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Seniors on the Move - Senior
Training Workshops
Los Angeles Metro, Los Angeles, CA
(2008-Present)
AMMA Transit Planning and Ellen
Blackman Consulting Services, is
responsible for the design and
conduct of LA Metro's senior travel
training program which aims to
encourage the use of public transit
among the county's adult and older
adult population.
These workshops are presented as an
information tool-providing seniors
with options and knowledge that will
enable older adults to remain
independent once they "hang up the
keys."
Outcomes:
Evaluations, a post survey
administered immediately following
each workshop's end and a post-post
evaluation mailed to participants
one month following their
attendance, are used to measure the
program's effectiveness and further
identify the program's audience.
Overall, last year's (FY 09-10) six
workshop's hosted a majority of
seniors who do not use public
transit: 58% of all surveyed
participants reported no weekly
transit ridership. Although the
degree varied by site, over
one-quarter of all participants did
report using public transit at least
once per week: 28% of participants
currently ride public transit one to
three times a week. We also learned
that 18% of all participants use
some form of paratransit services at
least once a week. Importantly, a
large majority (86%) of participants
reported that they planned to use
transit more following the program.
The post-post evaluation, mailed to
participants one month following
workshops, found that a strong
majority (72%) of the 110 responding
participants used public transit at
least one time in the month
following the workshop and nearly
half (44%) of responding
participants reported this usage as
more than before the workshop.
In narrative comments received from
the follow up evaluations, many
participants relate a bus trip they
took with friends using their TAP
card. Several report visiting a
popular destination recommended by
workshop handouts. The
evaluations and comments suggest
that Seniors on the Move is
effectively reaching its target
audience-seniors who are still
driving but may become transit
dependent-and encouraging them to
get on board a bus.
Program Design:
Workshops are distributed across the
county, in each of the County Board
of Supervisor's districts, and train
between 40 to 80 persons per
location.
Upwards of 400 seniors received this
training during FY 08/09 and FY
09/10. Each session is almost three
hours in length, involves a bus trip
to a local rail station or a public
transit center, and provides input
on a range of topics that includes
hearing from a California Highway
Patrol officer on new seniors'
driving tests and Metro staff on the
new TAP [Transit Access Pass]
program for seniors. Discussion
and teaching breaks down the steps
involved in planning and taking a
trip to demonstrate that public
transit is a viable alternative and
to lessen the apprehension involved
with relinquishing one's ability to
drive. Curriculum is tailored to
each local community, to incorporate
information about the area's
community public transit programs as
well as Metro services. Programs
are offered with translation into
the languages of local seniors, when
needed. Training materials are
designed with a lively, upbeat
orientation towards encouraging use
of public transit.
Additionally, participants ages 62
years and above receive a free
month's pass to Metro services on a
reloadable TAP card.
Seniors on the Move Workshops
Scheduled during FY 2010/2011:
January 18, 2011 - Long Beach Senior
Center, Long Beach
February 23, 2011 - Little Tokyo
Gold Line Station, Los Angeles
February 24, 2011 - Adult Recreation
Center, Glendale
June 22, 2011 - Casa Maravilla
Senior Center, East Los Angeles
June 23, 2011 - Ahmanson Senior
Center, Los Angeles, CA
October 18, 2011 - L.A. Gay and
Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA
Seniors on the Move Workshops
Scheduled during FY 2009/2010:
October 27, 2009 - Joslyn Adult
Center, Burbank, CA
October 28, 2009 - Friendship
Auditorium, Griffith Park, CA
January 17, 2010 - Norwalk Senior
Center, Norwalk, CA
March 18, 2010 - Felicia Mayhood,
West Hollywood, CA
May 18, 2010 – Arcadia Senior
Center, Arcadia, CA
May 20, 2010 – Hawthorne Senior
Center, Hawthorne, CA
June 22, 2010 – El Monte Senior
Center, El Monte, CA
Seniors on the Move Workshops
Scheduled during FY 2008/2009:
April 29, 2009 - City of Cudahy,
Cudahy, CA
April 30, 2009 - Joslyn Community
Center, Manhattan Beach, CA
May 27, 2009 - Monrovia Community
Services, Monrovia, CA
May 28, 2009 - City of Inglewood,
Inglewood, CA
June 3, 2009 - Valley Storefront,
North Hollywood, CA
AMMA Transit Planning is
undertaking this as a joint venture
with
Ellen Blackman Consulting Services.
Door-to-Door and
Door-through-Door
Transportation Needs
Assessment
County Area Agency on
Aging/Community and Senior
Services, Los Angeles County
(2010)
This
countywide non-emergency
medical transportation needs
assessment was undertaken
through a series of agency
interviews, consumer focus
groups and a 3,000 agency
mailing to assess the
quantity and types of needs
for door-to-door,
door-through-door and
portal-to-portal assistance
required by seniors, persons
with disabilities and
persons of low-income. The
project's intent was to
develop an understanding of
their needs in order to
construct an approach by
which the county AAA could
address these needs, in the
form of grant applications
for New Freedom and Job
Access and Reverse Commute
funding. The approach
included quantifying
door-to-door transportation
and door-through-door
transit needs throughout Los
Angeles County. The
recommended operating plan
described a "program of
projects" approach, inviting
projects of volunteer
mileage reimbursement, taxi
subsidy, escorts on
paratransit and mobility
management activities.
Project costs were
estimated. Legal and
liability issues as well as
various management issues,
particularly those
associated with
volunteer-based projects,
were examined.
Orange County
Transportation Authority (OCTA) Go Local Program
City
of Laguna Woods, Laguna
Woods, CA (2008)
In response to Orange County
Transportation Authority's
offer of planning grant
assistance, the City of
Laguna Woods, CA undertook
planning efforts to develop
local services promoting
linkage to the regional rail
service, Metrolink.
AMMA Transit Planning led
a team to consider Metrolink
connections for Laguna
Woods, CA, predominantly a
retirement community, with
18,000 seniors living in and
around Laguna Woods
Village. Needs
assessments included a
city-wide household survey,
traditional fixed-route
service planning in relation
to the seven Orange County
Transportation Authority
routes, and the eleven
Laguna Woods Village routes
that cover the set, and
development of
recommendations of value to
both Orange County
Transportation Authority and
the City of Laguna Woods.
Of particular interest for
the largely senior
population was the
development of tools to
encourage public transit
use. These included
way-finding maps of rail
stations and a detailed
travelers guide to make
bus-rail-bus trips to an
attractive regional
destination.
Metrolink Train at Irvine, CA Metro
Station
Laguna Woods Village Bus
OCTA Fixed Route buses at
Irvine, CA Metro Station
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