ROLE OF THE TRANSPORTATION BROKER AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF SAN FRANCISCO: A CASE STUDY. ABRIDGMENT

Children's Hospital of San Francisco has implemented various ridesharing programs to provide employees with alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle, reduce neighborhood parking congestion, and thereby garner neighborhood support for a major remodeling project. Wilbur Smith and Associates prepared a transportation plan in May 1978. Recommended program elements included ridesharing, transit information, transit improvements, parking management strategies, and the hiring of a transportation broker for implementation purposes. Rotating shifts, a large proportion of part-time employees, a 30 percent annual turnover rate, and shift changes required nontraditional approaches to ridesharing efforts. A carpool and vanpool program offers personalized matching service, the incentive of free parking, and active cooperation with neighboring institutions. Among the 1400 employees, 56 active carpool groups and 5 joint institutional vanpools have been organized. Faced with poor crosstown transit service and poor Bay Area Rapid Transit connections to the south, Children's and two neighboring hospitals are cosponsoring an employee shuttle service. Wilbur Smith and Associates conducted a two-year program evaluation in April 1980. The number of driver-alone employees was reduced from 752 to 574. Key factors included the increase of the ridesharing modal split from 15 to 23 percent and transit from 16 to 20 percent. Three strong influences have aided alternatives programs for commuters. A neighborhood preferential parking program, begun in August 1979, has restricted employee parking in a 24-block area that surrounds the hospital. The two Bay Area ridesharing agencies have provided tremendous support. Finally, the Joint Institutional Transportation Brokers Association has provided a valuable forum for exchanging ideas, advancing public transit improvements, and cooperating on joint marketing efforts.