PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Conducted a multi-phase analysis of the feasibility of a statewide approach to public transportation Call Center planning and implementation for the Public Transit Division of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The first phase of the analysis included a review of the service providers and infrastructure within the Delta Rides region of the state with respect to developing a pilot program that then could be transferable to other areas of the state.
The second phase of the analysis included a peer review of various local, regional and statewide information technology and call center policies and projects that have been planned and implemented around the country, leading to the development of an RFP and process for project implementation for the Delta Rides region.
Information for this project came from participation in the USDOT Mobility Services for All Americans, MSAA, demonstration program as well as years of working with public transit and human service transportation providers on service and infrastructure coordination.
The goals of the MSAA process included creating full service transportation management centers that could include the intake , schedule and dispatch of transportation services. Lessons learned for the agencies who participated included use of technology, staffing and functional requirements, planning and organizational design and funding and sustainability.
A review of the Delta Rides operations and service providers was completed, including an informative site visit to the initial MSAA project in Paducah, KY and a review of approaches planned or implemented in other areas of the country.
The recommendations for moving forward included overall system interoperability and sustainability using a consistent menu of program and product choices, yet offering agencies the ability to refine their potential participation based on need and availability of resources. Policies developed for the various projects were scaled based on anticipated and various levels of participation in the program. The study led to the development of specs to project implementation and were scalable for use in other regions of the state.