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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-08-2017 MTC Minutes FINAL Minutes - FINAL MASS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Wednesday, February 8, 2017 Special Meeting of the Mass Transportation Committee CALL TO ORDER A Special Meeting of the Mass Transportation Committee was called to order on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room, located at 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, by Chair Thyne. ROLL CALL Present: Committee Members Elizabeth Thyne (Chair - Senior), John Osumi (Vice Chair – Business), Cheryl Andrus (Cal Poly), Denise Martinez (Disabled), Louise Justice (Member at Large), James Thompson (Technical), Justin Frentzel (Student), David Figueroa (Alternate) Absent: Diego-Christopher Lopez (Alternate) Staff: Transit Manager Gamaliel Anguiano, Transit Assistant Megan Cutler, Recording Secretary Lareina Gamboa PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None. ANNOUNCEMENTS None. MINUTES None. ACTION ITEMS 1. Fare Changes FINAL Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of February 8, 2017 Page 2 Draft fare changes were presented to the committee at a previous meeting for discussion and recommendations, as well as presented to the public for comments. The Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) recommends the following: 1.) Longer academic schedules 2.) Longer summer schedules 3.) Longer weekend schedules 4.) Core to core frequency The City currently operates with 10 vehicles during peak operation hours. SRTP improvements will allow the City to operate with 8 vehicles during peak operation hours. Transit Manager Anguiano responds to a comment regarding the elimination of day passes by informing the committee that the elimination of day passes would be a huge jump for a regular rider to make, going from just $3 to $37, so it is not a staff recommendation to eliminate any of the day passes. Committee Member Justice proposes raising the K-12 student pass so as not to put the fare increase burden on the senior/disabled pass. Transit Manager Anguiano states the senior/disabled pass increase is being caught up to the rest of the fares. The cost of the senior/disabled pass has not been raised in over seven years. Committee member Osumi states the K-12 student fare base was set to allow parents a more affordable alternative to the school bus. Committee Member Frentzel shares his concern that an increase may discourage young riders from becoming lifelong riders. Committee Member Justice shares her concern about the senior/disabled pass and proposes the increase be reduced to $1.50 per year instead of $2.00 increments. Committee Member Osumi raises the point that it is easier to present a larger fare initially and increase this fare with a smaller incremental fare increase, rather than start with a smaller fare and increase this fare with a more significant fare increase. Committee Member Justice proposes the elimination of certain day passes, making SLO Transit more comparable to other transit systems. Transit Manager Anguiano states this is not a staff recommendation. Since the pass type is determined by the farebox encoding the bar coding strip on the back, eliminating day pass types would not save money. Day passes, such as the 3-day and 7-day passes, were introduced for the purposes of encouraging visitors from conventions or special events to ride public transit during their stay in San Luis Obispo. Committee Member Andrus acknowledges the hassle of having to reload a pass more often. Advertising in buses will continue to generate revenue. Non-profit agencies may pay a small charge based on the ad. There will be no fees for City sponsored and special events ads. All fare changes are proposed to go into effect on June 19i, 2017. FINAL Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of February 8, 2017 Page 3 ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER FRENTZEL, SECOND BY COMMITTEE MEMBER JUSTICE, CARRIED 8-0, to support staff recommendation of moving the base fare to $1.50, with the exception that the senior pass only be changed to $1.50 for the first year, then reevaluated each year following to decide whether an increase is necessary or if it can remain the same each year after. The student pass will remain at $25.00 and the 31 -day pass will increase $1.00 per year for the next four years. 2.Title VI Plan Committee Member Justice brings to attention the following details: •Page 8, the senior age states 62 years old. 62 years old is based on the MTC bylaws and the advisory body process. The senior advisory body representative needs to be at least 62 years old. However, for transit purposes, such as the senior fare, the minimum age is 65 years old. •Replace “amongst these volunteer members” with “volunteer members consist of” •Page 14, replace “write me at this address” with “the address shown below” Committee Member Frentzel notes: •Page 8, replace “there is currently (1) Hispanic member” to “there are currently (3) non-white members” ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER ANDRUS, SECOND BY COMMITTEE MEMBER FRENTZEL, CARRIED 8-0, to approve the amendments above. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3.MTC Bylaw Revision a.MTC Bylaw revisions is to be placed on the next agenda for discussion after the committee familiarizes themselves with the bylaws in order to make suggestions. 4.Major City Goals Update a.Major City Goals were accepted by the City for multimodal transportation, as well as housing, and the Climate Action Plan. When Council begins shaping its budget, multimodal will receive some funding, and will be tied to the Climate Action Plan. 5.Transit Manager’s Report a.The double decker bus is back in route with limited usage. The new buses are in possession and are being fine tuned. On March 9, 2017 there will be a public unveiling of the new buses at 4:30 p.m. in Mission Plaza. These buses will be on display during Farmers’ Market until 9:00 p.m. FINAL Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of February 8, 2017 Page 4 Middle school ridership is increasing; however, overall ridership is still down. The double decker being out of service for a significant amount of time had a direct impact on ridership. The Amgen bike race and the SLO Marathon are approaching. Route detours are being finalized. Transit Manager Anguiano will keep the committee updates. ADJOURNMENT ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER JUSTICE, SECOND BY COMMITTEE MEMBER FIGUEROA, CARRIED 8-0 to adjourn the meeting at 3:47 p.m. until the Regular Meeting of the Mass Transportation Committee, March 8, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lareina Gamboa Recording Secretary Megan Cutler Transit Assistant APPROVED BY THE MASS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: 05/10/2017 i Implementation of route, schedule, and fare change re -scheduled for June 18, 2017