Governor signs Wallace’s legislation to streamline transportation options for people with special needs

Rep. Wallace says more coordination could save millions

May 15, 2009

Olympia – Today, Governor Chris Gregoire signed legislation that could vastly improve how the state provides transportation services to people with special needs, such as those in wheelchairs, seniors unable to drive or even homeless school children.

Those people rely on special needs transportation services provided by 623 different providers in Washington state, including 28 public transportation systems, state-funded human service programs such as the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), civic and community-based groups, and private entities. The state provided $25 million for these services in the last two years.

Rep. Deb Wallace believes there is an opportunity to better coordinate the services provided by so many organizations and agencies serving similar populations. She points to several issues and recommendations highlighted in a study of special needs transportation recently completed by the Joint Transportation Committee.

“These entities don’t talk to one another,” says Wallace. “You might have a bus and a car and a shuttle heading to the same neighborhood to serve separate clients when one shuttle might be able to serve them all. If we can come up with a way for these organizations to coordinate, we could save potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars without compromising the quality and dependability for those who depend on these services. We’ll get a lot more bang for the buck.”

Wallace’s House Bill 2072 strengthens the role of the state’s Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation, a work group the Legislature created in 1998 to address special needs transportation issues. The ACCT's new duties include a pilot project to look more in-depth at whether local coordinating coalitions could develop more efficient ways of serving people with special needs. If successful, Wallace hopes the projects can serve as a model for statewide change.

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