Access : Brokering Paratransit Services to the Elderly and Handicapped in Allegheny County, PA

PDFTech ReportUMTA-MA-06-0049-84-10DOT-TSC-UMTA-84-35DOT-TSC-1757AgedPhysically handicapped personsSocial service agenciesBrokerageOperating costsParatransit servicesTaxi servicesTransit operating agenciesSubsidiesUser side subsidiesPittsburgh (Pennsylvania)United States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationCharles River Associates, Inc.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, (U.S.)United States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-Transit Economics and FinanceNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-ECONOMICS AND FINANCENTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Social ImpactsNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Transit Planning and PolicyNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Transit Economics and FinancesVolpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterThis report describes and evaluates the elderly and handicapped brokerage project sponsored by UMTA's Service and Methods Demonstration Program. The demonstration, sponsored locally by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, tests the concept of transportation brokerage on a large scale. During the demonstration, the broker, ACCESS, coordinated service delivery by for-profit and not-for-profit carriers and arranged service provision to human service agencies and unaffiliated individuals. The broker also administered and organized service delivery for a user-side subsidy program funded by the Port Authority. This program is available to Allegheny County residents who are unable to board fixed-route buses, and it represents the Authority's special efforts to meet Section 504 requirements for service to the handicapped. The report describes the planning efforts that led to the demonstration and the objectives of the sponsors in funding the project. It describes in detail how the broker has organized service delivery as well as administrative functions. It includes an evaluation of the impact of the broker on paratransit supply and an examination of participation by human service agencies. Using the results of extensive surveys of ACCESS user, the report contains information on the number and characteristics of the elderly and handicapped and the extent to which they use project services. Finally, the report provides an assessment of the brokerage concept and its transferability to other localities