Job Access and Reverse Commute (jarc) Program fy 2009 Service Profiles Region X alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington October 2010 fta-08-0162 Job Access and Reverse Commute (jarc) fy 2009 Service Profiles: Region X

Location: Snohomish County (WA)
Type: Information-Based Services/Mobility manager
Goal: Improved access/connections
Service description: This position is responsible for managing the tasks related to the following programs: Travel Ambassador, Ride Around the Sound/Bus Buddy, and the Pay Your Pal program. The Program Coordinator helps identify and report the needs of the disabled community in rural areas and works to connect them with other providers in Snohomish County.
The Travel Ambassador provides education and awareness in the community for the various travel options available and how to access them. The Ride Around the Sound/Bus Buddy program provides training and education for seniors at specific locations in the county; to assist them in using public transportation and enabling them to continue their independence when they can no longer drive their own vehicles. The Pay Your Pal rural voucher program aims to provide a safe and economical manner of transportation for persons with disabilities in rural Snohomish County.
Evaluation: One of our Ride Around the Sound programs at the Ken Baxter Senior Center has graduated and is able to take other group trips on their own based on travel training that has been provided to them. We have conducted individual participant surveys for the Ride Around the Sound/Bus Buddy program before and after trips and based on the results we have received, many seniors acknowledge that this program has enhanced their transportation skills and abilities to use the transit system to travel more independently. We received a significant amount of positive feedback regarding our Travel Training workshop and plan to hold additional workshops in the future as a result.
Accomplishments: The Pay Your Pal program has expanded to 14 clients and provided 1,250 rides. The Ride Around the Sound/Bus Buddy program now operates at nine locations throughout Snohomish County; normally at a senior center or senior housing complex, providing a once a month trip for seniors to learn various modes of transportation. The Travel Ambassador program has given out 151 Getting Around Puget Sound handbooks in the community.
Lessons learned: It is important to have a strong marketing budget in order to publicize new programs such as these and to aide in reaching as many individuals as possible in the community. We have found in creating the DVD for our program, this has been an instrumental marketing tool for presentations and resource fairs to draw attention and focus on the programs we offer.