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Fall 2010

Doris W. Kahn Accessible Transportation Award:
Brian McLean Comes to the Rescue of Stranded Senior and Disabled Riders

While he officially works for the city of Vacaville, Brian McLean used his powers of persuasion to create a new, more flexible paratransit system for the entire county. (Photo: Noah Berger)

For his leadership role in establishing the Solano County Intercity Taxi Scrip Program for disabled residents — transforming their lives by providing 24/7 access to transportation — Brian McLean, fleet and transit manager for the city of Vacaville, is the recipient of MTC’s 2010 Doris W. Kahn Accessible Transportation Award, named after a former MTC commissioner who championed equal access to services.

When Solano Paratransit was to be dissolved at the end of the 2009 fiscal year due to funding constraints, Solano County transportation officials convened a Senior and Disabled Transportation Summit to address the challenges of providing paratransit across city lines. “Brian took ownership and rallied his colleagues to talk about the issues,” said Daryl Halls, executive director of the Solano Transportation Authority. “He’s a can-do person, a good collaborator, and prods his colleagues to get beyond parochial measures.”

Following the summit, McLean realized that the legacy system of paratransit, which required scheduling rides a week in advance and was unavailable on weekends and evenings, had to be discarded. The average cost of a single ride was $81 (to the program, not the passenger). The deeply discounted taxi scrip program, a trifecta of cooperation between transit agencies, taxis and riders, is far more flexible and less expensive than its predecessor, and is available 24/7 — as quick as a phone call away — with wait times averaging less than half an hour and average cost per ride at a much lower $29–$30. Riders are able to purchase $100 worth of scrip for just $15 through their local transit agency.

“Partnering with taxis was a natural fit,” said McLean. “We had a large group of individuals who needed a ride and a large group of cabs that needed business. Once the idea was developed and put on paper, why would you continue with a bus-type paratransit service?”

Phase 1 of the program, for ambulatory ADA paratransit-certified residents, was implemented in February 2010, just seven months after the summit. In its first month, 48 passenger trips were made; in September, thanks to outreach and word-of-mouth, approximately 400 passenger trips were provided.
— Georgia Lambert

Video Profile: Brian McLean

Transactions Fall 2010 Issue: Contents