(a) The transportation planning agencies and the county transportation commissions shall prepare and adopt an action plan that describes in detail the steps required to accomplish the consolidation of social service transportation services. Funding for the action plan shall be provided from local transportation funds made available under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 99200) of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code. The action plan shall substantiate that one or more of the benefits indicated in Sections 15951 and 15952 are feasible for the services in a given geographic area. The action plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) The designation of consolidated transportation service agencies within the geographic area of jurisdiction of the transportation planning agency or county transportation commission. The action plan may designate more than a single agency or multiple agencies as consolidated transportation service agencies, if improved coordination of all services is demonstrated within the geographic area. In Ventura County, the county transportation commission is the consolidated transportation service agency.

The action plan may also specify that the consolidation of some services and the coordination of other services is the most feasible approach, at the time the action plan is submitted, which will provide improved efficiency and effectiveness of those services.

(2) The identification of the social service recipients to be served, of funds available for use by the consolidated or coordinated services, and of an orderly strategy and schedule detailing the steps required to develop the financial program and management structure necessary to implement consolidated or coordinated services.

(3) Measures to coordinate the services provided under paragraph (1) with existing fixed route service provided by public and private transportation providers.

(4) Measures for the effective coordination of specialized transportation service from one provider service area to another.

(5) Measures to ensure that the objectives of the action plan are consistent with the legislative intent declared in Section 15951.

(b) An entity formed by the regional transportation planning authority as a nonprofit public benefit corporation, designated as a consolidated transportation services agency under this section and charged with administering a countywide coordinated paratransit plan adopted pursuant to Section 37.141 of Chapter 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall, for the purposes of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 14055 and Part 1 (commencing with Section 810) and Part 2 (commencing with Section 814) of Division 3.6, be deemed a “public agency” within the meaning of “public entity,” as defined in Section 811.2.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 458, Sec. 1. (AB 971) Effective January 1, 2014.)