Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio – home52 Transportation
Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio’s home52 Transportation is a same-day transportation model that enhances specialized transportation accessibility and fosters collaboration among regional providers. home52 Transportation has addressed the limitations of public transportation in the area by providing accessible vehicles, personalized support and frequent communication with riders, drivers and medical facilities. Through provider coordination, home52 Transportation creates a more efficient and reliable transportation system by reducing deadhead miles and creating cost savings for providers, funders and riders.
What makes this innovative?
As the Area Agency on Aging in the region, the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio has provided access to transportation to older adults for decades. However, the traditional transportation model was failing to meet the needs of clients and creating challenges such as a lack of on-demand access, inconsistency in quality among transportation providers and multiple providers operating in siloes that were inefficient and lacked flexibility. The home52 model was launched in spring 2021 in collaboration with the local hospital association and multiple medical and transportation providers. Together, an enhanced transportation model was designed that differs from traditional non-emergency transportation. The program is funded through a combination of sources including 5310, private grants and service contracts.
home52’s coordination center contracts with 40 community transportation providers and uses transportation management software to select and dispatch the closest appropriate vehicle to the pick-up destination. The service is door-through-door, on-demand transportation for same-day appointments. Real-time vehicle tracking and communication with providers ensures efficiency and quality assurance. This approach enhances and supports livability through improved healthcare access and social connectedness for individuals with specialized transportation needs.
Lessons Learned and Replication Advice:
› Acquire an affordable and efficient Transportation Management System (TMS) to streamline coordination and communication with transportation providers. A well-designed TMS will enhance scheduling, dispatching and real-time tracking, optimizing operations and costs.
› Hire IT staff to support the technology used by drivers for a smooth implementation and to ensure drivers can effectively use it.
› Dedicate resources to marketing efforts aimed at attracting a quality provider network. This involves promoting the benefits of collaboration to potential transportation partners.
› Create awareness with marketing directed at eligible riders.
› Allocate resources to hire and train call center staff and implement reliable call center software. These two steps are indispensable to success in delivering exceptional customer service.