Morgantown updates transit access-pass pilot as social-service partners report distribution and activation problems

Maria Smith, executive director of Mountain Line, told Morgantown City Council on Feb. 18 that the city’s community access-pass pilot — a program that distributes one-time and multi-ride passes through social-service partners and city outlets — has shown early ridership but also operational problems that social-service agencies say are leaving some riders stranded.

Smith said about 1,200 passes have been provided to the city and that 538 trips had been recorded so far in the program’s initial months; she said the program had expended roughly $800 to date. Smith said the passes most often used were on Route 50 (Don Knotts) and that Don Knotts saw 6,734 trips in December and 5,103 trips in January on Mountain Line service, figures she offered while describing the program’s early performance.

The council heard multiple complaints from social-service providers and council members that the county-administered part of the program — which provides 15-ride cards and other multi-ride products through agencies — has introduced delays and high data-entry burdens. A Salvation Army day-room staff member and other agency representatives told council that ordering and activating county passes can take days to weeks and that agencies must enter multiple data fields (including, when available, an HMIS number) for each recipient. Maria Smith said the serial number of each pass is essential to reconcile distributed passes with fare-box usage and to produce route-level analytics.

Brad Riffey, communications and public relations director for the City of Morgantown, said the city has been distributing one-time passes at locations including the Public Safety Building, the library and through city “ambassadors,” and that the city will reissue outreach and update the Pathways to Help online listing to show where passes are available. He said the library’s temporary shortage was resolved that day and urged agencies or individuals who encounter problems to call city communications for immediate help.

Council members and social-service representatives raised several recurring operational problems: (1) agencies reported lengthy processing times for 15-ride county passes while staff wait for employer or landlord confirmations required for property-tax–based eligibility checks; (2) some 15-ride passes have intermittently failed to validate in fare boxes and must be replaced after drivers file incident reports; (3) agencies find the required data fields onerous for high-volume distributions, and some agencies lack access to HMIS numbers; and (4) gaps in supply or inconsistent staffing at distribution sites have left riders without a return trip.

Mountain Line staff said some of those issues have been mitigated by coordination with social-service agencies, by issuing single-ride passes in the short term, and by instructing drivers to log and report failed 15-ride cards so Mountain Line can replace them. Smith said the county has budgeted roughly $5,000 per month for the county pass pool and that the county is reviewing orders and the related data, which can slow fulfillment when agencies submit large batches.

Council members asked the city and Mountain Line to: continue monthly reporting of pass distribution and fare-box reconciliation; improve signage and a public list of distribution points; coordinate supply for the Salvation Army day room and other high-volume sites; and explore ways to reduce the data-entry burden (for example, through pre-population for returning clients or tablet-based entry at agencies).

Smith and Riffey said the city will provide monthly data updates to council and continue refining distribution and data collection. Several council members offered to visit day-room sites with staff to better understand on-the-ground problems and to help identify quick fixes.

Why this matters: the access-pass pilot is intended to connect low-income residents and clients of social-service agencies to health care, employment and other services. Council and partners described early evidence of demand, but also logistical problems that can leave vulnerable riders stranded if a return pass or a validated multi-ride card is not available.

The city and Mountain Line will return to council with monthly ridership and distribution reports and with suggested operational fixes for data collection, pass supply and late-hour access.