§ 27:25-40 — Regional paratransit coordinating councils.

6. a. There are hereby established six separate regional paratransit coordinating councils in furtherance of the purposes of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-35 et seq.). The regional paratransit coordinating councils shall be organized as follows: (1) one council shall cover the counties of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem; (2) one council shall cover the counties of Burlington, Camden, and Ocean; (3) one council shall cover the counties of Mercer, Middlesex, and Monmouth; (4) one council shall cover the counties of Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren; (5) one council shall cover the counties of Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union; and (6) one council shall cover the counties of Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic. b. Each regional paratransit coordinating council shall have the following members: (1) one designee of the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services; (2) one designee of the New Jersey Transit Corporation who works on the Access Link program or the Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program; (3) one representative of any company or entity that has contracted with the New Jersey Transit Corporation to provide Access Link paratransit service within the region; (4) one representative of each county office of aging within the respective region to be chosen by the county executive director or by the board of freeholders, as applicable; (5) one representative of each county transportation agency or other comparable entity within the respective region that provides paratransit service for a county under the Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program; (6) one representative from each county chapter of the Arc of New Jersey, or a successor organization, within the respective region; (7) one individual that represents one or more members of the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities, or a successor organization, within the respective region; (8) one representative of Community Access Unlimited, or a successor organization, within the respective region; (9) one representative of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers, or a successor organization, within the respective region; (10) one representative of the New Jersey Council on Special Transportation, or a successor organization, within the respective region; (11) one representative of Easterseals New Jersey, or a successor organization, within the respective region; and (12) one representative within the respective region, to be selected by the corporation in consultation with the department, of providers of transportation services to senior citizens or to individuals requiring transportation for health care services. c. Each agency with an eligible representative of a regional paratransit coordinating council provided in subsection b. of this section shall submit information, in a form and manner determined by the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transit Corporation, to the executive director not later than 30 days following the enactment of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-35 et seq.) and on or before January 1 of each year thereafter identifying the name and contact information for the person to represent each respective agency. The term for each member on the regional paratransit coordinating council shall be one year provided, however, that any member may be selected to serve on the council for subsequent terms at the discretion of the respective agency. The executive director may appoint one member of each regional paratransit coordinating council to serve as the chair of that council. d. Each regional paratransit coordinating council shall meet not less than quarterly, with the first meeting happening not less than 60 days following the enactment of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-35 et seq.). The chair, in consultation with the other members of the council, shall set meeting dates and shall lead the coordination effort. The members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed by the corporation, for reasonable expenses incurred in the execution of their duties. e. The purpose of the regional paratransit coordinating councils is to exchange best practices among paratransit providers within the State. Those best practices shall include but are not limited to scheduling and routing, fleet maintenance, driver training, customer communications, safety practices, and improving the customer usability experience. The councils are also to establish a system to exchange information among and between paratransit providers so that: (1) each paratransit provider may provide basic information to its customers about other paratransit service options within each respective region; (2) paratransit providers may eventually share customer trip requests amongst each other; and (3) a single platform may eventually be developed that enables a paratransit user to visit a single platform or place to request a trip, and that trip may be distributed amongst the paratransit providers in a manner that optimizes State cost and customer experience. The councils shall also exchange budget information and investigate more efficient means of organizing the New Jersey Transit Corporation's expenditures for paratransit services, use of State casino revenue funds, and appropriations for the division and department related to paratransit services, for the purpose of coordinating these three respective funding pools to eliminate any duplicative funding, and to direct trips and funding to service providers that offer the highest quality service and overall best value. f. The county plans required under section 6 of P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-30) and any committees or groups organized to effectuate the purposes of the "Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Act," P.L.1983, c.578 (C.27:25-25 et seq.) shall be consolidated into the regional paratransit coordinating councils. If necessary, county level subcommittees of the regional paratransit coordinating councils may be established to more effectively develop county plans; however, following the effective date of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-35 et seq.) county plans shall also take into account the larger regional and Statewide goals of integrating paratransit service and creating a more cohesive user experience under the pilot program established in P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-35 et seq.). g. The New Jersey Transit Corporation shall utilize each regional paratransit coordinating council to disseminate information about the new Access Link program structure developed pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-38) and coordinate with the council in determining the operating standards required for paratransit providers to compete to provide Access Link trips and when developing the system for paying paratransit providers to provide regular and routine trips requested through the Access Link program. h. The regional paratransit coordinating councils shall also advise other paratransit providers in each region and develop support materials to assist other paratransit providers in adopting and implementing the best practices training package developed under phase three of the pilot program established pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection d. of section 5 of P.L.2020, c.114 (C.27:25-39). L.2020, c.114, s.6.