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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-08-2026 SLO Transit Contingency Fleet Plan San Luis Obispo (SLO) Transit Contingency Fleet Plan Prepared by: City of San Luis Obispo Public Works and Utilities Department 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 www.slocity.org Docusign Envelope ID: 4C7CDB6F-006E-81E9-83E6-F4C32EF84996 Page 2 of 5 Revision History Revision No. Date Description 1.0 September 1, 2026 Approval of initial plan Document Approval Approved By Position Date Signature Whitney McDonald City Manager This Contingency Fleet Plan is approved by the City Manager, who serves as the Accountable Executive for San Luis Obispo (SLO) Transit, as authorized by the City Council of the City of San Luis Obispo on September 1, 2026. The City Manager is also authorized to approve future administrative updates to the Plan as necessary to maintain compliance with applicable Federal Transit Administration requirements and to address changing operational conditions. Purpose The Contingency Fleet Plan (Plan) is to ensure the continued provision of safe, reliable, and efficient public transit service during the City of San Luis Obispo’s (City) transition from conventional diesel-powered buses to battery-electric buses (BEBs). The City operates a fixed-route fleet of 18 revenue vehicles. Due to the relatively small fleet size, the temporary unavailability of even a few vehicles may significantly impact service delivery. As such, maintaining a contingency fleet is necessary to ensure continuity of operations during the phased transition to zero-emission technologies. This Plan establishes the policy and procedures for maintaining and deploying a limited contingency fleet of legacy vehicles. This Plan also outlines the periodic need and justification for the City’s contingency fleet as required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) prior to establishing a contingency fleet. Staff reviews this plan annually and update s it as necessary to support the contingency fleet and related processes and procedures. The City’s active rolling stock is not part of the contingency fleet and the City does not calculate or include contingency fleet vehicles into its spare ratio. Regulatory Framework This Plan is developed in accordance with applicable federal requirements governing transit asset management and federally funded property. While the Code of Federal Regulations does not specifically define or regulate contingency fleets, this Plan is consistent with 49 CFR Part 625 (Transit Asset Management), which requires recipients to implement lifecycle management practices for capital assets. Docusign Envelope ID: 4C7CDB6F-006E-81E9-83E6-F4C32EF84996 9/8/2026 | 12:09 PM PDT Page 3 of 5 In addition, this Plan aligns with guidance set forth by FTA Circular 5010.1 F (Award Management Requirement) which permits recipients to retain vehicles beyond their minimum useful life and to use these vehicles for non-routine or contingency purposes, provided that such use is appropriately documented and the vehicles are excluded from spare ratio calculations. The City will maintain compliance with FTA spare ratio requirements1 by excluding contingency fleet vehicles from spare ratio calculations and maintaining clear fleet documentation that distinguishes between active fleet vehicles and inactive2 vehicles. The City will also ensure consistency between this Plan and National Transit Database (NTD) reporting, including proper classification of contingency vehicles. Collectively, these authorities provide the regulatory basis for the limited retention and controlled use of contingency vehicles to support service continuity during the City’s transition to 100 percent zero-emission fleet operations. Additionally, this Plan supports compliance with California’s Innovative Clean Transit Regulation, which requires full transition to zero-emission bus fleets by 2040. Policy Statement The City actively maintains a contingency transit fleet in compliance with FTA requirements and, as such, is in addition to the normal spare ratio as allowed by federal regulations. The contingency fleet will be used only for emergency responses, employee training, or to maintain service delivery levels throughout the City’s transition to a zero- emission fleet. The contingency fleet will be maintained per original equipment manufacturer (OEM) requirements to ensure mechanical reliability and readiness. Contingency Fleet Composition The contingency fleet will consist of diesel buses that have met or exceeded the Useful Life Benchmark (ULB) requirements. In the case of large, heavy-duty transit buses, the ULB is at least 12 years of service or an accumulation of at least 500,000 miles. Table 1 is the list of contingency fleet vehicles which is a reasonable and proportional contingency capacity for an 18-vehicle fleet. Consistent with FTA expectations, the size of the contingency fleet reflects the operational needs of a small system and the risks associated with phased BEB deployment. 1 The FTA does not set a specific spare ratio for agencies with fewer than 50 vehicles operated in maximum fixed-route service (i.e. City of San Luis Obispo); however, the FTA expects the number of spare buses to be reasonable, considering the number of vehicles and variety of vehicle types and sizes. 2 Contingency vehicles are considered inactive and are not assigned to daily service. Docusign Envelope ID: 4C7CDB6F-006E-81E9-83E6-F4C32EF84996 Page 4 of 5 Table 1 - List of Contingency Fleet Vehicles Fleet ID Model Year Make Description Year Removed from Service Mileage (at time of Removal) Useful Life 0861 2008 Gillig Heavy-duty, 35-foot 2026 486,243 12 years or 500,000 miles 1264 2012 Gillig Heavy-duty, 40-foot 2026 432,638 12 years or 500,000 miles 1365 2013 Gillig Heavy-duty, 40-foot 2026 501,848 12 years or 500,000 miles Permitted Uses Contingency vehicles may be deployed only under the following circumstances: Zero-Emission Vehicle Constraints • Range limitations and/or operational constraints of BEBs • Reduced vehicle availability due to performance issues Charging Infrastructure Limitations • Charging equipment failures or reduced capacity • Utility outages, including Public Safety Power Shutoffs Maintenance Backfill • Extended maintenance or repair of BEBs • Delays in parts or warranty service Emergency Operations • Natural disasters, including but not limited to wildfires or evacuations • Regional emergency response or mutual aid Temporary Service Needs • Short-term increases in service demand Activation and Documentation Requests to activate contingency fleet vehicles will be made in writing and can be made either by the City or by the City’s contracted service provider. Final approval for activation shall be made by the Mobility Services Business Manager or their designee. Written request is not required in the event of an emergency that requires immediate activation or for maintenance training purposes. Each activation of a contingency vehicle will be documented including date and duration of use, reason for activation, fleet identification number, and service or route assignment. Maintenance and Storage Buses in the contingency fleet are subject to a 6,000-mile preventive maintenance (PM) schedule. Periodic vehicle “start-ups” will occur between normal preventive maintenance inspections (PMI) so the fleet remains ready for service activation at all times. Prior to Docusign Envelope ID: 4C7CDB6F-006E-81E9-83E6-F4C32EF84996 Page 5 of 5 activating contingency vehicles back into revenue service, the City will perform a safety inspection. If the vehicle has been inactive for more than sixty (60) days, the City will perform a full PMI. The City may revise its vehicle inspection and/or PMI intervals if the City determines the above intervals are inadequate. The City will maintain and make available (upon request) all records associated with the contingency fleet. The contingency fleet will be stored at the City’s Transit Operation and Maintenance Facility located at 29 Prado Road, San Luis Obispo, CA. This facility has security fencing surrounding the property, security cameras at strategic locations, and perimeter lighting. Monitoring and Plan Updates Annually, staff will review the Contingency Fleet Plan and the activation of contingency fleet vehicles to determine if this Plan needs to be updated . The following criteria will be used during the annual review: • Frequency and duration of contingency fleet usage • Causes of deployment • Battery-electric bus reliability and availability • Changes in Federal and State laws • Funding availability for future battery electric bus and associated infrastructure procurements Through the annual review and update process, the City may begin a phased reduction of the contingency fleet as the transition to zero-emission technologies progresses. Vehicles will be considered for disposition when BEB fleet availability and infrastructure reliability demonstrate sustained operational stability. If the City determines that the number of vehicles retained in the contingency fleet can be reduced, then disposition of contingency vehicles will occur in accordance with FTA asset disposition requirements once no longer needed Conclusion This Fleet Contingency Plan provides a limited, controlled, and compliant framework for retaining legacy diesel vehicles during the City’s transition to a zero-emission fleet. The Plan ensures alignment with FTA requirements while maintaining the operational flexibility necessary to deliver reliable transit service to the San Luis Obispo community. Docusign Envelope ID: 4C7CDB6F-006E-81E9-83E6-F4C32EF84996