?

most trips need a transfer and it is costly 9. Are there trips you would like to make but do not because you can not find transportation

or because transportation is too much of a hassle? What and where are these places? out of NJ

10. What are the things you want most from transportation? What aspect of transportation is most important to you?

reasonable cost seat belts more frequency on weekends and at night trash cans, because the mess is pretty bad bathrooms on vehicles emergency phone shelters & lights at stops

11. Would you consider using a Camden specific website to get information on transportation and/or to schedule transportation services?

Do you have a computer with internet access at home? by hand count 3/41 do If no, do you have access to a computer with internet access? by hand count

12/41 do

Survey Questions 1. What types of services and content would be most helpful/valuable to you if offered

by a Camden specific website?

Yes No MaybeTrip planning information 25 1 8 Trip Fee information 25 3 7 Contact phone numbers for transit service providers 24 3 7 General trip information (for example, how and where to purchase tickets)

27 2 6

Bus or Train stop locations 28 3 4 Access to a trip counselor who could help you plan your trip 19 8 8 Sign up for an e-list that will provide route specific information such as schedule changes, real time vehicle arrival?

16 7 12

Sign up to have above information sent directly to your PDA 18 6 10 Other (please specify): free parking or resonable prices for parking some bus tickets for those who don't have funds at the time

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2. Some technologies and services can help make transportation easier to use for customers. Please rank the following according to what you think would make transportation use easier for you (4=most preferred, 3=preferred, 2=might use, and 1=would not use).

4 3 2 1 AvgTrip planning counselor who could help you plan your trip

10 9 7 8 2.6

A single point of contact for all transportation information via phone

6 18 7 3 2.8

A single point of contact for all transportation information via internet/website

10 9 9 5 2.6

Annual trip planning workshops held at local libraries and other convenient locations

11 8 9 6 2.6

Information stands/kiosks or LED signage that includes information on routes, transfers, real time vehicle arrival time

15 10 6 2 3.1

Electronic fare payment which allows you to pay for transit with a single “smart” card

19 8 3 3 3.3

Safety cameras on all transit vehicles and other surveillance/security systems

22 4 6 0 3.4

Shelters at each bus stop 23 2 5 3 3.3 Other technologies or services (please specify) reasonable parking fees

1

3. Do you use a mobile (cellular) telephone? Yes (30) No (7)

If yes, do you use the text message feature? Yes (21) No (12)

If yes, do you use the access internet feature? Yes (17) No (16)

4. Do you have cable in your home? Yes (31) No (3)

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Focus/Discussion Group: Camden County Board of Social Services, January 11, 2008 Three focus groups were held back to back at the CC BSS on Friday morning, January 11, 2008. Two of the groups were made up of Medicaid transportation intake employees, who verify customers qualify for medical transportation; determine the appropriate level of service and provider; then either referred the customer to the transportation service provider or schedule the pick up and drop off for the customer depending on the appropriate level (higher mode or lower mode) of service required. The third group included Case Managers from Workforce New Jersey.

Trips and Trip Making 2. Does your agency provide transportation assistance to your clients?

Yes for both Medicaid & Workforce NJ transportation assistance comes from the Federal level for both Medicaid is income limited

• 100% of customers qualify for transportation assistance to limited locations, though only 15 to 20% actually get it; this is because the system can not begin to handle the numbers; transportation, in reality, should apply to every medical trip including going to the pharmacy; will also pay for an escort is need of assistance is documented or the customer is a minor

• Medicaid arranges for curb-to-curb service for customers who do not have special needs; for those who do have special needs the customer is referred to a transportation provided and arranges their own ride; if a customer has 4 or more medical trips a month they are then issued a transit pass for the month (this has grown to 800+ customers requesting and receiving a monthly pass)

• some allowance for doctor driven appointments to specific places for tests such as for stress; not for simple things such as blood work – must go to the closest place; there are some medical services that are not available in Camden County, only in Philadelphia or other NJ county, so transport is provided

• If customer owns a car they do get some reimbursement for medical trips

• also, Medicaid transportation is only required to get patients within a half mile of their medical appointment

for Workforce NJ, customers receive free bus passes; use to give tickets for the Speedline but not anymore and this has created a big mess for customers

3. What mode of transportation do your clients generally use to get around? Medicaid uses 14 companies including 1 taxi service for customers who do not

have disabilities; use 4 companies for customers with disabilities but the customer must be able to board and un-board without assistance; customer needs to allow for 1 hour leeway coming and going

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mostly sedans and vans 4. What types of trips do your clients want to make, but are not served by the current

transportation system? Medicaid: NA Workforce NJ: to activities that relate to training/education, GED studies; so most

are located in Camden City or Pennsauken; work to make sure activities are on a bus line

5. From your perspective, what things do your clients want most from transportation? What do they most depend on?

Medicaid • on demand transportation • if doctor moves, customers want to follow even out of county; they are

allowed to for 30 days only if doctor has moved out of Camden County • same day service • some have complained about sharing the ride with others • some want the whole family, not just an escort, to go with them • some request pick up at someplace other than home • weekend doctors appointments—these are difficult because only 3

carriers provide service on the weekends Workforce NJ:

• on demand • passes for all zones; right now zones are limited with customer paying

extra fee when going out of the designated zones; sometime WNJ will give tickets to cover the difference

• on time does not seem to be an issue with WNJ clients; maybe has become part of the culture or complaining in the past has not made a difference to resigned to chaotic bus schedules

6. NA

Communication/Information 7. Does your agency provide information on transportation to your clients?

only in arranging medical transportation as mentioned above Workforce NJ: have bus schedules everywhere and will help customers map out

their travels 8. In general, are your clients comfortable with using the internet to find information?

few if any have access to a computer 9. Approximately what percentage of your clients have cell phones?

Medicaid: approximately 50% Workforce NJ: perception that 100% of customers have cell phones

Parking Lot Issues The phone system at the CC BSS is a BIG issue! It is not adequate for the volume and is

often overwhelmed. Transportation councilors give out their direct number to customers, which mean that those who call the main number and end up in a qui just hang there

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forever. This system was selected and is maintained and paid for through Camden County. This system is a nightmare!

Participants Medicaid Transportation

• Winifred Miller, Trans Director • Ed Hess, Supervisor • Anita Tucker • Patrick Callahan • Abdul Kabia • Joyce Putnam, agency/user • Rosie Gomez • Cynthia Clark

Workforce New Jersey, Case Management • Phu Train • Dyon Draft • Shirley Owens

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Focus Groups:

Hopeworks ‘N Camden, 4:15 pm October 18, 2007 543 State Street, Camden, NJ 08102 Hopeworks “N Camden housing a youth program that offers literacy, GED preparation, and a Website development business that employs high school and a few college level students. For the high school part of the program, students complete a self paced training program in Micro Media Dream Weaver, during which each becomes part of a team that designs websites for businesses and nonprofits in the community. Hopeworks also offer interactive web mapping utilizing a very sophisticated level mapping program using ESRI products.

Attendees 4—15 year olds 1—16 year old 1—13 year old 6 Total students participated 1 sophomore at Pennsauken HS 1 Junior at Pennsauken HS 1 Sophomore at Yell (?) HS 1 8th grade at North Camden Middle School 1 Sophomore at Woodrow Wilson HS 1 not in school, part of the literacy and the GED prep programs 2 females, 4 males

Focus Group: Winslow Township, October 22, 2007 Winslow Township is located in the southern part of Camden County. In the United We Ride Overview, the population of Winslow Township is described as: a large concentration of minority as well as a large concentration of veterans. General discussion before the meeting indicated at least a perception of a good size population of senior citizens; that a good number of those moving into the Township come from Camden City because of rising housing costs.

Attendees 4 females

2 each 50-60 years old 2 each 60 + years old Marital status: 2 married; 1 single; 1 widowed all 4 own a car 1 retired; 3 work outside the home

1 drives to Delaware 1 short walk

1 qualifies for transportation subsidy (the one retired) 4 males (1 did not fill out a demographic slip)

1 19-25 years old

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1 26-49 years 1 no age given Marital status: 2 single; 1 married 2 own a car; 1 does not all 3 work outside the house 1 travels 18 miles to work; 1 10 miles; 1 not answer 2 do not qualify for transportation subsidy; 1 no answer

Focus Group: Faith Tabernacle Labor Day Care, October 23, 2007 553 Spruce Street, Camden, NJ Faith Tabernacle Labor Day Care offers a preschool program. Funding is provided from the Camden City School District and from Abbott. Except for age (3 years old by October 1st), there are no limitations for enrollees through funding by the CC School District for a regular school day, 8:30 to 3:30. Abbott provides resources for wrap around day care, which includes the hours 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 3:30 to 6:00 PM. Currently, there are 25 students enrolled in the preschool program. The children are a varied group, consisting of African American, Hispanic and Vietnamese descent.

Survey Respondents 4 females

Age: 1 19-25; 3 26-49 Marital status: 3 single; 1 married Children: 2 w/3 children; 1 w/4 children; 1 a grandmother w/grown children all 4 own a car 3 work outside the home; 1 does not 1 drives 1 mile; 1 drives 22 miles; 1 drives 5 miles 0 qualify for transportation subsidy

Focus Group: Pine Hill Borough Senior Citizens, October 25, 2007 In the UWR Strategic Plan the Borough of Pine Hill is identified as “most disadvantaged”, a classification originating from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). In determining “most disadvantaged” degrees of disadvantage are determined by looking at the degree to which certain characteristic exist within the population of each municipality within the DVRPC region. The demographic data examined include: Poverty, Non-Hispanic Minority, Hispanic, Elderly, Carless, Disabled, Limited English Efficiency, and Female Head of Household with Child.

Attendees 10 Members of the Senior Club in Pine Hill Borough 9 Females 1 Male Age: 1- 50-60; 9 - 60+ Marital Status: 1 divorced; 1 no response; 2 single; 6 windowed Children: 6 do; 4 do not have children

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Own a car: 5 do; 5 do not own a car All 10 do not work outside the home 1 qualifies for transportation subsidy (Medicaid); 9 do not or are not aware if they do

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Questions & Responses 1. What transportation services are available for you to use in your area?

1 male student uses transit fixed route bus to get to school; ride is free, he is issued tickets on a daily basis through the school (Hopeworks)

4 either take a school bus or walk (Hopeworks) All take the bus occasionally to the ‘Gallery’ (a mall); 1 female occasionally

takes the bus to Cherry Hill (Hopeworks) All are within a block or two of Hopeworks and walk from home (Hopeworks) NJ Transit (Winslow) @ 6 taxi companies (Winslow) own car (Winslow) Access Link (Winslow) SenHan through the County (Winslow) neighbors (Winslow) some church vehicles (Winslow) 1 bus (FTL DAY CAREC) 3 own car (FTL DAY CARE) SenHan 3 days a week: (Pine Hill)

• Mondays rotate between 2 malls and WalMart; Wednesdays grocery store, pharmacy and bank; Fridays Senior Club

• time limits on shopping; usually rushed, especially for elderly people with canes and wheelchairs

• call 3 to 5 days ahead for pick up • Pine Hill Borough pays for service

Blackwood Senior Center has bus and picks up seniors for special programs (Pine Hill)

Pine Hill Senior Club uses SenHan service occasionally; but usually do not have enough money to pay for transportation (Pine Hill)

public service buses; fixed route, set up more for people getting to work (Pine Hill)

AccessLink (Pine Hill) 2. Do you feel the transportation options available in your area are better or worse than

the transportation options offered in other parts of Camden County? Please explain. NA (Hopeworks) “worse” was unanimous (Winslow) Please explain. (specify town names that have better options) (Winslow)

• Philadelphia • Gloucester • Camden City • Lindenwold is the cut off for trans service; if you can get to Lindenwold

you can access the rest of the County better (unanimous) (FTL DAY CARE) worse: bigger municipalities like Camden City have more (Pine Hill) Pine Hill should have their own bus; (Pine Hill)

• use to but not enough riders to justify continuing service;

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• each person using the service had to go to the municipality hall and receive a card with which they rode free of charge; the card was related to insurance

now, the 3 days they have SenHan they share with 2 other municipalities; because of the schedule have limited time to do their shopping; with Christmas coming up there was concern expressed about have enough time to do the basics let alone shopping for gifts (Pine Hill)

3. What do you like most about the transportation options you have? Why? it’s quiet (Hopeworks) If you have a car you can connect to Lindenwold in 15-20 minutes; the only

other way is by taxi, which is $25 one-way (Winslow) on time (FTL DAY CARE) inclusive – can get anywhere you want to go (FTL DAY CARE) being able to go (unanimous) (Pine Hill) staying independent (unanimous) (Pine Hill) someone else is driving, not me (Pine Hill) not paying for car insurance which is too high and rising as one gets older (Pine

Hill) People from SenHan are so nice; drivers can not be helpful enough (Pine Hill)

4. What do you like least about the transportation options you have? Why? the temperature, either too hot or too cold (Hopeworks) too many stops; rough ride at times when driver stops or turns corners going too

fast (Hopeworks) pick up times are unpredictable (Hopeworks) rude bus drivers; 1 student (female) said the driver shut the door in her face and

drove off without her (Hopeworks) The male student who rides to and from school on a public bus indicated that the

bus driver is often rude in general (Hopeworks) cost (Winslow) inconvenience (Winslow) hours involved in transfers (Winslow) limited service hours (Winslow) some walking involved: dangerous at night, no sidewalks and a lot of roads do

not have a berm; also often stopped by cops for ‘suspicious activity’ (Winslow) In Atco there is only a ticket machine for ride fare; if machine is not working

(which happens) there is no alternative (Winslow) ventilation on buses is poor; those with respiratory problems such as asthma are

adversely affected (Winslow) schedule is unreliable (FTL DAY CARE) crowdedness (FTL DAY CARE) traffic (FTL DAY CARE) timeliness (Pine Hill) for medical appointments have to call 2 weeks in advance (Pine Hill) lack of sensitivity when calling for information; person talks with an accent and

too fast for a person with a hearing aid to understand (Pine Hill)

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SenHan sometimes does not wait the 5 minutes they say they do; just occasionally does this happen; it would be nice if they could call a few minutes before arrival (Pine Hill)

Access Link made one of them wait 3 hours for a return trip; said they’d be there @ 9 PM, didn’t arrive until midnight; she was grateful that friends stayed with her (Pine Hill)

5. How do you find out about the transportation options in your area? computer – website (Hopeworks) pick up brochures at transportation center (Hopeworks) just go stand at the bus stop; bus usually runs by about every 10 to 20 minutes

(Hopeworks) word of mouth (Winslow) brochures at County Store; but, no transportation service to get there (Winslow) brochure from Rand Trans Center (FTL DAY CARE) husband works for public transit (FTL DAY CARE) telephone the Borough (Pine Hill) telephone friends (Pine Hill) “grape vine” (Pine Hill) Why not have transportation information on the County Calendar that is mailed

out? (Pine Hill) 6. Do you have difficulty locating this information?

• Everyone agreed bus schedule information was easy to get (Hopeworks) • 3 no; 1 NA (FTL DAY CARE)

Do you feel that you get adequate (enough) information on transportation options available to you?

• Yes (Hopeworks) • shelters have schedule posted (FTL DAY CARE)

What methods would you prefer to use to receive information about transportation?

• Internet (Hopeworks) • sometimes information on internet is not available – when the server is

down (Winslow) • using a browser to search for information is a problem too – to much

information is returned; which do you choose? (Winslow) • no internet access (FTL DAY CARE) • brochure (FTL DAY CARE) • telephone (FTL DAY CARE) (Pine Hill) • mailings (Pine Hill) • trip counselor (Pine Hill) • transportation workshops (Pine Hill) • no one in this group has a computer or access to a computer (Pine Hill) • usually someone knows (facilitators note: this group has an outstanding

community support and communication network!) (Pine Hill) 7. Where do you need to go? How do you arrange to get there?

NA (Hopeworks) Cherry Hill to work (see 8) (Winslow)

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Philadelphia; Delaware – drive (Winslow) Atlantic City, working 7 to 3 shift use to be easy with the 519 Atco line, but run

times have changed and do not fit with shift work hours in Atlantic City (Winslow)

in Camden City (FTL DAY CARE) to Camden City from Pennsauken (FTL DAY CARE) Malls, shopping (FTL DAY CARE) work (FTL DAY CARE) How do you arrange to get there?

• Just walk to the bus stop and wait (FTL DAY CARE) • check train schedule, then go (FTL DAY CARE)

grocery, bank: call for SenHan 3 to 5 days ahead (Pine Hill) medical: call 2 weeks ahead (1); the rest either drive or have a friend or family

member to drive them (Pine Hill) 8. Once you’ve developed a plan, then what happens? Walk to a bus stop? Wait for the

provider to pick you up at the curb/door? The bus stop is within a block of each of their homes. They just go to the bus

stop and wait for a bus (Hopeworks) Going to Cherry Hill to work: first to Lindenwold by any method possible, taxi

when desperate; to Camden City (Rand Trans Cnt), then another bus to Cherry Hill. Can take 45 minutes if catches the Express from Lindenwold, otherwise at least an hour (Winslow)

Walk to a bus stop (FTL DAY CARE) NA (Pine Hill)

9. Are these usually direct trips or are transfers involved? Take only direct rides, no transfers involved (Hopeworks) mostly transfer trips (Winslow) 2 said mostly direct (FTL DAY CARE) 1 said mostly transfer (FTL DAY CARE) 1 NA (FTL DAY CARE) direct (unanimous) (Pine Hill)

10. Are there trips you would like to make but do not because you can not find transportation or because transportation is too much of a hassle? If a hassle, what are the hassles (time, transfers, no options)? What and where are these places? What do you do?

Unanimous no (Hopeworks) going south there are no options and new homes are being built there (Winslow) weekends there are no options (hospital workers who access public transport on

week days have to drive when working weekends) (Winslow) late at night: 2nd and 3rd shift workers have no options (Winslow) local grocery shopping: no options other than walking or riding with a neighbor

(Winslow) 2 said none (FTL DAY CARE) 1 NA (FTL DAY CARE) 1: sometimes transportation does go there on the schedule she needs, such as for

job interviews in Pennsauken and Cherry Hill; each morning, using public

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transit, she takes each of her 3 children to different locations: day care, preschool, elementary school; often she first walks to her brother’s place of work to borough his transit pass (FTL DAY CARE)

Cultural trips to places like Philly Museum of Art or to Wilmington, Delaware (Pine Hill)

Atlantic City (Pine Hill) Washington Township theatre – Pitman (?) has big band music and other

entertainment (Pine Hill) Peddlers Village (Pine Hill) sometimes just for lunch with friends (Pine Hill) community high school plays (Pine Hill) one of the churches is offering a Thanksgiving dinner free for seniors, but it is

on a Sunday and there is no way to get there (Pine Hill) 11. What are the things you want most from transportation? What aspect of transportation

is most important to you? On demand - I should be able to get it when I want it

• Need it (FTL DAY CARE) Friendly drivers! (Hopeworks) Vehicles clean and well maintained (Hopeworks) get to and from work on time (Winslow) get to shopping, bank (Winslow) get to health care (Winslow) get to municipal/government service providers (Winslow) emergencies, e.g. a child sick at school and needing a parent to pick her/him up

(Winslow) cost affective! (unanimous) (Winslow) convenient (Winslow) SAFE (unanimous) (Winslow) 24/7/365, flexible (Winslow) Vehicles are clean and well maintained (FTL DAY CARE) Direct - it should be able to run from point A to B (FTL DAY CARE) Sensitive to customer needs - it should be sensitive to people with special needs

(FTL DAY CARE) Safe - it should be a safe to use, and operated with safety and security in mind

(FTL DAY CARE) drivers drive too fast; often throwing passengers around (FTL DAY CARE) suggests guards and cameras (FTL DAY CARE) On demand - unanimous Yes (Pine Hill) Timeliness – Yes, and it would be nice if driver could call when they are close

(Pine Hill) Convenience – Yes for shopping or doctor’s appointments (Pine Hill) Flexible – Yes (Pine Hill) Reasonable cost – yes, SenHan paid for by municipality; but for other trips we’d

like to take can not afford transportation cost and cost of event as well, such as lunch (Pine Hill)

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Friendly drivers – Yes; should give the SenHan driver a gold star for helpfulness (Pine Hill)

Vehicles are clean and well maintained – Yes (Pine Hill) Direct trip – Yes (Pine Hill) Sensitive to customer needs – unanimous Yes, especially to wheel chair bound,

those who move slow because of disabilities, those hard of hearing or with hearing aids (Pine Hill)

Safe – Yes (Pine Hill) 12. Would you consider using a Camden specific website to get information on

transportation and/or to schedule transportation services? Unanimous yes (Hopeworks) yes, if informative (Winslow) most seniors in Winslow Twp do not have access to a computer (Winslow) yes! if she had access (FTL DAY CARE) 2 yeses (FTL DAY CARE) No, because no one has a computer and there is no library in Pine Hill (Pine

Hill) 13. What types of services and content would be most helpful/valuable to you if offered

by a Camden specific website? NA (Hopeworks) the little things, e.g. transit drivers sell tickets; can have bus passes mailed to

you (Winslow) Schedules (Winslow) bus stop locations (Winslow) customized itineraries (Winslow) trip councilor (Winslow) workshops around the county on using trans; annual basis (Winslow) all fees identified up front, e.g. extra fee for buying ticket on the train (Winslow) schedules, events, contact numbers (FTL DAY CARE) What provider will meet my needs best?

• 1 yes; 1 not sure (FTL DAY CARE) Trip counselor (FTL DAY CARE) Workshops around the County on types and use of transportation (FTL DAY

CARE) (facilitator note: because the Pine Hill group does not have access to

computers, I substituted TMCC for Camden specific website in asking this question)

• Trip planning information • Unanimous yes for a trip counselor • Unanimous agreement on occasional workshops on trip planning and

using existing transportation 14. Facilitator: As I explained earlier, the TMCC is going to be designed to help

Camden residents with their trip planning, scheduling and other transportation focused tasks via technology tools, such as a telephone hotline, website and mobility counselor. Overall, using different technologies is going to help us achieve our goal

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of improving transportation in the County. That said, tell me your thoughts on some of these other customer-related technologies:

Information kiosks (stands) and/or LED signage at large or heavily trafficked transit stops that include information on schedules, fares, routes, transfers and estimated vehicle arrival time

• YES (Hopeworks) • similar to those at airport (on time, real time); information kiosks at all stops (Winslow) • YES! (unanimous) (FTL DAY CARE) • unanimous yes, with EVA being number one (Pine Hill)

Electronic fare payment – allows you to pay for your transportation with a single “smart” card

• YES (Hopeworks) • YES (Winslow) • like an EZ Pass (Winslow) • Yes (FTL DAY CARE) • unanimous yes (Pine Hill)

Surveillance and security systems • “Why?” Safety was not an issue to any of them (Hopeworks) • armed guards (Winslow) • parking lots: well lighted, cameras, armed guards (Winslow) • Yes unanimous and emphatically! by 2 (FTL DAY CARE) • Yes (Pine Hill)

Other technologies? • Shelters at bus stops (Hopeworks) • infrared cameras on buses; this is happening slow but sure (Winslow) • Information at each stop (FTL DAY CARE) • vehicle locator information (FTL DAY CARE)

15. Do you use a mobile (cellular) telephone? Many mobile telephones have the capability to send and receive text messages and access the internet. Do you use these features?

2 out of 6 have cell phones, both males (Hopeworks) 1 of the 2 has text messaging (Hopeworks) 1 of the 2 was not sure; if he does have text messaging he doesn’t know

how to use it (Hopeworks) 5 out of 8 have cell phones (Winslow) 2 of the 5 use text messaging (Winslow) all 4 have cell phone (FTL DAY CARE)

• 3 have capacity to send/receive text messages • 3 liked idea of signing up for a text message or email service that sends pertinent information on bus/train routes of their choosing – information such as delays or schedule changes

5 out of 10 have cell phones (Pine Hill)

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• When asked whether they knew how to text message or access the internet through their phone, all 5 laughed, which means “no”

Parking Lot (Winslow Twp) need a bus that continuously loops from Park & Ride (Atlantic City Exp + 536) to the

train and back Avondale to 73 bus/shuttle loop would help Cross Keys Road

o Lots of retail development and no transportation o talk to employers about a shuttle for employees?

Possibility of putting transportation information on the County calendar? Check out a new bus system offered by Salem County to their residents

Facilitator note concerning Pine Hill Focus Group participants: This was a wonderful, lively group of Senior Citizens, who came out in a cold fall rain to meet with me. One even rode her scooter from home to the Municipal Hall to participate in this focus group. They all agreed that the basic trips they need to stay independent are available to them, with just a few inconveniences, and an occasional bad moment of waiting forever for a ride home. But, the trips that add quality to their lives are not offered and are not affordable on a fixed retirement income. An issue felt by all: As we age we move slower, sometime needing a cane or a wheel chair, our hearing begins to go; and, though the transportation services that are provided are greatly appreciated, consideration for the physical limitations related to aging are not always taken into consideration. More sensitivity in this area would go a long way.

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Transportation Consumer Survey Location Count Percent Camden County College 15 10% CC Board of Social Services 32 21% Fairview, Camden City 13 9% Genesis School of Business 21 14% One-Stop Career Center 57 38% Rand Transportation Center 11 7% Grand Total 149 100%

Questions 2. Which transportation services are available for you to use? (Check all that apply)

Count Percent Car 38 26% NJ Transit bus or train 133 89% Car, van or bus operated by the County 13 9% Taxi 37 25% NJ Transit Access Link 9 6% Church/temple vehicle 3 2% Other

PATCO car pool relative’s car walk or bike Speedline

2 1 2 1 1

5%

3. What are the things you want most from transportation?

Key Words Count Percent on time/reliable 59 40.4% destination 13 8.9% ride safely 11 7.5% better customer service 11 7.5% efficiency 8 5.5% less crowded 7 4.8% affordable 7 4.8% shelters/benches 6 4.1% cleanliness 5 3.4% seat belts 4 2.7% heat 3 2.1% comfortable 2 1.4% accessible 2 1.4% availability 2 1.4% bus upgrade 1 0.7% options 1 0.7% exact change to stop 1 0.7% more frequent runs 1 0.7% maps/schedules 1 0.7% Riverline to extend hours by 2 to Trenton 1 0.7%

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4. Please rank the following in order of preference for getting information about transportation options. (4=most preferred, 3=preferred, 2=might use, and 1=would not use).

4 3 4&3 2 1 blk AvgTelephone & a real person 99 16 115 15 10 9 3.5 Transit schedule brochure available in every day locations

82 27 109 18 10 12 3.3

Internet/website 43 32 75 31 26 17 2.7 Local publication (newspaper) 39 32 71 26 28 24 2.7 Counselor/Social Service Worker 38 31 69 26 34 20 2.6 Mailings 38 31 69 22 38 20 2.5 Local TV/radio transportation channel 37 27 64 27 40 18 2.5 County Calendar 34 24 58 30 37 24 2.4 House of Worship 28 19 47 31 50 21 2.2 Telephone/voice activated 17 27 44 36 49 23 2.1 Other (please specify)

transit calendar in community centers (1) transportation center (1) comfort (1) my pastor and an honest councilor (1)

5. Would you consider using a Camden specific website to get information on

transportation?

Response Count Percent Yes 96 64% No 42 28% blank 11 7%

a. If yes, what types of services and content would be most helpful/valuable to you

if offered by a Camden specific website? Yes Pct No Maybe blank Bus or Train stop locations 133 72% 11 8 34 Contact phone numbers for transit service providers 111 60% 13 22 40 General trip information (for example, how and where to purchase tickets)

110 59% 19 21 36

Trip Fee information 102 55% 21 29 34 Trip planning information 96 52% 18 38 34 Sign up for an e-list that will provide route specific information such as schedule changes, real time vehicle arrival?

78 42% 39 32 37

Sign up to have above information sent directly to your PDA

74 40% 42 31 39

Access to a trip counselor who could help you plan your trip

73 39% 33 41 39

Other: maps, itinerary plan, explanations of fare charges, Philly connection (1) no computer (1) Transportation allowance for drivers that don't own car (1) notification by mail (1)

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6. Some technologies and services can help make transportation easier to use for customers. Please rank the following according to what you think would make transportation use easier for you (4=most preferred, 3=preferred, 2=might use, and 1=would not use).

4 3 4&3 2 1 blk AvgShelters at each bus stop 88 20 108 11 15 15 3.4 Safety cameras on all transit vehicles and other surveillance/security systems

80 29 109 11 12 17 3.3

Electronic fare payment which allows you to pay for transit with a single “smart” card

64 37 101 20 13 15 3.1

A single point of contact for all transportation information via phone

46 45 91 23 15 20 2.9

Information stands/kiosks or LED signage that includes information on routes, transfers, real time vehicle arrival time

61 29 90 25 18 16 3.0

A single point of contact for all transportation information via internet/website

41 40 81 26 23 19 2.8

Trip planning counselor who could help you plan your trip

46 25 71 36 25 17 2.7

Annual trip planning workshops held at local libraries and other convenient locations

32 22 54 37 36 22 2.4

Other technologies or services (please specify) eliminate fare pmt on bus & set up machines to purchase fare (1) seats shelter in audon (1) electronic device to make change like in the grocery store (1) seat belts should be installed in all bus transportation (1) seat belt on buses for children and safety (1) seat belts and more buses that runs through (1) promptness again (1)

Yes Pct No blank

Do you use a mobile (cellular) telephone? 117 79% 27 5

If yes, do you use the text message feature?

73 49% 49 27

If yes, do you use the access internet feature?

38 26% 71 40

Do you have cable in your home? 85 57% 51 13

Demographics

Gender Count Percent Female 85 57% Male 56 38% blank 8 5%

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Age Count Percent 0-18 13 9% 19-25 37 25% 26-49 65 44% 50-60 23 15% 60+ 4 3% blank 7 5%

Marital Status

Count

Percent

Single 106 72% Married 16 11% Divorced 13 9% Widowed 3 2% blank 10 7%

Children Count Percent Yes 88 56% No 43 29% blank 18 12%

Yes Percent No blank Are you in good health? 120 56% 20 9 Do you have mobility issues? 39 26% 98 12 Do you own a car? 26 17% 116 7 Do you work outside of the home? 68 46% 73 8