Encompass: Enhancing Mobility for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities

By Greater Hartford Transit District

Jul 21, 2022

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Introduction

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Greater Hartford Transit District (the “District”) provides transportation services for individuals who, because of their disability, are unable to travel on the fixed-route public transit service operated by CTtransit. The District has partnered with Transportation General, also known as M7, Connecticut’s largest demand-response transportation service, to provide a new, expansive, demand-response, 24/7 transportation option to the elderly and disabled populations within the Greater Hartford Metropolitan Area (MTA) and surrounding rural areas. This service is known as the Greater Hartford Program for Innovative Mobility (GHPIM), or Encompass, and is supported by an FTA IMI grant totaling $630,000.

The Encompass Program aims to utilize paratransit resources to serve more riders more effectively, making the trip experience easy and convenient for customers. The District and M7 intended to provide a complete trip experience for riders currently unable to access transportation due to gaps in service. The program uses M7’s global positioning system (GPS) dispatching technology to ensure that the closest appropriate driver and vehicle, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles, are dispatched to each pickup address. The use of this ‘smart’ routing technology allows for quicker response times and an improved traveler experience.

Credit: M7

Thanks to the Encompass program, riders are able to access information conveniently, book and pay for trips through their chosen device, and travel cost-effectively anywhere, anytime, to better meet their needs. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for individuals with disabilities and seniors ages 60 and older who live within the service area. Encompass trips are discounted, with the passenger paying $5.00 for the first eight miles traveled and $2.90 for each additional mile. Compared with other services, Encompass offers an affordable option; an eight-mile trip using a taxi cab would typically cost around $38.25.

Lesson Learned: Know Your Audience and Pivot as Needed

A large part of the Encompass program focuses on leveraging technology to improve the customer experience: applicants can sign up, add funds, and book their trips online. Incorporating technology enabled the District to give riders and their supporters more options when applying for and using the transportation service. Staff initially thought that this approach would help caregivers get their loved ones involved in the program and allow riders’ to more easily fund their accounts. The team has found that many Encompass riders are independently creating their own accounts and using the service.

The Encompass team’s marketing efforts at the beginning of the program included social media outreach to improve the program’s online presence. However, over the course of the program, the team learned that most riders learned about the program through word-of-mouth and staff speaking with area senior centers. Many riders, particularly seniors, noted that they wanted a paper application for the program and the ability to add funds by calling in or mailing a physical check. The Encompass program pivoted to allow these changes to occur so that more individuals could engage and participate in the program.

As new technologies continue to emerge in the transportation industry, this experience emphasizes the importance of transit agencies understanding their audience. While there will be riders that shift to embracing new technology, there will also be riders who still want to call someone to book a reservation ride or mail in a check or money order to load funds onto their transit accounts. Ultimately, providing riders with multiple ways to get transportation that works for them, whether it is low-tech or high-tech, will help bring more people to use transportation programs.

New Encompass Program Video

Overcoming Program Challenges

Covid-19 presented challenges for the Encompass program, particularly regarding outreach efforts. Like many other programs, Encompass was unprepared for a large part of the country to shut down. When the Encompass program launched, the team anticipated having many sit-down chats at the various senior centers across the service area. However, due to Covid-19, senior centers were inaccessible to the public, making it challenging to share program information. Furthermore, the target audience of seniors and persons with disabilities also traveled less during Covid-19, which affected ridership. To overcome this challenge, staff coordinated with senior centers in the area to get information about the Encompass program in their monthly newsletters. Staff also advertised the service in free neighborhood papers and gave virtual presentations about the program to different agencies.


Another challenge for the Encompass program dealt with the state of Connecticut voting to increase taxi rates in April 2022. Before April 2022, the under fifteen-mile taxi rates had not changed in the last ten years. To navigate this newfound change in policy and keep transportation costs low for riders, the Encompass team took a data-driven decision-making approach and restructured the cost of the program with assistance from their designated FTA contact. When examining ridership data, the team found that most riders kept their trip distance to 8 miles or less. Using this information, the Encompass team established a payment structure that complied with the new taxi rates while ensuring the service was still an affordable option for users. Changes were made within the project budget to accommodate this fare alteration. Under the refined payment structure, the cost to travel 8 miles or less using the Encompass service stayed the same; however, after the 8-mile mark, the cost per mile increased from $2.00 to $2.90. Despite having to adjust service prices due to circumstances outside of their control, the Encompass team was able to reduce the impact this change had on riders. This scenario showcases the importance of considering rider needs and trip habits when making program adjustments during a project’s pilot period.

Rider Feedback

During the duration of the Encompass program, the local fixed-route and ADA paratransit system provided free fares within the state of Connecticut. Even though the fares were free for CTtransit’s fixed-route and ADA paratransit service, the Encompass service maintained its usual fare structure. Despite charging a fare, riders continued to use Encompass, which shed light on the program’s value. Riders expressed feeling safer utilizing the program’s vehicles and were willing to pay for the reliability and convenience of using the Encompass taxis. 

Credit: M7

On April 28, 2022, the Encompass program had its first community forum to share information on the service and receive feedback from current riders. Many riders expressed appreciation for the program because it allowed them to be independent and travel to places without needing advanced reservations. By offering various payment and application options for those interested or enrolled in the program, those who would typically lean on a support worker for help accessing the program were able to register and use Encompass independently. As a result of the benefits the program has brought to the community, many passengers have asked how they can help keep the program running once the pilot period ends. 

The Encompass team continues to get feedback on the service from riders, through text message surveys, forums, or individually placed calls. In the coming months, the Encompass team is looking to reach out to riders who have signed up but have not used the transportation program yet to understand what is keeping them from utilizing the service.

Lesson Learned: Partnering with Community Anchors Brings Visibility to New Services

When piloting a new service, outreach efforts and relationship building are vital to attracting and retaining riders. After the program launched, Encompass staff continually spoke with community providers working with the disabled community and seniors to spread the program’s message. During this process, the Encompass team learned that establishing partnerships with key community anchors can improve the visibility of a service. 

The Encompass program saw increased program registrants after partnering with community institutions. Notably, the Encompass program saw more individuals served by the Department of Developmental Disabilities sign up once the team started having presentations with lead social workers within the agency. The social workers could connect with Encompass staff more easily and help enroll their clients in the program.  

In addition, the Encompass team leveraged their connections with the Greater Hartford Transit District’s ADA paratransit program staff to further spread awareness about Encompass’s 24/7 demand-response service. ADA eligibility staff referred individuals who did not qualify for ADA paratransit service to the Encompass program, boosting visibility and enrollment numbers.

Next Steps

The Encompass team is working on holding more passenger forums to gather additional feedback on the service and educate the general community on the benefits of the program. Many seniors and individuals with disabilities are still struggling to find affordable and dependable transportation so the Encompass program may be a solution to meet their needs. As COVID rates continue to decrease, staff are working to increase community engagement efforts at senior centers to provide information about Encompass and to walk individuals through how to use the program based on their comfort level. The District is looking for ways to keep the program funded after the grant expires to ensure this safe, affordable, and reliable transportation service remains available in the Greater Hartford community.

To learn about the Encompass program, visit their website here.

For questions or additional information you can contact staff from the Greater Hartford Transit District: