DATE: April 23, 2024
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Approving the FY 2025 Measure BB Annual Paratransit Program Plan and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute FY 2025 Service Agreements for the Continued Provision of Measure BB Funded Paratransit Services
RECOMMENDATION
That Council:
Adopts a resolution (Attachment IV) authorizing the FY 2025 Measure BB Annual Paratransit Program Plan, including the continued provision of the Hayward Operated Paratransit (HOP) programs.
Authorize the City Manager to execute FY 2025 service agreements for the continued provision of Measure BB funded Paratransit services.
SUMMARY
This report provides an overview of the Hayward Operated Paratransit program’s FY 2025 Annual Paratransit Program Plan, estimated program costs, and next steps. With the sunset of Measure B in FY 2023, the program will be funded exclusively via Measure BB through 2045. The Measure BB funding recommendations are summarized by category and service provider in Table 1 below.
Table 1. FY 2024 Estimated Program Cost
PROGRAM
PROVIDER
AMOUNT
Program Administration
Staff
$ 516,000
Marketing & Data Collection
Staff
15,400
Service Providers
Eden Information & Referral (Eden I&R)
VIP ZIP/Means-Based Fare Program
275,000
Service Opportunity for Seniors (SOS)
Meals on Wheels
100,000
Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay (ASEB)
Specialized Van Services
75,000
Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL)
Mobility Management/Travel Training
50,000
Service Enhancement Pilots
TBD
Wheelchair Accessible Van (WAV)
75,000
TBD
Group Trips
75,000
TBD
Door-through-Door Transportation
75,000
TBD
Self-Serve/App-Based Scheduling
50,000
TOTAL
$ 1,306,400
BACKGROUND
The City of Hayward submits an Annual Paratransit Program Plan to the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) detailing the proposed parameters of paratransit service for seniors (70+) and people with certified disabilities. The Hayward Operated Paratransit (HOP) program, administered by the City’s Community Services Division, provides paratransit and related services to eligible enrolled riders and their attendants who live in Hayward and the surrounding unincorporated areas.
In 2000, Alameda County voters approved Measure B, a half-cent transportation sales tax which would be in effect for twenty years beginning on April 1, 2002. The transportation sales tax was augmented in November 2014 with the passing of Measure BB. Measure BB would implement an additional half-cent sales tax beginning April 1, 2015, then increase to a full cent on April 1, 2022. The increase to Measure BB was designed to coincide with the sunsetting of the original Measure B and ensure a continuous source of funding for local transportation projects through March 31, 2045. Measure B and BB funds, along with Vehicle Registration Fees, are awarded by Alameda CTC to Cities through Direct Local Distribution (DLD) payments to support Bicycle and Pedestrian; Local Streets and Roads; Transit; and Paratransit programs.
In February each year, the City of Hayward submits an Annual Paratransit Program Plan to the Alameda CTC detailing the proposed parameters of eligible paratransit service for seniors (70+) and people with certified disabilities. Alameda CTC staff reviews the City’s program plan and provides feedback. In FY 2024 the proposed Annual Paratransit Program Plan will be presented to the Alameda CTC’s Paratransit Advisory and Planning Committee (PAPCO) on April 22, 2024 and to the Council for review and approval on April 23, 2024.
DISCUSSION
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) established the requirement that all public transit agencies provide paratransit services to eligible users with disabilities. ADA paratransit programs are intended to complement fixed-route public transit, with hours and routes designed to match existing bus and rail services. In Alameda County, ADA-mandated paratransit services are provided by Alameda County Transit and BART through East Bay Paratransit to residents within ¾ of a mile from an AC Transit bus route or BART station.
HOP is designed to supplement East Bay Paratransit when it is unable to provide service or meet the needs of HOP participants, particularly residents that require additional flexibility or reside outside a ¾ mile radius of an existing transit stop. HOP also expands service availability by offering its programs to any individual over the age of 70, regardless of disability status. As a City program, HOP is uniquely positioned to extend flexible and creative solutions to meet the unique needs of its riders. HOP is funded by Alameda County Measure B/BB DLD, administered by the Alameda CTC. In FY 2024, the HOP program fully expended all funds provided through the original Measure B transportation sales tax. As of FY 2025, all HOP operations will be funded by Measure BB DLD payments and reserves accumulated from prior years’ DLDs.
HOP engages community partners to carry out all services through the Annual Paratransit Program Plan, subject to Measure BB funding availability. Several partners assist the City in implementing HOP:
Transportation for Seniors
HOP partners with Eden I&R (EIR) to offer transportation network company (TNC) based rides, such as Lyft Concierge and Uber Health, to eligible residents via the Alameda County 211 referral line. EIR arranges the ride with the TNC on behalf of clients through a web-based platform, eliminating the need for a smart phone to access the service.
Specialty Transit
Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay (ASEB) provides services for individuals with dementia and their families. ASEB provides Adult Day Care, family support, and education to enable individuals to remain living in their home for as long as possible. ASEB hires specially trained drivers to operate lift-equipped vehicles to provide transportation to its Adult Day Care program.
Travel Trainer
Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) provides mobility management workshops and classes through its Hayward on the Go! Program. CRIL Travel Trainers conduct two quarterly workshops and four quarterly group trips to provide seniors and residents with disabilities with travel skills and practice in navigation of public transit services, including BART, AC Transit, and HOP.
Meals-on-Wheels
Service Opportunities for Seniors (SOS) Meals on Wheels provides homebound seniors with dietician designed meals that comply with the Older Americans Act. Meals are delivered by volunteer drivers who also provide homebound seniors with daily wellness checks and referrals to other support services.
More detailed information about each of these programs is available in the Paratransit Program Application (Attachment IV).
Existing Project Updates
Transportation for Seniors: In FY 2024, HOP continued to contend with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Compliance with physical distancing public health recommendations prompted many in-person programs to stop operations. As of FY 2024, certain partner organizations had either not resumed these programs, discontinued programs entirely, or went out of business.
LIFE Eldercare, which had previously provided volunteer door-through-door transportation services opted not to resume the program. RydeTrans, HOP’s provider for group trips, opted to no longer partner with the City beginning in FY 2023 and the program has, thus far, been unable to secure a new vendor. While services such as Specialized Accessible Vans and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles have continued to be offered, community partners have reported that their services have been impacted by staffing and equipment shortages.
As a result of these circumstances, in FY 2024 the TNC-based curb-to-curb transportation program, known as VIP ZIP, has become HOP’s primary means of providing transportation services to seniors and disabled residents. Initiatives to enhance the VIP ZIP program in FY 2025 include expansion to weekend hours and efforts to increase access to wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) to riders.
Status: Continuing in FY 2024-2025 with plans for restoring discontinued services.
Safe Routes for Seniors Program: In FY 2020, HOP executed an MOU with the City of Hayward Public Works Department to allocate Measure BB funds for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) street improvements at or near senior/disabled housing developments. On January 18, 2022, Council approved the plans and specifications, and call for bids for the Safe Routes for Seniors (SR4S) Project. The Project consisted of streetscape improvements including the expansion of ADA curb-cuts and sidewalk bulb-outs (widening) to accommodate various mobility devices at intersections in the Downtown and South Hayward areas. As of April 2024, the Downtown portion of the project is complete, with the South Hayward portion expected to begin construction in late FY2024. The South Hayward SR4S project will be funded from Measure B/BB reserves transferred to Public Works in prior years, with no additional funds expected to be transferred in FY 2025.
Status: Continuing in FY 2024-2025 utilizing existing funding.
Consulting Services: As part of the FY 2023 Program Plan, Council authorized funding for consulting services to conduct a comprehensive program evaluation to address ongoing challenges and potential long-term impacts of COVID-19 to public transportation and paratransit services. The evaluation, conducted by Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. was completed in March 2024 and included a comprehensive inventory of identified needs as well as recommendations for program improvements. In FY 2025, the HOP will continue to work with Nelson\Nygaard to implement the changes recommended in their report.
Status: Continuing in FY 2024-2025.
FY 2023 Outcomes
In FY 2023, the City expended $595,698 on direct services provided by local non-profits and paratransit service partners to HOP participants. In addition, HOP supported $1.3 million in infrastructure improvements through allocation of Measure B/BB DLD to the Safe Routes for Seniors (SR4S) program. In FY 2023, HOP served 1,455 individuals, providing participants over 11,000 rides and delivering 86,470 meals to homebound seniors. Note that these results include 257 individuals provided with 3,181 rides by LIFE Eldercare as part of the door-through-door assisted ride program that was discontinued in FY 2024.
Future Projects
In FY 2023, Council authorized funding to engage a consultant to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of HOP services. On September 20, 2022, Council authorized a professional services agreement with Nelson Nygaard to perform this evaluation. The evaluation identified unmet needs among HOP users, particularly around services that have been discontinued over the last few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its FY 2025 Paratransit Program Plan, HOP has proposed implementing the following service improvements over the next five years:
Self-Serve/App-Based Scheduling: Increase the accessibility and efficiency of VIP ZIP rides through TNCs by allowing users to request HOP-subsidized rides directly through their mobile devices. Users booking through their mobile device would be those who do not require the high-touch service associated with the current telephone-based “concierge” service. This would allow for a greater volume of trips while not significantly impacting EIR’s current workload and for users to request rides outside of business hours.
Weekend and Expanded Weekday Hours for TNC Concierge: Expand the availability of the VIP ZIP services in order to provide users with additional flexibility for when they can schedule and use rides. Because the telephone-based “concierge” service also includes real-time support for riders at the time of pickup and drop-off, VIP ZIP has traditionally been confined to business hours of 8:15am to 5:30pm. Beginning in February 2024, EIR began piloting offering weekend hours on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:15am to 4pm. Based on the results of this effort, HOP may seek to add additional early morning, late evening, or weekend afternoon hours.
Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Service Expansion: Partner with a new or additional vendor to augment or replace Uber Health’s currently limited number of WAV drivers. Uber Health currently offers WAV services, however, limitations in the number of both available vehicles and trained drivers have resulted in significant gaps in both rider acceptance and ride completion rates.
Group Trips Service Relaunch: Group Trips service was suspended in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff worked to reinstate services in FY 2024, but HOP was unable to secure an agreement with its prior provider, RydeTrans. Staff will issue an RFP for a new vendor to relaunch service in FY2024-25.
Door-through-Door Service Pilot: In FY 2023-24, LIFE ElderCare, the City’s existing vendor for volunteer door-through-door paratransit service, realigned its business and discontinued its program. Door-through-door programs serve riders whose mobility limitations make it difficult for them to exit or enter their homes or other facilities without assistance, and are typically staffed by specially-trained drivers. The City will explore reinstating door-through-door service, including both volunteer-based and employee-based driver options.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
HOP is supported exclusively by Alameda County Measure BB funds. The service offers cost-effective transportation alternatives for eligible residents on fixed incomes. Reliable mobility options for seniors and residents with disabilities may also allow for greater economic participation by caregivers. HOP’s limited service area for shopping, entertainment, and recreational travel may also benefit local businesses.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed FY 2025 Annual Paratransit Program Plan has no impact to the City’s General Fund. The program costs, including City staff and administrative costs, are entirely offset by the City’s Measure BB Paratransit reserves and special revenue funds derived from Measure BB sales tax revenues. Estimated FY 2025 program costs are fully supported by the combination of an estimated $5,113,858 in reserves and $2,152,084 in FY 2025 DLD payments. Funding details can be found in Attachment III.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item is a routine operational item and does not directly relate to any specific project outlined in the Strategic Roadmap. However, the HOP program supports quality of life for residents more generally.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
Several paratransit programs promote the use of public transportation and vehicle sharing, thereby reducing the number of vehicles on the road, as well as associated emissions.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The Paratransit Program Plan is typically presented at various organizations that serve seniors and people with disabilities throughout the year. Public feedback is received, and based on the feedback collected, staff evaluates the program and recommends changes in order to meet the unique needs of the community.
The Annual Program Plan is also posted on the City’s website for viewing. Interested parties were invited to provide feedback until the HOP FY 2025 presentation to PAPCO on April 22, 2024.
NEXT STEPS
Staff recommends that Council adopts the attached resolution approving the FY 2025 Annual Paratransit Program Plan and authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute all agreements necessary for program implementation. Should Council adopt the resolution, staff will meet with representatives from each contracting agency to facilitate contract execution so that there will be a continuation of delivery of Paratransit services.
Prepared by: Rick Rivera, Management Analyst
Recommended by: Amy Cole-Bloom, Community Services Manager Regina Youngblood, Assistant City Manager
Approved by:
_________________________________
Kelly McAdoo, City Manager
September 20, 2022, City Council Staff Report and Attachments https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5844300&GUID=E15BD613-3440-4CD0-A242-3B2771713769&Options=&Search=