Transportation is a critical factor in ensuring that people have access to essential services and daily needs, such as healthcare appointments, employment, grocery shopping, and social activities. However, not everyone can easily access a private vehicle or public bus.
The Pikes Peak region’s specialized transportation system is an additional layer of coverage for people who may otherwise face limitations when accessing transit services.
The Specialized Transportation Plan, also known as a Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP), is necessary for receiving federal dollars (Section 5310) to help fund accessible transportation programs and services tailored to older adults and people with disabilities. The plan assesses the conditions and potential improvements for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Complementary Paratransit service and specialized transportation service options for the target populations.
Plan Summary
The Specialized Transportation Plan is the outcome of a collaboration between entities including:
- Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT), the primary public transit provider located within the Colorado Springs Urbanized Area (UZA).
- Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) which is designated by the Governor of Colorado as the recipient of Section 5310 funding for the Colorado Springs UZA.
- Human service providers (HSPs) throughout the region, including, but not limited to, Silver Key Senior Services, Envida, and Goodwill.
Section 5310 dollars that are distributed to PPACG by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) are specifically intended for programs and services tailored to older adults and people with disabilities. PPACG collaborates with eligible subrecipients of Section 5310 funds that provide specialized transportation services for these population groups that cannot access the existing fixed-route and demand-response transit networks through MMT.
A variety of key needs are identified by this plan, including, but not limited to:
- There is currently not enough specialized transportation service to meet community demand.
- Future demand will only increase the burden on specialized transportation.
- People have difficulty navigating the existing specialized transportation system, but past attempts to improve user knowledge and navigation of those options have had limited success.
- Although consolidating systems is challenging due to different standards set by grants and compliance, there is still a need for coordination. Recent efforts led by specialized transportation providers demonstrate the interest and commitment towards finding ways to improve efficiency.
- The existing fixed-route transit system (MMT) is perceived by some potential riders as inaccessible due to inadequate and unsafe walking experiences to stops.
The Specialized Transportation Plan lists the following strategies to help meet the identified needs for the Pikes Peak region:
High-Priority
- Incrementally develop a one-call one-click center.
- Part A: Develop a shared intake form and back-end database that can be accessed by all providers.
- Part B: Establish a phone hotline and website to help direct people to the most appropriate transportation options.
- Coordinate with providers to help secure funding for right-sized, shared, and well-maintained vehicles that meet ridership needs.
- Commission mobility services under improved standards of service.
Medium-Priority
- Create a program to reimburse people for Uber, Lyft, and taxi rides in situations where there is a critical unmet transportation need based on the time and location of the trip.
- Consolidate all resources and explore training options for drivers.
Low-Priority
- None
These strategies were developed and prioritized as the result of multiple discussions involving PPACG, MMT, key stakeholder organizations, including representatives of HSPs, people who ride specialized transportation services, and other interested community members.
The full implementation of all the recommended strategies in this plan is conditioned on additional funding, because the current allocation of Section 5310 funds to the region is insufficient. However, there are important immediate steps that PPACG can lead to help ensure continued progress is meeting demands for specialized transportation.
Potential steps to assist in implementation of the specialized transportation plan include:
- Hiring additional mobility managers with clear regional coordination responsibilities – separate from any direct transportation operation.
- Repurposing and reinvigorating the Regional Coordinating Council and/or continuing to convene the Specialized Transportation Plan stakeholder meetings on a quarterly basis.
- Finding additional funding.
- Utilizing funding for short-term implementation and/or pilot programming.
Important Terms and Definitions
The remainder of this chapter will lay out important terminology used in this plan (Figure 1), the context of this plan alongside of the planning efforts, and summaries of other key components of the planning process including goals and outreach.
Figure 1. Specialized Transportation Plan Glossary
| Term | Definition | Local Example |
| Specialized Transportation | Service designed for individuals which offers door-to-door or curb-to-curb transportation (as well as door-through-door, in certain circumstances). Specialized transportation is usually operated by a funded non-profit and requires advanced reservations. | Envida, Silver Key Services, Fountain Valley Senior Center are specialized transportation programs operating in the Pikes Peak region. |
| ADA Complementary Paratransit | A transit agency service exclusively for individuals with disabilities who cannot independently use fixed-route transit some or all the time. It is often called “ADA complementary paratransit”, as it exists to ensure transit complies with the ADA. Service operates the same days and hours as local fixed-route transit service covering areas within ¾-mile of existing routes. | MMT provides ADA complementary paratransit through their Mountain Metro Mobility program. |
| Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) | A program to ensure members of Medicaid receive transportation to and from their covered medical appointments. This program is governed and regulated at the State level. Providers need to be certified in advance to provide such services, and patients are advised to reserve and report their rides in compliance with current Medicaid policy to ensure the transportation is covered. Although NEMT services provide an affordable connection for people to healthcare, it is available to Medicaid patients only. | In El Paso County alone, over 100 providers are currently enrolled as NEMT service providers, including GoodWheels, Envida, and a variety of taxi companies. |
| Section 5310 | A program through the FTA that provides formula funding to states and designated recipients to meet the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities when the transportation service provided is unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate to meeting these needs. | Envida and Silver Key Senior Services are current subrecipients of Section 5310 funding through PPACG to provide their specialized transportation services. |
| Door-through-Door | A type of transportation service where drivers escort riders from inside their homes to the vehicle and from the vehicle to inside their destination. | Envida, Fountain Valley Senior Center, GoodWheels, Rocky Mountain PACE, Silver Key, and Beo Mobility provide door-through-door service. |
| Door-to-Door | A type of transportation service where the vehicle picks up riders from their home and delivers them to the building entrance of their destination. | ADA Complementary Paratransit, Envida, Teller Senior Coalition, Asteri EMS / The Way, Axel Medical Transportation, Blue Skies, Friends Transportation, Medride, Second Home Care, and Transit to Care provide door-to-door service. |
| Curb-to-Curb | A type of transportation service where the vehicle comes directly to the desired curb pickup location, rather than the user needing to get to a bus stop or common pickup location and delivers riders to the curb at their destination. | Ridehailing services like Uber and Lyft provide curb-to-curb service. |
| On-Demand | Transportation services that enable passengers to book their journey at a convenient time (during service operating hours), and to be picked up from an agreed location. | Envida partnered with PPACG to pilot an on-demand transportation service. |
| Ridehailing | Platforms that connect fare-motivated drivers with riders for on-demand services, similar to taxi services. | Uber and Lyft are two of the most popular ridehailing platforms available in Colorado Springs. |
| One-Call One-Click (OC/OC) | A platform that allows riders to discover and book shared mobility services through a single phone call or web portal. | The One Ride call center launched in July 2018 is an iteration of a OC/OC system. It subsequently closed in December 2020. |
| Human Service Providers (HSPs) | Organizations who assist individuals or communities with specialized needs. | Fountain Valley Community Center provides specialized transportation to senior adults in Colorado Springs. |
| Transportation Providers | Local transit agencies and HSPs who provide specialized transportation services. | MMT, HSPs such as Envida and NEMT services are among the many transportation providers in the Colorado Springs region. |
| Deviated Fixed-Route Service | Transit service that operates along a fixed route but can pick up or drop off passengers within a set distance of the route. | MMT’s routes 38 and 40 operate along a fixed alignment but can pick-up and/or drop off passengers within ¾-mile from the published routes. |
| Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle (WAV) | A vehicle designed or modified to transport passengers in wheelchairs. | Several NEMT providers have WAVs in their fleet, by promising fully equipped and tested wheelchair lifts and/or ramps and securement devices on board. |
| Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) | A nonprofit dedicated to representing transit interests and providing membership services to transit agencies in the state. | MMT received the 2023 Large Transit Agency of the Year award from CASTA. |
Context of the Specialized Transportation Plan Alongside the Regional Transit Plan
The Specialized Transportation Plan process occurred simultaneously with the development of Colorado Springs 2050 Regional Transit Plan (RTP)1. They shared the following components
- Project ownership by MMT.
- Consultant project managers and resources.
- Public outreach and engagement efforts.
- Development of project goals.
- Long-term visioning and goals for transportation in the Pikes Peak region.
At the same time, the Specialized Transportation Plan is a distinct product because of:
- Project co-ownership by PPACG, the designated recipient of Section 5310 funds.
- An added focus on specialized transportation services, and not just public transit.
- Additional dedication to understanding the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income households as required by Section 5310.
- A set five-year timeframe prior to the next plan update.
Collectively, the plans provide comprehensive documentation of the necessary elements to ensure the Specialized Transportation Plan is an acceptable community-driven plan.
Summary of Public Involvement
For more details, please visit the Public Involvement Report for the 2050 RTP and Specialized Transportation Plan.
As with any transportation plan, the contributions and feedback from the public and stakeholders (or project partners) are critical steps for the Specialized Transportation Plan’s development. Highlights of the public and stakeholder involvement process include:
- Four focus group meetings with a total of 19 participants, focusing on a series of themes including education, economic development, on-demand travel for riders with special needs, and healthcare.
- Two stakeholder committee meetings with participants representing more than 10 organizations dedicated to human services, including Envida, Silver Key, The Independence Center, Teller Senior Coalition, YMCA Colorado Springs Senior Center, On-Demand Transportation Group, and the Resource Exchange Center Board.
- Three open houses (in-person and online), including components like recorded videos and printed boards, which can be replicated for future conversations as necessary.
A breakdown of individual participants and their respective organizations is in Appendix C.
Summary of Goals Identified by Plan
The following goals were developed by the project team in tandem with the RTP:
- Choice – To make transit a competitive travel mode.
- Accessibility – Provide access to jobs, schools, medical facilities, social events, and community activities.
- Equity – Maintains or improves service to the people that need it the most.
- Technology – Deploy technology to both improve agency operations and the customer experience.
In addition to the overarching goals established by the RTP, the Specialized Transportation Plan stakeholders proposed additional goals tailored to address specific needs and challenges in specialized transportation. These were the goals, suggested verbatim, from those discussions:
- Build capacity to meet rising demand.
- Coordinate across agencies and providers to enhance the client’s experience.
- Utilize other agencies to create a robust transportation system with ways to anticipate and prevent gaps.
- Include transit as a solution to affordable housing.
- Remember how important socialization is for all who ride specialized transportation.
- Incorporate emergency preparedness.
- Educate potential riders on the multiple transit options, including fixed-route, paratransit, and specialized transportation.
- Explore additional funding opportunities.
According to the PPACG’s Section 5310 Management Plan, subrecipient applicants must align their proposals with goals outlined from the Specialized Transportation Plan2. The goals listed can serve as potential justification for eligible subrecipient applicants seeking to provide services and programs to meet identified needs and gaps in the Pikes Peak region.
- It should be noted that the previous Specialized Transportation Plan update was also developed alongside the Regional Transit Plan update. Unlike the current version of the Specialized Transportation Plan, PPACG was the sole listed owner and leader of the plan’s development.
- The specific quote is “the most recent coordinated plan,” but as already noted, this is simply an alternative name for the Specialized Transportation Plan.