HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1996 1002 CC REG ITEM 10FCITY OF MOORPARK
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
TO: The Honorable City Council
FROM: Mary K. Lindley, Assistant to the City Manager
DATE: September 24, 1996 (CC Meeting of October 2)
SUBJECT: Consider Approval for Alternative Paratransit Service
Background
ITEM IO��
The City Council is being asked to consider and approve a proposed alternative method of
delivering paratransit service.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires transit operators to provide complementary
paratransit service to qualified individuals who are unable to access fixed route services.
Paratransit service is defined as a "demand responsive ", door -to -door transit system. The City
meets this requirement by utilizing a fixed route /route deviated bus system which means that,
upon request, the City's bus deviates from the fixed route to pick up or deliver a paratransit rider
and returns to the same point on the route to continue its run. The fixed route /route deviated
system was selected because it was a cost - effective way to accommodate the initial minimal
demand anticipated for paratransit service in Moorpark
To date, there are 20 Moorpark residents certified for paratransit service; approximately seven of
them regularly ride the bus at this time. The frequency with which these individuals ride,
significantly impacts the bus' ability to maintain a consistent "on- time" fixed route schedule. Fixed
route riders are not able to depend on the bus to get them to their destination at the scheduled
time.
College students have been impacted the most by combining fixed route and paratransit service.
Approximately five to seven students ride the bus to the college each weekday morning. Picking
up paratransit riders on the morning bus routes can make college students late to class. This now
happens with such frequency that students call City Hall in advance to see if any paratransit riders
are scheduled for pickup the following morning before deciding to take the bus to school.
Students' decision not to use the bus can negatively impact the City's farebox return.
Also, the City has recently received a request for paratransit service from a resident in the Gabbert
Canyon area who would like to travel to Thousand Oaks (via a transfer to the VISTA -East bus)
to attend weekly Braille classes. Although the City is not required to provide paratransit service
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3/4 of a mile beyond the fixed route, this request could be accommodated, if the City Council so
desired, if the bus did not have to adhere to a fixed schedule. Diverting the bus to the Gabbert
Canyon area would create delays that would be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. For the
time being, the City has had to decline to provide paratransit service to the Gabbert Canyon area.
In addition to the "on- time" performance concerns, the Ventura County Transportation
Commission (VCTC) heard testimony at its transit "unmet needs" public hearing regarding the
lack of coordination and transfer capabilities between paratransit systems countywide. In the east
county, paratransit riders are not able to travel from one city to another (Moorpark, Simi Valley,
Thousand Oaks) without transferring (via VISTA -East) a minimum of two times on a one -way
ride. Since transferring can be difficult for disabled paratransit riders, very few, if any, attempt it.
As a result, paratransit riders do not travel outside of the city in which they reside using public
transit. This accounts, in large part, for Moorpark's low paratransit ridership.
The "unmet needs" findings adopted by VCTC include direction to set up a paratransit advisory
committee to identify and recommend ways to improve coordination and transfers between
paratransit systems. One anticipated recommendation is that the cities will be asked to link their
paratransit systems at convenient locations between the jurisdictions, eliminating the need to
transfer to a VISTA bus (the cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley have informally worked
out such an arrangement to accommodate paratransit riders). This would be difficult, if not
impossible, for Moorpark given our current system without eliminating a full or partial bus route.
The City Council's Transportation and Streets Committee spent several meetings discussing
various options for providing paratransit service. Each option identified by the Committee and
included in this agenda report has two alternatives: A) to restrict service within the City's limits
and facilitate transfers indirectly through the VISTA -East bus stops at Moorpark College and the
Metrolink Station (this is the current means of bus transfers), or B) to provide direct transfer
service to Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks by connecting at a central location (the Reagan
Library). Providing direct transfer service to Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks using the City bus
or a service provider may require the City to accommodate and absorb the cost of transporting
Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks residents who are traveling from Moorpark to a transfer point in
the city in which they reside. If the City were not able to get the other cities to agree to be
responsible for the costs associated with their riders, the additional cost could be significant. Staff
has attempted to identify the cost associated with alternatives A and B under each option.
Option I : This option proposes a partial separation of paratransit service from fixed route
service by using a service provider, such as Thousand Oaks Cab Company, to provide
paratransit service to certified riders who are either 3/4 of a mile off the fixed route or
require the use a wheelchair. All other paratransit riders would be required to ride the
fixed route bus. This Option would allow the City to accommodate paratransit riders who
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live outside of the 3/4 of a mile fixed route radius and addresses the problem of time
delays on the fixed route caused by paratransit riders who require the use of a wheelchair.
Estimated Annual Cost: Alternative A - $11,500
Alternative B - $18,000
Option 2: This option goes further than Option 1 by proposing that the City's paratransit
service be completely separated from the fixed route service. This can be done by
contracting with a service provider, leaving the City bus to provide fixed route service
exclusively. A separate paratransit system would provide the flexibility needed to
accommodate transfer demands if the Council choose to move in that direction. In
addition, a separate paratransit system would also allow the City to consider other service
requests such as transportation for senior citizens to and from the senior nutrition meals
sites.
Estimated Annual Costs: Alternative A - $16,360
Alternative B - $33,000
Option 3: This Option is a variation of Option 2. In an effort to reduce the cost of Option
2, the City could limit the hours it utilizes a service provider to high demand periods. The
goal would be to remove paratransit riders from the fixed route bus at times when the
fixed route bus is in high demand, thereby reducing the number of times the bus is delayed
as a result of being diverted from the fixed route.
The down side to this Option is that paratransit riders will find that the separate paratransit
service is more convenient than riding the fixed route, which may encourage them to
schedule their rides during peak hours. The result may be that Option 3 provides little or
no -cost savings over Option 1 or 2.
If the Council chooses to implement Option 3, staff will need to retain all dispatching
functions or develop a system that allows it to coordinate dispatching with the service
provider. It is very likely that a paratransit rider will request a ride during the peak hours
(provided by a service provider) and a return ride during off -peak hours (provided by the
City bus). It is likely that this option will require additional staff time to manage
reservations.
The cost for this option will vary depending on the number of rides provided during the
peak hours. It could be half of the estimated annual cost for option 2 ($8,000) or as much
as $20,000.
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Estimated Annual Costs: Alternative A -$ 8,000 - $16,000
Alternative B - $20,000
Option 4 : This Option proposes that the City maintain its current fixed route /route
deviated system. No changes would be made to the current system and no additional
costs would be incurred.
Staff compiled the estimated operational costs for the various options based on discussions with
Thousand Oaks Cab. The company charges a flat fee of $1.90 for each service request and $1.82
per mile traveled. ADA guidelines allow transit providers to charge a maximum of twice the fixed
route fare for paratransit service. Moorpark's current fixed route (and paratransit) fare is $.75;
therefore, the City can charge up to $1.50 per one -way ride for paratransit service. Staff suggests
that the City Council consider increasing the paratransit fare to help offset the additional
expenditures resulting from the higher level of service. The fare would be deducted from the total
cost of the service, and the contractor would bill the City for the remaining costs. Under this
scenario, the average cost to the City of using a service provider such as Thousand Oaks Cab
under options 1, 2, and 3 would be $7.68 for a four -mile trip
Traditionally, bus fare revenues do not offset 100 percent of the cost for transit services; transit
operators must subsidize their systems. Under options 1, 2, and 3, the City would be subsidizing
the service approximately $7.68 per each one -way ride. Comparatively, the City subsidized, on
average, $8.50 per one -way ride for fixed route service prior to the purchase of a bus in June
1995. By owning its own bus, the City has been able to reduce the subsidy of the fixed route
system to approximately $5.50 per one -way ride.
The City currently uses TDA funds to cover the cost of its fixed route /route deviated bus system.
The City's FY 1996/97 Budget reflects that it expects to receive approximately $657,000 in TDA
funds and spend $138,000 on transit related services (bus and Metrolink). Under TDA guidelines,
after transit needs have been met, any remaining funds can be used for streets and road purposes
($519,200). The City currently has $75,000 in TDA revenue reserve which could be used to fund
the additional costs under options 1, 2, or 3.
Removing paratransit riders from the fixed route system will have minimal impact on its farebox.
It is anticipated that the fixed route farebox ratio may decrease from an average of 13.5 percent to
13 . 18 percent which equals approximately $268 annually. On the other hand, the "on- time"
improvements that may result from separating paratransit from the fixed route system should
increase ridership since students and other riders with time sensitive requirements would no
longer experience delays and would therefore they may be more likely to ride the bus. An
increase in the fixed route ridership will mean an increase the overall farebox ratio.
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At its meeting on August 20, the Transportation and Streets Committee indicated that it believed
Option 1 A, contracting with a service provider to provide paratransit service to certified riders
who are outside of the 3/4 mile fixed route radius and those who require the use of a wheelchair
(using VISTA -East to travel outside of Moorpark), would be the most cost effective means of
providing paratransit service. The Committee also recommended that the City Council considered
providing paratransit riders with the option of utilizing the service provider to travel outside of
Moorpark at their own cost. In other words, a paratransit rider could either be delivered to a
VISTA -East bus stop to travel to Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks, paying a fare of $1.50; or
request that the service provider transport them to a destination in Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks
and pay a fare of $1.50 plus the per mile cost outside of the City's limits.
If the City Council chooses to pursue one of the options outlined in this report, it could undertake
the new service as a pilot or demonstration to run through the end of the 1996/97 fiscal year. The
service could then be evaluated and reconsidered for funding in FY 1997/96.
Recommendation (Roll Call Vote)
The Transportation and Streets Committee and staff recommend that the City Council:
Approve Option l A (pilot) which calls for the City to contract with a service
provider to provide paratransit service to certified riders who live outside the 3/4
mile fixed route radius or require the use of a wheelchair and using VISTA -East to
travel outside of Moorpark;
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate a contract with a paratransit provider;
Increase the paratransit bus fare from $.75 to $1.50 for certified paratransit riders
who utilize the service provider, those who ride the fixed route bus will pay a fare
of $.75;
4, Approve the provision that would allow paratransit riders to utilize the service
provider to travel outside of Moorpark at their own expense, and
Approve the appropriation of $9,000 in TDA funds to cover the cost of
implementing Option 1 A for the remainder of FY 1996/97 (move $9,000 from
TDA Deferred Revenue and show it as transit revenue, 204.000.0000.000.3458,
and a transit expenditure, 204.203,1014 000.9191).
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