Disability and Progress-August 8, 2024-Metro Move

[00:00:32] Speaker A: Sadeena. [00:00:59] Speaker B: This is KFAI 90.3 FM, Minneapolis, and kfai.org dot. You're tuned to disability in progress, where we bring you insights into ideas about and discussions on disability topics. My name is Sam. I'm the host of this show. Thanks so much for tuning in. Miguel Vargas, engineers this episode. This week we are speaking with Andy Streisyk and Sheila Holbrook White. We're talking about Metro move. So thank you guys very much for being on. I appreciate it. And I'd like to start out by asking each of you just to give a bit of history about your title and how you got involved in accessible mass transit or paratransit. Sorry. [00:01:48] Speaker A: All right, I can go first there on that. My name is Andy Streisich. Thanks for having me back, Sam. Currently, I am working on an interim basis as the assistant director for Metro mobility. My permanent job title is manager of customer service. I've been working for Metro Mobility for about 18 years now, and as a person with a disability myself, who is very interested in public transit, it is a good job for me. It kind of scratches a lot of my itches around my moral compass. I am a Twin Cities centric kind of a guy, so I enjoy working within the region to help assist with accessible public transit for folks with disabilities. [00:02:44] Speaker C: Sheila, and thanks for the opportunity to be on your show. Like Andy, I think my interest in transportation, transit in particular, is longstanding. I'm the child of two parents, both with a developmental disability. My father never learned to drive and relied on transit to go to his job to participate in the community, and we, as his children, also use transit from a very young age. I have to admit, I think I fell in love with transit when I was in high school and started using it to skip school. So my love for transit is and abiding. But I think for. I think it's important to point out that for me, transit was not somebody else's transportation, it was our family's transportation. I come from a large family. We had one car and only one parent who drove. And so many of the trips I took just on a day to day basis use transit from a very young age. And so for me, the freedom, the opportunity that transit offers isn't abstract. It's very tangible. It's because of public transit. My dad was able to work for 40 some years for the federal government to support our family. My mom used transit every day to go to her job as well. And so this isn't an abstraction to me. It is literally the means my parents had for providing us with a middle class life, and I've used it as an adult for many years as well. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Thank you for that, both of you. So I want to ask you then, since this seems like a good segue into Metro move, it's a fairly new program, is my understanding is what is it? [00:04:37] Speaker C: So, Sam, Metro move, I would argue, while new in implementation, we started service May 6. It's been long, if you will, in gestation. Almost a decade ago, Jerry Sutton, our contracted directed transportation director, began to really explore this idea. Were there other opportunities, other options to support individuals with disabilities for those trips and those services that, for example, Metro Mobility could not provide? That began to pick up steam a couple of years ago with a distinct interest in moving forward on a new service that used different types of funding resources that would open the doors to access, particularly for individuals outside the federal Ada area that Andy and Metro mobility serve. That came out of the legislative task force around Metro mobility in 2017 2018. And when I moved to Minnesota in 2018 to be the mobility coordinator in Washington county, it was something I heard all of the time is parents, individuals with disabilities and others saying, aren't there other ways for me to connect to the community? So Metro move, the idea of it began germinating some time ago. But about almost two years ago, when I came to the council, we began doing focus groups and interviews and talking to individuals with disabilities, their family members, allies, and realized that there was a series of trips, connections that individuals, particularly those with Bi Caddy and DD waivers, who lived across the seven county metro, weren't able to do. And that was sort of the germinating idea for metro move. Metro Move is a transportation service. It's a new option for individuals who are participating in a bi caddy or a DD waiver who want to use metro move to access waiver services, community resources and employment on a standing basis. We started service May 6. [00:06:46] Speaker B: So it sounds like if you have metro mobility, doesn't mean you can ride metro move. You have to be a part of a certain group. [00:06:57] Speaker C: So a person who has a bi caddy or a DD waiver who wants to use metro move for some trips can certainly use metro mobility if they're also certified for metro mobility. I like to point out to people, it's for those who are certified metro mobility riders who also are on a bi, a caddy or a DD waiver. Now you have more choice. It's an and metro mobility and metro move, not one or the other. [00:07:26] Speaker B: What does bi or DD stand for? [00:07:30] Speaker C: Thank you for correcting the challenge with abbreviations. So the state has three primary waiver programs that participants of which we serve, brain injury caddy, community access for disability inclusion, and DD developmental disability waivers. Those are three of five major categories of waiver services that the state of Minnesota supports and serves. [00:08:01] Speaker B: Does Metro move charge their customers? [00:08:05] Speaker C: Yes, we do. We charge the customer. But distinct from metro mobility, we charge that individual's waiver. So there's no go to card, there's no cash upon boarding. The waiver is charged directly. What that means for individuals, many of the individuals we serve is that they're no longer having to deal with go to cards, with having cash, that sort of thing. It's billed directly to the waiver and is transparent for the individual who's using the service. They just board and off they go on their standing trip. [00:08:42] Speaker B: So can people who use Metro move bring guests or family or anything like that? And if so, what are the rules on that? [00:08:51] Speaker C: Sam? We would, DHS would not because it's a waiver funded service. DHS limits those that an individual on metro move can bring along, and DHS identifies only those who are using a personal care attendant. So a guest, like a family member, et cetera, would not be allowed to ride on metro move. And that's a DHS regulation and requirement. [00:09:16] Speaker B: Okay, so does a metro move user? They don't have to be a metro mobility certified person. They can be a non certified metro mobility person and still ride metro move. Is this correct? [00:09:31] Speaker C: That's correct, Sam. And that when I worked in Washington county as a mobility coordinator, that was such a major issue. We had individuals who had never gone through the metro mobility certification process because they identified that they were not likely living in a state area to get a lot of metro mobility. I would always encourage them to go through the certification process, but many of them chose not to. So for a person who is not metro mobility eligible, but is on a bi category dd waiver, they can use metro move. [00:10:08] Speaker B: So why did you decide, it sounds like you decided this needed to be added, that it was because there were enough people who were not metro mobility certified or why? [00:10:21] Speaker C: I think it's a combination. I think that there are some opportunities available through metro move that are not, that are not necessarily easy or available to individuals who are using metro mobility exclusively. Andy, I think can talk brilliantly about the fact that sometimes folks on metro mobility have to patch together trips or have to really work the timing and days of trips from one community to another because one community may have many more hours of metro mobility service than a neighboring community I use Eden prairie. Eden Prairie and Bloomington are my case example. With metro move, we offer trips across the transit taxing district, the same area that metro mobility serves, without the federal and state distinction. And we offer the same days and hours of service uniformly across that transit taxing district, which for some people makes it possible for them, for example, to commute from Eden Prairie to Bloomington, to go to work and to return home. So it opens doors that might not be available through Metro mobility for those that want to take advantage of those options. [00:11:38] Speaker B: So can you tell me the days like the hours of Metro move? [00:11:42] Speaker C: Sure. So Metro move operates from 06:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. monday through Friday and 08:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. saturdays and Sundays. If you take the Metro Mobility Transit taxing district, with some exception, up in a little corner of Anoka county, we have the same footprint. What's different is we don't have the federal and the state distinction. And I think it's important to point that it's, this is not to spitball at each other. Andy's working under the Americans with Disabilities act, which has certain requirements, and that service excels within those requirements. Metro move is a DHS governed program, so we have different requirements than Andy's, and so our governance structures are different. That opens some doors for metro move, for example, not having that state and federal distinction, but it closes other doors that Andy's metro mobility can respond to. For example, guests can't bring a guest on metro move. You sure can on metro mobility. And so sometimes it's a matter of understanding the differences, governance and taking advantage of the service that best fits a person's transportation needs or desires. [00:13:03] Speaker B: Talk a little bit about how Metro move is funded. [00:13:08] Speaker C: We are going so we are funded through the waiver program. So of a waiver participant, we bill the waiver that allows, the state pays for some of that waiver trip, and the federal government pays for some of that waiver trip because it's through the Medicaid program. So the Medicaid program or medical assistance in Minnesota is a combo pack. You have some state funds, some federal funds. This is a reflection of the 2018 task force, which said to metro mobility and to the council as a whole, bring in more funding streams, not don't rely simply on the state. Metro move allows us to leverage federal funds that we couldn't otherwise access. [00:13:54] Speaker B: Okay, I'm wondering, do the same drivers that drive for metro mobility routes drive for metro move as well? [00:14:03] Speaker C: No, Sam, we, in the same way that the council contracts for metro mobility services using qualified firms that provide their own train drivers, we've done the same. And so Transdev is our provider for all metro moved services throughout the region, and they for our program, those metro move drivers only drive for metro move. [00:14:32] Speaker B: So how many vehicles does Metro move have and what types of vehicles do they use? [00:14:40] Speaker C: We'll have up to 94 vehicles by the end of August. We are working in the transition of vehicles from an existing program to metro move. And so 94 vehicles, all ADA accessible, but we will be adding some sedans and suv's because there are some trips that may be more comfortable for the individual in a sedan or an suv, particularly if it's, let's say it's an evening trip. You're coming home from work at 930. You're the only one coming home at that time. Is it more cost effective, environmentally sensitive and appropriate, perhaps to pick you up in a sedan if you don't need a lift equipped vehicle? So we'll be adding those into the fleet, but right now will have 94 AdA accessible vehicles by the end of August. [00:15:32] Speaker B: How many drivers do you currently have for Metro move? [00:15:36] Speaker C: We have a birth of about 60 with another class or two planned and scheduled for more training, and so we're hiring new drivers. They're still coming in through the door as we transition. We started in May, on May 6, and we've always assumed it would be a phased approach. So we're bringing on drivers, training them, getting them ready to start service as the demand picks up. [00:16:00] Speaker B: What are the rules for if you want to drive for metro move? Are they different than if you want to drive for metro mobility? [00:16:09] Speaker C: No, they're pretty much the same, and the driving training is very much the same. So every driver is going to be trained, they're going to cadet, they're going to have experience before they ever pick a passenger up. And so much of the same process that you use to train up a brand new metro mobility driver, qualifications, background checks, etcetera, are the same for the two services. [00:16:35] Speaker B: Can you talk a little bit about ride scheduling? It's an interesting way, what you had to do to schedule rides for metro mobility. How does this change from Metro move? [00:16:48] Speaker C: So in this first year, I mentioned transition, and so transition is sort of the name of the game in this first year, year and a half. In this first iteration, as we're starting the service May 6, all of our trips are standing, so they're leaving the same location to go to the same location on the same day and at the same time for those trips. Each of those trips is set up. As you could argue, forget it. Set it and forget it. The only time you have to contact our customer care center is to cancel a trip. The trip is already set for you. And so we have some individuals who, for example, go to a day program, Sam, Monday through Wednesday, then Thursday and Friday they go to work. All those trips are set up as standing orders. They contact us if the individual is not going to go in, perhaps on Wednesday because they're not feeling well, or maybe Friday afternoon, they don't need a ride home because they're going to. This is actually somebody we're working with Friday afternoon, her mom's going to pick her up and they're going to mall of the Americas so that she can cancel that trip through our customer care center. We are not unlike Andy and Metro mobility offering on demand. We won't do that until likely early next year. And that's just getting our feet on the ground because this is a new service. We want to get those standing orders stable, fundamentally set, and then we'll look at on demand next year in 2025. [00:18:17] Speaker B: If you want to cancel then a ride, let's say somebody decides, hey, I'm going to pick you up, we're going to go to dinner rather than going home. You can cancel your ride. What are the rules about how far in advance you need to cancel? And does their service still get charged if you forget, how does that work? [00:18:41] Speaker C: So currently our plan is similar to that which metro mobility uses. 2 hours is what we ask for. We've been pleasantly surprised that most people are calling a day before several days in advance to let us know. I don't need that PM ride home because I'm going to go do something with my parents after work. We cannot charge the waiver for a trip that is not provided. And so if you don't take that trip home, we can't charge the waiver and so there is no financial penalty for the individual. [00:19:14] Speaker B: Wow. So how many riders do you expect to get this first year to serve? [00:19:24] Speaker C: Right now we are at close to, we're closing on about 400 riders. These are individuals who are going largely to day programs. They are going to about seven of them. We have a number coming on as well. We are starting to see a distinct pickup, Sam, and the number of individuals who are using Metro move to go to work. And that's been fantastic. That's actually one of the reasons I'm most excited about Metro move because it's opening doors for folks to go to work. We have upwards of about 60 to 70 individuals on waivers for whom service authorizations have been received, and we're placing them on trips to get to and from work. We're hoping that by the end of the year, we're going to be at upwards of 600 to 700 passengers, which is considerably less than metro mobility. [00:20:13] Speaker B: Right. [00:20:15] Speaker C: But I think what this is personally what I love, it's another option for folks. Metro mobility works beautifully for many people. Metro move will work beautifully for some people, too. More options, more choice, more ways to get around the community. [00:20:31] Speaker B: I wonder if some people might worry about Metro move possibly taking resources from metro mobility. Are there any resources where they cross over? Is there any worry about that? [00:20:45] Speaker C: I think it's a great question, and I think one of the beauties of the way this is designed is that metro move brings in new resources, both from the state and the feds, that have not been generally available to metro mobility. I don't see that connection against resources. The transition of vehicles, once used in metro mobility service, that contract is ending. So the transition is not taking away, it's just moving them to a new service. [00:21:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I would really second that and say that Metro mobility does not see move as a competitor for resources. Thankfully, I think we're finally coming out of the COVID influenced supply chain where we are finally able to purchase an appropriate number of vehicles and get them into service. We have adjusted the starting wage for drivers upwards so that drivers for both move and metro mobility are getting paid an appropriate wage, which has obviously helped with recruitment and retention. And, you know, for metro mobility right now, we're at a place where, where fewer riders, frankly, will be a benefit to the metro mobility system and to the customer experience on it. 400 riders off of our system will allow for even better on time performance, shorter trip times, and a better experience for those folks who are utilizing metro mobility. Sheila, I know our time is wrapping up here. I think we might benefit from speaking about trip purpose and what rides can be served through move same. [00:22:37] Speaker C: Would that be okay if I responded to Andy's question? [00:22:40] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:22:41] Speaker C: So the DHS restricts waiver eligible trips to three, if you will, buckets of trip purpose. One is to waiver services that could include to and from a day program, but it can also include other opportunities within that waiver services bucket, then community resources, services and opportunities. So, examples of that, we have some folks using metro move to go to volunteering. That is part of their plan to connect to their community and to network. We are starting to see individuals using metro move to go to church services for folks in person. Church services they've not been able to attend since prior to Covid. Again, it's part of that social connectedness that kind of comes under that broader umbrella of community services and supports and definitely employment. And we're seeing that across the metro. And truthfully, outside of the access to waiver waiver services, particularly today programs, we're seeing a real influx of people who were using it for work trips where they perhaps relied on metro mobility and wanted another option. We're seeing some folks who used transit link or relied on a parent or a family member to drive them who were saying, this is part of my plan for independence. I've always wanted to be able to go on my own without my family member having to drive me in, and they're beginning to use it as well. Those are the three primary trip purposes. [00:24:14] Speaker B: So do you mean that their caddy waiver, their waivers will cover going to church and things like that too? [00:24:23] Speaker C: As long as the lead agency, which is the county or the contracted case manager, authorizes the trip, we are happy to take you. [00:24:32] Speaker B: Excellent. How does one sign up for Metro move? [00:24:35] Speaker C: So, because it is a waiver program, we have to have a service authorization from the lead agency, whether that's largely a county or a tribal nation, and it may be carried out by a contracted case manager. They reach out, we set up a service authorization, we shift you on to Metro move. I did want to point out one thing as we're talking about this. Currently we are not able to serve individuals on CDCs consumer directed community support waiver, that particular service delivery model, we are working toward access to be able to support individuals that are using CDCs. But for those who are using sort of a traditional waiver program where services are authorized by a lead agency or a contracted case manager, we are able to serve those individuals right now. [00:25:28] Speaker B: All right, so any final comments on anything that you'd like to also add in about metro move? [00:25:38] Speaker C: Andy, do you want to wrap it? I can wrap it after you finish. If you want to go first. You jumped in first, you can end first. [00:25:46] Speaker A: Alrighty. Well, I'll just say that we are excited to grow our options for transit in the community. I think there is no question that this serves an unmet need, particularly for folks in the non Ada service areas who might need travel outside of metro mobility's hours of service, but certainly not just that group, group of folks who may benefit from this. So we are excited to offer it and hope that it improves the experience of folks with disabilities in the metro. [00:26:20] Speaker B: Do you think that any other groups will in the future be included or is this kind of just for this particular types, groups of people we're talking Sam, about? [00:26:32] Speaker C: There are other waiver programs specifically for older adults called the elderly waiver. That is one group that we're looking at that they may be a group of individuals on waivers that we serve in the future. We have to kind of get our arm, we'd like to get our arms around the bi caddy and DD waiver participants first before we would expand. I think in the final parting thought, I think Andy made a good point. We see ourselves as it's more collaborative than it is competitive. But for us, our thought was, with the development of Metro move, is this another option? It's one that can be used by people who are also certified for Metro mobility and for those that are waiver participants, this is another way to get around the community and be part of the place you call home. [00:27:23] Speaker B: And so people who are in the Ada and non Ada area can use it as well. [00:27:28] Speaker C: Absolutely. Yes, Sam. That's true. That's exactly right. [00:27:32] Speaker B: I really appreciate you guys both being on. Thank you so much. This is, I feel like a great way to grow the paratransit and hopefully, well, Andy, you're such a long timer on this show, so I'm sure we'll be hearing more from you guys later, and I'll look forward to baby touching base in another year to see how you've grown. [00:27:55] Speaker C: Thank you, Sam, for the opportunity to talk about Metro move and Metro mobility. [00:27:59] Speaker B: Thank you both. [00:28:00] Speaker C: Take care. Bye bye. [00:28:02] Speaker B: This has been KFEI, 90.3 FM, Minneapolis, and kfei.org. this is disability on progress. My name is Sam. I'm the host of this show. This week we were speaking with Andy Streisik and Sheila Holbrooke White about the new paratransit metro move that is in the Twin Cities. This has been disability and progress. The views expressed on the show are not necessarily those of KFAI or its board of directors. My name is Sam, and I am the host of this show. Charlene Dahl is my pr research person. Miguel is the engineer for today, and Erin is my podcaster. You can always hear us online. If you want to be part of our email list, you can email [email protected]. thanks for joining us.