Access San Joaquin

The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) was designated the Consolidated Transportation Services Agency (CTSA) for San Joaquin County by the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) and commenced in October 2018, functioning under the name Access San Joaquin (ASJ).

The CTSA was initiated by an agreement between all the transit operators in San Joaquin County to consolidate and reduce duplication of services. It provides enhanced mobility options for low- mobility groups such as seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities, and centralizes information for countywide transit services for the following agencies: RTD, Lodi GrapeLine, Tracy TRACER, Manteca Transit, Escalon eTrans, and Ripon Blossom Express.

RTD is soliciting proposals from qualified consultant(s) or firms to provide program oversight and staffing for the services offered by ASJ including: In-person assessments for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit eligibility certifications, Travel Training, Discount Fare Card (DFC), Access Pass, and My Ride. ( http://access-sj.com/)

My Ride Program
VIP offers ADA-eligible passengers an additional mobility option by allowing passengers to find their own volunteer drivers (e.g., family, friends or neighbors) then reimbursing mileage up to a set monthly cap at the current Internal Revenue Service standard rate.

Passengers recruit their own properly licensed drivers and arrange transportation that fits their schedules. The program requires that all parties submit liability waivers before participation in the program and provide trips logs by the following month. Staff audits and processes the reimbursements.

In the past, only trips to and from senior and adult day programs and centers, places of religious worship, and medically related destinations were eligible for reimbursements. However, the program has now expanded to serve any ADA eligible trip.

DFC
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) stipulates that grantees under Section 5307 “must allow the elderly, persons with disabilities, and Medicare cardholders to ride the fixed-route services for a fare that is not more than one-half the base fare charged other persons.” ASJ regionalizes and streamlines administrative efforts in reviewing medical certifications and processes applications for qualified persons based on age or other criteria as agreed upon by the TAC. Approved passengers are issued a Discount Fare Card (DFC) to show bus operators for half-fare on any of the fixed routes in the county, except Commuter routes.

Travel Training Program
Travel training is a service available to the general public and offers the additional support passengers may need to feel comfortable using public transit. Because using public transit can be intimidating for some riders who are unfamiliar with the system, have special needs, or use mobility aids, an effective travel training program is essential to providing equitable access to public transit.

Although this program is open to all, it especially provides seniors and individuals with disabilities the skills required to travel safely on fixed-route public transportation. The methods of travel instruction must reflect the individual’s needs and travel trainers must have a thorough understanding of a person’s specific ability to travel safely, independently, and confidently on any of the available fixed-route systems in San Joaquin County.

In addition to improving the quality of life for passengers, travel training offers several operations and financial benefits to the county’s transit systems. By encouraging the use of the most appropriate and cost-effective transit option to passengers, travel training aims to increase the use of public transit system and decrease the cost in providing paratransit service.

RTD reserves the right to ask the Contractor to modify or discontinue programs and create additional programs during the course of this contract that benefit seniors and persons with disabilities in the spirit of what a CTSA is to provide.