San Luis Obispo - Caltrans - State of California

SAN LUIS OBISPO REGION
COORDINATED HUMAN SERVICES-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PLAN
Barriers to Coordination
Agencies were asked to identify their primary barriers to coordinating transportation on behalf of
their organization and consumers. Twenty-nine agencies (47 percent) provided an answer, with
responses grouped into the following categories, some agencies indicating more than one
barrier. Both human services and public transit providers are presented in this summary of
barriers.
Table 3-6- Agency Cited Barriers to Coordination, All Agency Types
Agency funding inadequate 7 24%
Geography and remoteness 5 17%
Insurance-related concerns 5 17%
Limited staff time/ limited # drivers 4 14%
Politics or state regulation 4 14%
Service quality/ on-time & wait concerns 4 14%
Can't coordinate due to consumer needs 3 10%
Need changes to bus schedules/ routing 3 10%
Availability or quantity of bus tokens 2 7%
Lack of control on service quality 1 3%
n=29
Agencies indicating funding concerns itemized the expense of liability insurance, limited staffing
resources to drive vehicles and the “hidden” costs of coordination, presumably also a reference
to staff time. Staff issues came up as well in relation to drivers – the Senior Nutrition Program
noted the problem of getting drivers with current licenses and proof of insurance, while the
Central Coast Senior Center indicated they had few to no qualified drivers. Insurance issues
were identified in several instances. Agencies spoke of both the costs of obtaining insurance
and problems of availability in an environment with multiple agencies.
Three school districts responded, San Luis Obispo Coast Unified, Paso Robles Unified and SLO
Coastal, indicating that their mission of providing transportation to school children was a barrier
to coordinating with others, specifically the times of day and the licensing requirements for
drivers. But the Coast Unified School district indicated the potential for transporting non-district
students to Cuesta, during the non-district served hours. Cal Poly State University noted
financial barriers to further participation in coordinated transportation.
The vast geographic area and the remoteness of some consumers were identified as significant
barriers. Cayucos Senior Club noted its rural location and small size; Cambria Community
Council made a similar comment about distance. The SLO County Public Health Department
commented that its clients are spread all over the county but that most services are provided in
the City of San Luis Obispo.
The Department of Rehabilitation noted its own regulations as a barrier, although did not detail
these. Three public transit operators responded: one indicated there were no barriers and
others referenced the political decision-making that can undergird the allocation of resources for
public transit.
Service quality issues were referenced in relation to concern about wait times for medically frail
individuals, as well as flexibility of providing services to meet one’s own consumers’ needs
without having to accommodate other client groups.
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OCTOBER 2007