1
00:00:00,431 --> 00:00:04,448
(upbeat music)

2
00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:08,310
- Seattle has a really robust,

3
00:00:08,310 --> 00:00:10,140
and growing transit system.

4
00:00:10,140 --> 00:00:12,720
Unfortunately though,
accessing the transit system

5
00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,090
is a barrier or a big problem

6
00:00:15,090 --> 00:00:17,250
for a lot of people with limited mobility.

7
00:00:17,250 --> 00:00:19,470
- [Carol] One really important concept

8
00:00:19,470 --> 00:00:21,930
for people with disabilities,

9
00:00:21,930 --> 00:00:25,140
and their sensibility around independence

10
00:00:25,140 --> 00:00:27,600
is around transportation.

11
00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,270
- [Kiana] Transportation is
meant to serve the community.

12
00:00:30,270 --> 00:00:32,250
If it's not serving the community,

13
00:00:32,250 --> 00:00:34,530
or if it's only serving a small segment

14
00:00:34,530 --> 00:00:35,550
of the community well,

15
00:00:35,550 --> 00:00:38,220
but not serving other folks
in the community well,

16
00:00:38,220 --> 00:00:39,420
that's a bigger problem.

17
00:00:39,420 --> 00:00:43,080
If transit agencies are going
to do the community justice,

18
00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,230
the community has to be
involved in that process.

19
00:00:46,230 --> 00:00:48,360
- [Margo] Kiana Parker and
I actually partnered up,

20
00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:50,280
and we found the inclusive planning grant

21
00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,080
from the Transit Planning for All Project

22
00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,330
to inclusively plan and implement

23
00:00:54,330 --> 00:00:55,890
a mobility on demand solution

24
00:00:55,890 --> 00:00:59,220
for and by older adults and
people with disabilities.

25
00:00:59,220 --> 00:01:01,470
- [Kiana] It started with the recruitment

26
00:01:01,470 --> 00:01:04,200
of the steering committee members.

27
00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:05,700
The fact that it was a different approach

28
00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:08,850
really helped to bring
people into the project.

29
00:01:08,850 --> 00:01:11,400
- [Dr. Ngozi] That's
what made it really great

30
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,750
is that you had all these
people with lived experiences.

31
00:01:15,750 --> 00:01:18,750
From my perspective, it was seamless.

32
00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:21,330
They listened, they heard,

33
00:01:21,330 --> 00:01:26,330
they used what they heard
to plan and implement.

34
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:27,600
- [Margo] The Ride Now Project

35
00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,390
was a ride voucher
program for older adults

36
00:01:30,390 --> 00:01:31,980
and people with disabilities.

37
00:01:31,980 --> 00:01:34,740
We use a mix of paper and digital vouchers

38
00:01:34,740 --> 00:01:36,390
with Yellow Cab, Uber, and Lyft,

39
00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:37,860
so it's a multi provider solution

40
00:01:37,860 --> 00:01:39,450
using transportation providers

41
00:01:39,450 --> 00:01:41,430
that are already operating in the area,

42
00:01:41,430 --> 00:01:43,680
and we have been
distributing those vouchers

43
00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:45,570
to older adults and
people with disabilities

44
00:01:45,570 --> 00:01:46,590
in the Seattle area,

45
00:01:46,590 --> 00:01:48,660
who self-identify as eligible.

46
00:01:48,660 --> 00:01:51,360
- As a community liaison for the unhoused,

47
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,510
we have a disproportionate
amount of people,

48
00:01:54,510 --> 00:01:57,810
who suffer disability or are elderly,

49
00:01:57,810 --> 00:02:00,750
and just have trouble
with mobility. in general.

50
00:02:00,750 --> 00:02:02,640
Not only did it bring the vouchers

51
00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,920
to those who really, really needed it,

52
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,500
but it gave us an opportunity and a chance

53
00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:12,150
to talk about vulnerability,
disability, and access needs.

54
00:02:12,150 --> 00:02:14,610
- [Kiana] This program
to me was about equity.

55
00:02:14,610 --> 00:02:17,700
It was about putting more
tools in the toolbox,

56
00:02:17,700 --> 00:02:20,280
and how people can get around.

57
00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:25,280
- [Carol] The project did pay
people for their consultation,

58
00:02:25,482 --> 00:02:29,820
and I think it would be
great for us to be meaningful

59
00:02:29,820 --> 00:02:31,830
and cultivating that talent.

60
00:02:31,830 --> 00:02:32,910
- [Margo] Something
that's been really special

61
00:02:32,910 --> 00:02:33,990
about this project

62
00:02:33,990 --> 00:02:35,970
is that instead of having engagement

63
00:02:35,970 --> 00:02:37,620
as just a phase of the project,

64
00:02:37,620 --> 00:02:38,940
it has been a through line.

65
00:02:38,940 --> 00:02:39,990
The community steering committee

66
00:02:39,990 --> 00:02:41,970
have been involved from beginning to end.

67
00:02:41,970 --> 00:02:43,980
- [Amanda] The response
to the Ride Now program

68
00:02:43,980 --> 00:02:46,830
has been overwhelmingly positive.

69
00:02:46,830 --> 00:02:49,290
They were able to get
to medical appointments

70
00:02:49,290 --> 00:02:52,470
in a timely manner without
it taking all day long.

71
00:02:52,470 --> 00:02:56,040
They were able to maybe
do that shopping trip

72
00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,290
that they had put off or didn't do,

73
00:02:58,290 --> 00:03:00,000
because it was was just too much.

74
00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,980
- [Kiana] But we had other
people who just really wanted

75
00:03:01,980 --> 00:03:04,579
to have more fun and connect with friends,

76
00:03:04,579 --> 00:03:07,230
or go to baseball games.

77
00:03:07,230 --> 00:03:09,570
I think that is just as important

78
00:03:09,570 --> 00:03:11,994
as the grocery store or
the doctor's appointment.

79
00:03:11,994 --> 00:03:16,994
- [Carol] Having on demand
ride access is emancipation.

80
00:03:17,850 --> 00:03:18,990
- [Margo] Lift experience is out there,

81
00:03:18,990 --> 00:03:21,330
so if you don't actually have staff,

82
00:03:21,330 --> 00:03:24,060
who can speak and plan from
their own lift experience,

83
00:03:24,060 --> 00:03:26,250
you can get that from
community stakeholders.

84
00:03:26,250 --> 00:03:28,650
and the people who are going
to be using your program.

85
00:03:28,650 --> 00:03:31,740
- This was inclusion in action,

86
00:03:31,740 --> 00:03:35,820
and I hope that it will be an example.

87
00:03:35,820 --> 00:03:38,460
- [Carol] Transportation is not just going

88
00:03:38,460 --> 00:03:40,620
from point A to point B,

89
00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:43,260
it's who you're connecting with

90
00:03:43,260 --> 00:03:45,420
once you get to that destination.

91
00:03:45,420 --> 00:03:50,420
So, providing more options
so that people can connect

92
00:03:50,670 --> 00:03:54,960
is something that we have
to look at as essential.

93
00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:59,860
(upbeat music)