BACKGROUND

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires fixed-route public transportation services (e.g., buses and trains) be accessible to individuals with disabilities and complementary paratransit services be provided to individuals with disabilities who cannot use the fixed-route services for some or all of their trips.  Since the passage of the ADA in 1990, public transit agencies have provided paratransit services to meet and in some cases exceed federal requirements. The ADA stipulates minimum requirements for complementary paratransit services. (See Americans with Disabilities Act 1990.)

ADA paratransit services cost more per passenger trip than fixed-route services and demand continues to grow in many communities. These paratransit services, which are provided directly by public transit agencies, through third-party contracting, and other arrangements, typically require prior-day advance booking and shared rides which can lead to limited flexibility for riders.

While current complementary paratransit services play a vital role in providing transportation for individuals with disabilities, they often lack convenience for riders and cost-effectiveness for transit agencies. Stakeholders have expressed interest in alternative services, including same-day services. Allowing ADA paratransit eligible riders to utilize same-day services could enhance their mobility and potentially reduce transit agency costs.

Research is needed to identify proven and potential strategies for same day services and how each can be effectively implemented. The research should address potential impacts on costs, ridership, customer satisfaction, administration, financing, technology, regulation, and other challenges.   

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to prepare a guide for public transit agencies and other service providers, that presents operational, administrative, technological, and financial strategies for implementing same-day services that meet the mobility needs of ADA paratransit eligible people. At a minimum, the research should address:

• The types of same day transportation services suitable for ADA paratransit eligible customers. (Note: This research should focus on same day services that will meet some or all of the mobility needs of ADA eligible passengers; the services may be available to the general public.)   
• The cost implications for public transit agencies and other service providers to provide these same-day services.
• Passenger fare and demand management options for different types of same-day services.
• Methods or factors for estimating demand for same-day services.
• Technologies that may be required to implement and operate same day services.
• Administrative, regulatory, and legal considerations associated with offering same-day services. This research project should build on available literature on same-day services for ADA paratransit eligible customers, in particular paratransit services.
• The challenges to implement, operate, and administer same-day services and potential strategies to address them.
• Recommended areas for future research related to this topic.

RESEARCH PLAN

TCRP is seeking proposers’ insights on how best to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and subaward time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meeting the research objective. Task descriptions are intended to provide a framework for conducting the research. 

The research plan will describe appropriate deliverables that include the following (which also represent key project milestones):  

• An amplified research plan that responds to comments provided by the project panel at the subawardee selection meeting.
• An interim report and panel meeting. The interim report should include the analyses and results of completed tasks, a plan for the remaining tasks, and a detailed outline of the final research product(s). The panel meeting will be virtual (e.g., Zoom) and will take place after the panel review of the interim report. The interim report should be submitted and panel meeting should occur after the expenditure of about 40 to 50 percent of the project budget.
• Final deliverables. The final deliverables should fully address this research project’s objectives.
• A technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” (see Special Note J).
• A slide deck that presents the research findings and conclusions that may be used in webinars. 

Note: The research plan may include additional deliverables and additional panel meetings via teleconferences. 

Note: The research plan shall include a schedule for completion of the research that includes 1 month for panel review of the interim report and 3 months for panel review and research team's revision of the final research product(s).

SPECIAL NOTES

A. Revisions to the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs are highlighted in yellow within that document.

B. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF file with a maximum file size of 10 MB. The PDF must be formatted for standard 8 ½” X 11” paper, and the entire proposal must not exceed 60 pages (according to the page count displayed in the PDF). Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. For other requirements, refer to chapter IV of the instructions.

C. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs have been modified to include a revised policy and instructions for disclosing Investigator Conflict of Interest. For more information, refer to chapter IV of the instructions. A detailed definition and examples can be found in the CRP Conflict of Interest Policy for Subawardees. The proposer recommended by the project panel will be required to submit an Investigator Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form as a prerequisite for subaward negotiations. 

D. Proposals will be rejected if any of the proposed research team members work for organizations represented on the project panel. The panel roster for this project can be found here. Proposers may not contact panel members directly; this roster is provided solely for the purpose of avoiding potential conflicts of interest. 

E. Proprietary Products - If any proprietary products are to be used or tested in the project, please refer to Item 6 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals.

F. Proposals are evaluated by the TCRP staff and project panels consisting of individuals collectively knowledgeable in the problem area. The project panel will recommend their first choice proposal considering the following factors: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experiment design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the plan for ensuring application of results; and, if relevant, (5) the adequacy of the facilities. A recommendation by the project panel is not a guarantee of a subaward. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS - the contracting authority for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) will conduct an internal due diligence review and risk assessment of the panel’s recommended proposal before subaward negotiations continue. 

G. Copyrights - All data, written materials, computer software, graphic and photographic images, and other information prepared under the subaward and the copyrights therein shall be owned by the National Academy of Sciences. The subawardee and lower-tier subawardees will be able to publish this material for non-commercial purposes, for internal use, or to further academic research or studies with permission from TRB Cooperative Research Programs. The subawardee and lower-tier subawardees will not be allowed to sell the project material without prior approval by the National Academy of Sciences. By signing a subaward with the National Academy of Sciences, subawardees accept legal responsibility for any copyright infringement that may exist in work done for TRB. Subawardees are therefore responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for use of copyrighted material in TRB's Cooperative Research Programs publications. For guidance on TRB's policies on using copyrighted material please consult Section 5.4, "Use of Copyrighted Material," in the Procedural Manual for Subawardees.

H. The text of the final deliverable is expected to be publication ready when it is submitted. It is strongly recommended that the research team include the expertise of a technical editor as early in the project timeline as possible. See Appendix F of the Procedural Manual for Subawardees Conducting Research in the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Program for technical editing standards expected in final deliverables.

I. Proposals should include a task-by-task breakdown of labor hours for each staff member as shown in Figure 4 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals. Proposals also should include a breakdown of all costs (e.g., wages, indirect costs, travel, materials, and total) for each task using Figures 5 and 6 in the brochure. Please note that selected proposers are considered subawards to the National Academy of Sciences, the parent organization of TRB. TRB Cooperative Research Program subawards must comply with 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. These requirements include a provision that proposers without a federally Negotiated Indirect Costs Rate Agreement (NICRA) or audited indirect rates shall be subject to a maximum allowable indirect rate of 15% of Modified Total Direct Costs (de minimis rate). Modified Total Direct Costs include all salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $50,000 of each lower-tier subaward. Modified Total Direct Costs exclude equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each lower-tier subaward in excess of $50,000.

J. The required technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” should (a) provide recommendations on how to best put the research findings/products into practice; (b) identify possible institutions that might take leadership in applying the research findings/products; (c) identify issues affecting potential implementation of the findings/products and recommend possible actions to address these issues; and (d) recommend methods of identifying and measuring the impacts associated with implementation of the findings/products. Implementation of these recommendations is not part of the research project and, if warranted, details of these actions will be developed and implemented in future efforts.

K. All budget information should be suitable for printing on 8½″ x 11″ paper. If a budget page cannot fit on a single 8½″ x 11″ page, it should be split over multiple pages. Proposers must use the Excel templates provided in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs. 

L. The National Academies have an ethical and legal obligation to provide proper attribution whenever material from other sources is included in its reports, online postings, and other publications and products. TRB will review all Cooperative Research Programs draft final deliverables using the software iThenticate for potential plagiarism. If plagiarized text appears in the draft final deliverable, the research team will be required to make revisions and the opportunity to submit future proposals may be affected.