MTC renewing transit plan for people with disabilities, older adults, low-income individuals.

July 8th, 2024: This article has been updated following the release of the draft Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan and providing information on submitting public comment.

MTC has released their draft Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (the Plan), outlining the Bay Area’s near-term transportation blueprint for people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income populations.

Public comment is now open and you can submit your feedback by August 7 at 5p.m. in one of three ways:

MTC, local governments, transit agencies, and nonprofits will use the Plan for transportation planning, funding, coordination, and grant application efforts. The Plan – a federally required mandate that needs to be updated every four years – was presented at the May 24th Policy Advisory Council Equity and Access Subcommittee meeting. 

The Plan’s 8 recommendations are [1] to implement mobility managers in every county, [2] identify sustainable funding services and mobility management, [3] improve transportation to healthcare, [4] support paratransit improvements, [5] support accessibility of shared and future mobility, [6] identify and fulfill equity gaps, [7] support infrastructure improvements to increase transportation equity and accessibility, and [8] support emergency preparedness efforts.

In alignment with federal guidance, the Plan was developed through a local process that included older adults, individuals with disabilities, and representatives of public, private, non-profit transportation and human services providers. 

“This work really takes to heart the ‘nothing about us without us’ approach which is a saying in the disability community for planning efforts,” said Drennen Shelton, a planner at MTC.

Updated demographic and survey information

According to the updated Plan, 11% of the Bay Area population has a disability and 5.1% report ambulatory difficulties. The highest proportion of older adults are in Marin, Sonoma, and Napa – the least populated Bay Area counties. 

The lack of reliable transportation remains the top issue for people with disabilities, who use local transit at a higher rate than people without disabilities. Inaccessible bus stop infrastructure also remains a primary reason why people with disabilities cite not using fixed-route transit. Older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals all expressed a desire for greater access to leisure activities via public transit. 

Recommendations: 

Addressing gaps in funding

Finding sustainable funding for transportation services and mobility management remains the largest impediment to achieving these recommendations. As such, it is top of mind for MTC, riders, local governments, and advocates. 

“There’s just one dedicated funding source for services targeting disabled people and older adults and that's the federal section 50310 program – this fund source has just never been enough to address the full mobility gaps that we have in the region,” said Shelton. “So as the needs increase and without stable or appropriate funding it’s of course harder to address gaps and make improvements.”

The Plan recommends developing new policies for regionwide funding sources. 

It also recommends MTC step up to administer funds generated from Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) Access for All program – a statewide $0.10 surcharge on all Uber, Lyft, and other TNC rides helping increase the availability of accessible on-demand transportation for people with disabilities. 

Since the program’s implementation in mid-2019, $82.5 million in revenue has been generated, yet only $54.9 million have been used. Much of the Bay Area funds have not been allocated because only Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MTC) or county transportation authorities are authorized to distribute this money which are pooled into county-level pots. 

Transit authorities in Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Solano Counties are seeking to administer their own funds, but the other six Bay Area counties are waiting for statewide funds to be administered. 

“Accessibility cannot be an afterthought when we are creating these innovative [shared and future mobility] services,” Shelton reiterated at the meeting. 

Accessible transit infrastructure 

Infrastructure improvements, specifically bus stop accessibility, has been a major issue for riders. Riders have been calling for MTC to create transit accessibility standards that go beyond the baseline required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

Reinforcing other near-term regional plans

The recommendations made in this Plan overlap and reinforce the accessibility items currently being implemented as part of MTC’s Transit Transportation Action Plan (TAP). 

For instance, the Coordinated Plan reinforces the call for “Mobility Managers” in each county, an entity that would be responsible for coordinating rides and functioning as a liaison between transit agencies and riders with disabilities, older adults, and people with low incomes.  

The Plan calls for supporting paratransit improvements and a number of TAP initiatives are already underway to achieve goals such as funding subregional one-seat paratransit ride pilots, integrating Clipper 2.0 into paratransit fare payment, and adopting standardized eligibility practices for fixed-route and accessible transportation programs that benefit people with disabilities.

Efforts to improve access to healthcare, identify and fill equity gaps, and support comprehensive emergency preparedness can be fleshed out in TAP initiative #24, where MTC will work with impacted populations to identify key paratransit challenges and recommend reforms. 

Among these measures, MTC is looking to support existing legislation that will make it easier for transit agencies to recuperate Medi-Cal funds for trips on paratransit. This will also generate more revenue to support the accessible transportation network. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, MTC and the Bay Area need to focus on developing comprehensive emergency preparedness efforts for transportation. 

Transit agencies paired with county emergency programs to provide prepared meals for at-home distribution during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Thankfully, this coordination effort was planned before the pandemic and really paid off when paratransit programs all but halted their services under COVID lockdowns, Shelton said. However, there is still more work to be done to ensure the region is well prepared for the next disaster. 

“This should really be an area focus for MTC and the rest of the Bay Area. We are under threat from so many different disasters and we’ve seen time and time again where older and disabled people are the highest risk for death and injury,” Shelton said.

The Plan advocates extending disaster service worker credentials to paratransit workers who should be seen as essential during a crisis. 

Next Steps

Once again, public comment is now open and you can submit your feedback by August 7 at 5p.m. in one of three ways:

After the public comment period ends, the Plan will be brought to MTC’s Planning Committee and the Commission for adoption in late summer or early fall. Following adoption, staff will begin working on implementing recommendations from the plan in collaboration with partner agencies and stakeholders.

Kaleo Mark