Jeanne Wise

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FLORIDA PARATRANSIT DRIVERS QUALIFICATION PROGRAM

• Jeanne Wise
• RTAP Resource Center
• University of Florida

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BACKGROUND

• Amount, quality, and content of training
  inconsistent from agency to agency
• Liability issues related to poor and/or poorly
  documented driver training
• Lack of quality training materials available to
  rural agencies
• Limited agency resources for training
• Need for professional driver status

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WHAT WAS NEEDED?

• An exhaustive training course that would meet all
  agencies needs
• Completely reproducible materials with minimal
  agency ongoing training expenses
• Training linked to an incentive program to
  promote the professional driver image
• Appropriate for new hire training and refresher
  training

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MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW HIRE DRIVERS

• ADA Regulations
• Passenger Sensitivity
• Passenger Assistance
• Wheelchair Securement, Passenger Restraint and
  Lift Operations
• Customer Relations
• Bloodborne Pathogens

• Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulations
• Vehicle Inspection
• Safe Driving Skills
• Emergency Procedures
• Emergency Evacuation

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ADA REGULATIONS

• Objective - To provide drivers with an
  understanding of why the law was enacted, what
  the law covers and how the law guarantees
  transportation services and accessibility to all
  citizens.

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PASSENGER SENSITIVITY

• Objective - To provide drivers with an
  understanding of the various physical and mental
  disabilities passengers may have, how those
  conditions affect transportability and how the
  professional driver can treat their passengers to
  ensure safe, comfortable and courteous
  transportation.

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PASSENGER ASSISTANCE

• Objective - To provide drivers with an
  understanding of how and when to assist their
  passengers and to recognize and make
  accommodations for any mobility device they use.

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WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT AND PASSENGER RESTRAIN
SYSTEMS

• Objective - To ensure that drivers know how to
  properly assist and maneuver a passenger using a
  wheelchair, how to operate a lift, how to
  properly secure a wheelchair once on the bus
  and how to properly restrain the passenger in
  the wheelchair.

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CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Objective - Driver will understand the need for
  good customer service, will know what constitutes
  good customer service, the driver will understand
  the role attitudes plays in customer service and
  the importance of good customer service for the
  customer sake, for the drivers agency and for
  the driver himself.

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SAFE DRIVING SKILLS

• Objective The ensure that the driver
  understands the characteristics of the vehicle
  he/she will be driving, know defensive driving
  techniques, understands his inability to change
  other drivers driving skills and habits, and is
  able to safely maneuver all vehicles he/she will
  need to use in their job.

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VEHICLE INSPECTION

• Objective - The driver will understand the need
  for and importance of a thorough vehicle
  inspection daily, will know how to conduct the
  inspection in the most efficient manner, and how
  to recognize signs that the vehicle may be having
  mechanical problems.

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EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

• Objective - The driver will know what to do in
  the case of an emergency aboard the vehicle,
  based on system emergency plans and be able to
  take actions to handle the emergency, obtain
  assistance and how to evacuate the vehicle, if
  the need should arise.

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BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS

• Objective - The driver will understand his rights
  and responsibilities relating to bloodborne
  pathogens and how to safely handle a spill of any
  bodily fluid on the vehicle.

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DRUG AND ALCOHOL

• Objective - The driver will understand his rights
  and responsibilities relating to the drug and
  alcohol testing program required and understand
  the effects of drugs and alcohol on the body.

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INCORPORATING THIS TRAINING INTO AN EXISTING
PROGRAM

• Checklists outline required skills so an existing
  program that teaches some of the needed skills
  can be used, as long as the checklists can be
  completed to the satisfaction of the agency
  and/or regulatory entity.

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IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

• Must have a means of making the training
  available to coordinators and their
  subcontractors statewide
• Must ensure that the modules are being taught by
  individuals who are trained to provide the
  training.
• Must ensure that the program is recognized as
  qualifying drivers to perform their jobs.

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STATEWIDE QUALIFICATION PROGRAM

• State can not certify
• State can specify training that qualifies a
  person to perform a task
• State can specify that drivers receiving specific
  training become qualified drivers.

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TRAIN-THE-TRAINERS

• Training individuals from each CTC on the use of
  the modules as instructional tools
• Trainers would be required to demonstrate,
  without prompting, all of the skills expected of
  the drivers

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TRAIN-THE-TRAINERS cond

• Trainer would receive instruction in conducting
  training sessions with small groups and
  one-on-one instruction
• Trainers would be required to pass a qualifying
  exam that would basically be conducting a
  training course (within his agency) with a
  qualified observer monitoring the class.

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SUMMARY

• A program developed to meet the needs of as many
  rural transit agencies as possible while
  providing the best available training
• A dynamic program that can be updated and revised
  as new materials and resources are located.
• Cost efficient
• Qualifies the driver