Report to/Rapport
au :
Transit Commission
Commission du transport en commun
12
October 2011 / 12 octobre 2011
Transit Services/Services
du transport en commun
Ref N°: ACS2011-ICS-TRA-0021 |
REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the
Transit Commission approve:
1.
That there be one Para Transpo rural fare zone, and
that a single rural fare as described in this report be incorporated into
the 2012 Draft Business Plan and Budget;
2.
That OC Transpo incorporate four new once-a-week bus
trips from rural villages to shopping destinations in the urban part of the
City into the 2012 Draft Business Plan and Budget as a pilot project and as
described in this report; and
3.
That the rural Para Transpo service delivery model be
changed to allocate a portion of the existing rural Para Transpo budget to
increase the rural transportation services for seniors and persons with
disabilities provided by local community support service agencies as described in this report, and that the General
Manager, Transit Services be delegated the authority to enter into funding and
service agreements with the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre, Rural Ottawa South
Support Services, the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, and the
Champlain LHIN as described in this report.
RECOMMANDATIONS
DU RAPPORT
Que la Commission du transport en commun approuve :
1.
Qu’il y ait une zone de tarif rural pour les services de Para Transpo,
et qu’un tarif simple de zone rurale, tel que décrit dans le présent rapport,
soit intégré au Budget et au Plan d’affaires provisoire de 2012;
2.
Qu’OC Transpo intègre quatre nouveaux trajets hebdomadaires par autobus
depuis les villages ruraux jusqu'aux destinations commerciales de la partie
urbaine de la ville dans son Budget et son Plan d’affaires provisoire de 2012,
à titre de projet-pilote et tels que décrits dans le présent rapport; et
3.
Que le modèle de prestation de services de Para Transpo en milieu rural
soit modifié en vue d’affecter une partie du Budget lié aux services ruraux de
Para Transpo actuel à l’augmentation des services de transport en milieu rural
pour les personnes âgées et les personnes ayant un handicap fournis par des
centres de ressources communautaires locaux, tels que décrits dans le présent
rapport, et que le directeur général des Services de transport en commun soit
autorisé à conclure des ententes de financement et de services avec le Centre
de ressources d’Ottawa-Est, les Services de soutien en milieu rural
d’Ottawa-Sud, le Centre de ressources communautaires d’Ottawa-Ouest et le
Réseau local d’intégration des services de santé de Champlain, tels que décrits
dans le présent rapport.
BACKGROUND
On November 7, 2007, the Seniors
Advisory Committee (SAC) presented a report entitled Transportation Parity for Seniors and People with Disabilities in Rural
Areas (ACS2007-CCV-SAC-0003) to the former Transit Committee. The Committee directed staff to review the
issue of parity for rural seniors and people with disabilities, and that staff
review the pre-amalgamation practice of purchasing service from a local
community resource centre.
On April 10, 2010, the report entitled Improved Transit Services for Seniors and
People with Disabilities in Rural Areas (ACS2010-ICS-TRA-0001) was
presented to the Transit Committee. This
report recommended that urban Para Transpo service be expanded to cover the
entire Urban Policy Area; that consultation be carried out to plan up to four
new once-a-week bus trips from rural villages; and, that Para Transpo rural
fare zone boundaries be simplified. The Committee referred the report back to
staff for further review.
This report is
the result of that review and of further discussions with the SAC and other
agencies providing or funding transportation in the Ottawa area. The
recommendations in this report would increase mobility for seniors, people with
disabilities, and others in the rural area, with no additional funding, by
redirecting some of the current funding.
DISCUSSION
Para Transpo service is for persons
with permanent or short-term disabilities who are unable to safely walk to or board
conventional transit. This service was expanded into all rural areas of the
City in September 2002.
In
2010, 12,810 trips were made by Para Transpo customers to, from, or within the
rural area. As of July 2011, there were
344 Para Transpo registrants with home addresses in the rural part of the City. Approximately 75 per cent of all trips made
to or from the rural area are made by registrants with rural home addresses;
the remainder are made by registrants with home addresses in the Urban Transit
Area.
For
2011, the budget for rural Para Transpo service was $2,110,000 with $1,969,000 funded
from property taxes collected in Rural Transit Areas A and B and $141,000 from
fares. The cost to provide Para Transpo
service in the rural area is being managed to be as low as possible by the
careful assignment of contracted taxis or Para Transpo vans to each trip.
Current
fare levels for trips to or from the rural area vary by distance. Dependent upon the trip origin and
destination, the trip fare is either a flat price, which ranges from $4.00 to
$18.25, or is calculated using a base price plus an additional charge per
kilometre driven. The majority of rural
trips are made between Zone 1 (urban area), and Zone 2, the area immediately
surrounding the urban region. The fare for
these trips is $9.50. Current Para
Transpo fares are shown in Document 1 and the fare zones are shown in Document
2.
As
a comparison, current fares for trips entirely within the Urban Transit Area
are $4.25 (or three tickets) for trips before 09:00 Monday to Friday, and $3.25
(or two tickets) for trips at all other times of the week.
The
cost to provide Para Transpo service in the rural area is extremely high. In 2010, 12,810 trips were provided within a rural
Para Transpo budget of $2.11 million.
This translates into an average cost of $165 per trip.
During the years since Para Transpo service was
extended city-wide in 2002, an issue that many customers and advocacy groups
have raised is the barrier to travel that high fares cause, especially for long
trips from distant rural areas. Some Para Transpo registrants have limited
financial means and it is estimated that 30 per cent of registrants have requirements
to make trips for medical reasons. At its meeting of April 10, 2010, the former
Transit Committee directed staff to develop recommendations that would reduce
this barrier.
To address the issue of affordability for Para Transpo
service in the rural area, staff recommend that a flat fare be established for
all trips to or from the rural area, regardless of trip distance. If this
recommendation is approved, then a recommended fare would be developed for the
Commission and Council to consider as part of the 2012 Budget.
As a point of comparison, a flat fare of $8.25 in 2010
would have resulted in fares covering five per cent of the cost of the service,
down from the current seven per cent. If the fare were established at that
level, 94 per cent of the current rural Para Transpo trips would be made at a
lower fare, and six per cent would be made at a higher fare.
A fare reduction for the majority of customers would have
two effects: to reduce fare revenue and to increase service demand. Staff do
not recommend increasing the Para Transpo rural budget to satisfy this
anticipated demand or to replace the reduced fare revenue. Instead, staff
recommend that some of the current Para Transpo funding be transferred to
Community Support Service agencies, who can deliver trips more effectively to a
wider range of the population (Recommendation 3 of this report).
The result of this cooperation will be to provide more
mobility within the same level of funding. If the forecast demand for rural
Para Transpo service exceeds the budgeted service level in a future year, staff
would develop a recommendation for the Commission and Council to consider at
that time.
Staff
recommend the introduction on a trial basis of four new
once-a-week round trips using conventional low-floor OC Transpo buses, from
rural villages to shopping destinations in the central part of Ottawa. These
would be modelled on the successful once-a-week round trip that operates from
North Gower, Kars, and Manotick to Barrhaven and Carlingwood. This Friday-only
round-trip is used for approximately 40 customer-trips each week (20 customers
per direction).
The
four new once-a-week trips would operate as follows:
· Monday – Route 201 from Richmond to Stittsville,
Bayshore, Carlingwood
· Tuesday – Route 202 from Navan, Sarsfield, Cumberland
to Place d’Orléans, St. Laurent
· Wednesday – Route 203 from Dunrobin, Carp to Bayshore,
Carlingwood
· Thursday – Route 204 from Metcalfe, Greely to South
Keys, Billings Bridge
· Friday – Route
205 from North Gower, Kars, Manotick to Barrhaven, Carlingwood (renumbered from
the current Route 186)
The
proposed new routes, and the existing service from North Gower, are shown in
Document 3.
These
services would improve mobility for residents of the rural villages by
providing access to affordable, accessible transportation. The trips can be
used by seniors and Para Transpo registrants, as well as by any other traveller,
with or without a disability and with or without limited financial means.
In
addition to shopping, some customers may be able to schedule regular medical
appointments for the days and times that the buses operate. Customers would be
able to transfer to other OC Transpo services to make trips to locations
that are not directly served by these new trips.
The
cost to provide these new trips is approximately $117,000 per year, and this
would be reallocated from within the current funding for rural Para Transpo
service. Ridership
counts would be taken regularly, to allow an evaluation after six months and
after one year of service, to ensure that the trips are achieving their
intended purpose and that they are a cost-effective way of providing increased
mobility to rural residents. Staff would report back to the Commission on the
results of these evaluations.
These
new routes would begin operation in January 2012.
Three
community support service agencies – Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre (EORC),
Rural Ottawa South Support Services (ROSSS), and Western Ottawa Community
Resource Centre (WOCRC) – currently provide transportation to essential
appointments for seniors and adults with disabilities. Their programs are
supported through limited provincial funding and community donations.
Staff
recommend redirecting a portion of the current funding for rural Para Transpo
service to allow these agencies to expand their service levels. By doing so, it
will be possible to provide more mobility for rural residents in the future than
is currently accomplished through rural Para Transpo service and service
provided by these agencies. The funding would be provided only for the
expansion of transportation services by these agencies, and would not replace
any funding provided from other sources or by the City for other purposes.
The
Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) has announced that it is
investing more than $730,000 in new annual funding to expand non-urgent medical
transportation services and provide assistance to community support service
agencies who deliver the service. Some of these provincial funds may be able to
further supplement the transportation services available to Ottawa rural
residents. In particular, staff will discuss with the LHIN and the community support
service agencies the need for transportation for Ottawa rural residents to
hospitals in neighbouring towns (e.g., Almonte, Arnprior, Kemptville,
Winchester).
Following
the approval of this recommendation by the Commission, staff would enter into a
funding agreement with these three community support service agencies, and if
appropriate, also with the Champlain LHIN. This agreement would transfer
$500,000 from the established rural Para Transpo funding to these agencies, to
provide expanded transportation service, starting on April 1, 2012.
Where
appropriate and possible, OC Transpo and the agencies would also cooperate to
establish a central contact point for rural travellers and to make the best use
of each other’s capabilities. The funding agreement would include a
responsibility for the agencies to maintain records on how the City’s funding
is being used, including details of the number and destinations of trips
provided, to allow for continuous review to confirm that the arrangement is
resulting in good value for money.
Staff
expect that there would be an increase in mobility for seniors and people with
disabilities in rural areas, primarily because the community support service
agencies are able to provide transportation for a wider range of people than
Para Transpo does.
Staff
also recommend that the responsibility for trips between two rural locations be
transferred to the community support service agencies, and that Para Transpo
service only be available for trips from the rural area into the urban area or
from the urban area to the rural area. There were 150 such trips made on Para
Transpo in 2010.
Staff
would report back to the Commission on the details of the funding agreement
once it is completed. Staff would also report back to the Commission later in
2012 on the success of the cooperation and on the number of trips that the cooperative
approach is able to provide each year.
Summary of recommended
changes in expenditures
In 2011, the budget for rural
Para Transpo service is:
Expenditures |
Funding source |
$2,110,000 for Para Transpo
service |
$1,969,000 from property
taxes |
|
$141,000 from customers’
fares |
$2,110,000 total |
$2,110,000 total |
Based on the recommendations
in this report, comparable 2011 budget values are estimated to have been:
Expenditures |
Funding source |
$1,452,000 for Para Transpo
service |
$1,969,000 from property
taxes |
$117,000 for once-a-week
services |
$100,000 from customers’
fares |
$500,000 to community
support service agencies |
|
$2,069,000 total |
$2,069,000 total |
The
2012 budget would be based on these figures, updated to reflect 2012 cost
levels and fare levels as decided by Council.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
The
recommendations of this report would increase the affordability of service and
mobility for rural Para Transpo customers, seniors, and others with limited
means to travel. The recommendations would not change the taxes collected in
the rural areas of the city.
CONSULTATION
The
analysis and recommendations in this report respond to a position taken by the Seniors
Advisory Committee (SAC). The concepts within this report were discussed with
the SAC at their meetings of September 1, 2010; June 1, 2011; and October 5,
2011. Staff and representatives of the SAC have also discussed these issues at
meetings of the Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Rural Issues Advisory
Committee.
At
its meeting of September 1, 2010, the Seniors Advisory Committee adopted the
following positions, and confirmed on October 5, 2011, that they continue to
hold these positions:
That
there be a single fare zone for all rural Para Transpo users;
That the fare should be the
same as the Rural Express OC Transpo fare;
That the additional required
funding for the fare reduction should come from a minor increase in the rural
transit levy;
That funding be also be
provided to enable increased and coordinated ride programs in the rural areas
for the rural adults with physical disabilities and the senior community
through a coalition of Community Support Services agencies; and,
That the Champlain Local
Health Integration Network be approached to assist in providing some of the
funding.
COMMENTS BY WARD
COUNCILLORS
The Councillors for
the areas affected by the recommended changes have been briefed by staff on
this report, and concur with the staff recommendations.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal impediments in implementing the recommendations in this report.
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There are no risk management
impediments to the implementation of this report’s recommendations.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Recommendations
approved as a result of this report would be reflected in the 2012 Budget and
OC Transpo Business Plan. OC Transpo
proposes that the change to a single rural Para Transpo fare strategy would not
directly influence residential tax rates since this would be offset by a more
effective service delivery model. A
review of the pilot and the negotiated agreements with the agencies would be
required to confirm the value for money benefit of this initiative.
TECHNOLOGY IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
The
recommendations in this report are in line with several objectives contained in
the 2007-2010 City Strategic Plan. Specifically, the recommendations will
improve mobility for Para Transpo customers living in rural areas in an
efficient, fair, and cost-effective manner.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Current statistics
on rural Para Transpo service
Document 2 Current Para Transpo
fare zone map
Document 3 Recommended new OC Transpo routes from
rural villages
Document 4 Paper considered by Seniors’ Advisory Committee,
September 1, 2010
DISPOSITION
If adopted by the Commission,
staff will proceed to implement the recommendations outlined in the report.
CURRENT
STATISTICS ON RURAL PARA TRANSPO SERVICE DOCUMENT 1
Para Transpo Rural Costs and Revenues, Budget for 2011
Operating costs |
$2,110,000 |
Fare revenue |
$141,000 |
Net tax requirement |
$1,969,000 |
Rural Service by Fare Zone
|
Trips in 2010 |
Fare |
Zone 2 to/from urban area |
9,548 |
$9.50 |
Zone 3 to/from urban area |
2,231 |
$13.50 |
Zone 4 to/from urban area |
858 |
$18.25 |
Within villages |
22 |
$4.00 or 3 tickets |
Adjacent sub-zones |
724 |
$5.00 |
Entirely within rural area, outer end of trip in Zone 2 |
103 |
$1.66 + $0.46/km |
Entirely within rural area, outer end of trip in Zone 3 |
47 |
$4.40 + $0.46/km |
Entirely within rural area, outer end of trip in Zone 4 |
1 |
$7.21 + $0.46/km |
Total |
12,810 |
|
Rural Para Transpo
Registrants by Fare Zone (July 2011)
Zone 2 |
224 registrants |
Zone 3 |
90 registrants |
Zone 4 |
30 registrants |
Total |
344 registrants |
Note: Registrants with
rural addresses make up approximately 2 percent of the City-wide total.
Rural Trips by
Registrants’ Home Location
Home address in rural area |
9,350 (est) |
75 % |
Home address in Urban Transit Area |
3,460 (est) |
25 % |
Average Length of Rural Para Transpo Trip
|
Customers’ trips |
Vehicle km required |
Within urban area |
12 km |
14km |
Zone 2 to/from urban area |
24 km |
38 km |
Zone 3 to/from urban area |
29 km |
49 km |
Zone 4 to/from urban area |
58 km |
116 km |
2009
PARA TRANSPO RURAL FARE ZONE MAP DOCUMENT 2
Recommended new OC Transpo
routes from
rural villages DOCUMENT 3
Paper considered at Seniors’
Advisory Committee, September
1, 2010 Document 4
1 September 2010
Equity and fairness for rural Para Transpo
SUBJECT: Rural Para Transpo equity and
fairness
REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Seniors Advisory Committee
recommends that the Transit Committee recommend to Council that the rural
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND:
Prior to
amalgamation there was no formal Para Transpo service in the rural townships.
Several townships such as West Carleton did provide the service for the
disabled and isolated seniors via a contract with Community Support Services
agencies. Following a 2002 staff report and extensive consultation Council
decided in 2003 to extend Para Transpo to the rural areas. The funding was to
be based on a 10%/90% ratio of user fees and rural transit levy. The rates
would be set using zones and the distance travelled.
RECENT
BACKGROUND
The Seniors
Advisory Committee in 2007 expressed its concerns regarding the fairness and
equity with a motion to Transit Committee. Transit Committee on
1. That Transit
Committee direct staff to review the issue of parity for rural seniors and
people with disabilities using Para Transpo to ensure that they are receiving a
service that is affordable for all, especially those on low-fixed incomes, and
report back to Committee by May 2008; and
2. That the review
proposed in this report (ACS2007-CCV-SAC-0003) include a review of the
pre-amalgamation practice of purchasing service from a local Community Resource
Centre as a means of providing ‘para-like’ service.
On
CURRENT SITUATION
There were
300 rural Para Transpo users in 2009 making 15,200 one-way trips. With the
recent inclusion of Stittsville and other areas into the urban area, it is
estimated that the number of trips will be reduced to 12,600 trips. The current
non-peak Para Transpo fare in the urban area is 2 tickets ($2.50) while in the
rural area the fare ranges from $9.50 to more than $18.50 depending on
distance.
ISSUES:
City Size:
The zone system: At the outset and still today fares in
the rural area are set by a zone system. While this was an attempt to simplify
the “distance formula” it created inequities. In addition the zone system is
unique to the rural areas and is not replicated elsewhere by either OC Transpo
or Para Transpo. Furthermore it is complicated for both the user and the
dispatcher.
Fare simplicity:
Equity and Fairness: Whether one live is the urban or
rural area, we are all now residents of
Community Support Agencies: Prior to amalgamation and today
several Community Support Agencies provided transportation for adults with
physical disabilities and isolated rural seniors. This is done through a
combination of paid and volunteer drivers with the user paying a fee for the
service. It is limited by resources and as not equally available to all rural
areas. A recent pilot project funded by the Champlain Local Health Integration
Network (CLHIN) has been successful in the southern areas on a limited scale
with one vehicle. Without this service demand for Para Transpo in the rural
areas would be increased.
Capacity and drain on urban
POSSIBLE
SOLUTIONS/OPTIONS
Status quo: While the present system has been
working for the past 7 years it does not address the inequity within the rural
areas. It also keeps the large disparity between urban and rural fares. There
would be no immediate funding implications.
Staff April 2010 proposal: This proposal moves the
Rideau-Carleton raceway and a few other areas into the urban area. It also
reduces the number of zones somewhat but the significant fare disparity
remains. There would be no immediate funding implications.
Single rural zone (one fare): This option would provide a measure
of simplicity and fairness within the rural area. However, it would necessitate
an average fare which would mean a higher fare than even the current $9.50
bottom end fare. There would be no immediate funding implications.
Single rural zone and a reduced single
fare: This option
would provide both simplicity and equity within the rural area. It would also
provide less disparity with the urban Para Transpo fare. To compensate for
reducing the fare additional funding would be required. It is also anticipated
that if the fare were reduced that there would be increased demand for the
service from Para Transpo users.
Single rural zone, reduced single fare
usage limitation:
With Para Transpo having limited resources an increase in demand due to a
reduced rural Para Transpo fare there would be less capacity available for
urban Para Transpo. The suggestion here is that the current level of service
(number of trips) be maintained after the fare reduction. To compensate for
reducing the fare additional funding would still be required.
Single rural zone and reduced fare
with rural Community
Support Services agencies augmentation: This option would counter (and
perhaps lower) rural Para Transpo demand by assisting Community
Support Services agencies to
provide a parallel service. Overall this would improve service to the rural
community while maintaining equity, fairness and simplicity for rural Para
Transpo users. In addition to more funding support being required for rural
Para Transpo there would also be need to help fund the Community
Support Services agencies for
providing this service.
DISCUSSION
It should be
the City’s objective to provide a fair and equitable Para Transpo service
without undue financial implications or a reduction in service. As such the
removal of zones within the rural area and a reduction in fares would go a long
way to meeting that goal.
As per some
other services that are unique to the rural area it is felt that they would
agree to pay a small surcharge to help compensate for the increased cost.
Should the fares be reduced to be the same as those now charged for rural
Express OC Transpo (4 tickets or $5.25) that would provide both simplicity and
fairness. This would still be double that of the urban Para Transpo fare.
To limit the
service (number of trips) which would be the result of a fare reduction would
punish the very vulnerable disabled community we are now trying to assist. On
the other hand removing 3 urban Para Transpo trips for every new rural trip
does not seem fair or justified either.
The pilot
service by the Seniors Rural Transportation Project has shown that they can
provide a valuable service to our adults with physical disabilities and
isolated senior rural community. Expanding the service would provide a parallel
service to Para Transpo and forestall any increase in demand. The various
Community Support Services agencies (
Keeping rural
seniors and the disabled active and reasonably mobile should be considered a
social benefit. It should be noted that rural residents due to geography do not
benefit from many social programs available to their urban counterparts.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
Funding is
always a major issue and concern. Current funding for rural Para Transpo is
$1,748,000. This works out to an average of $140 per trip. Reducing the fare to
that of Rural Express OC Transpo would require additional funding of
approximately $75,000 or about $3 per rural household as part of the rural
transit levy.
Additional
funding for providing a parallel service through the Community
Support Services agencies should
definitely be considered as well. There is a transit benefit, a social benefit and
for the CLHIN there is an overall health benefit. The four partnering Community
Support agencies have determined that a likely start-up cost for the first year
to provide service throughout the rural area would be $635,000. Annual
operating costs thereafter would be $445,000. It should be noted that these are
only initial ball-park estimates and will need to be refined. As the CLHIN was
a funder of the pilot program and as they provide funding for similar services
in other areas of eastern Ontario, there may well be an opportunity for a
funding partnership arrangement. All partners need to participate in the modest
cost needed to provide this more general service which benefits the well being
of our rural residents.
CONSULTATION
The issue of
rural Para Transpo has been discussed with and supported by the Accessibility
Advisory Committee, the Rural Issues Advisory Committee, the Ottawa Seniors
Transportation Committee, the four rural partnering Community Support agencies
and representatives from OC Transpo.
RECOMMENDATION
That the
rural