Travel Training in Harford County

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Travel Training in Harford County

• A Train the Trainer Curriculum

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Traveling by Bus in Harford County
Begin with a questionnaire about the local
Transit system.

• Have you ever used Harford Transit?
• In a typical month what is the average daily
  ridership?
• a.1203 b. 410 c. 2500
• What is the bus fare?
• How many routes are operated daily?

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Sometimes We Make it Hard!
Discuss real and perceived obstacles for agency
clients using public transportation.

• System-wide Barriers?
• Attitudinal Barriers?
• Individual Travel Limitations?

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Harford TransitThe Basics
Provide basic information about the system.

• Fixed bus routes serve population centers
• Hours of operation
• Fares
• Specialized services

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Harford TransitThe Schedule
Go over the schedule and explain how to use it.

• Hours of operation
• Fares
• Specialized services
• How to read the schedule
• How to make transfers
• Start at your destination and work back.

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Use an individual itinerary this allows the
passenger to extract the information he or she
needs from the schedule.

Bus Schedule Riders Name
Harford Transit 410-612-1621,
410-612-1742, or 410-612-1643/TTY Emergency
Contact_________________________
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Trip Planning Exercise 1
Trip Planning Exercises begin with a simple
one requiring use of one route

• Plan a round trip from the Woodsdale Senior
  Housing in Abingdon to Harford Mall for an 1130
  a.m. appointment with an optometrist.
• Locate the bus schedule serving the area.
• Find the nearest bus stop.
• Find the time and route.
• Make sure that the arrival time matches the
  appointment time.
• Plan the return trip at 120 p.m. after
  appointment is over.

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Trip Planning Exercise 2
Trip Planning Exercises use a trip requiring a
transfer.

• Plan a trip from Woodsdale Senior Apartments in
  Abingdon to the Harford Community College for a
  900 a.m. class.
• Locate the bus schedules serving the pick-up
  point and the final destination.
• Find the nearest bus stop.
• Find the time and route.
• Identify the possible transfer points.
• Select the route so that arrival time matches
  class time.

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Go over other information that the trainer and
the passenger needs to know.

• What are the rules ( behavior on the bus)?
• What should the passenger bring with
  him/her(Photo ID, Reduced Fare Card, 12 Ride
  Pass, Extra money, Emergency Contact Information,
  Foul weather gear)?

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Individualized Instruction and Training in the
Real Environment pre travel

• Assess individuals travel skills, including any
  travel limitations, English proficiency, ability
  to read, tell time and use money.
• Has the person used public transportation before?
• How does he/she communicate?

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Individualized Instruction and Training in the
Real Environment from home to the bus stop.

• Review individualized itinerary.
• Meet individual at trip starting point (their
  home, bus stop).
• Training is structured around safety and
  sequentially learned skills.

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Individualized Instruction and Training in the
Real Environment riding the bus.

• Waiting for and boarding the bus.
• On the bus.
• Walking to the final destination.
• Repeating the experience in reverse.

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Individualized Instruction and Training in the
Real Environment after riding the bus.

• Re-assess travel skills to determine if training
  needs to continue.
• Shadow the passenger ( follow the bus in another
  vehicle).
• Once individual and trainer agree that skills ar
  mastered follow up at one week, one month and
  three months.

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For further reference

• Our training curriculum was adapted from
• Curriculum to Introduce Travel Training to
  Staff Who Work with People with Disabilities
• The Kennedy Center, Inc. Bridgeport, Connecticut
  Doc No 95-0081
• Produced with assistance from the Federal Transit
  Act, through a Cooperative Agreement with the
  U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal
  Transit Administration and Easter Seals Project
  Action.
• Available on the Project Action Web site
• http//projectaction.easterseals.com