Mobility Training Consulting Services
Let Paratransit, Inc., help you save transit dollars and create transit options for individuals with disabilities and seniors in your community.
What is Mobility Training?
Mobility training, also known as travel training, is a way your agency can provide mobility options to seniors and people with disabilities, and save transit dollars by teaching them how to travel independently on existing modes of public transit.
Paratransit, Inc., has a proven track record in helping individuals with disabilities and seniors learn how to safely and independently ride public transportation as an alternative to using ADA paratransit service or those who have no transportation, which could lead to isolation. We can help you train individuals to travel to and from a particular destination, or show them how to travel throughout the community with confidence.
Our training program uses a series of gradual steps to build confidence and ensure independence, starting with close, one-to-one instruction and gradually pulling back on assistance as the trainee’s skills develop. The program also teaches safe use of accessible transit equipment and emergency procedures.
Mobility Training
Transportation means independence. The best programs and amenities of any community are of little value if people cannot get to them. For some forty years, Paratransit Inc. has opened the door to independence for over 14,000 people through our travel training service
Whether one-on-one or in small groups, our expertly trained travel instructors work with individuals to teach them how to understand and navigate the fixed-route bus and light rail systems. Our Mobility Trainers are skilled in all aspects of the use of public transportation and community travel and utilize a “person centered” approach to customize instruction to focus on the unique needs of each trainee.
Mobility Training is subsidized by Paratransit, Inc., Regional Transit, a federal community service block grant and other funding sources, and is provided to qualified individuals at no cost. Customized programs are available to agencies on a fee basis.
Paratransit Inc.’s Mobility Management Services division also provides Mobility Training and/or enrollment services in Boston, Spokane, and San Joaquin County.
For more information contact:
Louise Friedlander
Phone: (916) 429-2009 (ext. 7719)
Email: LouiseF@paratransit.org
Mobility Training Video
Click this link to watch the video: [https://youtu.be/aZo5RGPaSa0]
Contract Transportation
The best programs and services in our community are of little value if people cannot get to them. Many community organizations have one-time or on-going transportation needs and Paratransit Inc. can help. We offer customized contract transportation solutions at reasonable rates to assist agencies get their clients to their programs or special outings. For more information contact:
Mary Harding
Phone: 916-429-2009 x7319
Email: maryh@paratransit.org
Training
Over the years Paratransit Inc’s drivers have received many state and national awards for their skills behind the wheel and customer care. This stems from our dedication to quality training. From topic focused seminars to full license and certification, Paratransit Inc provides organizations that operate their own vehicles with expert driver training and safety instruction. For information about how to enroll your drivers in driver training, contact:
Gary Vickers
Phone: 916-429-2009 x7353
Email: GaryV@paratransit.org
Vehicle Maintenance
Our ASE certified mechanics utilize a state of the art facility to repair all types of vehicles: sedans; vans; small, medium, large and heavy duty buses (both body-on-chassis and purpose built) including gasoline, diesel and alternative fueled engine types. Paratransit Inc. is also the official inspection site for Taxi’s operating in the City of Sacramento.
Non-profit organizations operating their own vehicles trust Paratransit Inc. to provide quality, reliable automotive work at a fair price. To learn about how you can have your agency’s vehicles maintained and serviced by Paratransit Inc. contact:
Julio Diaz
Phone: 916-429-2009 x7365
Email: juliod@paratransit.org
Accessible Vehicle Rentals
From time to time families and organizations find they are in need of an accessible vehicle. Our Destinations Mobility program rents ramp equipped mini-vans and even vehicles operated with hand controls at reasonable rates. For more information visit our Destinations Mobility home page.
Special CTSA Partnerships
Since Paratransit Inc.’s historic role in the passage of AB 120 in 1979, providing leadership as a Consolidated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA) is always foremost in fulfilling our organization’s mission. While we offer a variety of Programs and Services to assist non-profit agencies with a host of mobility needs, our unique contractual arrangements with our program partners help their programs thrive while reducing demand for ADA paratransit service. To learn more about becoming a CTSA partner, contact:
Mary Harding
Phone: 916-429-2009 x7319
Email: maryh@paratransit.org
Mobility Management and Consulting Services
From helping agencies select vehicles to developing community transportation plans, our Mobility Management Services division has assisted organizations from Sacramento to Spokane with client eligibility, travel training and planning services. Learn more here.
Mobility training has already proved its effectiveness. It’s been used with success in the field for over two decades. Paratransit, Inc.’s, curriculum has brought independence to more than 9,000 transit users, including those who are:
- Developmentally disabled
- Physically challenged
- Mentally disabled
- Seniors
The mobility training program we offer includes:
- Methods and tools for assessing trainee abilities
- A training model that works
- Successful instruction procedures
- Methods and tools to evaluate success
Mobility training also benefits transit providers, since it encourages the use of the most appropriate and cost effective transit options for all riders. A training program not only saves transit dollars, it also creates more space on paratransit vehicles for riders who have no other transit options.
Transit agencies are delighted to discover that mobility training costs are minimal when compared with the costs of ADA transit service, and the potential for savings is dramatic. Shifting just one paratransit user (who travels to work or to a program five days a week) to regular fixed-route public transit can create a cost savings to an agency of more than $7,000 a year. Training one person each month to be transit independent can provide a cost savings of more than $80,000 a year.
There are a number of ways to implement a mobility training program. Paratransit has over two decades of experience and staff is prepared to offer whatever level of assistance you may need to establish and operate a mobility training program at your agency or in your community.
Whether you need assistance with your program on a temporary basis or as an ongoing part of your operations, we can help you:
- Determine if mobility training is a realistic option for your agency
- Provide suggestions for funding travel training
- Help start a travel training program and identify trainees with potential for success
- Train your own in-house travel trainers and supervising staff
- Evaluate the success of travel training programs and make suggestions for improvements
- Manage your travel training program from our Sacramento office
To find out more about how your agency can save money and help individuals with disabilities and seniors find travel independence, please contact:
Alicia Brown, Mobility and Grants Program Manager: (916) 429-2009, Ext. 7232
You may also send email to AliciaB@paratransit.org
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