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

Evaluation:
1. Customer surveys – via phone and on-vehicle distribution
2. Cost per ride. Each ride is assigned to the lowest cost provider.
3. Monthly review of program expenditures to ensure funding/service levels can be sustained throughout each fiscal year.
Accomplishments: The high water mark for this program was the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006. That year we provided over 14,500 rides to 128 unduplicated (and individually qualified) rural JARC riders. The following year rides and unduplicated rider numbers plummeted when our rural JARC funds were eliminated on July 1, 2006. However, we were able to continue to offer service a reduced level of demand response service to our JARC customers via a series of public meetings which resulted in a redesigned 5311 service. Since then we have had to work diligently to get customers to ride again. During the reporting period we saw a slight decrease from the previous year, but have increased outreach to attract customers and hope to add a commute shuttle service in FY 2011.
Lessons learned: Our marketing/outreach efforts have varied over the years since service began in May of 2000. However, over time we have learned that word of mouth from satisfied customers is our most common source of new rural JARC customers. As all of the services provided to rural Washington County U-Ride customers are centrally coordinated via the Ride Connection Service Center, our staff conducts initial customer intake and processes all customer trip requests. Each request is evaluated to determine which service will best meet the customer’s needs including door-to-door, fixed route, or group/shared ride trips. These services include rural and urban JARC, STF, 5311, SPD (Title XIX), and the TriMet volunteer program. We feel centralized operations and customer service for multiple programs is the most cost effective approach.
If a company decides to start a new service, it is best to have the resources to be more flexible when faced with a funding crisis. We lost the great majority of our JARC customers at the end of September 2006, when we lost funding. The lesson learned was that when their service is cancelled most customers find and commit to other options and never come back.