"Providing Safe,
Dependable, Clean, and Courteous Transportation Services"
Transportation is an important issue to
most people in our busy society and, for people with developmental
disabilities who are not independent in this skill area,
it is a critical issue in their quality of life. For this
group, transportation options to work are usually limited
to Metro Mobility/other public mobility provider, family/residential
staff, a private transportation company, or a Day Training
and Habilitation (DT&H) provider.
Unlike some DT&H providers who contract
with a private transportation company, we chose to manage
our own transportation services to better
ensure safe, dependable, clean, and courteous rides
for clients traveling to and from home and work.
In a typical year, we travel over 1,000,000
miles and provide approximately 125,000 rides to 250
clients in our program from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday. A small number of clients choose to use
the metro bus or a public mobility provider to get to
and from home and work. For these individuals, our transportation
services department coordinates the scheduling and payment
of external transportation services.
Merrick’s transportation services
department was established in 1991 and is considered a "private
carrier" as that term is defined by the Minnesota Department
of Transportation (MnDOT). Our fleet of 46 vehicles is capable
of serving both ambulatory and non-ambulatory passengers
throughout the metropolitan area. All vehicles used to transport
clients were purchased new, are monitored through a robust
preventive maintenance program, are equipped with first
aid kits and emergency roadside equipment, and are less
than 7 years old with fewer than 175,000 miles. Merrick,
Inc., is reimbursed a daily amount for providing a ride
from home to the DT&H and back again for each client
enrolled in our DT&H program.
The lives and safety of the clients,
as well as those of the employees who drive for us or
drive personal vehicles to perform their jobs or for
business purposes, is our utmost concern. For this reason,
our transportation service is managed by a Transportation
Manager who supervises two full-time
dispatchers and 4-6 professional drivers. All employees
must meet our rigorous qualifications before being permitted
to transport clients. This includes passing the Bureau
of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) screening process and drug test and
having an acceptable driving history as verified through
a Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) search.
All drivers are trained in defensive driving
by our certified driving instructor, are certified in CPR
and first aid, and are linked to a dispatcher via a "hands
free" wireless service. Each driver is trained to complete
and document a pre-trip inspection before leaving the parking
lot. Finally, a transportation report is submitted each
year to the Board of Directors and includes a summary of
the responses to the transportation question we ask in our
client survey.
In the last four years, our transportation
service has:
- Initiated legislation that excludes
all nonprofits in the State of Minnesota from paying sales
tax on qualified vehicle purchases.
- Obtained clarification from MnDOT with
regard to carrier status for DT&H Providers.
- Received three beautiful 13-passenger
buses through the MnDOT 5310 grant program.
- Provided voluntary transportation services
to local school groups and civic organizations.
- Installed "hands free" communication
links in all vehicles although this was not state law.
If you would like more information about
our transportation services, please contact us at (651)
789-6221.
