Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation

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Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation

• Presented by
• Ray McDonald

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What is FACT?

• FACT stands for
• Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation
• Mission Statement
• Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation (FACT) is
  fully committed to providing all Fayette county
  residents with quality transportation services,
  regardless of age, income, or mobility
  requirements.
• Incorporated by the Fayette County Board of
  Commissioners in 1996.

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Hours

• FACT office hours are Monday through Friday, 8AM
  to 430PM.
• An answering service is available after regular
  office hours and on weekends.
• Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday
  7AM to 5PM and on Sunday 7AM to 1PM.

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What Will You Learn Today?

• What transportation options are available to your
  clients
• How to determine if your client lives near a
  public transit bus route
• How to help plan a trip using bus schedules
• The cost of a bus ride and how to pay
• How to use shared ride services
• Who to contact for additional questions

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Who am I?

• FACT Transportation Information Manager
  Operations Manager
• Primary duties
• Design routing and scheduling for fixed and
  demand response services
• Track and analyze service data and statistics
• Apply for and administer grant funding
• Oversee the customer service function
• Maintain local agency relationships

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What is FACT?

• Mission Statement
• Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation (FACT)
  is fully committed to providing all Fayette
  County residents with quality transportation
  services, regardless of age, income, or mobility
  requirements.

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Where is FACT Located?

• The FACT Transit Center is located at 825 Airport
  Road, Lemont Furnace, PA, across from the
  Connellsville Airport.

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How are Transit Services Funded?

• Federal funds
• Primarily restricted to capital improvements
• Replacement vehicles or fleet expansion
• Construction of facilities
• Purchase of fixed equipment (computers,
  fareboxes, telephones)
• Allocated based on complex formulas including
  population, service area size, and ridership
• Also include dedicated earmarks from elected
  officials

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How are Transit Services Funded?

• State funds
• Provide for both capital improvements and
  operating expenses
• Fuel
• Wages and benefits
• Vehicle maintenance
• Come from a variety of sources
• Slow growth and inconsistency in these sources
  has brought about a transit funding crisis in
  Pennsylvania

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How are Transit Services Funded?

• Local funds
• Provide mostly for operating expenses
• Allow us to subsidize fares for certain customer
  groups
• In our case, these are provided by Fayette
  County, but they can also come from individual
  municipalities or a local sales tax
• These are important because they not only help us
  to operate, but also indicate a hometown
  investment in and commitment to transit

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How are Transit Services Funded?

• Passenger fares
• Offset our reliance on federal, state, and local
  subsidies
• Usually set far below market price of service
• Transit agencies are increasingly being judged by
  elected officials and taxpayers on their ability
  to recover a high percentage of their operating
  costs through these fares
• Sound route planning and fare policies help to
  increase this percentage

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Shared RideMedical Assistance Transportation
Program

• This service is a FREE curb to curb
  transportation for Fayette County residents and
  is also a Non-Emergency Transportation
  program.  FACT does not provide escorts.  A
  parent or guardian over 18 years of age must
  accompany a child under the age of 16, the
  Primary Care Physician, (PCP), must complete an
  Escort Eligibility Physician Verification Form
  stating the need for an escort to and from
  appointments.
• Eligibility Procedure To become eligible to use
  FACT transportation services, Fayette County
  residency and a valid medical or Access card is
  required.  An eligibility form must be filled out
  by the client before FACT can process a request
  for transportation services.  In the event the
  request for transportation is denied, FACT will
  place a referral with the County Assistance
  Office.  FACT retains as formal documentation,
  the referral form indicating denial of
  transportation service request along with a copy
  of the letter to the client explaining the reason
  of denial.

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Shared RidePerson with Disabilities
Transportation

• This grant has provided a reduced fare
  transportation program for shared-ride service to
  persons who
• Have a disability
• Are 18-64 years old
• Live in or wish to travel in the County of Fayette

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Other goals of this project include

• Collecting data on customers with disabilities
  who use public shared-ride transportation service
  in rural areas in order to assess their
  transportation needs
• Collect data on the impact-quality, and cost of
  service-on other passengers when shared-ride
  transportation providers attempt to meet the
  transportation needs of customers with
  disabilities
• To ensure that the PwD is perceived and used as a
  supplemental transportation service for customers
  with disabilities

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Human service agencies need to continue to
provide and/or pay for transportation services
for persons with disabilities as they did before.

• Such as
• HSDF W2W MATP OVR

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DESIGN

• The PwD uses the public Shared-Ride services
  model, now used for seniors and the general
  public.
• It is expected that the PwD will be operated in a
  manner that does not diminish or otherwise have a
  negative impact on the existing Shared-Ride
  services available for older Pennsylvanians and
  other shared-ride passengers.

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PwD FARES

• For customers with disabilities, the PwD will
  fund up to 85 of the general public shared-ride
  fares that are currently in accordance with the
  Shared-Ride Program for Senior Citizens.
• Fares are based on one-way trips and range from
  1.50-6.00. Please contact the FACT Transit
  Center for the exact fare. All riders must bring
  EXACT fare when you ride. Sorry, our drivers
  cannot give change.

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PwD Eligibility

• PwD can provide trips for services that were
  previously restricted under other funding streams
• Example
• Previously an eligible MATP client with a
  disability could not be funded to go to a store
• Under PwD, an MATP client with a disability would
  be eligible for a lower fare to go to a store

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PwD Eligibility cont.

• Provisions for transportation by already
  established funding streams cannot be shed to PwD
• Example
• Previously an eligible MATP client with a
  disability was entitled transportation to medical
  appointments
• Under PwD, this MATP client must continue to use
  the established program for medical appointments

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In other words

• PwD must be used in addition to, not in lieu of
  transportation services funded by social service
  and public transportation resources.
• These resources must be used before PwD funds are
  utilized.

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Registration Procedures

• Fayette County determines the eligibility for the
  PwD program through a PA Dot approved standard
  registration form

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• A person with a disability is ineligible for the
  Pwd
• IF
• The client refuses to have his/her eligibility
  determined by alternative potential service
  provider/funding agencies which may fund the trip

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The transit provider will conduct a standard
registration process for all interested applicants

• This intake process will include, but not be
  limited to
• Gathering income data
• Confirming that the applicant is a person with a
  physical and/or mental impairment that limits
  him/her in one or more of the major life
  activities
• Determining the availability of transportation
  services from other transportation programs
• If applicable, referring the applicant to other
  agencies to determine the applicants eligibility
  for transportation services outside the PwD

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Other Shared Ride Programs

• Welfare To Work Eligibility determined through
  CAO
• Shared Ride For Seniors
• 85 of fare paid for seniors over 65
• HSDF Transportation
• For life saving transportation when not eligible
  for other programs

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Shared Ride Other Guidelines

• Every year the client must visit the FACT office
  and complete an annual eligibility renewal
  form. The client, when requesting transportation
  services, must call 24 hours in advance, prior to
  2PM. Reservations for transportation services can
  be made as early as one month in advance. FACT
  does not offer same day transportation services,
  except for those clients needing urgent care.
• FACT will accommodate urgent care or emergency
  transportation requests providing the clients
  PCP or Managed Care Organization, (MCO), contacts
  FACT via the telephone or fax stating the need
  for same day transportation service. FACT must
  have at least a two hour advance notice to
  accommodate urgent care or emergency
  transportation requests.
• FACT transportation services are available to
  Pittsburgh area medical facilities weekly,
  Thursdays, departing at 8AM and returning 3PM.

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FACT Fixed Routes
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FACT Schedules
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Reading the Schedules

• Step 1 Locate where you are and where you want
  to go. Lets assume youre at the Uniontown Hub
  and you want to go to Super Wal-Mart
• Step 2 Locate the timed stop closest to your
  current location. In this example, it is 1145AM,
  the next bus will be at the Uniontown Hub at
  1200PM.
• Step 3 To find the arrival time at your
  destination, read down the timetable column. In
  this example, the bus leaving the Uniontown Hub
  at 1200PM will arrive at Super Wal-Mart at
  1220PM.

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The Cost to Ride Fixed Route

• The average fare for a FACT customer is
  1.90.  Please consult the Fare Schedule to
  determine your exact fare.
• Your Starting Location  Uniontown
• Cost to the following Destinations
• Brownsville 1.90
• Connellsville 1.90
• Fairchance 1.90
• Farmington 1.90

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Does FACT offer Senior discounts?

• Persons 65 and older who are registered with FACT
  ride for free. 
• You can stop in at the FACT office to register,
  or call 1-800-321-RIDE (7433) for more
  information.

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How to Identify Your Bus

• Bus front destination sign sample picture

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How do I know exactly where the FACT bus stops
along a particular route?

• FACT routes are designed with "flag stops". This
  means that you can "flag" or signal the driver to
  stop the bus anywhere along the route to pick you
  up (as long as it doesn't create a hazard for the
  driver). These rolling stops allow riders easier
  access than a traditional designated stop.
  Stops designated at businesses or offices are
  made at the main entrances of these facilities.

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How to Board the Bus

• Please be at a designated stop on-time
• In most cases, drivers must adhere to a strict
  schedule and will not be able to wait
• As the bus approaches, stand close to the stop
  and signal the driver
• Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, then
  board at the front door
• If you require the bus to kneel, or the use of
  a wheelchair lift, please ask the driver

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How to Pay Your Fare

• As you board, please have your exact fare ready
  in the form of cash, pass, or token
• This will help speed the boarding process and
  keep the bus on-time
• Drivers do not carry change
• In most cases, drivers will allow an exception to
  you if you do not have the full amount needed to
  pay your fare however, this is a one-time
  courtesy only
• You will generally not be permitted to deboard at
  an interim stop to get change in order to pay
  your fare

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How to Pay Your Fare

• If paying by cash
• You will notice two slots on the farebox
• Coins are dropped in the left slot
• Paper media are deposited in the slot on the
  right
• To ensure that the correct fare is being paid,
  and help to prevent farebox breakdowns, bills
  must be unfolded before being placed into the
  farebox.

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How to Pay Your Fare

• Farebox sample picture

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How to Pay Your Fare

• If paying by pass
• Passes are sold by month for unlimited use for
  work or recreation
• Show your pass to the bus driver
• If your pass is expired, visit the FACT office to
  purchase a new pass
• Passes are also sponsored through the Welfare To
  Work Program, ask your caseworker for details

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Half Fare Program for Persons with Disabilities

• Ride for half-fare at all times. 
• Customers must show a Half Fare ID card to
  receive half fare rate.
• Half Fare ID cards are available from FACT to
  persons with qualifying disabilities.
• Persons under age 65 with a Medicare card qualify
  for this program.

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How to Conduct Ones Self

• Conduct prohibited aboard FACT vehicles includes,
  but is not limited to, the following
• Refusing to pay the proper fare
• Harassing or threatening the driver or other
  passengers
• Using profanity
• Drinking alcoholic beverages or being grossly
  intoxicated to the point of the following
• Harassing or disturbing others
• Loud or disruptive
• Loss of control over bodily functions

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How to Conduct Ones Self

• Conduct prohibited aboard FACT vehicles includes,
  but is not limited to, the following
• Smoking
• Eating
• Drinking
• Except non-alcoholic beverages from a covered,
  spill-resistant container such as a travel mug
• Carrying weapons
• Listening to music without headphones and/or at a
  volume that disturbs other passengers or the
  driver

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How to Conduct Ones Self

• Conduct prohibited aboard FACT vehicles includes,
  but is not limited to, the following
• Lying down or occupying more than one seat
• Of course, we make reasonable exceptions for
  children and sleepy adults as space permits
• Loud or disruptive behavior
• Putting feet up on the seats
• Littering
• Defacing the vehicle or other peoples belongings
• Bringing animals aboard that are not service
  animals or are not carried in an approved pet
  carrier

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How to Conduct Ones Self

• Violation of these rules can result in the
  following
• Expulsion from the vehicle
• Refusal of future service
• Fine
• Arrest
• In general, our rules are common sense and we
  expect our passengers to treat others the way
  they would like to be treated

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How to De-board the Bus

• Shortly after the bus passes the stop before
  yours, pull the cord located directly above or
  alongside your seat
• A stop requested light and a bell at the front
  of the bus will let the driver know you want to
  de-board
• Dont hesitate to ask the driver if you need help
  identifying your destination
• Please wait to exit the bus until it comes to a
  complete stop

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How to De-board the Bus

• De-boarding features sample pictures

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If You Need More Information

• We will be happy to assist you in person, by
  mail, via email or over the phone
• Toll Free 1-800-321-RIDE (7433)
• Main Office Phone[phone]
• E-Mail info_at_factbus.com
• Office Location
• 825 Airport Road
• Lemont Furnace, PA 15456
• Office Hours
• 800AM - 430PM
• Monday thru Friday
• Closed Weekends and Holidays

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If You Need More Information

• Answers are also available over the web
• www.factbus.com
• What you will find
• Timely service news and updates
• Descriptions of FACT programs
• Contact information
• Schedules and fares