Tri-County Area
Special Transportation Discretionary (STF)
2016 STF Fund Discretionary Program for Regional Projects and
Projects with Statewide Significance

2016 STF Fund Discretionary Program for Regional Projects and Projects with Statewide Significance GRANT
APPLICATION
I. Organization’s Information
Name of Organization: Ride Connection
Contact Person: Kevin Chambers, Chief Technology Officer
Address: 9955 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97220
Telephone: (503) 528-1747
E-Mail: kchambers@rideconnection.org
FAX: (503) 528-1755
Type of Organization (mark one) :
Public Entity
Private non-profit
Provider’s geographic area of service is (mark one):
X
Inside the TriMet Service District
Outside the TriMet Service District
Both Inside and Outside of the TriMet Service District
Geographic area to be served (please indicate the geographic features that define y our service area such as streets, rivers or jurisdictional boundaries) :
X
North Boundary
East Boundary
South Boundary
West Boundary
Other General Geographic Area All of Clackamas, Multnomah and
(ex Canby School District) Washington Counties
Optional – please provide a map of your service area as a separate, single page, letter sized attachment.
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Days and Hours of Operation:
Days
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Hours
7:30AM to 4:30PM*
7:30AM to 4:30PM*
7:30AM to 4:30PM*
7:30AM to 4:30PM*
7:30AM to 4:30PM*
Limited/episodic*
Limited/episodic*
Please list any planned periods of service closure greater than 3 days. (ex. Closed the last week of
December)
II. Funding Proposal
Project Title: Ride Connection Server Virtualization
Total STF funds Requested: $237,764
Start Date: July 1, 2016
Underline Proposed Funding Source: 1. Regional Project or 2.
Project with Statewide Significance
Underline Funding Request Type:
1. Continuation of existing service at same level of service
2. Expansion of existing service
3. New service
4. Capital request
5. Other: Staffing support for capital implementation, maintenance and partner training and support
Total Transportation Program Cost by Year:
FY17
$8,342,365
FY18
$8,449,418
FY19
$8,429,540
2

Total STF Grant fund needs by Year:
(Circle below) FY17
Regional Project $159,712
Project of
Statewide
Significance
FY18
$38,226
FY19
$39,826
Scalable STF Grant Request by Year:
You are strongly encouraged to request the full amount of funding that is needed for each program, including funding for new programs, but funding is limited. Describe the scalability of your STF funding request below. Enter your scaled down request.
Then describe how you scaled down your request and what aspects of the program would not be funded under this funding scenario.
FY17 FY18 FY19 Total
Scaled request
Description: This request is not scalable
Amount of other funds leveraged to support the total transportation program: (list county contributions, STF
Discretionary funds, donations, other):
Contribution/Source Number of
Units/Hours
TriMet General
Funds
Amount % of Program
Funding
3,808,029 15%
TriMet 5310
STF Formula
STF Discretionary
DHS
RTO
5311
WA & Mult Co. ADS
ONMTC
Grants/Contributions
Total STF Grant
Request
5,466,364 22%
5,212,896 21%
7,013,378 28%
1,189,916 5%
399,383
779,069
383,272
424,129
307,124
237,764
2%
3%
2%
2%
1%
<1%
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STF Discretionary Project Type Category (mark one):
Direct Service
Mobility Management/Coordination X
Both Direct Service and Mobility Management/Coordination
Program Description (limit 900 words)
Describe services or capital investment to be provided by STF funding. Please include a description of the following:

Who do you serve

What geographic area do you serve?

Level of service provided to customers

Operational activities; how customers request and receive rides, including scheduling and dispatching

Describe if volunteers are utilized to provide service and how this occur (is the volunteer program supported with STF or other funds? Do you provide mileage reimbursement to volunteers using their own vehicles?)

How the service is marketed.
This project provides capital funding for the purchase of technology that will allow Ride Connection to transition from a fixed network format to a virtual server system. This allows Ride Connection to increase network capacity to better handle current network traffic and to easily add scaled capacity through the use of in the future through the use of virtual servers. This provides a long-term cost savings by reducing the need for future capital purchases of hardware when additional network capacity is needed.
The shared network that hosts our scheduling software and other coordination technology functions is frequently reaching its capacity of users. Transitioning to a virtual server system will allow more users and reduce user downtime which allows for more efficient scheduling and dispatch procedures. In addition, virtualization will allow us to easily add new Ride Connection shared technology solutions without the need to purchase new hardware/servers to host these programs.
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In addition, a .5 FTE Field Technology Support Coordinator position will be created to assure that all participants in the Ride Connection coordination network are fully supported in their day-to-day use of technology, with particular emphasis given to maintenance and technical support of the virtual server system, technical support for transportation coordinators in the field and development and implementation of new technologies. This position will be charged with training for and ongoing support and improvement of Ride
Connection's scheduling, dispatching, and reporting systems and invehicle technology including our existing tablet dispatching system and the new hands-free communications systems. This position is combined with an additional .5 FTE in our Hands Free
Communication Fleet Retrofit application to complete a full FTE.
Overall, this allows us to grow our transportation services. It complements our goals to develop and grow the total transportation system by working with new partners, community based organizations, health care providers and medical centers as well as other human service providers.
Ride Connection will purchase the following equipment:
2 Host Servers
2 Internet Small Computer System Interface switches
1 Storage Area Network
Implementation also includes some contracted labor costs and virtual network software licensing fees.
Do your program activities preserve existing service and/or provide new service? (describe how the project preserves existing service or provides new or expanded service) (limit 200 words)
This project provides improved technological connections and support for existing service and created the ability to efficiently scale and grow our server capacity to provide access to an expanded network of partners and to implement new software technology.
5

Do you coordinate between providers to avoid duplication?
(describe what level of coordination between partners is done and how duplication is avoided) (limit 200 words)
Virtualized servers support ongoing operations of the Ride
Connection Service Center and the use of Ride Connection developed coordination and reporting software. Network servers play a major role in Ride Connection service coordination activities by facilitating coordinated intake and referral, travel options counseling, scheduling and dispatch, data entry and management, streamlined reporting and customer relationship management.
Most Ride Connection Network partners encounter our servers or software solutions in one form or another. Our ability to scale capacity and develop software is part of the coordination services we provide to help our partners efficiently communicate with our Service Center and with each other. The goal and outcome is better, more reliable service for customers.
Is your program cost- effective?
(describe average cost per ride, cost per mile and cost per hour) (limit 200 words)
This project helps reduce future costs for hardware purchases by providing the base infrastructure that will allow virtual servers to be created in-lieu of purchasing new hardware servers.
These servers will be used by the Ride Connection Service Center and network partners throughout Clackamas, Multnomah and
Washington counties. Our overall network cost per ride in FY2015 was $17.23. Our cost per mile was $4.00 and our cost per hour was
$43.77.
Does your program address one or more of the strategy recommendations in the Tri-County Elderly and Disabled
Transportation Plan (EDTP) or improves service coverage as recommended in the EDTP? (describe activities) (limit 200 words)
This project meets the goals of the EDTP section 6-1 Strategies by providing capital infrastructure to support the Ride Connection
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Service Center which supports the entire Ride Connection network with mobility management services, development and testing of new technology to improve service efficiencies.
III. Budget and Ridership Information
A. Budget Information
-- Ride Connection Organizations , complete Form A Measurables and Form B2 Condensed Budget Information below and the detailed electronic budget worksheet provided by Ride Connection.
Staffing data : (please identify positions supported with STF
Discretionary funds and the amount of FTE per position)
Position FY17
(projected)
FY 18
(projected)
FY 19
(projected)
Field Technology
Support
Coordinator
.5 .5 .5
Mobility Management: For mobility management/coordination projects, please indicate activities support with STF Discretionary funds and the number of individuals that benefit from project activities.
Activity FY17
(projected)
FY 18
(projected)
FY 19
(projected)
Purchase and
Install Virtual Server
Technology
Provide Technical
Support Services to
Ride Connection
Partners
15,000 customers benefit
20 partners or more supported
15,000 customers benefit
20 partners or more supported
15,000 customers benefit
20 partners or more supported
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Form B2. Condensed Budget Information
ESTIMATED STF
DISCRETIONARY PROJECT
Amount
1. COST
Project administration expense
$104,331 2. Personal services (wages and benefits)
3. Facility (rent, janitorial, utilities, etc.)
4. Professional services*
5. Insurance, services and supplies
(IT, travel, office expense, telecommunications, etc.)
6. Other (list):
Item – Capital Purchases
7. Item – Administration Expenses
10%
$123,000
$10,433
% of total
STF
8. Item -
9. Operations expense
10. Item -
11. Item -
12. Preventative Maintenance expense
13. Item -
14. Item -
Grand Total: $237,764
*For amounts over $5000, please provide an explanation of services rendered. Limit 300 words.
44%
52%
4%
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2. .5FTE Wages, taxes and benefits.
6. Purchase 2 Host Servers $24,000
2 Dell iSCSI switches $10,000
1 SAN $25,000
VMware licensing$15,000
Labor $40,000
POE Network Switch $6,000
UPS & upgrades $3,000
7 Administrative costs @10%
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