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T14INGS To BE LEARNED FROM GATE <br /> 1. In a largely demand response system, adequate notice to the <br /> transportation agency, the use of two--way radios and an :efficient <br /> and flexible dispatcher are all keys to system success. <br /> 2. Where private sector or municipal transit operations are already <br /> in place, the new system does best to complement, not replace <br /> it, as well as deal with special needs groups such as the elderly <br /> and handicapped, <br /> 3. The use of a fare for patrons can be useful both in terms of <br /> revenue for the system and attitudinally for the passengers. <br /> This could prove difficult for many low income clients. <br /> 4. A program of regular vehicle maintenance is needed for any new <br /> system. On demand maintenance can lead to large problems and <br /> inefficiencies. <br /> 5. we again find the human factor to be paramount. This is obvi- <br /> ously a system involving people who care about the people they <br /> serve and the methods used to do it. Qualified dispatching is <br /> essential. <br /> 6. There mixst be a basis of financial support in the local area <br /> and not a total reliance on federally derived funding. The <br /> system should not look to just one sector for financing. <br /> 7. There are certain benefits that would accrue to a county--based <br /> transportation agency rather than a private non--profit in terms <br /> of purchasing power and getting better qualified personnel <br /> through different levels of wages and benefits. <br /> 8. The farther a system gets away from fixed route service, in <br /> terms of format, the more expensive the service becomes_ <br /> 9. Three years of preparation by private citizens and boards went <br /> into the creation of GATE---much of it due to the perseverance <br /> of two private citizens. The level of interagency cooperation <br /> in Greensboro was adequate to facilitate transportation coordi- <br /> nation. This system does not preclude others from providing <br /> human service transportation. Guilford County Social. Services <br /> in fiscal 1979, for example, will provide 3260 clients trans- <br /> portation services at a total cost of $111,000. Transportation <br /> coordination does involve interdependence and agency and <br /> individual cooperation. <br />