(Download in Adobe PDF format)
A Message from Bill Millar
Several years ago a series of studies were undertaken through the Transit Cooperative
Research Program (TCRP) to identify what services future consumers of local
transportation would want. TCRP’s New Paradigms project, as it became known, laid
out a new vision for transit operators. It identified a need for agencies to move into a
broader transportation planning role in their communities — to serve as a single source for
coordinating a full range of mobility options and informing customers accordingly. As I speak
with and listen to transit and community leaders around the country, I find many transit
agencies embracing this concept of mobility management.
Mobility management involves creating partnerships with transportation providers
in a community or region to enhance travel options, and then developing means to
effectively communicate those options to the public. With this approach, resources can
be coordinated efficiently, customers are able to make better decisions, and the focus is
on enhancing customer service. Among its benefits, mobility management:
Complements the traditional model of moving large numbers of people with one
that meets the unique set of needs of each community
Replaces the business strategy of exclusively managing owned assets with a
strategy that encompasses customer-driven partnerships and alliances among multiple
transportation providers with the goal of saving costs overall
Relies on expanded partnerships and alliances with both public and private
organizations, and for-profit, not-for-profit and community service providers
Emphasizes, above all, multimodal rather than single-mode solutions
From a business perspective, mobility management offers greater efficiency in the use
of transportation resources, with potential cost savings and increased service
effectiveness — a combination that can be used to reduce bottom line operating costs,
or increase services, or both.
William W. Millar
President
American Public Transportation Association
Making the business case
for mobility management
Denver, Colorado: RTD provides services “closer
to the customer”
With a service area of more than 2.5 million people located in 2,327 square
miles, Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) has created mobility
management services that are “closer to the customer” and more cost-effective
than typical services. Enthusiastically embraced by the public, two of these
programs — the vanpool program and the access-a-taxi program that provides an
alternative to some ADA paratransit services — are saving RTD over $2 million per
year while providing access to increased numbers of people. RTD’s other mobility
management programs include call-n-ride, bike-n-ride and guaranteed ride
home. Programs under development include additional taxi services, car sharing,
feeder bus services to light rail, and transit-oriented land use developments.
Detroit, Michigan: SMART’s Community Partnership Program fits needs at local level
A model for other transit systems looking to make big changes, Suburban
Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation’s (SMART) Community Partnership
Program partners with 73 local communities who operate over 246 small
buses. SMART redesigned its services to capitalize on the determination of its
riders and partners to develop transit programs that fit the needs of residents
and businesses at the local level while saving money wherever possible. These
include providing links to job growth areas and creating links to every city,
township and village in their district. For its part, SMART offers its partners
community forums, coordinated dispatching, preventative maintenance, joint capital
purchases, and travel training. Without the Community Partnership Program,
services operated by SMART would cost an additional $2.7 million.
Portland, Oregon: Ride Connection helps TriMet trim
its ADA paratransit cost
Ride Connection, a non-profit community organization operating in close collaboration
with TriMet, has helped the agency trim its ADA paratransit costs by
nearly $2 million. Ride Connection provides administrative functions and volunteers
as well as paid drivers, but actual trips are delivered by their collaborative
partners, community agencies that provide rides for persons with disabilities and
seniors without alternative transportation. These agencies provide high-quality,
personal services tailored to each individual community. Another important
feature: Ride Connection’s non-profit status allows them to obtain funding from
foundations, corporations and individuals not available to public agencies.
Mobility management is a strategic approach to service coordination and
customer service that is becoming a worldwide trend in the public transportation
sector. The expectation is that, over time, transit agencies should move beyond the
traditional role as operators of fixed-route service and assume a broader role in coordinating
the full range of mobility services in their communities. Following are questions
and answers about the opportunities and potential advantages for transit agencies in
considering development and implementation of mobility management programs.
Q Will more innovative and
efficient uses of transit resources assist
agencies to move beyond establishing
and operating traditional fixed-route
transit systems?
A Yes — but not just transit agencies. The
role of the mobility manager will be to
organize and foster a network of diverse
transportation services and providers
to offer a full range of travel options for
individual customers. This may seem
foreign to the transit manager who is
accustomed to moving masses on single
mode fixed routes. It will take a shift in
consciousness — an entrepreneurial spirit — to champion a planned and deliberate
synergy of transit services with land use,
infrastructure and population. Managers
will have to be trained to be advocates for
flexible and creative transportation solutions
based on need.
Beyond that, we have to educate the
public on the need for increased mobility
and how transit agencies can provide that
mobility. We will work with the private
sector, human service providers and nontraditional
mobility providers to change
institutional environments. And finally, we
will need to implement transportation and
land use policies that will encourage and
fund all forms of mobility services.
Q What are the components of a
good mobility management program?
A Since the mobility management model
is one of customized delivery of transportation
service, no two programs are alike.
Each program will be designed specifically
for each unique community, with innovation
as the driving force. That being said,
some common elements will include:
multiagency partnerships that can reduce
costs through efficient and effective coordination; potential partners might include social service agencies, senior programs,
non-emergency medical providers
and taxi companies
n a customer-driven, market-based
approach to transportation delivery that offers a variety of individualized travel options
greater use of information technology systems in real time
the development and implementation of one-stop travel information and trip planning systems
traffic management strategies and
coordination of public transportation with infrastructure development and land use policies
Q Why would transit agencies that
operate large buses and railcars want
to be mobility managers?
A Transit agencies need to maintain and
expand their role in communities as the“go-to” source for transportation. Their
job is not to move rolling stock, but to
move people effectively, efficiently and
inexpensively. It makes good business and
financial sense to provide better service
for less money. The business world is
replete with many examples of companies
suffering mightily when they were late to
recognize a paradigm shift. Kodak and
Polaroid are just two recent examples.
That’s the kind of challenge that faces us.
Q What are some of the nontraditional
transit services that might
be involved in a mobility management
program?
A There are many non-traditional forms
of transportation services that can be,
and are, included in mobility management
programs, including carpooling/vanpooling,
volunteer drivers, hourly rental cars, travel
training, travel vouchers for riders, and
real-time demand response services that
include taxis and other providers.
Q How widespread is this
coordinated approach in other
industries? Within the transit
industry, what are some examples
of successful, viable mobility
management programs?
A An example of the concept in use is
the business practice of UPS, FedEx and
the US Postal Service. These companies
all compete with each other, but they
also share delivery resources, making the
customer the primary focus. Mobility
management practices among transit and
transportatio n providers would be similar.
Some good examples of mobility management
practices in the U. S. include Denver,
Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and Southeastern
Michigan, further described in the
“Business Case for Mobility Management”
section.
Q How are customers better served
as a result?
A Customers can go to a single source to
learn about their travel options and understand
which work best for them. Through
mobility management, customers will have
a wider range of travel modes and trip
prices. The overall result will be greater mobility for travelers, which in turn
will stimulate increased economic activity
and social interaction.
Q How can transit systems save
money and operate more efficiently as
a result?
A For transit agencies with mobility
management programs, efficiencies of
coordinated services result in operating
budget savings. RTD in Denver reports
that it saved nearly $700,000 in its vanpool
programs and $1.5 million in taxi user-side
subsidies; SMART in Southeastern Michigan
saved $2.7 million in its community programs;
and Portland’s TriMet reports saving
nearly $2 million through the efficiencies
of coordinated service. Plus, improved
customer service means additional riders
and more satisfied customers.
Q How can transit systems
use new technologies to facilitate
the implementation of mobility
management programs?
A Fortunately, information technology
systems have advanced to the point
where communities are now able to plan
and match requests with real-time, state-of-the-art call center systems to facilitate
mobility management.
Q What are the institutional
barriers to implementing mobility
management? How can they be
overcome?
A The biggest institutional barrier is the
status quo attitude, “I’ve always done it this
way and it works, so why change?” Those
of us who see the need for change must
encourage others to embrace change if
we are going to evolve — to provide better
service more efficiently.
Q Are there any resources and/
or programs that currently support
mobility management efforts?
A Mobility management activities are
now an eligible expense in FTA formula
grant programs. These activities include
planning, management and improved
coordination of resources, as well as
staffing mobility manager positions.
Q Where can we learn more
about mobility management and
implementing a mobility management
plan?
A APTA has developed presentations
that address mobility management issues
at APTA conferences. Other resources
include:
| Agencies need to
move into a broader
transportation
planning role in
their communities,
to coordinate a full
range of mobility
options and
inform customers
accordingly. |
“It’s important that the transit industry look beyond the fixed route, and
work to improve the operation of other transportation resources. A
more recently recognized benefit is the reduction of carbon emissions
through coordinated scheduling to reduce vehicle miles traveled.”
Park Woodworth
Paratransit/Rideshare Operations Manager
King County Metro Transit Division
“Louisville, like many communities, has become increasingly aware of
the need for more mobility options and more efficient use of existing
resources. The challenge is to meld local needs with state and federal
requirements while working with community partners to utilize
resources more effectively.”
J. Barry Barker
Executive Director
Transit Authority of River City (TARC)
“Mobility management is about focusing on the customer and on moving
people, not just on running buses or trains. When an agency focuses
on the most cost-effective ways to move people, it can look beyond the
traditional models of transit service delivery and realize real cost savings
by enhancing mobility in non-traditional ways.”
Bruce Abel
Assistant General Manager
Customer & Contracted Services
Regional Transportation District (Denver)
“Mobility management is about making the connection between land use
and transportation since the built environment —our housing patterns
and roads, the locations of businesses and services — is the single most
important factor in how much we drive. Making that connection means
that transit will be more successful — people will make fewer and shorter
auto trips, improve the quality of their lives, and ultimately, benefit the
environment.”
Fred Hansen
General Manager
TriMet (Portland, OR, Metro Region)
“Offering an inclusive one-stop shop for transportation, mobility
management embraces everyone and every mode of service. Through
partnerships with multiple transportation providers and stakeholders
and using new and emerging technology such as intelligent transportation
systems (ITS), mobility management provides community members with
more information and greater choices to enhance their decision-making
process.”
Mary Jo Morandini
General Manager
Beaver County Transit Authority
(Rochester, PA)
| Mobility management
offers greater efficiency in
the use of transportation
resources with substantial
cost savings and increased
service effectiveness. |
Some of these pages may include links to documents in the Adobe PDF format. Please download the Adobe PDF reader if you have not already done so.
