Cooperative Agreement OH2023003

APPLICATION PURPOSE: THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND TEST A MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION TO ENABLE REAL-TIME OPEN DATA EXCHANGE FOR DEMAND RESPONSE SOFTWARE USING TRANSACTION DATA STANDARD DEVELOPED AS A PART OF TCRP 210. THE MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION WILL ENABLE VARIOUS CLIENT MANAGEMENT AND SCHEDULING SOFTWARE TO SHARE CUSTOMER PROFILE AND ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION TRIP REQUESTS AND BOOKING CONFIRMATIONS PROVIDER AND VEHICLE INFORMATION AND TRIP PERFORMANCE STATUS.THE TEST WILL BE CONDUCTED AS A PART OF A ONE-STOP REGIONAL MOBILITY CENTER (RMC) CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED IN NORTHEAST AND SOUTHERN OHIO. THE RMC IS ENVISIONED TO PROVIDE A ONE EMI WORK PLAN AND STATEMENT OF WORK DEVELOP AND TEST A MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION TO ENABLE REAL-TIME OPEN DATA EXCHANGE FOR DEMAND RESPONSE SOFTWARE USING TRANSACTIONAL DATA STANDARD FOR EZCONNECT MOBILITY HUB STOP ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS AND AGENCIES SERVING THOSE CUSTOMERS WITH CLOUD-BASED OMNI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS INFORMATION AND REFERRAL (IR) COMMON ELIGIBILITY DATABASE RESERVATION SCHEDULING TRIP BROKERAGE DISPATCHING AND SERVICE COORDINATION. LARGE AND SMALL TRANSIT AGENCIES HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES AND THEIR CLIENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THIS TEST AND PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION.; ACTIVITIES PERFORMED: THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED REGIONAL SCALE MOBILITY PROGRAMS THAT CAN MANAGE ALL NON-FIXED ROUTE SERVICES IN A REGION ON A SINGLE PLATFORM EVEN WHEN MULTIPLE SYSTEMS ARE USED TO MANAGE A RANGE OF DEMAND RESPONSE TRANSPORT (DRT) SERVICES. FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION TO BE POSSIBLE ALL OF THE DRT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS MUST BE CAPABLE OF INTEROPERATING WITH THE REGIONAL LEVEL PLATFORM SO THAT THE COLLECTIVE SET OF TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES CAN BE UTILIZED FOR TRIP REQUESTS. THE CURRENT INABILITY OF DIFFERENT DRT TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS TO INTEROPERATE MEANS THAT A REGION WITH MULTIPLE DRT SERVICES CANNOT IMPLEMENT AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO BOOKING SCHEDULING AND DELIVERING DEMAND RESPONSIVE FORMS OF PUBLIC TRANSIT. LACK OF SUCH STANDARDS-BASED INTERFACE HAS BEEN A MAJOR BARRIER FOR EFFICIENT MOBILITY MANAGEMENT AS DOCUMENTED IN CASE STUDIES OF MOBILITY SERVICE FOR ALL AMERICAN (MSAA) GRANTEES. WHILE NOVEL CONCEPT IN THE USA STANDARDS-BASED INTEROPERABILITY IS ACHIEVABLE IF (1) THE RELEVANT DRT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS ADOPT THE TDS FOR DEMAND RESPONSIVE TRANSPORTATION IN TCRP REPORT 210 (SEE APPENDIX 5) ; AND (2) A TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM IS IN PLACE TO ENABLE THESE SYSTEMS TO INTEROPERATE VIA THE TDS DATA PROTOCOLS. THE FLEXDENMARK PLATFORM IN DENMARK CONVINCINGLY DEMONSTRATES THIS INNOVATIVE PREMISE. IT USES A LONG ESTABLISHED SCANDINAVIAN VERSION OF THE PROPOSED TDSTHE SUTI STANDARDS AND IS ABLE TO MANAGE AND TRANSPORT UP TO 20000 TRIPS PER DAY IN AN INTEGRATED DENMARK-WIDE DRT PROGRAM. TRIPS ARE BOOKED VIA MANY DIFFERENT FRONT END SYSTEMS USED BY THE OVER 700 SERVICE SPONSORSMUNICIPALITIES TRANSIT AGENCIES HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES SCHOOL SYSTEMSWHO ARE PART OF THE FLEXDENMARK ECOSYSTEM. TRIPS ARE THEN SCHEDULED AND ASSIGNED TO OVER 500 TRANSPORTATION SERVICE PROVIDERS INCLUDING BOTH PUBLIC TRANSPORT AGENCIES AND PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION OPERATORS (MOSTLY TAXI COMPANIES).; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: KEY BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT TO DEVELOP AND TEST A MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION TO ENABLE REAL-TIME OPEN DATA EXCHANGE FOR DEMAND RESPONSIVE TRANSPORTATION (DRT) SOFTWARE USING TRANSACTIONAL DATA SPECIFICATIONS (TDS) ARE AS FOLLOWS: REDUCED COST OF OWNERSHIP OF SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THROUGH SYSTEM INTEROPERABILITY: THE PROJECT WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT IT IS TECHNICALLY AND OPERATIONALLY FEASIBLE TO SHARE TRIPS BETWEEN MULTIPLE DRT SERVICE PROVIDERS WITHOUT THE NEED FOR EXPENSIVE INTERFACES OR NEED TO IMPLEMENT COMPREHENSIVE BUT UNNECESSARY SOFTWARE PLATFORMS. EMI WORK PLAN AND STATEMENT OF WORK DEVELOP AND TEST A MIDDLEWARE SOLUTION TO ENABLE REAL-TIME OPEN DATA EXCHANGE FOR DEMAND RESPONSE SOFTWARE USING TRANSACTIONAL DATA STANDARD FOR EZCONNECT MOBILITY HUBMPROVED MOBILITY FOR UNDERSERVED: WITH THE HELP OF TDS-COMPLIANT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS AGENCIES CAN EXPAND TO UNDERSERVED REGIONS THROUGH CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND SERVICES SUCH AS MICROTRANSIT OR UTILIZING SERVICES/VEHICLES FROM OTHER AGENCIES/PROVIDERS. REGIONAL MOBILITY PROGRAM EFFICIENCY: WITH TDS-COMPLIANT SYSTEMS REGIONAL SCALE DRT SERVICESSUCH AS FOR ADA PARATRANSIT HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION HEALTH CARE/MEDICAID TRANSPORTATION OR GENERAL PUBLIC DRTDONT NEED TO OPERATE IN THEIR OWN SILOS. ALL TDS-COMPLIANT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE FULL DRT TRIP LIFECYCLE MAKING REGIONAL MOBILITY MANAGEMENT THROUGH A COMMON CALL CENTER FUNCTION POSSIBLE. SEAMLESS RIDER EXPERIENCE: TDS WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO IMPROVE THE CURRENT FRAGMENTED EXPERIENCE IN TRIP PLANNING PLATFORMS MAAS SYSTEMS AND OTHER FRONT END SYSTEMS THAT ARE THE CONDUITS FOR BOOKING AND SCHEDULING OF DRT TRIPS. IT WILL ALLOW PLANNING BOOKING PAYMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF TRIPS WITHIN A SINGLE PLATFORM WITHOUT REQUIRING RELIANCE ON A SINGLE VENDOR. CLIMATE ACTION: AGENCIES CAN OPERATE FIXED ROUTE SERVICES ONLY WITHIN THEIR COUNTY BOUNDARIES. TDS-COMPLIANT SYSTEMS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CREATIVE DRT AND MICROTRANSIT SERVICES WILL HELP EXPAND SERVICES THROUGH REGIONAL INTEROPERABILITY AND THUS POTENTIALLY REDUCING SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLE USE AND VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: KEY PARTNERS: ANN ARBOR AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY BUTLER COUNTY RTA CATCH-A-RIDE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY STARK AREA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SOUTHWEST OHIO REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF NORTHERN KENTUCKY WESTERN RESERVE TRANSIT AUTHORITY; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE FOLLOWING SUBRECIPIENTS WILL RECEIVE CAPITAL FUNDS TO MANAGE AND IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT: NEORIDE IBI GROUP REGIONAL MOBILITY GROUP AND DEMAND TRANS.