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Moorpark City Councj'L3
AGENDA REPORT
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: John Brand, Senior Management Analyst (r)
DATE: May 8, 2001, 2001 (CC meeting of May 16, 2001)
SUBJECT: Next Bus transit information system.
SUMMARY
On May 7, 2001 the Transportation & Streets Committee held a
special meeting to discuss the Next Bus project that was considered
by the City Council at the May 2, 2001 meeting. The Transportation
& Streets Committee concurs with the recommendation from the
original staff report.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Approve VCTC's request for $5,000 for the Next Bus Project and
direct staff to make the necessary transfers within the Transit
Fund using TDA Article 8c revenue.
90004
ITEM
Moorpark City Council
AGENDA REPORT
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: John Brand, Senior Management Analyst'��3
DATE: April 20, 2001 (CC meeting of May 2, 2001)
SUBJECT: Consider VCTC request for $5,000 to support funding of a
Next Bus transit information system.
SUMMARY
The City Council is being asked to consider a financial contribution
to the Next Bus Project, a system that provides bus arrival
information on an electronic message board at certain bus stops. It
is also possible to access the information on line at the Next Bus
web site. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $950,000.
VCTC requests a $5,000 contribution. VCTC has received commitments
for the Next Bus project of $40,000 from the City of Thousand Oaks,
$25,000 from the City of Simi Valley, and $150,000 from SCAT (South
Coast Area Transit.) There are sufficient funds in the current year
budget to make this contribution if approved by the Council.
BACKGROUND
At the February 2nd meeting, VCTC received a presentation by Next
Bus that places GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters on
buses and using proprietary software, predicts in real time when a
bus will arrive a given bus stop. Message boards at major stops
announce the arrival time at that stop. The information is also
accessible from the Internet so riders can check on the bus before
leaving school, home, or the workplace. The service is implemented
at several transit properties across the nation, including the Muni
in San Francisco and the MTD in Santa Barbara. The Beeline in
Glendale is currently installing the Next Bus service as well. The
information is updated every forty -five seconds. At the March 15th
VISTA -East meeting, VCTC Executive Director Ginger Gherardi asked
each jurisdiction to contribute toward the Next Bus project.
Moorpark was asked to contribute $5,000 for this effort. Moorpark
r3() V GS
Next Bus Project
CC Meeting of May 2, 2001
Page 2
staff asked for the request .
VCTC requesting that the City
toward the Next Bus project.
DISCUSSION
n writing. Attached is a letter from
consider making a $5,000 contribution
It is staff's understanding that the Next bus equipment will be
installed on all transit buses in the County. The message boards
will initially be placed at the two VISTA stops in Moorpark: at
Moorpark College and at Moorpark Station. A typical message is
"Southbound VISTA -East Bus will arrive in X minutes." A single
message board can announce multiple routes. The arrival times of
the two Moorpark City Transit route buses will also be announced on
the same message boards at the Moorpark College and Moorpark
Station.
Next Bus may also prove to be a helpful management tool. Next Bus
has a mapping interface with the GPS (Global Positioning System)
equipment it uses. As a result, staff will be able to determine the
location of the City buses on route from a desktop computer. The
public may also have this access by logging onto the Next Bus web
site at www.nextbus.com and selecting the transit system in which
they are interested.
There is sufficient money available in the current Fiscal Year
transit appropriation (Fund 5000 -7310) to satisfy VCTC's request if
approved by the City Council.
STAFF RECOM4ENDATION
Approve VCTC's request for $5,000 for the Next Bus Project and
direct staff to make the necessary transfers within the Transit
Fund using TDA Article 8c revenue.
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Next Bus Project.doc ��%�
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April 9, 2001
Mr. John Brand,
Senior Management Analyst
City of Moorpark
799 Moorpark Avenue
Moorpark, CA 93021
Subject: NextBus
Dear nd:
APR 1 1 2001
VENTURA COUNTY
950 County Square Drive, Suite 207
Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 642 -1591
FAX (805) 642 -4860
http: //vvww.goventura.org
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) is in the process of contracting
with NextBus Information Systems Inc., which provides "real- time" bus arrival
information. Buses are tracked in "real- time" and through the use of Automatic Vehicle
Location (AVL) systems and the information is delivered to passengers via electronic
message signs located at bus stops as well as on the World Wide Web. The scope of the
project includes equipping nearly all of the buses countywide with AVL systems and
equipping forty (40) bus stops with electronic message signs.
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VCTC has included Moorpark in the project design and is planning to provide installation
of AVL systems on Moorpark's buses, equipping two bus stops with electronic message
signs and providing Internet access for Moorpark to control its message signs and collect
bus operation data. This system could be expanded at a later date if Moorpark chose to
do so.
The total cost for the NextBus project is approximately $950,000. VCTC is providing the
bulk of the funding through State Transit Assistance (STA) Funds that were not needed
for Metrolink. To help defer some of the project costs, VCTC is soliciting funds from
locai agencies. VCTC is requesting that the City of Moorpark contribute $5,000 to this
very beneficial project. Currently VCTC has received commitments of $40,000 from the
City of Thousand Oaks, $25,000 from the City of Simi Valley and $150,000 from SCAT.
Thank you for your help with this important project. If you have any questions about this
project please feel free to contact Steve DeGeorge at (805) 642 -1591 (ext. 103) or by
email at sdegeorge @goventura.org.
Sincerely,
Ginger Gherardi
Executive Director
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Specify your stop and NextBus will display the time the
next transit vehicle will arrive.
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Agency: ISanta Barbara MTD, CA
Route:
12.-Eastside
411-fA&
Direction: ITo Downtown �41
Stop: ICarrillo and Anacapa
•d
Next vehicles arrive in:
I minute
17 minutes
31 minutes
Prediction valid as of 10:51 AM Friday, April 20
Page that can be bookmarked for this sto
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@ 2001 NextBus Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
schedule
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http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/stopSelectorFrame.htm 4/20/2001