Central Maryland Regional Transit
Train-the-Trainer:
A Model for Travel Training Services
Presented by: Julie Rosekrans
Donna Stinchcomb
Central Maryland Regional Transit
•501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1989
•Manages public transportation services in Howard County, Prince
George’s County, and Anne Arundel County, Maryland
•Administers a four-county Connect-A-Ride system
• In FY 2011, CMRT transported approximately 1.6 million passengers
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Project Background and Inception
•Born in February 2011
•Two full-time Travel Trainers and an Outreach Coordinator
•Extends into six of Maryland’s counties and the City of Baltimore
•The train-the-trainer model is a success due in part to the large community partners and stakeholders that support the project
•Funded through New Freedom funds: therefore, trainings are free
•Realized more people could be reached via a train-the-trainer approach
Central Maryland Regional Transit
About CMRT’s Train-the-Trainer Program
• Mission:Empowering individuals with disabilities and older adults
to explore fixed-route transportation options via a train-the-trainer approach
• Objective:Train paid and unpaid staff of non-profit and human
service agencies, government agencies, senior centers, secondary and post-secondary schools, and other
community transportation and disability advocacy groups
Central Maryland Regional Transit
The Train-the-Trainer Approach
•Different from one-on-one and small group trainings
•One trainer can train medium-sized groups of people during train-the-trainer workshops and follow-up field exercises, or group bus rides
•Usually intended for human services and disability professionals who can be travel trained and then train their clients
•Can be a very effective way to reach more people
•Requires a large degree of organization to stay on top of tracking numbers, ridership, paratransit cost savings, etc.
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Community Buy-In
•Coordinate with state and local agencies
•Synchronize with human service agencies in multiple regions
•Work with public and private schools
•Share successes and challenges
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Community and Outreach Events
•Spreads the word about your program to potential clients in the community and connects you with training leads and potential partnering organizations
•Maryland State Fair, County Fairs, Disabilities Expos, ADA Celebrations, Community College Fairs, Earth Day Celebrations, Housing and Youth Expos, Transportation Conferences, etc.
•School councils, fairs, policy meetings, etc.
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Establishing and Maintaining Training Relationships
•Advisory Board with at least one individual from each region that meets quarterly
•Training follow-ups at one, three, six and twelve months
•Follow-up training for new staff members and retraining
•Rider of the Quarter
•Newsletter and press release coordination
•Travel Training website and social media
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Success Stories
•Bus stop additions and schedule rerouting to accommodate mobility devices (Humanim)
•Improved accessibility in communities
•Increased ridership on fixed-route transportation
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Success Stories
•School system curriculum for Baltimore City & Howard County Schools
•IMAGE Center Travel Training – MTA New Freedom contract for one-on-one training
•Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) have been granted to trainees
•To date, 781 paid and unpaid staff have been travel trained by CMRT’s train-the-trainer program
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Types of Trainings
1. Systems Orientation
2. Train-the-trainer Workshops
3. Field Trainings
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Systems Orientation Training
•What transportation options are available?
•How much do they cost?
•How can they be safely accessed?
•Basic emergency plan
•Often leads to classroom training
•1-2 hours in length
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Train-the-Trainer Workshops
•What is travel training and who is it for?
•What skills does a trainee need to access public transportation both safely and independently?
•ADA rights and Emergency Plans
•Mode of transportation, how to get there, how to pay, etc.
•Pedestrian safety
•Boarding, Riding and Deboarding
•4-5 hours in length
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Challenges
•Tracking numbers and data: it is easy to track who has been trained in a workshop, but tracking how many people they go on to train, how often their trainees are riding, and what the savings are to paratransit services have been difficult to accurately track
•Some staff have never been on fixed-route services or are afraid of public transportation
•Overextended staff, budget cuts, “not my job” mentality
•Staff/client and parent barriers
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Training Stats
July 11 - Sept 11
Oct 11 - Dec 11
Jan 12 - Mar 12
Apr 12 - June 12
July 12 - To Date
0
100
200
300
400
500
Staff
Central Maryland Regional Transit
Thank You!
Julie Rosekrans, Travel [email protected]
Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s Counties
Donna Stinchomb, Travel [email protected]
Baltimore City, Baltimore, Carroll and Harford Counties