Alameda County resides in the East Bay of California and is the fourth most racially diverse county in the United States (Narula, 2014). It comprises of 14 suburban cities and several unincorporated communities with an overall population of 1,610,921 and more than 12% are seniors aged 65 and older (175,320). Geographic isolation between some cities and an ever aging population makes public transportation a concern for the county and it’s stakeholders, especially in regard to the seniors and the disabled. Due to the quality of life that transportation delivery provides to our most vulnerable population, it is imperative that these problems be addressed. The following pages will analyze the transportation dilemma for this population, the
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This rapid growth will greatly affect the demand for transportation” (Alameda CTC, 2014). Although there are some wonderful services of transportation in Alameda County such as paratransit, volunteer drivers, and door to door, there is not enough options available on the same day and most require a reservation up to several days in advance. This creates a problem for a consumer who needs to buy groceries or to get to a “next day” doctor’s appointment. Another concern is that not enough services run 24 hours a day so this limits accessibility to emergency hospital visits or other unexpected but important destinations. Finally, barriers still exist for both city and county transit that discourages senior’s such as wait times, county line limitations, and lack of assistance with parcels. These are some of the concerns for the stakeholders which include the consumers, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), the taxi companies, East Bay Paratransit, and the individual city councils and their managers. Each city has its own council that votes on decisions for their transportation needs such as how many seniors and people with disabilities are in their jurisdiction along with the geography of the city. There is also a Paratransit Technical Commission that oversees some of the city’s transportation issues and hold monthly meetings to address these
This rapid growth will greatly affect the demand for transportation” (Alameda CTC, 2014). Although there are some wonderful services of transportation in Alameda County such as paratransit, volunteer drivers, and door to door, there is not enough options available on the same day and most require a reservation up to several days in advance. This creates a problem for a consumer who needs to buy groceries or to get to a “next day” doctor’s appointment. Another concern is that not enough services run 24 hours a day so this limits accessibility to emergency hospital visits or other unexpected but important destinations. Finally, barriers still exist for both city and county transit that discourages senior’s such as wait times, county line limitations, and lack of assistance with parcels. These are some of the concerns for the stakeholders which include the consumers, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), the taxi companies, East Bay Paratransit, and the individual city councils and their managers. Each city has its own council that votes on decisions for their transportation needs such as how many seniors and people with disabilities are in their jurisdiction along with the geography of the city. There is also a Paratransit Technical Commission that oversees some of the city’s transportation issues and hold monthly meetings to address these