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In This Issue
Welcome
Statewide Coordinating Council on Community Transportation launches
CapeFLYER completes successful season
MBTA crowdsources new map
Council on Aging staff discuss transportation
Attendees discuss travel instruction for youth at Independent Living conference
New reports on insurance and accessible taxis
Follow us on Twitter
Upcoming events
We want to know your stories
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Greetings! 

This October 2013 issue of the MassMobility newsletter contains news of interest to anyone who is interested in community transportation, human service transportation coordination, or mobility management in Massachusetts.

 

MassMobility is compiled by the Human Service Transportation (HST) Office of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), as part of our federally funded grant to develop a Mobility Management Information Network across Massachusetts. 

Statewide Coordinating Council on Community Transportation launches in Massachusetts

On September 23, nearly 70 members of the public attended the kickoff meeting of the Statewide Coordinating Council on Community Transportation. MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott and EOHHS Assistant Secretary Mary Cassesso co-chaired the meeting on behalf of their respective agencies. Meeting documents are available from MassDOT.

 

Council members introduced themselves and spoke to their goals for their participation on the Council. Members include consumers and representatives of stakeholder organizations such as advocacy groups, transit, regional planning authorities, councils on aging, and state agencies.

 

In addition, representatives of MassDOT and EOHHS reviewed the history of the Council. In 2011, Executive Order 530 established the Community, Social Service and Paratransit Transportation Commission, which held public listening sessions around the state on issues of quality and efficiency in paratransit services, human service transportation, and community transportation. Based on the findings, the Commission developed a final report with over 60 recommendations ranging from facilitating transfers between transit authorities to making more wheelchair-accessible taxis available. The report also called for formation of the Statewide Council to help implement these recommendations and suggested development of Regional Coordinating Councils to complement the Statewide Council. At the September 23 meeting, Council members encouraged attendees to get involved as these regional councils begin to launch later this year.

CapeFLYER completes a successful season

MassMobility would like to thank Paula George, Deputy Administrator/HST Coordinator at the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, for contributing this guest article. If you would like to write about a community transportation service in your area, please contact us.

 

On May 24, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) launched the CapeFLYER, a summer weekend passenger rail service from Boston to Cape Cod. This service was provided by CCRTA in cooperation with the MBTA and MassDOT and ran until October 14.

 

The CapeFLYER has been deemed a huge success because in its first year, it transported over 15,000 passengers in 18 weeks and brought in more revenue than projected, exceeding its operating budget by approximately $100,000.

  

This service not only reduced the traffic congestion from Boston to Cape Cod on the busy summer weekends, but also reduced the negative environmental impacts of driving. It opened up one of the Commonwealth's key tourism destinations to even more people, providing the region with the opportunity for a greater influx of tourist dollars into the local economy. 

 

The trip from South Station to Hyannis includes a specially outfitted coach that not only provides customers with a traffic-free experience, but also includes on-board concessions and refreshments, including bar service after the stop in Middleborough on Friday night and through the rest of weekend service. The coach also has bike racks and bike tools so customers can bring their bikes - and even tune them up onboard - for their time on the Cape.

 

Upon arrival, riders have many options since the train arrives at the Hyannis Transportation Center, which is a transfer point for Cape-wide bus services run by both CCRTA and Plymouth & Brockton Bus Lines. Shuttles to the island ferries are also available. Other options include taxi service or car and bike rentals - all available from the Hyannis Transportation Center.

 

See you next year on the CapeFLYER!

MBTA crowdsources new system map  

In April 2013, the MBTA invited individuals to submit new designs for the subway system map. A panel reviewed the entries and selected six finalists for a public vote. The winning map received 6,837 of the total 17,045 votes cast.

 

On October 7, the MBTA announced that they will adopt the winning map as the next official subway system map. The MBTA will roll the new map out in a phased process beginning with the Orient Heights and Assembly Square stations next year.

Council on Aging staff share challenges and strategies related to transportation at statewide conference    

On October 2, MassMobility staff presented a workshop on senior transportation at the Massachusetts Council on Aging 2013 Conference. Thirty Council on Aging (COA) staff packed into a small room to hear about best practices and innovative models underway around the state. Participants engaged in a lively discussion, asking questions about cost allocation for ride sharing, approaches for towns not served by a transit authority, and insurance for volunteer drivers. Attendees also discussed strategies they are using, such as sharing the cost of a vehicle between two towns or partnering with the school system to use the school bus in the middle of the day. To learn more about how community transportation can help seniors meet their needs, contact us.

Attendees discuss travel instruction for youth at Independent Living conference

On September 17, MassMobility facilitated a workshop on travel instruction at the Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Conference. Travel instruction is the professional activity of teaching individuals how to use public transportation independently to access their environment and community. The workshop focused on travel instruction for students.

 

In the workshop, travel instruction staff from the Worcester Regional Transit Authority presented on their program and their partnerships with area schools, and Judy Shanley of Easter Seals Project Action discussed strategies schools can use to embed transportation education into the curriculum. To learn more, visit Project ACTION's resources on travel instruction for youth.

 

If you are involved in travel instruction as an educator or in another capacity, check out the Massachusetts Travel Instruction Network to connect with other travel instructors around the state. Contact us to learn more about the network.

New reports discuss insurance options and wheelchair-accessible taxicabs  

MassMobility released two new reports this fall: Insurance Issues in Community Transportation (September 2013) and Wheelchair-Accessible Taxicabs (October 2013). Both reports are available in pdf and accessible Word formats on the Massachusetts Community Transportation Series webpage.

 

Insurance Issues in Community Transportation discusses some of the insurance options available to small transportation-providing organizations in Massachusetts. Potential liability is often a concern for small organizations involved in providing transportation. Insurance options can help mitigate the risk and liability arising from transportation programs.

 

Wheelchair-Accessible Taxicabs provides an overview of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs and discusses strategies that community organizations can employ to help make more accessible taxis available for their consumers. The brief describes programs in place in Cambridge and on Cape Cod and offers suggestions for how to partner with your town or transit authority.

 

The Massachusetts Community Transportation Series is targeted to community agency staff, mobility managers, transit authorities and transportation providers, and others interested in community transportation coordination and mobility management in Massachusetts. These reports and resources provide information about and examples of promising practices in mobility management and community transportation coordination in Massachusetts. If you have a topic to suggest for a future brief, please contact us.

Follow us on Twitter 

Are you on Twitter? If so, follow us @MassMobility for links to community transportation resources relevant to organizations and agencies here in Massachusetts. If you aren't on Twitter, you can still see our posts online at twitter.com/MassMobility/.

 

What social media are you using? Let us know where you like to find information and where you like to share information.

Upcoming events and funding opportunities

Check out our calendar of mobility management events and funding opportunities for Massachusetts. Find out about upcoming events, such as the Moving Together 2013 conference on October 23. If you attend, come find us and say hi - MassMobility will be exhibiting! 

We want to know your stories

If you have suggestions for news items or topics to cover in future newsletters, please contact us. Comments, questions, and feedback are also welcome.

Please share this newsletter

Please forward this newsletter widely to others who are interested in mobility management, community transportation, or related topics and encourage them to subscribe to receive future newsletters and publications. 


You can also read archive editions of all MassMobility newsletters.