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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Deb, great find. Thanks Beth <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Deb Reed via CT-NFB<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, August 31, 2021 8:29 AM<br><b>To:</b> ct-nfb@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Deb Reed <deb.reed57@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> [CT-NFB] The Greater Hartford Transit District (GHTD) has partnered with Connecticut’s largest taxi service M7 to launch Encompass<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Cheap, convenient and safe: adjectives to describe a fairly-new mode of transportation available strictly to people over 60 and the disabled. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The Greater Hartford Transit District (GHTD) has partnered with Connecticut’s largest taxi service M7 to launch Encompass, an on-demand transportation program for seniors and disabled people, many of whom already use the GHTD’s ADA Paratransit Services. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Thanks in part to a $630,000 grant the agency received from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) the program is heavily-discounted. Each trip costs riders just $5 for the first eight miles travelled and $2 per mile after that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“The grant is funded until June 30, 2022 but we are hoping that we can find additional funds to continue the program afterwards,” ADA Paratransit Director Margaret Banker said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Individuals who are 60 and older or disabled who live in the following towns qualify to use Encompass: Bristol, New Britain, Berlin, Newington, Farmington, Bloomfield, Cromwell, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, Meriden, Middletown, Rocky Hill, South Windsor, West Hartford, Wethersfield, or Windsor. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Trips can be booked online or through the phone and are paid for in advance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>People can call <a href="tel:860-444-4444"><span style='color:#08478D;text-decoration:none'>860-444-4444</span></a> or visit <a href="https://encompass.m7ride.com/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#08478D;text-decoration:none'>https://encompass.m7ride.com/</span></a> to register or to book a ride. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“It really is a great program but we are having a hard time getting more folks to know that it exists,” Banker pointed out. “We figure that especially since COVID is still continuing, having a private and affordable form of transportation is a great option for our community.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The program officially began in Sept. 2020 but with the ongoing pandemic, the GHTD has had a difficult time spreading the word to people who could really benefit. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“We had originally planned to go to senior centers with one of our cars to promote it then Covid hit,” said Henry Romanovsky, business relations manager for M7. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>In his quest to enlighten area residents about Encompass, Romanovsky started reaching out tp over-55 communities and attended events at the Bristol and Plainville Senior Centers, which just reopened to the public in the spring. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“It has started to pick up more recently,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Carlos Roche has been using Encompass regularly for a while now. It’s helped him get around New Britain and surrounding towns. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“It’s been a great experience,” Roche said. “I’m disabled and sight-impaired so it’s hard for me to get places, but this has helped me a lot. I’m sure there are other people in my situation who would love to use it. I think a lot of people in New Britain could benefit from this.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>M7 and the GTHD had already collaborated on another program called the Freedom Ride so their partnership with Encompass was naturally a good fit, according to Banker. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“This is filling a large gap when it comes to meeting the needs of seniors that would not qualify for ADA Paratransit because they are in great health,” she said. “Encompass helps provide seniors with more opportunities to travel when they want, where they want, using affordable, private transportation.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>In addition to the fact that Encompass is available to disabled as well as non-disabled seniors, there are other advantages to using the service over ADA Paratransit, traditional taxi, the bus and ride-sharing services. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>For example, riders are picked up at their home and brought directly to their destination. ADA Paratransit often makes multiple stops and its operating area extends just three-quarters of a mile around the local fixed bus routes. Also, while ADA users have to book rides at least a week in advance, this service is available on-demand, 24/7. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Local Dial-A-Ride buses typically operate Mon.-Fri. for limited hours and also require advance reservations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“We’re not trying to compete with anybody; were just trying to offer a service that helps get people out of the house to go wherever they want to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Romanovsky explained. “I myself am a senior and I know in the wintertime some of us have a hard time driving at night, even if we have a car.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Multiple people of any age can take a single ride together, as long as one of them is an Encompass member. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Encompass currently has around 200 members and averages about 200 trips a month. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>M7 has a fleet of over 200 vehicles including 100 that are wheelchair-accessible. The company also boasts 30-plus years of experience providing non-medical emergency transportation, along with transportation for special education and behavioral health services.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal> Deb Reed<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Central CT Chapter President <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.0pt'>National Federation Of The Blind</span><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.0pt'>Phone - 860-973-3679 </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.0pt'>Cell-860-378-5370</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Email - <a href="mailto:deb.reed57@gmail.com">deb.reed57@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>