San Luis Obispo - Caltrans - State of California

SAN LUIS OBISPO REGION
COORDINATED HUMAN SERVICES-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PLAN
Other needs
• Request that Avila Beach Trolley, currently a weekend service, be continued and
expanded (Avila Beach Trolley integrated with SCAT – no expansion proposed)
• Need adequate passenger amenities and signs at SLO-Transit bus stops
• Need destination and transit information at all bus stops
2.3.3 Other Relevant Studies and Recent Plans
PROJECTS: SAN LUIS OBISPO REGION JARC PROGRAM 2000
San Luis Obispo Council of Governments
October 2002
Inter-community travel and issues
• General inter-community transit issues
o A need identified in the implementation of the one JARC project, Department of
Social Services emergency dial-a-ride service, was the lack of clear and up-todate
information on existing transportation services.
o Development of a Regional Bilingual Ride Guide (2002-2004) was designed to
provide information for all services, promote the use of alternative transportation
modes, and lend marketing support to regional and local transit and paratransit.
o Recommendation for integrating different types of trips – child care trips and
transportation of seniors and people with disabilities. The Santa Maria SMOOTH
child care project was ended after 6 months because of very low ridership. The
project would have been more cost-effective and productive by sharing dedicated
vehicle and driver with other specialized dial-a-ride services.
Inadequate service hours and/or days
• General service hour needs
o Need was identified for transportation for Cal Works clients from work or classes
at hours when after hour needs could not be met by regular transit. Because of
low participation by DSS clients, the project was ended.
o Other options were identified as alternatives to the after-hours transportation,
including employer-sponsored shuttles and ridesharing (limited applications in
rural setting).
Fares
• Need for better coordination between fare structures. The development of the Regional
Bilingual Ride Guide (2002 and 2004) was designed to promote use of alternative
transportation modes, including through more uniform presentation of different fare
structures, including local and regional transfer rules.
• An outcome of the Welfare Mobility Study was the adoption of Universal Pass, accepted
by all providers and offered to DSS qualified clients for riding without handling cash. The
fare media is still in use (a booklet of paper coupons sold by the RTA and Atascadero to
customers and DSS offices).
Difficulties accessing service
• Lack of easy access to information about regional and local transportation systems,
affecting the success of JARC projects.
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OCTOBER 2007