---

Benton County Special Transportation Fund – About Us

What is the Special Transportation Fund Program?

The Special Transportation Fund (STF) program was created by the State of Oregon in 1985. It is funded by a "per pack" tax on cigarettes. From 1989 until present day, that revenue has been distributed to governing bodies across the state, either counties or transportation districts, via two mechanisms:

1. "Formula" funds, based on population (per capita)

2. "Discretionary" grants, for special projects such as planning, capital, and developmental operating projects.

The local governing body for STF in Benton County is the County. The Board of Commissioners appropriates the formula funds though a public grant process administered through the County’s STF Program. As required by the state’s STF program, the Commissioners have appointed a local advisory STF committee, the Special Transportation Advisory Committee.

The purpose of the STF program is to provide mobility for seniors and persons with disabilities that cannot access regular modes of transportation such as fixed route Corvallis Transit System or personal transportation. STF transportation enables these individuals to maintain a reasonable quality of life and level of independence. They need transportation to and from sites for medical, vocational, nutritional, shopping, volunteer, recreational, and other services.

From 1985 to 1993, the County STF program allocated transportation operating and capital funds on a case-by-case basis to the following local providers serving seniors and persons with disabilities:

• The ARC of Benton County
• Bonney Enterprises
• Dial-A-Bus
• Home Life
• Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers
• Janus House, Mental Health Association of Benton County
• Linn-Benton Loop Transit System
• Senior Companion Program

Back to top

Transportation System Objectives

In 1993, the County began to consolidate a large portion of these services into a coordinated transportation system.

The main objective was to improve utilization of current resources applied to paratransit in Corvallis and surrounding areas.

Secondary objectives were to:

1. Identify possible new sources of financial or other support

2. Assist CTS (Corvallis Transit System) in meeting ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements through cooperation among Special Transportation agencies and CTS

3. Enhance services outside of the area serviced by CTS

Policy decisions were made to allocate existing vehicles, purchased with STF funds, to "stakeholder" providers such as The ARC of Benton County and Bonney Enterprises, and to direct the majority of STF and grant operating funds towards a coordinated transportation system operated under contract with one provider.

During Fiscal Year 2001-02, the County allocated STF resources through operating agreements with these local service providers:

• Dial-A-Bus
  Provider of services for the County’s consolidated transportation system since 1995
• Janus House
  Provider of services (including transportation) for persons with mental disabilities
• Linn-Benton Loop Transit System
  Provider of accessible transportation between Linn and Benton Counties
• Senior Companion Program
  Volunteer-based "door-through-door" transportation for fragile seniors and persons with disabilities
• Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments Disability Services
  Provider of services for persons with disabilities

Back to top

How Special Transportation Services Are Provided

The County contracts for its coordinated special transportation services with Dial-A-Bus, which is operated by the Senior Citizens Council of Benton County. Learn more about how to get a ride on Dial-A-Bus.

During fiscal year 2002-03, Dial-A-Bus provided 64,093 rides for seniors and persons with disabilities. The County's relationships with other providers are based primarily upon providing transportation services to mutual clients, and the County is responsible for collecting State quarterly STF reports from each of the providers.

Dial-A-Bus operates three types of special transportation services for the County:

1. Regular, "demand responsive" transportation for which a qualifying individual may call 1-7 days in advance for a ride reservation. Riders going to destinations in the same vicinity at approximately the same time are grouped together to make efficient use of available resources. Riders may be seniors or persons with disabilities. Service hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Evening (after 4 pm) and weekend services are made possible with an operating grant from the State.

2. Title XIX (Medicaid) Non-Medical transportation, which operates in the same manner as the regular service, except that the rides are authorized by and paid for by the State of Oregon Department of Human Services. The County pays a 40% local match to the State, and the State reimburses 100% of the cost of the ride. Therefore, the County "nets" 60% of the cost of these rides.

3. "Contract Services" which is the local name for regularly scheduled transportation for persons with developmental disabilities from home to work and return. Transportation costs for most of these clients are paid through another Title XIX contract with the State Mental Health Developmental Disabilities Services Division (MHDDSD). Again, the County pays a 40% local match to the State, and the State reimburses 100% of the cost of the ride. Therefore, the County "nets" 60% of the cost of these rides.

Fares are collected from "demand responsive" riders for each one-way ride (trip) on the following basis:

Zone 1 – $1.00
Serves the immediate Corvallis area, specifically the area covered by Corvallis Transit System (CTS)

Zone 2 – $2.00
Serves the area surrounding Corvallis, including Lewisburg, Philomath, and Kiger Island Road

Zone 3 – $3.00
Serves outlying Benton County including Adair Village, North Albany, and Wren

Zone 4 – $4.00
Serves outlying Benton County including Alsea, Bellfountain, Blodgett, Kings Valley, Monroe, and Summit

The fares only cover a small portion of the true cost of providing these rides. For example, the true average cost of providing one Zone 1 ride is $12.40, but the rider fare is only $1.00. County STF funds provided to Dial-A-Bus through the operating agreement heavily subsidize the cost of the rides.

Dial-A-Bus also operates the Corvallis Transit System Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit service for the City of Corvallis Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays 9:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It operates in the same manner as the regular demand responsive STF transportation service. Following is an explanation of the relationship between STF and ADA services.

Back to top

Relationship With ADA Transportation Service

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transportation service is a federally mandated (but unfunded) program required of fixed route public transportation systems. Days and hours of ADA service must match those in effect for the regular fixed route system. The service is specifically for people that cannot access regular modes of public transportation (i.e., a fixed route bus system like CTS) due to a disability.

Age is not a qualifying criteria, so a senior citizen is not entitled to ADA service unless they have a disability that prevents them from accessing regular services. A person that wishes to receive ADA rides must complete an ADA certification process, which in Corvallis is administered by Corvallis Transit System.

An ADA ride can be considered an STF ride also, because STF service is for seniors age 60 years and older, and persons with disabilities. Thus, local residents living within CTS boundaries may receive a ride through Dial-A-Bus that is both an STF and ADA ride if they have a disability and have completed the ADA certification.

STF Program Revenues

The STF program relies on state discretionary grants and formula funding, and federal Title XIX (Medicaid) non-medical transportation service contracts for its operating revenue. To this point, no County General Funds have been used to operate the program. The County appropriates funding to various other programs, such as Community Health, Community Support Services (Kairos House), and Developmental Disabilities. Yet the contracted STF transportation provider, Dial-A-Bus, is the link that permits many clients to access these County programs.

Back to top

Following is a chart depicting the sources of STF program revenues in 2001-02:

The following is a chart depicting the sources of STF program expenditures in 2001-02:

Back to top

< Back to STF home