MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit Business Plan 2012 - 2016
MobilityPLUS's 5 year 2012 - 2016 Business Plan was approved by Regional Council March 20, 2012. The plan includes improvements with respect to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards and increased specialized service delivery to accommodate future growth in the Region. Financial implications will be finalized as part of the annual budget discussions each year.
Click to view staff report to Planning and Works Committee
Click here to view the full Business Plan
The first MobilityPLUS Business Plan, (2003 - 2007), saw great advances made in both the variety and the amount of service available to MobilityPLUS customers, and in the reduction of the cost per passenger trip. MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit combined passenger trips rose from about 190,000 before the first plan to 411,000 in 2010. Additional vehicles were added for both MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit in addition to mobile data terminals for MobilityPLUS to improve service productivity.
The new Business Plan proposes to provide a framework to guide the expansion of services with the anticipated needs, further develop initiatives successfully introduced under the previous Business Plan, and build the administrative capacity required by the large increase in service achieved between 2003 and 2010.
In order to accomplish these objectives the new Business Plan for 2012 - 2016 is focused on:
- Reinforcing the administrative and technical resources of MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit;
- Implementation of the new Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act regulations;
- Achieving a modest expansion of service, commensurate with the expected growth in demand, and
Pursuing improvements in the quality and consistency of taxi services provided under contract.
Our Success
In 2002, shortly after the Region assumed responsibility for the delivery of specialized transit services in the Region, the implementation of MobilityPLUS's first five-Year Business Plan charted a course for the development of MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit. The Business Plan has been highly effective.
- Specialized transit trips provided have risen from 190,000 in 2001 to 412,000 in 2010.
- TaxiSCRIP, introduced in 2003, provided 62,000 spontaneous trips in sedan and accessible taxis, subsidized 50% by MobilityPLUS. The average cost to the Region of these trips was about $4.75, compared to $38 for a van trip and $19 for a contracted taxi trip.
- The Program Commuter Bus service, introduced in June 2008, now carries about 7,000 passenger trips each year transporting people with cognitive disabilities to and from their work or program activities.
- MobilityPLUS registrants made 106,000 trips on GRT conventional transit under the free fare incentive program.
- Progress has been made towards an effective travel training program to create in people with disabilities and seniors the skills they need in order to use GRT conventional service
- A revised eligibility process ensuring that the specialized transit service is reserved for those who meet the established qualifications.
- Travel to and from Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, has become much simpler and more convenient for MobilityPLUS passengers.
- Complaints about the insufficient quantity of service are now focusing on the quality of service.
Over the same period of time, Kiwanis Transit:
- Has added capacity to respond to virtually all requests for service.
- Maintains low service costs.
GRT's Route 21 provides regular transit to approximately 5,000 passenger trips per year to Kiwanis Transit registrants who otherwise would have used the specialized service.
The AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards
The following is a general summary of the key compliance issues of the Integrated Accessibility Standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act that are required to be implemented for MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit by 2016.
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Establish the same fares and fare media as GRT conventional service, such that passengers have access to the same fares, discounts, concessions and fare media when they use MobilityPLUS.
Note that the free-fare incentive on GRT for MobilityPLUS customers is not affected. - Exempt support persons from paying a fare on MobilityPLUS.
Note that Kiwanis Transit will not be affected, attendants are already free of charge. - 2013 - Offer, MobilityPLUS at the same service hours as Grand River Transit. (An estimate of a minimum of 900 additional service hours).
Note, that this will not apply to Kiwanis Transit. - 2014 - Extend MobilityPLUS booking hours to enable clients to book trips up until 3 hours before the end of service of the previous day.
- MobilityPLUS must develop an annual Accessibility Plan to identify and remove barriers to the use of its service by people with disabilities. Since its sole purpose is to serve people with disabilities.
Note Kiwanis Transit, as a not-for-profit organization, may be exempt. - 2014 - Applications to determine eligibility to use MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit service must be processed and the applicant notified within 14 days.
The preliminary estimate for the implemention of the AODA regulation costs is from $0.7 to $1.1 million between 2012 - 2016.
2012-2016 Recommended Service Improvement Plan - MobilityPLUS
MobilityPLUS serves customers in Kitchener-Waterloo & Cambridge (the Urban Service Area of the Region) as well as North Dumfries (part of the Rural Service Area of the Region).
The recommended service improvement plan for MobilityPLUS is based on further developing the "family of services" approach to provide customers a greater choice of services to meet their travel needs. It also proposes improvements in the consistency of the quality of contracted taxi services, and for productivity enhancements that will reduce the unit costs of MobilityPLUS van service.
Revise the MobilityPLUS Vision Statement.
- To capture the essence of how MobilityPLUS addresses its mission and mandate, particularly the growing integration between MobilityPLUS and Grand River Transit
- "MobilityPLUS provides persons with disabilities in the Urban Service Area of Waterloo Region and North Dumfries with access to safe, convenient and comfortable transportation, encouraging the use of Grand River Transit accessible buses whenever possible and providing a range of specialized services to people who cannot use regular transit due to a disability".
Expand the door-to-door service to:
- provide total of 9,000 additional service hours and 20,000 more passenger trips per year by adding one additional vehicle in 2013, and 2015 together with the two already added in late 2011.
Implement improvements to contracted taxi services by:
- Adding performance-based contracts for sedan and accessible taxis.
- Expanding annual trips provided by contracted sedan and accessible taxis from 70,000 to 85,000 over the life of the Business Plan.
- Strategically deploying sedan and accessible taxis trips to evening and weekend hours.
- Adding accessible taxi licenses.
Enhance the current travel training program to encourage MobilityPLUS clients to use GRT Conventional accessible low floor bus services through group and one-on-one coaching.
Develop new approaches to transporting dialysis patients by:
- Extending the Program Commuter Bus to dialysis patients
- Creating dialysis transportation partnerships within the health care sector.
Replace the current scheduling software system.
Create a 2-3 year contract Technical Coordinator and permanent Supervisor positions:
- To assist with mobile data terminals and scheduling software
- Coordinating technical training for MobilityPLUS staff
- To develop key performance indicators of service productivity and quality
- To meet operational supervision coverage required
2012-2016 Recommended Service Improvement Plan - Kiwanis Transit
Kiwanis Transit is contracted by the Region of Waterloo to provide service to customers in the three Townships of Woolwich, Wilmot and Wellesley.
The recommended service improvement plan for Kiwanis Transit revolves around the goals of adding Saturday service, responding to the anticipated increase in demand, and developing the administrative and technical capacity of the service to support these goals.
Propose new Vision Statement for Kiwanis Transit.
- To capture the essence of how Kiwanis Transit accomplishes its mission and mandate.
- "Kiwanis Transit provides specialized transit to residents of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot Townships who have a disability that affects their mobility, and to residents 65 years of age or older that cannot use regular transit due to a disability".
2012 - Implement of new scheduling software to facilitate computer aided scheduling to improve
service efficiency.
2012 - Create a new Assistant Manager position to ensure adequate management and supervisory coverage during all service hours.
2013 Introduce Saturday service that will not require additional vehicles, but rather use the existing fleet more intensively.
2014 - Purchase additional vehicle to address anticipated increase in demand and expansion of delivering 50,000 passenger trips annually by 2016 service expansion.
Actively promote GRT Route 21 to Kiwanis Transit registrants.
Improve facilitation of cross-boundary trips with MobilityPLUS.
Develop a reciprocal eligibility with MobilityPLUS for qualified Kiwanis Transit registrants.
2012-2013 Expansion of office space.
Investigate improved accommodation for vehicles.
Implement improvements to contracted taxi service contracts.
Financial Implications of the Plan
Combined Service Goal for MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit
| Combined Trips Provided | 2010 | Target for 2016 | Percent change |
|
MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit |
412,000 |
500,000 |
21% |
Financial Implications of Business Plan For MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit
| Estimated Cost of Business Plan Initiatives 2012 -2016 | Additional Operating Cost (Low Range) | Additional Operating Cost (Low Range) | One-Time Costs |
| MobilityPLUS | $3,169,000 | $4,575,000 | $440,000 |
| Kiwanis Transit | $860,500 | $1,171,000 | $326,000 |
| Combined | $4,029,500 | $5,746,000 | $766,000 |
It should be noted that preliminary estimates of AODA regulation compliance costs are included with the costs of Business Plan initiatives. However these estimates will require updating as the understanding of these new requirements develops over the course of the Business Plan.
Next steps
We plan to bring the MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit Business Plan to the Region's Planning and Works Committee for consideration in late 2011 or early 2012.
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