DRAFT

Short Range Transit Plan FY 2012/13 – 2021/22 City of Petaluma November 6, 2012

CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Federal transportation statutes require that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), in partnership with state and local agencies, develop and periodically update a longrange Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and a Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) which implements the RTP by programming federal funds to transportation projects contained in the RTP. In order to effectively execute these planning and programming responsibilities, MTC requires that each transit operator in its region which receives federal funding through the TIP, prepare, adopt, and submit to MTC a Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP). The preparation of this SRTP has been funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), through Section 5303 of the Federal Transit Act. The contents of this SRTP reflect the views of the consultant, and are not necessarily those of USDOT, the Federal Transit Administration, or MTC. The City of Petaluma, Department of Public Works & Utilities, Transit Division is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information presented in the document.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: SYSTEM OVERVIEW .........................................................................................................1 Governance .......................................................................................................................................1 Organizational Structure ....................................................................................................................2 Transit Service Overview ....................................................................................................................4 Fixed-Route Service .................................................................................................................................. 4 Paratransit Service .................................................................................................................................... 4 Other Transit Services............................................................................................................................... 4 Existing Facilities ................................................................................................................................5 Fare Structure ....................................................................................................................................6 Demand Assessment ..........................................................................................................................7 Ride-Dependent Population ..................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2 – GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STANDARDS ......................................................................... 13 Goals, Objectives, and Measures ...................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 3 – FIXED-ROUTE SERVICE AND SYSTEM EVALUATION ........................................................ 15 On-Time Performance ...................................................................................................................... 15 Route Descriptions and Analysis ....................................................................................................... 16 Route 1 /1T/1V ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Route 11 ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Route 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Route 24 ................................................................................................................................................. 18 Route 3 / 33 / 3T ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Service Evaluation ............................................................................................................................ 19 Fixed-Route Service ................................................................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER 4 – PARATRANSIT SERVICE AND SYSTEM EVALUATION ....................................................... 27 Service Overview ............................................................................................................................. 27 Performance Trends......................................................................................................................... 30 Existing Policy Framework & Performance Standards ........................................................................ 34 Key Policy Elements ................................................................................................................................ 34

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN ADA Compliance .............................................................................................................................. 37 Demand Forecasts ........................................................................................................................... 41 Summary & Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 44 Petaluma Paratransit Summary Comments ........................................................................................... 44 Petaluma Paratransit Recommendations ............................................................................................... 44 Enhancing Demand Management Initiatives ......................................................................................... 48 Monitoring and Reporting Enhancements ............................................................................................. 49 CHAPTER 5: OPERATIONS PLAN & BUDGET ....................................................................................... 51 Proposed Operating Expenses and Performance Assumptions........................................................... 51 Fixed-Route Service Recommendations ................................................................................................. 52 CHAPTER 6: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM .............................................................................. 59 Fixed-Route Vehicle Program ........................................................................................................... 59 Paratransit Vehicle Program ............................................................................................................. 59 Other Capital Programs .................................................................................................................... 64 Facility Rehab.......................................................................................................................................... 64 Bus Stop Amenities ................................................................................................................................. 64 Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) System.............................................................................................. 65 Transit Data Management Software ...................................................................................................... 65 Real Time Information ............................................................................................................................ 65 Signal Priority .......................................................................................................................................... 65 APPENDIX A ..................................................................................................................................... 67 INTER-OPERATOR COORDINATION EFFORTS ..................................................................................... 67 APPENDIX B ..................................................................................................................................... 76 HOW PETALUMA TRANSIT CAN IMPROVE ITS PRODUCT-OFFERING AND INCREASE RIDERSHIP .......... 76 APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................................... 117 RESULTS PETALUMA’S PORTION OF 2012 MTC REGIONAL ONBOARD SURVEY (REDHILL) .................. 117

TABLES Table 1: Current Fare & Pass Structure......................................................................................................... 7 Table 2: Performance Measures and Indicators ......................................................................................... 21 Table 3: Petaluma Paratransit Trip Booking, Scheduling and Dispatch Process ......................................... 28 Table 4: Petaluma Paratransit Performance Trends (FY 2007/08 to FY2011/12) ...................................... 30 Table 5: Petaluma Paratransit Cancellation and No-show Trends (April, May and June 2012) ................. 33 Table 6: Petaluma Paratransit On-Time Performance (April-June 2012) ................................................... 34 Table 7: Petaluma Paratransit performance standards and actual performance in FY 2011/12 ............... 36

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN Table 8: Petaluma Paratransit: ADA Compliance Summary ....................................................................... 39 Table 9: Projections of Potential Annual Petaluma Paratransit Demand (FY 2012/13 to FY 2021/22) ...... 43 Table 10: Operating Expenses and Revenue Projections............................................................................ 57 Table 11: Service Plan 2013-2022 ............................................................................................................... 58 Table 12: Vehicle Inventory ........................................................................................................................ 61 Table 13: Fleet Replacement Plan............................................................................................................... 62 Table 14: Capital Plan.................................................................................................................................. 63

FIGURES Figure 1: Fixed Route Performance Indicators ........................................................................................... 14 Figure 2: Paratransit Performance Indicators ............................................................................................. 14 Figure 3: Petaluma Transit System Map, August 2012 ............................................................................... 16 Figure 4: Productivity by Route (October 2012) ......................................................................................... 19 Figure 5: Total Fixed Route Passengers ...................................................................................................... 22 Figure 6: Passengers/Revenue Vehicle Hour .............................................................................................. 22 Figure 7: Passengers per Revenue Vehicle Mile ......................................................................................... 23 Figure 8: Operating Cost per Revenue Vehicle Hour .................................................................................. 24 Figure 9: Operating Cost per Passenger...................................................................................................... 24 Figure 10: Farebox Recovery Ratio: Fare Revenue / Operating Cost.......................................................... 25 Figure 11: Fare per Passenger..................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 12: Projection of Annual Paratransit Demand (FY2012/13 to FY2021/22)...................................... 43

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Chapter 1: System Overview Located in southern Sonoma County, Petaluma lies approximately 39 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. California Highway 101 and Washington Street divide the community into quadrants. For example, the segment east of CA Highway 101 and south of Washington Street is referred to as the southeast sector of the city. Petaluma has become increasingly attractive as a bedroom community for persons employed either within the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Rosa, or neighboring Napa, Marin or Solano counties. Petaluma’s population has increased by a third across the past two decades, with Census 2010 reporting 57,941 residents. Incorporated in 1858, the city includes 14 squares miles of land area. Overall density is 3,950 persons/square mile. The City maintains a proactive development review process, resulting in a balanced mix of residential and commercial development. The Petaluma River is at the heart of the community. A historic downtown flanks the river and contributes to the community’s authentic Victorian charm. To the east lie Petaluma’s newer neighborhoods and retail centers. Surrounding the city, dairy ranches and agriculturalrelated land provide significant open space areas. Historically, Petaluma's economy was poultry-based. Today, most of the small, independently-owned farms have been merged into few, larger producers. Petaluma’s core industries include poultry, dairy, telecommunications, and tourism. There is also a growing film industry.\ Petaluma provides both fixed route (Petaluma Transit) and paratransit services within the Petaluma Urbanized Area (primarily City Limits). The Fiscal Year 2013 fixed route network features a four-bus base network, operating on six different routes, running seven days a week from early morning to early evening. Petaluma Paratransit operates the same time span as the fixed route, providing ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) “premium” service, by providing rides to eligible persons to and from any location in the Petaluma Urbanized Area, regardless of the proximity to active fixed route bus service.

Governance Petaluma is a charter city with a council-manager form of government. The city council is composed of seven members, one of whom functions as mayor and one as vice-mayor. The Mayor is directly elected during municipal elections held on even years. Council members

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are elected at-large for a four-year term, and serve on a city-wide basis. Terms overlap, resulting in at least three seats being open for election every two years.

Organizational Structure The City’s public transit program, marketed as Petaluma Transit, features a single full-time employee, the City’s Transportation Division Manager. The new role, “Transportation Division Manager” was created in July of 2012, assigning new responsibilities involving the airport and marina facilities. The Transportation Division Manager is responsible for control oversight, day-to-day program administration, service planning, capital project development and programming/grants and marketing. Prior to 2009, the City relied on the assistance of outside consultants with respect to service planning, marketing, and compliance activities. In recent years, these functions have been executed “in-house”, using City Transit staff. Since 2009, a part-time Senior Transit Analyst has assisted with overall program activities. The Senior Transit Analyst focuses on grants management, planning, and managing the ADA paratransit eligibility determination process, as well as providing backup to the Transportation Division Manager when he is on vacation or out of the office. In 2011, the City obtained a Federal New Freedoms grant to establish the part time position of transit travel trainer. The travel trainer does outreach in the community, and teaches groups and individuals how to utilize the fixed route bus system. This function is a key part of the paratransit demand management strategy that maximizes available funding.

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The operations, maintenance, and daily service delivery is provided through a multi-year contract with MV Transportation. Prior to July 2011, Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC) was under contract to manage paratransit services. From July 2011 to May 2012, PPSC provided drivers (only), while MV Transportation assumed responsibility for scheduling and dispatch. In May 2012, the contract between MV and PPSC was terminated, and these services were brought fully under MV Transportation management. MV assigns a full-time manager, one full-time dispatcher, and two part-time dispatcher/schedulers to the Petaluma contract. All MV staff on the contract are domiciled at the City’s Transit facility located at 555 North McDowell Boulevard. The contract with MV Transportation runs through June 30, 2016. Operations and financial reports are submitted by the contractor on a monthly basis. An obvious benefit of this colocation of the City as well as contractor staff at the North McDowell facility is streamlined communications. The City’s Transportation Division Manager embraces an active role in program oversight, interacting with contractor staff daily, and supporting operations. Petaluma Transit has nearly completed a major modernization effort on its revenue fleet. Culminating in the 2011 addition of (4) new 29’ Gillig (BRT, or bus rapid transit styled) low-floor buses, featuring a new attractive periwinkle blue paint scheme, replacing the rough riding and unreliable medium duty “cutaway” Chevy vans purchased in 2003. Fleet standardization was accomplished in the summer of 2012, as the (4) 2007 35’ low-floor buses (the backbone of the fleet from 2007 until 2011) were repainted to match the new Petaluma Transit “brand”. Borrowed and aged paratransit vans were replaced in 2011 and 2012 by (4) new Ford cutaway vans. The key funding that enabled this dramatic fleet overhaul was obtained when the City successfully obtained “direct grantee” status with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in 2007 and began accessing its fair share of regional FTA funding shortly thereafter. Transit vehicle maintenance and washing are also performed at the North McDowell facility. In 2010 the City was awarded $600,000 in FTA State of Good Repair funds to increase the clearance height and length of the southern bay of the existing facility to accommodate maintenance operations for the larger buses. Following on that grant award, the City was recently awarded an additional $800,000 in State of Good Repair funds to repave the bus parking lot with asphalt or concrete; move and replace the perimeter fencing; reclaim underutilized land for additional bus parking; add exterior surveillance cameras; install a bus wash; reconfigure the facility to better support electronic farebox

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data collection; reconfigure public access to the facility, including ADA improvements; and reconfigure employee parking to increase capacity outside of the yard.

Transit Service Overview Fixed-Route Service The City initiated fixed-route service in 1976. Today, Petaluma Transit proves scheduled service along six separate alignments using a fleet of Year 2007 and 2011 Gillig low-floor transit coaches. All routes operate on 30- or 60-minute headways. Service is provided from 6:20 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., Monday through Friday; from 7:20 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, and (as of August 2012) from 8:20 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Sunday. In 2010, Petaluma Transit executed a major service restructuring, driven by the financial crisis of the Great Recession, but also by a need to improve connectivity & reallocate service hours to areas with greater transit demand, while culling duplicative and unproductive service. The July 2010 service changes reduced revenue hours by over 16%, while leading to strong ridership growth. All active fleet buses are low-floor for accessibility, hold 2 mobility devices, and feature bike racks.

Paratransit Service The City’s paratransit service was initiated in 1982. It functions as the ADA complementary component of the overall public transit network. As such, its operating schedule mirrors that of the fixed-route service. The service is open to ADA-certified patrons who travel in Petaluma. Service delivery is reservation-based, shared-ride. The program utilizes six vehicles, provided by the City. As previously mentioned, the City goes beyond the minimum ADA-required level of service provision by extending rides to and from locations beyond ¾ mile from an active fixed route. Petaluma Paratransit serves eligible (as defined by ADA law) persons anywhere within the Petaluma Urbanized Area as defined by the 2010 U.S. Census.

Other Transit Services Sonoma County Transit and Golden Gate Transit also provide transit service within Petaluma. Sonoma County Transit, the countywide public transit service, provides service along three distinct alignments within Petaluma: Lines 40, 44, and 48. While operating times vary by route, service is provided in Petaluma from 5:20 a.m. to 9:48 p.m. on weekdays, and from 7:05 a.m. to 9:20 p.m. on weekends.

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Due to the limited road network linking east and west Petaluma, there is some duplication of service between Petaluma Transit and Sonoma County Transit. One positive aspect arising from this is the number of co-terminal service points affording inter-service transfers. Golden Gate Transit is a regional transit service linking Petaluma with San Francisco and Santa Rosa. GGT operates four distinct alignments within Petaluma: Routes 74, 76, 80, 101/ 101X. While operating times vary by route, GGT service is available on at least one route seven days a week, twenty-one hours a day from 4:40 a.m. to 1:48 a.m. Similar to Sonoma County transit, connections with Petaluma Transit can be made at several co-terminal locations throughout the community. The Transit Mall, located at East Washington Street and Copeland Street, features linear, curbside connections, with dedicated bus shelters for Petaluma Transit, Sonoma County Transit, and Golden Gate Transit. Adjacent to the Transit Mall is a right-of-way owned by Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART). SMART will operate a passenger train and bicycle/pedestrian path planned to run from Cloverdale in Sonoma County to the San Francisco-bound ferry at Larkspur Landing in Marin County. In phase I, the train and bike-walk path will run from North Santa Rosa to San Rafael with a proposed SMART Connector dedicated bus service between Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor and Santa Rosa as well as San Rafael to Larkspur. Current plans call for the first 38-mile phase between North Santa Rosa and downtown San Rafael, with service to Petaluma, to be operational by 2015 or 2016.

Existing Facilities In partnership with the County of Sonoma, the City undertook the design and development of a new Transit Mall within Petaluma, which opened in November 2007 on Copeland Street, between East Washington and East D Streets. The Mall supplanted the previous onstreet transfer site located at Fourth and C Streets as the focal-point for inter-agency transfers in the Downtown/Westside area. The Transit Mall serves as the most defined regional transfer facility in Petaluma, bringing together routes from Petaluma Transit, Sonoma County Transit, and Golden Gate Transit. In addition, the Transit Mall is served by private taxis and is equipped with bicycle racks. Although Copeland has been open for 5 years, both Amtrak and the Sonoma Airport Express continue to operate from the Fair Grounds (E. Washington just west of Highway 101). It is felt that Copeland Transit Mall is not an optimal operations location for Amtrak

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and the Airport Express, due to the current lack of parking. However, changes in the future at the Fairgrounds could cause the relocation of these services to the Transit Mall. The City constructed the Eastside Transit Center (ETC) in 2010 along the side of the Washington Square Shopping Center on Maria Drive, just east of S. McDowell Blvd. The new ETC offers a transfer point for routes serving the East side of Petaluma (11, 2, 3, and 33). The ETC features four curbside bus bays and two passenger waiting shelters. In the near future, additional benches will be added to expand seating, as this is the City’s busiest transfer facility.

Fare Structure Petaluma Transit’s adult fare for its fixed-route service is $1.25. Up to two children (under the age of six) may ride free with each fare-paying adult. The student rate, for youth 6-18 or 18+ with a Santa Rosa Junior College ID, is $1.00. Seniors (age 65 and above) and persons with disabilities ride at a reduced rate of $.50. Drivers do not make change for fares. Petaluma Transit offers a 10-ride transit pass, although there is no monetary savings realized with this option and few are sold. Fares were last raised in July of 2010, when Adult fares went from $1 to $1.25. Petaluma Transit also offers a monthly pass for unlimited rides (within the month of issuance) priced at $30. A student monthly pass is available for $20 dollars and a senior/disabled version at $15. Passes may be purchased at nine locations in Petaluma, including City Hall, the Community Center, Mail Depot, G&G Supermarket, Lolita’s Market, Boys & Girls Club, Petaluma City School Admin Offices, Kenilworth Jr. High School, Petaluma Jr. High School. Staff is currently working on an internet solution for purchasing passes. While use of monthly pass often times dilutes a program’s average fare indicator, this is offset by increased patron loyalty as well as overall convenience. In 2012, the City worked collaboratively with its Transit Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Petaluma City School District (PCSD) in the development of a means-based student discount pass. The pilot project created a new “quarterly pass”, available to PCSD secondary school students at each campus, for a current price of $40 per academic quarter (2+ months). Students whose families participate in the national free and reduced price lunch program (low-income) are able to purchase the new quarterly pass at half price, for only $20 per academic quarter. Intra-system transfers are free with paid fare. Transfers from other transit systems within Sonoma County connecting with Petaluma transit are worth one free one-way trip. PETALUMA TRANSIT

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Petaluma Transit transfers are worth one dollar ($1.00) on Golden Gate Transit and onedollar twenty-five cents ($1.25) on Sonoma County Transit. The City’s paratransit service features a single fare of $2.50 (reflective of ADA policy). The last paratransit fare increase was in July, 2011, when fares went from $2.25 to $2.50. Table 1: Current Fare & Pass Structure Service Mode Fixed-Route

Transfers

Paratransit

Classification Adults - cash Students (18 & under, plus SRJC) - cash Seniors (65 & older) & Disabled with RTC card - cash 10-Ride Pass 10-Ride Pass (Senior / Disabled) Monthly Pass Student Monthly Pass Student Summer Pass Senior/Disabled Monthly Pass Pilot Quarterly Student Pass (income dependent) Petaluma Transit (within 1 hour) To Sonoma County Transit / Golden Gate Transit From Sonoma County Transit / Golden Gate Transit One-Way Trip Round Trip Rider Card (12 one-way rides)

Fare $1.25 $1.00 $0.50 $12.50 $5.00 $30.00 $20.00 $23.00 $15.00 $40/$20 Free $1-$1.25 credit Free $2.50 $5.00 $30.00

Demand Assessment Of the 488,116 residents in Sonoma County, 11.8 percent live in Petaluma. Between 2000 and 2010, the City’s population increased approximately 6.2 percent, reflecting a much slower rate of growth than the previous decade, which showed a 26 percent population increase. The greatest population concentrations are located in northeastern Petaluma. While Petaluma has seen an increase in the number of residents 65 years and older, the increase for those 85 years and older has been even greater. This trend brings with it an increased demand for public transit services, paratransit services in particular.

Ride-Dependent Population Typically, a community’s ride-dependent population is composed of youth, seniors, persons with disabilities, persons at or below the federal poverty level, and persons lacking access to a personal vehicle.

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Youth Population For the purposes of this study, youth is defined as individuals under 18 years of age. In 2010, the number of youth in Petaluma was equal to 23.2 percent of the city’s population. School-age youth are a core customer component of most transit programs as they reflect a high degree of ride-dependency (i.e., lack a driver’s license and/or access to a personal vehicle). Given the concentration of youth population combined with the location of schools, public transit as a home-to-school travel alternative is important. In conducting our surveys of current transit riders (see Appendix for more on Petaluma Transit marketing activities), we conclude that school is a popular travel motivator. Based on 2000 Census data, the concentration of youth resides in the southeastern quadrant. This is logical given the concentration of single-family dwellings located therein, as well as the supporting infrastructure (i.e., schools). Petaluma’s largest high school, Casa Grande High is located on Casa Grande Road. Three of the 14 elementary schools in Petaluma are in the southeastern area. In addition the Kaiser Medical Center is located on the far southeast edge of Petaluma, and is a popular medical destination. In the northeast quadrant, Santa Rosa Junior College on Sonoma Mountain Parkway, and Kenilworth Junior High School on Riesling Road are major trip attractors. Petaluma High School and Petaluma Junior High are the major trip attractors in the southwest quadrant, and are surrounded by primarily single family residential developments. Other secondary schools in Petaluma include San Antonio High School on Vallejo Street, Carpe Diem High School on Fair Street, and Saint Vincent’s High School on Keokuk Street. Elderly Population For purposes of this study, elderly population is defined as individuals over the age of 65. In 2010, the number of elderly in Petaluma was equal to 13.1 percent of the city’s population, an increase from 11 percent in 2000. Based on the 2000 Census data, significant concentrations of seniors reside within the northern and southeastern portions of the city. A high senior concentration correlates with transportation needs to local medical facilities. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center is located at the far southeastern edge of the City, at the intersection of Lakeville Highway and Pine View Way, while Petaluma Valley Hospital is more centrally located at the intersection of Professional Drive and North McDowell Boulevard. The large senior population in this area may also correlate with the concentration of assisted living establishments in

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northeastern Petaluma, such as Springfield Place and Sunrise Senior Living. In addition, senior activity centers, such as the Petaluma Senior Center and Senior Café (lunch program) on Novak Drive, are located in this segment of the city. In addition, there is an area on the West side of Petaluma that boasts a high concentration of seniors, which is attributed to the area’s medical facilities: Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center (300 Douglas), the Oaks Alzheimer's and Dementia Clinic, (450 Hayes Lane), Petaluma Post-Acute Rehab (1115 B Street), and Windsor Care (523 Hayes Lane). In this hilly area formerly served for years by the unproductive Route 1S, this cluster of medical facilities would pose a tremendous challenge to serve with fixed route, due to the hilly nature (making walking, especially for seniors, very difficult) and surrounding highend residential single-family housing developments in this affluent area. However, due to the nature of “residents” of these skilled nursing homes, there is almost no demand from the residents for fixed route service (Petaluma Paratransit does provide trips to these facilities) and to this date, little interest has been expressed from the facilities’ employees. Petaluma Ecumenical Properties (PEP) provides low-income senior housing at the following locations. PEP housing locations marked with an “*” are off of main streets and very difficult to serve by fixed route transit: 700 Daniel Drive 1400 Caulfield Lane 231 Wilson Street 739 South McDowell Blvd 1275 Lindberg Lane* 1405 Caulfield Lane 306 Mountain View Avenue 575 Vallejo Street* 210 Douglas Street* 579 Vallejo Street* 167 Edith Street Disabled Population Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” (29 U.S.C. §705(9)). According to Census 2010 there are 4,716 disabled persons within the study area, translating to approximately 8.3 percent of the total population. Based on the 2000 Census, the highest concentrations of disabled individuals live in areas east of the Petaluma River. This could be attributed to lower housing costs, as well as proximity to medical facilities.

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Low Income Population According to Census 2010, approximately 7.5 percent of the residents of Petaluma are living at or below the poverty federal poverty level. This is an increase from six percent in 2000. Based on the 2000 Census, the greatest concentration of persons of lower income is in the central and southeastern portions of Petaluma. These individuals may not have access to a personal automobile as their primary mode of transportation. Therefore, many rely on the public transit service. The Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) is located at 900 Hopper Road, in central Petaluma, near Route 24. COTS provide temporary housing for the homeless and families in transition. At 1500 Petaluma Boulevard South, in southwest Petaluma on Route 1, Petaluma People Services (PPSC) has its Sonoma-Works program, which is the southern Sonoma County Welfare-to-Work program. Incidence of Vehicle Ownership The number of households in Petaluma reporting no access to a personal vehicle in 2010 is 1,228. This translates to almost 6 percent of households. The distribution of households without access to a personal vehicle corresponds to those areas featuring high populations of youth, seniors, and the disabled. The highest concentration of these ride-dependent populations is in south central, Downtown, and eastern Petaluma; this suggests demand for public transit services in these areas.

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CHAPTER 2 – Goals, Objectives, and Standards The following section advances a Performance Measurement System for the City of Petaluma’s public transit program. The foundation for this Performance Measurement System reflects the data gathered as part of the required TDA compliance audits and other industry-standard statistics.

Goals, Objectives, and Measures An effective Performance Measurement System is composed of goals, objectives, and standards. Goals are statements that qualify the desired results. They are the end toward which efforts are directed. They are general and timeless, yet theoretically attainable. Objectives provide quantifiable measures of the goals. They are more precise and capable of both attainment and measurement. Standards set quantifiable targets for achieving the adopted goals. The following tables link the adopted goal to the quantifiable measure; and then present insight into actual recent performance associated with the City’s public transit program.

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Figure 1: Fixed Route Performance Indicators Performance Measure 2006 Operating Cost (Actual $) $1,061,228 Fare Revenue (Actual $) $126,168 Revenue Vehicle Hours 14,700 Revenue Vehicle Miles 193,000 Passengers 160,800 Fixed Route Performance Indicators Operating Cost/RVH (Actual $) $72.19 Operating Cost/Passenger (Actual $) $6.60 Passengers/RVH 10.94 Passengers/RVM 0.83 Farebox Recovery (Actual $) 11.9% Operating Cost/RVM (Actual $) $5.50 RVM/RVH 13.13 Fare/Passenger $0.78 On-Time Performance 40%

2007 $1,190,068 $132,620 11,894 158,011 160,782

2008 $1,534,447 $126,363 15,410 205,663 159,738

$100.06 $7.40 13.52 1.02 11.1% $7.53 13.28 $0.82 72%

$99.57 $9.61 10.37 0.78 8.2% $7.46 13.35 $0.79 77%

2009 $1,395,999 $134,408 15,606 192,531 153,357 2009 $89.45 $9.10 9.83 0.80 9.6% $7.25 12.34 $0.88

2010 $1,420,418 $130,032 15,804 198,334 161,337 2010 $89.88 $8.80 10.21 0.81 9.2% $7.16 12.55 $0.81

2011 $1,178,637 $138,370 13,498 186,383 205,512 2011 $87.32 $5.74 15.23 1.10 11.7% $6.32 13.81 $0.67 ~88%

2012 Est $1,238,742 $180,000 14,024 193,533 283,293 2012 Est $88.33 $4.37 20.20 1.46 14.5% $6.40 13.80 $0.64 ~88%

2007 Standard 2012 Proposed Std

2007 Standard 2012 Proposed Std $88.00 $85.00 $6.50 $4.50 13.00 20.00 1.00 1.33 15.0% 20.0%

95%

$0.70 90%

Fixed route standards are being modified and raised to reflect the improvements that have taken place. Operating costs have been steady, while ridership has surged, making the cost per passenger drop. Productivity has risen over 100%, but from experience will not likely go much higher than 20 due to the suburban environment of Petaluma. Fare per passenger has dropped due to the increased use of unlimited flash passes, and the centralized and easy to use transfer center. 95% on-time performance is an unrealistic standard for rubber tired, non-grade separate modes of transit, and has been lowered. Figure 2: Paratransit Performance Indicators Paratransit Performance Indicators Operating Cost/RVH (Actual $) Operating Cost/Passenger (Actual $) Passengers/RVH Passengers/RVM Farebox Recovery (Actual $) Operating Cost/RVM (Actual $) RVM/RVH Fare/Passenger

2009 67.31 26.91 2.50 0.27 0.06 7.14 9.43 1.73

2010 70.28564689 29.02976277 2.421158155 0.266510016 0.055964239 7.736722533 9.084679797 1.624628574

2011 71.90 28.95 2.48 0.27 0.08 7.85 9.15 2.19

2012 Est 73.39 26.21 2.80 0.33 0.08 8.78 8.36 2.20

2007 Standard 2012 Proposed Std 50.00 70.00 20.00 26.00 2.50 2.70 0.30 0.30 0.10 0.10

2.25

Operating costs were being incorrectly assigned to fixed route for a plethora of actual paratransit costs prior to 2010. Operating costs per passenger are derived from the standard hourly cost divided by the standard for productivity (2.7 pax per hour). State TDA law sets the paratransit farebox recovery standard at 10%.

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CHAPTER 3 – Fixed-Route Service and System Evaluation On-Time Performance In the last full SRTP, conducted in 2007, on-time performance (OTP) was identified as a critical problem for Petaluma Transit. Since 2009, schedules have been repeatedly optimized, moving running times where needed, placing as much recovery time at the end of trips as financially possible (if significant additional funds were available, minutes could be added without negatively impacting the service), and popular routes paired through interlining. These efforts have greatly improved OTP. However, it must be noted that, with the current “dual timed-pulse” route network, OTP importance is critical. If one route falls significantly behind schedule, due to mobility devices, road construction, or whatever reason, transfers are missed at key points in the system. The impact of this is that passenger trips that were planned to take 20-30 minutes are delayed and can take an hour. In the transit industry, and in Petaluma, the following criteria were used to evaluate ontime performance: On-time: defined as trip departure between no more than one minute prior to the published time and before the fifth minute past the published time. Early: defined as any departure more than a minute prior to the published scheduled time. Late: defined as any departure occurring five or more minutes after the published time. Factors that challenge on-time performance include: Wheelchair/mobility device boardings/alightings Local road construction Traffic congestion, especially in the afternoon school bell hour Lack of funding to mitigate OTP issues with more bus service Lack of traffic signal priority to assist buses with schedule adherence

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Route Descriptions and Analysis A route-by-route analysis was conducted to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current route network. Figure 3: Petaluma Transit System Map, August 2012

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Route 1 /1T/1V Route 1 provides weekday service to Petaluma Boulevard, primarily from its northern terminus at Gossage Ave , adjacent to the Park & Ride (served by Golden Gate Transit) and the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets, to the entry to the Quarry Heights neighborhood at the southern edge of the west side of Petaluma. The Route serves downtown, stopping at the Phoenix Theater and Petaluma Market, Fourth and C, and the Transit Mall. The Route 1T alignment serves the residential neighborhoods on the west side of Petaluma, Petaluma High School and Junior High School, as well as areas along Bodega Avenue and Petaluma Boulevard, near St. Vincent High School. The 1T operates 6 trips per day, at the school bell times, and is highly productive on schooldays. Route 1V is an extension north on Petaluma Boulevard of Route 1, serving the bell times at Petaluma Community School at Industrial Ave. The 1V happens three times per day and is modest in productivity. Altogether, this Route serves three high schools, four elementary schools, and multiple retail centers. Prior to 2010, this Route provided service on two half-hour variants, 1S and 1N, both featuring extremely low productivity, especially outside school bell times. Consequently, this route, even more than the others, has undergone significant realignments since 2010, moving the all-day service (Route 1) to the Boulevard, and renaming of the foothill service to 1T, and reduction of the 1T to school bell times only. Highest Productivity: Petaluma Junior High, Petaluma High, Factory Outlets, PBN/Magnolia Lowest Productivity: Petaluma Blvd South, PBN between Downtown & Magnolia

Route 11 Route 11 provides a connection between the east and west sides of Petaluma, linking up with Route 1 downtown at Fourth and C and the Transit Mall, with Route 24 at the Transit Mall, and with Routes 2, 3, and 33 at the Eastside Transit Center. The alignment serves Downtown via Washington Street, Keller, 4th & C, and D Street, then easterly from the Copeland Transit Mall, along Washington, serving the Library, Whole Foods, the Swim Center/Library, and the Eastside Transit Center (ETC) at the Washington Square (Safeway) Shopping Center. Highest Productivity: Eastside Transit Center (ETC), Downtown, Copeland, Library Lowest Productivity: None

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Route 2 Route 2 provides service to North McDowell Boulevard, from the Eastside Transit Center (ETC) at Maria Drive in the south, to Old Redwood Highway in the north. Located along this route are Petaluma Valley Hospital and the adjacent medical office complex, the Petaluma Health Center, a post office, several apartment complexes, retirement communities, and a major retail center. Highest Productivity: ETC, Petaluma Plaza SC, Lynch Creek (medical), Petaluma Health Center Lowest Productivity: North McDowell between Professional & Corona

Route 24 Route 24 serves the Lakeville Highway corridor, from the Copeland Transit Mall out to the Kaiser Medical Offices, at the southeast edge of town. South of Lakeville and Caulfield, the route is largely a one-way loop, with the outbound alignment serving St. Francis Drive, Casa Grande Road, and Ely Blvd, providing service to Casa Grande High School. The Route then loops out to the Kaiser Medical Offices, provides service to the large Lakeville Office Park, then returning via Lakeville Highway, serving the Gateway Shopping Center, and then returns to the Transit Mall via Lakeville Hwy. Highest Productivity: Kaiser, Copeland Transit Mall, Lucky’s SC, Casa Grande HS Lowest Productivity: St. Francis Segment, Lakeville between S. McDowell & Caulfield

Route 3 / 33 / 3T Route 33 and Route 3 are based at the Eastside Transit Center on Maria, and follow the same alignment, operating service in opposite directions. Route 3 runs clockwise, and Route 33 counter-clockwise, on Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Casa Grande Road, South and North McDowell Blvd., and Maria Drive. This route sees significant ridership from Casa Grande High School and Kenilworth Junior High School, as well as providing access to Petaluma’s major retail centers from the residential areas on the East side. Route 3T is a twice-daily Tripper (extra trip) running between the Kenilworth Junior High School and Casa Grande High, providing double capacity during this high-demand period at PT’s two highest ridership schools. Highest Productivity: 3T at PM school bell times at KJHS & CGHS, ETC, SRJC, S. McDowell Lowest Productivity: N. Maria Drive Segment, SMP between SRJC & Washington

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Service Evaluation Petaluma Transit conducted an operational assessment of the City’s public transit fixedroute and paratransit services. Our evaluation included an assessment of actual quantitative performance contrasted against City-adopted performance standards.

Fixed-Route Service Service Overview Figure 4 presents productivity by route, measured by the number of total boardings divided by the revenue hours of service. This fresh sample was taken from October 2012.

Productivity by Route - October 2012

Figure 4: Productivity by Route (October 2012) 100.00 R i d e r s

R e v e n u e

90.00 80.00 70.00 60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00

P H e o r u r

20.00 10.00 0.00

Petaluma Transit Route

As is shown, Petaluma Transit’s most productive service is the newer, school-bell oriented routes (3T, 3 Shadow [an extra bus on the Route 3 at 2:50-3:20pm], and 1T). However, it should be noted that most of PT’s main trunk routes (11, 2, 3/33) are producing at or above 20 riders per hour, which is very successful in a suburban environment. Service frequency attracts riders, providing that the demand in that area supports service. Routes 2 and 11 run every half hour all day, and Route 3 and 33 cover the same alignment in opposite directions to provide a “net 30 minute frequency”. Petaluma Transit’s only two routes that run a lifeline-level, hourly frequency, are Routes 1 and 24. These routes are the

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worst performers in the system, with slightly above and under 10 passengers per hour respectively. It is difficult to predict how productivity would react on these routes should frequencies by increased in the future. Table 2 presents performance measures and indicators for the entire fixed-route service. The measures and indicators were evaluated across a six-year period facilitating trend analysis.

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Table 2: Performance Measures and Indicators Performance Measure 2006 Operating Cost (Actual $) $1,061,228 Fare Revenue (Actual $) $126,168 Revenue Vehicle Hours 14,700 Revenue Vehicle Miles 193,000 Passengers 160,800 Fixed Route Performance Indicators Operating Cost/RVH (Actual $) $72.19 Operating Cost/Passenger (Actual $) $6.60 Passengers/RVH 10.94 Passengers/RVM 0.83 Farebox Recovery (Actual $) 11.9% Operating Cost/RVM (Actual $) $5.50 RVM/RVH 13.13 Fare/Passenger $0.78 On-Time Performance 40%

Paratransit Performance Indicators Performance Measure Operating Cost (Actual $) Fare Revenue (Actual $) Revenue Vehicle Hours Revenue Vehicle Miles Passengers Paratransit Performance Indicators Operating Cost/RVH (Actual $) Operating Cost/Passenger (Actual $) Passengers/RVH Passengers/RVM Farebox Recovery (Actual $) Operating Cost/RVM (Actual $) RVM/RVH Fare/Passenger

PETALUMA TRANSIT

2007 $1,190,068 $132,620 11,894 158,011 160,782

2008 $1,534,447 $126,363 15,410 205,663 159,738

$100.06 $7.40 13.52 1.02 11.1% $7.53 13.28 $0.82 72%

$99.57 $9.61 10.37 0.78 8.2% $7.46 13.35 $0.79 77%

2006 $458,888 $44,129 10,000 66,000 20,500

2007 $521,032 $38,323 7,927 73,471 21,586

2008 $623,287 $44,130 8,193 77,246 21,126

45.89 22.38 2.05 0.31 0.10 6.95 6.60 2.15

65.73 24.14 2.72 0.29 0.07 7.09 9.27 1.78

76.08 29.50 2.58 0.27 0.07 8.07 9.43 2.09

2009 $1,395,999 $134,408 15,606 192,531 153,357 2009 $89.45 $9.10 9.83 0.80 9.6% $7.25 12.34 $0.88

2010 $1,420,418 $130,032 15,804 198,334 161,337 2010 $89.88 $8.80 10.21 0.81 9.2% $7.16 12.55 $0.81

2011 $1,178,637 $138,370 13,498 186,383 205,512 2011 $87.32 $5.74 15.23 1.10 11.7% $6.32 13.81 $0.67 ~88%

2012 Est $1,238,742 $180,000 14,024 193,533 283,293 2012 Est $88.33 $4.37 20.20 1.46 14.5% $6.40 13.80 $0.64 ~88%

2009 $600,040 $38,528 8,915 84,097 22,300 2009 67.31 26.91 2.50 0.27 0.06 7.14 9.43 1.73

2010 $595,952 $33,352 8,479 77,029 20,529 2010 70.28564689 29.02976277 2.421158155 0.266510016 0.055964239 7.736722533 9.084679797 1.624628574

2011 $664,852 $50,315 9,247 84,652 22,965 2011 71.90 28.95 2.48 0.27 0.08 7.85 9.15 2.19

2012 Est $595,485 $50,000 8,114 67,844 22,724 2012 Est 73.39 26.21 2.80 0.33 0.08 8.78 8.36 2.20

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Ridership Trends After many years of stagnation around 150,000 to 165,000 annual boardings, ridership has been on a dramatic rise since 2010. The minor improvements (aligning service better to major school bell times, moving minutes around within schedules) undertaken in 2009 built momentum with students and helped to set the stage for the system rebuilding done in 2010. The Great-Recession driven, but long overdue revamping of the route network around a new, eastside transit “hub” that occurred in July 2010 has dramatically impacted Petaluma Transit for the better, as Figures 5 and 6 depict. Figure 5: Total Fixed RoutePassengers Passengers 300,000 250,000

Passengers

200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Est

Figure 6: Passengers/Revenue Vehicle Hour

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Passengers/Vehicle Service Mile Similar to the previously noted performance indictor, Passengers/Vehicle Revenue Mile (VRM) measures service effectiveness. Both Figure 7 and 8 highlight the more efficient and rider-friendly system developed in 2010 (impacts FY 2011 and later).

Passengers per Revenue Vehicle Figure 7: Passengers per Revenue Vehicle Mile Mile 2006-2012 1.6

Passengers / RVM

1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6

0.4 0.2 0 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Est

Operating Cost/Vehicle Service Hour Operating Cost/Vehicle Service Hour (VSH) is an indicator of service efficiency. Efficiency is defined as the extent to which a service is meeting the intended goals. Operating costs have stayed level, for several reasons, some out of Petaluma Transit’s control. In the newest operations contract, MV’s bid reallocated more costs from variable to fixed. This means that regardless of the amount of hours driven, fixed costs such as maintenance and office staff stay constant. While this is a more realistic cost allocation, this also “dulls” some of the projected savings from trimming 16+% of revenue hours that occurred at the beginning of Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. In addition, intergovernmental fees charged to Petaluma Transit by the City of Petaluma for finance, information technology, and general overhead have fluctuated over the years, dropping in FY 10, but slowly rising again in FY 12, due to more IT support required for the new paratransit dispatch software, additional City computers & phones, and more website updates. PT’s fully loaded operations costs of $88 per revenue hour remain among the lowest of all bay area transit agencies. Figure 8 shows how fixed route operating costs per hour have stabilized in recent years. It should be noted that this occurred during a period when the labor force organized, as well as fuel increased, offsetting many streamlining efforts that saved money in other areas.

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Operating Cost / Revenue Vehicle Figure 8: Operating Cost per Revenue HourVehicle Hour $120

Operating Cost / RVH

$100 $80 $60 $40

$20 $0 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Est

Operating Cost/Passenger Operating Cost/Passenger is yet another indicator intended to assess cost-effectiveness. As Petaluma Transit becomes an attractive system to use (realistic schedules, customer friendly connections, shorter waits and shorter travel times), the cost per passenger has dropped over 50% in the last four years. Figure 9: Operating Cost per Passenger Operating Cost per

Passenger

Operating Cost / Passenger

$12.00 $10.00

$9.61

$8.00 $6.00

$9.10

$8.80

$7.40

$6.60 $5.74 $4.46

$4.00 $2.00 $0.00 2006

PETALUMA TRANSIT

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Est

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Farebox Recovery Subsequent to the 2000 Federal Census, the City of Petaluma was re-classified from a nonurbanized to an urbanized area. According to the State of California’s Transportation Development Act (TDA) regulations, if the claimant is categorized as urbanized area, it must maintain a ratio of fare revenue to operating cost of not less than 20 percent. The MTC includes all local options sales taxes, including Measure M in Sonoma County, into the local contribution and farebox calculation. Based on this inclusion, the City is in full compliance with the 20 percent farebox ratio (FBR) standard. The City has now approaching a 15% farebox recovery ratio for the first time in history, and as ridership continues to grow, the 20% FBR goal seems reachable in the future. Figure 10: Farebox Recovery Ratio: Fare Revenue / Operating Cost 16% 14.5%

Percent of Costs From Fares

14% 12%

11.9%

11.7%

11.1%

10%

9.6%

9.2%

8.2%

8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 2006

PETALUMA TRANSIT

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Est

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Fare/Passenger The final performance indicator we analyzed was the ratio between total fare revenue and total passenger counts. This negative trend is attributed to the great increase in transferring passengers that occurred when the new ETC (Eastside Transit Center) was created in the middle of the service area. Prior to the ETC, transfers were very difficult to make, and most PT riders didn’t bother. They would simply wait longer or walk farther, rather as no real connectivity existed on the Eastside (only downtown at 4th & C). Transferring passengers do not pay twice for the same one-way trip. So, while PT has many more passengers than before, the total fares collected has not risen at the same pace. Figure 11: Fare per Passenger $1.00

Fare per Passenger

$0.90 $0.80 $0.70 $0.60 $0.50 $0.40 $0.30 2006

PETALUMA TRANSIT

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 Est

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CHAPTER 4 – Paratransit Service and System Evaluation Service Overview Petaluma Paratransit service was initially introduced and provided as a dial-a-ride service for the elderly and persons with disabilities by a local not-for-profit organization, Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC). With the introduction of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, jurisdictions providing public transit were required (under law) to provide (ADA) complementary paratransit service for persons, who because of a disability were unable to use general public transit services. The City of Petaluma initially met this ADA requirement through a service agreement with PPSC. As demand and operating costs increased, Petaluma Paratransit evolved into a fully complementary, ADA paratransit service adhering to ADA regulated service policies and requirements. Section 4 of this chapter provides an overview of ADA service regulations and an assessment of Petaluma Paratransit’s compliance with these regulations. Today the service is fully integrated into Petaluma Transit and operated along with fixed route transit service through a single service agreement with MV Transportation Inc. (MV). Petaluma Transit (the City) is responsible for: policy development; budgeting and budget control; service monitoring, evaluation and planning; fleet procurement; service procurement; contract administration; service marketing; and contract compliance oversight. MV is responsible for: staff hiring, training and ongoing supervision; trip booking, scheduling and dispatch; fare collection and reconciliation; management report preparation; and public information; as well as fleet maintenance and operations. The current five year service agreement between the City and MV went into effect July 1, 2011. The current service agreement has a provision for two additional optional years beyond the five year base. Petaluma Paratransit’s policy framework reflects the City’s philosophy to operate a userfriendly, ADA compliant and efficient demand-response service that effectively accommodates the local travel needs of residents and visitors that cannot use fixed route transit because of a disability. Sections 3 and 4 of this chapter provide overviews of operating policies and polices based on ADA compliance. Although same day trip requests are accommodated on a space available basis, trips are generally booked in advance prior to the travel day and scheduled onto a vehicle run. Trips are booked, scheduled and dispatched using Trapeze NOVUS software. NOVUS is designed

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for smaller demand-response systems like Petaluma Paratransit. NOVUS was developed, and is provided and serviced by the Trapeze Group Limited. The Petaluma application was implemented with a mobile data terminal technology using onboard computer tablets to: enhance paper dispatch/driver manifests; enable real time dispatching; automate the collection of required daily operating statistics; and reduce radio communication between paratransit vehicle operators and dispatchers. Table 3 provides an overview of the trip booking, scheduling and dispatch process. See Table 12: Vehicle Inventory in Chapter 5 for a list of the existing paratransit vehicle fleet. Table 3: Petaluma Paratransit Trip Booking, Scheduling and Dispatch Process Trip Bookings

Trip requests can be booked in advance from: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 on Saturdays; and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays (excluding certain holidays). Same-day requests can be made on Saturdays and accommodated if space is available. Ride requests may be made from one day to one week in advance. Same-day emergency service is provided on a space available basis. No advance trip request made 1 day or more in advance is denied. However, pick up or drop off time can be negotiated (up to one hour on either side of the time requested) in accordance with ADA regulations. Subscription reservations are offered on a limited basis for trips that recur weekly at the same time to and from the same addresses.

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Trip Scheduling

NOVUS “assign now” feature is used at the time of booking to facilitate real time scheduling of trip requests. Pick up/drop off time negotiation is conducted at this point if space is not available on a vehicle run at the preferred time requested. Batch scheduling occurs throughout the week up to the day before travel has been requested. Batch scheduling is an automated scheduling feature of NOVUS, facilitating the optimization of trip assignments. The batch scheduling sequence begins 7 days out. Batch scheduling fits trip assignments into spaces left by advance trip cancellations. Dispatch staff will override batch scheduling assignments to further optimize trips assignments (based on knowledge of customers loading requirements, service area, and changing traffic patterns, construction etc. All customers are given a telephone call back by the evening dispatcher to confirm pick up time on the evening before the travel day.

Trip Dispatch

Hard copy driver manifests are printed on the day of service prior to the departure of a run. Day and evening dispatchers update electronic manifest with same day requests, late cancellations and no shows. Trip assignment changes are made by dispatchers on day of service based upon on time performance issues, vehicle breakdowns or other incidents on the road. Changes are communicated to the driver electronically (software/tablet interface) and by voice radio communication. Drivers report cancellations at the door, no-shows and other incidents – dispatcher records updates to schedules, and coordinates response to road incidents.

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Performance Trends Table 4 provides an overview of Petaluma Paratransit performance trends for the five year period from FY 2007/08 to FY 2011/12. Table 4: Petaluma Paratransit Performance Trends (FY 2007/08 to FY2011/12) Change % Change FY 2007/08 to FY 2007/08 to FY 2007/08 FY2008/09 FY 2009/10 FY 2010/11 FY 2011/12 FY2011/12 FY2011/12 Operating Costs

$521,032

$623,287

$600,040

$595,952

$664,952

$143,920

27.62%

Farebox Revenues

$38,323

$44,130

$38,528

$50,315

$50,000

$11,677

30.47%

Revenue Vehicle Hours

7,927

8,193

8,915

9,191

8,082

155

1.96%

Revenue Vehicle Miles

73,471

77,246

84,067

84,813

62,263

-11,208

-15.25%

One Way Passenger Trips

21,586

21,126

22,300

22,966

21,828

242

1.12%

Passengers/ Revenue Hour

2.72

2.58

2.50

2.50

2.70

-0.02

-0.82%

Passengers/ Revenue Mile

0.29

0.27

0.27

0.27

0.35

0.06

19.32%

3.40

3.66

3.77

3.69

2.85

-0.55

-16.19%

$65.73

$76.08

$67.31

$64.84

$82.28

$16.55

25.17%

$7.09

$8.07

$7.14

$7.03

$10.68

$3.59

50.60%

$24.14

$29.50

$26.91

$25.95

$30.46

$6.33

26.21%

$22.36

$27.41

$25.18

$23.76

$28.17

$5.81

25.98%

$1.78

$2.09

$1.73

$2.19

$2.29

$0.52

29.02%

7.36%

7.08%

6.42%

8.44%

7.52%

0.16%

2.23%

Revenue Miles/Passenger Operating Cost/Revenue Hour Operating Cost/Revenue Mile Operating Cost/One Way Passenger Trip Subsidy/One Way Passenger Trip Average Fare Collected/One Way Passenger Farebox Recovery

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During the five year period from FY 2007/08 to FY 2011/12: Total operating costs increased by 27.62% (5.6% annually). Total operating cost increases were impacted largely by increases in the operating cost/revenue hour of 25.17% that reflect an increase in fuel, maintenance and annual service contract costs. A 1.96% increase in annual revenue hours operated also impacted the increase in total annual operating costs. The approximate 15.22% increase in revenue miles operated also influenced total operating cost increases. Farebox revenues increased by approximately 30.47% influenced by the increase in ridership (approximately 6.39%) and an 11.00% fare increase1. Although farebox revenues increased by 30.47%, the farebox recovery ratio increased by 2.23%. Farebox recovery ratio increases remained low because increases in total operating costs and decreases in hourly productivity. The farebox recovery ratio has remained below 10% during the five year period. Petaluma Paratransit has maintained a high productivity rate, achieving a 2.70 passengers carried per revenue hour in FY 2011/12. Good productivity kept the increase in the operating cost/one way passenger trip (26.21%) slightly below the rate that total operating costs increased (27.62%). The 29.00% increase in the average fare collected/one way passenger trip further kept the increase in the subsidy/one way passenger trip (25.98%) below the increase in the operating cost/one way passenger trip (26.21%). A high productivity rate has been achieved by the operations staff in spite of a switch to a new scheduling system and the required learning curve to understand the capabilities of and different procedures associated with a new scheduling software system. Productivity is anticipated to increase further as dispatch staff understand NOVUS capabilities and can adjust scheduling parameters (dwell times and travel speeds) as conditions change. Table 5 provides a snapshot of Petaluma Paratransit cancellation and no-show rates. Late cancellations and no-shows are important to track as they can greatly impact operating costs, hourly productivity and farebox recovery. Completed trip, cancellation, and no-show data was sampled for the months of April, May and June 2012. Table 5 also provides a

A fare increase of $0.25 for Petaluma Paratransit was implemented on July 1, 2011 bringing the cost of a one way passenger trip from $2.25 to $2.50. This brought the Petaluma Paratransit to the maximum ADA allowable fare. 1

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breakdown of passenger trips by subscription and casual trip categories as well as an estimate of passenger trips made by companions and Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) traveling with Petaluma Paratransit registrants. The breakdown provided in Table 5 is felt to be representative of Petaluma Paratransit general trends. Of the total 6,132 trip requests booked and scheduled for the period April, May and June 2012: 84.56% were completed. 15.44% were not completed – cancelled or no-showed. 12.83% were cancelled with sufficient notice. 2.23% were cancelled with insufficient notice. 0.38% were recorded as no-shows. These trends reflect a low no-show and late cancellation rate for Petaluma Paratransit. Cancellations are a normal aspect of ADA paratransit service. The high rate of advance cancellations allows dispatchers to optimize runs in real time to: maintain better productivity (lower operating costs/one-way passenger trip); reduce onboard passenger travel time; and trip length; enhance on time performance; and accommodate more same day trip requests. In additional, Petaluma Paratransit maintains a healthy split of subscription (54.36%) and causal (45.84%) trips. Reoccurring subscription trips provide a good framework for the building of productive runs while a high number of casual trips reflect service flexibility for spontaneous travel by ADA paratransit registrants. A high number of casual trips also allows space to be filled on runs as subscription trips are cancelled for periods of time (vacations etc.). The low proportion of trips made by companions and PCAs reflects a high proportion of fare paying registrants traveling independently. This in turn positively impacts farebox recovery.

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Table 5: Petaluma Paratransit Cancellation and No-show Trends (April, May and June 2012) Total Passenger Trips Booked/Scheduled Total Advance & Same Day Cancellations Late Cancellations (including insufficient notice) No Shows Total Cancellations and No Shows Total Completed Passenger Trips Total Registrant Trips Total Subscription trips Total Casual Trips Total Companion & PCA Trips

April

May

June

Total

%

1,965 286 40 9 335 1,630 1,550 885 665 80

2,135 275 57 8 340 1,795 1,667 895 782 128

2,032 226 40 6 272 1,760 1,700 893 807 60

6,132 787 137 23 947 5,185 4,917 2,673 2,254 268

100.00% 12.83% 2.23% 0.38% 15.44% 84.56% 100.00% 54.36% 45.84% 5.17%

Notes: 1. Total passenger trips booked and scheduled are the total one way passenger trips scheduled before cancellations and no-shows are net off. 2. Advance cancellations are recorded when a customer cancels their trip with dispatch at least 2 hours in advance. 3. Late cancellations and no-shows are recorded if dispatch is notified less than 2 hours of a trip cancellation, (insufficient notification), if the customer cancels with the driver when picked up, or if the customer is not available for pick up with 5 minutes of the scheduled arrival of the paratransit vehicle. 4. Total completed trips are total passenger trips booked and scheduled net cancellations and no-shows. 5. Total registrant trips are those one way passenger trips made by actual Petaluma Paratransit registrants. 6. The subscription and casual trip breakdown is based on the total registrant trips. 7. Total companion and PCA trips are calculated by subtracting the total registrant trips from the total completed trips.

Table x-5 provides a snapshot of Petaluma Paratransit on time performance drawn from April, May and June 2012 On Time Reports. Of the 4,917 registrant trips completed: 86.66% were on time. 13.34% were either late or early. This on time performance trend is felt to be reflective on Petaluma Transit’s current performance and the result of a series of problems related to the transition to the NOVUS scheduling software and communication inconsistencies with the computer tablet technology. Software related trip assignment problems relate to the need to actively adjust scheduling parameters (travel speed and dwell times). The tablet technology is not consistently reliable and potentially not suited for this application. Both Petaluma Transit and MV are currently working towards correcting these problems.

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The number of “early” pickups currently recorded by the NOVUS software may be inflated somewhat because early pickups specifically requested by customers are not recorded as rescheduled and show up as on time violations. Procedures are being introduced to address this issue in order to reflect a more accurate and reduced on time violation rate. Table 6: Petaluma Paratransit On-Time Performance (April-June 2012)

April

May

June

Total

%

Total Registrant Trips

1,550

1,667

1,700

4,917

100.00%

Total On Time Trips

1,370

1,437

1,454

4,261

86.66%

180

230

246

656

13.34%

Total Trips Early or Late

Notes: 1. Early trips are defined as arriving more than 15 minutes before the scheduled pick up time and requiring the passenger to board the vehicle. 2. Late trips are defined as arriving more than 15 minutes after the scheduled pick up time.

Existing Policy Framework & Performance Standards Key Policy Elements Service Area Petaluma Paratransit is available to accommodate trips within Petaluma City Limits. Service Hours Span Service is available Monday through Friday from 6:20 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and Saturday from 7:20am to 5:45pm, excluding certain holidays. Eligibility Service is available to Petaluma residents and visitors individuals whose disabilities or health conditions prevent them from using Petaluma Transit fixed route buses. Eligible persons must register in advance. Beginning in 2013 qualification will be based on a functional assessment to determine eligibility. Trip Booking Trips can be booked in advance from: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 on Saturdays; and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays (excluding certain holidays). Ride requests may be made up to two weeks ahead of time, at least one or two days in advance, but no later than 5:00 p.m. one day before your ride date. Same-day emergency

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service is provided on a space available basis. No advance trip request made 1 day or more in advance is denied. However, pick up or drop off time can be negotiated (up to one hour on either side of the time requested) in accordance with ADA regulations. Subscription reservations are offered on a limited basis for trips that recur weekly at the same time to and from the same addresses. Cancellation Policy Cancellations need to be communicated at least two hours in advance of the scheduled pick up time. Cancellation made less than two hours in advance are categorized as late cancellations or insufficient notice. No Show Policy No shows include late cancellations, or insufficient notice, trips cancelled at the door. A pattern of no-shows can result in service suspension. This policy is as follows: All no-shows listed below occur within any 90-day period. o First No-show: A no-show or late cancellation will be recorded in the rider’s trip history stating the date and time of the passenger’s first no-show violation. o Second No-show: A letter will be sent stating the dates and times of both noshows and warn of impending suspension for third no-show. o Third No-show: A letter will be sent stating the dates and times of all three no-shows and will notify the passenger of the one week suspension. This letter will include a copy of the appeal process. o Fourth No-Show: A letter will be sent stating the dates and times of all four no-shows and will notify the passenger of the one month suspension. This letter will also include a copy of the appeal process. On Time Performance Ninety percent of all trips will arrive within 15 minute before or 15 minutes after the scheduled and confirmed pick up time. Demand Management Petaluma Transit has implemented a paratransit demand management initiative through its Transit Travel Training Program. The objective of the program is to provide fixed route transit orientation to seniors and persons with disabilities. Petaluma Transit has staffed a Transit Trainer position responsible for conducting fixed route orientation classes and workshops for seniors, caregivers and agency staff. The focus is on train-the-trainer

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sessions. Agency “trainers” will in turn provide small group or individual transit training and trip planning instructions to their clients. The objective is to shift current and future paratransit riders to fixed transit service. This initiative is complemented by other paratransit demand management strategies such as the operation of low floor buses and the offering of discounted fares on fixed route service for seniors and persons with disabilities. Additional Policies Additional policies are defined in Section 4, ADA Compliance. Performance Standards Table 7 provides a summary of Petaluma Paratransit performance standards and actual performance in FY 2011/2. Table 7: Petaluma Paratransit performance standards and actual performance in FY 2011/12 2011/12 Standard

2011/1212 Performance

% Variance Above/ Below 2011/12 Standard

Operating Cost/ Revenue Hour

$71.15

$82.92

-16.54% Variance Did not meet standard

Operating Cost/ Passneger

$27.51

$30.36

-10.36 Variance Did not meet standard

Passengers Carried/ Revenue Hour

2.60

2.70

+3.85% Variance Exceeded standard

Passengers Carried/ Revenue Mile

0.27

0.35

+29.63% Variance Exceeded standard

90% of all trips

86.66% of all trips

-3.71% Variance Did not meet standard

10%

7.52%

-24.80% Variance Did not meet standard

Performance Standard

On Time Performance Farebox Recovery Ratio

Notes: 2012 standards for operating cost/revenue hour, operating cost per passenger, passengers carried/revenue hour and passengers carried/revenue mile were based on operating cost, revenue hours, revenue miles and passenger projections for FY 2011/12 in Petaluma Transit Mini SRTP 201-2019.

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Operating cost per revenue hour and operating cost per passenger carried standards were not met. Operating cost benchmarks are not good performance standards. Costs such as fuel vehicle maintenance costs cannot be effectively controlled by transit agencies. Performance standards that measure improvements in efficiency and effectiveness that transit agencies can better control are more appropriate performance standards for the evaluation of service performance. Productivity and on time performance can be affected by service procedures and policies. The number of passengers carried in FY 2011/12 exceeded the approved standard by approximately four percent. This is very good accomplishment in light of a transition from one contractor to another and from one scheduling software package to another. The negative variance between the on time performance standard and actual performance was less than four percent. Generally, a five percent negative variance is acceptable. This is actually a quite good level of performance given the difficulties experienced with the shift to a new scheduling and dispatch system. The farebox recovery ratio has remained under the 10% minimum. Farebox recovery will improve as the number of passengers carried per hour increases.

ADA Compliance Since the passage of this landmark civil rights legislation in 1990, ADA complementary paratransit services must be measured on their compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA requires that agencies offering fixed route transit must ensure that “equivalent” or complementary paratransit service be offered to riders who cannot utilize fixed route services due to a disability. ADA regulations define the minimum level of service required that applies to the ADA complementary paratransit service when it is delivered to ADA eligible riders. In cases where agencies provide dial-a-ride services to non-ADA eligible persons, the specific service to non-ADA eligible riders does not have to meet ADA requirements. In response to local community transit goals, objectives and priorities, many paratransit services such as Petaluma Paratransit exceed the majority of the basic ADA requirements. However, it is important to fully assess compliance on all ADA regulatory requirements to ensure that the City of Petaluma is above any risk of non-compliance. Agencies that are not fully compliant often find this out when an ADA eligible passenger challenges them on an operating practice or service policy issue.

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The provisions of the Act are complex and govern all aspects of service provision, as well as regulating many aspects of American life, including employment, building and facility architecture, bus design, etc. Table x-7 outlines the important provisions of the ADA paratransit regulations, identifies Petaluma Paratransit performance, and determines whether the service meets or exceeds the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

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Table 8: Petaluma Paratransit: ADA Compliance Summary ADA Requirement

Petaluma Paratransit Performance

Meets Requirements?

Petaluma Paratransit is limited to persons who are unable to independently use regular public transit, some or all of the time, due to a disability or health related condition. All registrants must be certified as eligible.

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement.

Eligibility Individuals who are unable to use fixed-route transit due to a disability or mobility impairment are eligible for ADA complementary paratransit.

Certification is contingent on the completion and submission of an application that includes a written functional assessment completed by the applicant or representative and a declaration of access to medical information if further clarification is required. In some cases a follow up in person interview may be required to verify certification. Based on the Petaluma Paratransit assessment of the application's information and disability they may be granted: Unconditional Certification : Persons unable to use accessible fixed route transit for any of their trips. Conditional Certification : Persons who are unable to use fixed route transit for some trips are able to Petaluma Paratransit for those trips. Reservations Passengers must be able to make a “next” day reservation. Longer reservations and standing reservations may be offered.

Trip Purpose & Trip There may be no prioritization or limitation placed on trip purposes, and there may be no limits on he number of trips an individual may take on paratransit. Subscription Trips Subscription trips or standing orders may not exceed 50% of capacity during any time period when capacity is limited.

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Passengers can reserve trips from 1 to 7 days ahead of the actual date service is needed. Subscription reservations are accommodated. Same day trips are accommodated on a space available basis.

Petaluma Paratransit exceeds this ADA requirement by accommodating same day requests on a space available basis.

There are no trip purpose restrictions or limits on the number of trips an individual can book.

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement.

The current Petaluma Paratransit trip mix is slightly over 50% subscription. However, Petaluma Paratransit is able to support this mix without denying casual trip requests booked at least one day in advance.

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement.

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN ADA Requirement Service Area ADA paratransit service must be offered in all areas defined as being within ¾ mile of a scheduled fixed route.

Coverage Service must be offered during the days and times when fixed-route service is offered.

Capacity Limitations Under current ADA legal interpretation, no trip request booked at least one day in advance can be denied. However, agencies can offer travel time alternatives within one hour before or after the originally requested drop off or pick up time. Fares Fares for ADA paratransit may be up to twice the adult cash fare for fixed route service.

Driver Assistance Origin-to-destination service is required by ADA and may include door-to-door to those who have difficulty getting to and from the vehicle.

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Petaluma Paratransit Performance

Meets Requirements?

Petaluma Paratransit is available to accommodate trips within Petaluma City Limits when Petaluma Transit fixed route transit is operating.

Petaluma Paratransit exceeds this requirement. In some areas of its service area, Petaluma Paratransit provides service coverage beyond 3/4 mile of a scheduled transit route.

Service is available Monday through Friday from 6:20 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and Saturday from 7:20 am to 5:45 pm, excluding certain holidays.

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement. Service hours fully cover those of Petaluma Transit fixed route service.

Petaluma Paratransit makes full use of the ADA trip booking window. The ADA trip booking window permits trip accommodation within a scheduling window of 60 minutes before and 60 minutes after the passengers requested arrival time.

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement.

The Petaluma Paratransit fare for a one-way passenger trip is $2.50.

Petaluma Paratransit's fare is consistent with ADA regulations. Petaluma Paratransit's fare is twice the regular adult fare charged for fixed route service.

Door-to-door assisted service is provided for all Petaluma Paratransit trips (unless passenger specifically requests curb-to-curb service).

Petaluma Paratransit meets the minimum ADA requirement.

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Petaluma Paratransit Performance

Meets Requirements?

Guests & Attendants Guests are accommodated if booked with registered passenger.

Petaluma Paratransit transports PCA’s at no charge and their pick-up and drop-off have to be the same as the ADA eligible passengers'

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement.

Guests ride the paratransit service provided they have reserved in advance, pay the full fare for their ride and are subject to capacity constraints.

Guests are accommodated if booked with registered passenger on a space avaialable basis.

Attendants who are required to assist a rider may ride at no charge, provided they are registered as a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) and have reserved in advance.

Vehicles Vehicles must be designed to accommodate both ambulatory passengers and persons using an electric wheelchair, scooter or nonpowered wheelchair.

All Petaluma Paratransit service vehicles are wheelchair accessible.

Petaluma Paratransit meets this ADA requirement.

Petaluma Paratransit is fully compliant will all key ADA regulatory requirement. In the case of service area coverage and same day bookings, Petaluma Paratransit exceeds the basic ADA requirements to remain more flexible to the needs of its customers.

Demand Forecasts From FY 2007/08 to FY 2011/12 Petaluma Paratransit ridership growth has remained fairly static, increasing by only 1.12%. In the Petaluma Transit Mini SRTP 2010-2019, demand projections were held constant through 2019. Although, Petaluma Paratransit has likely reached its full potential market, some increase in potential demand should be anticipated. At a minimum this could be driven by increases in Petaluma’s senior population2. An annual rate of one percent has been assumed for the projection of potential demand during the period FY 2012/13 to 2021/22. The Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging projects a 3.7% annual increase in the County’s population aged 60 years or older. 2

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It is assumed that much of this potential demand increase can be shifted to fixed route transit through Petaluma Transit’s paratransit demand management initiatives: Transit Travel Training Program current discounted fixed route fare structure for seniors and persons with disabilities: and the operation of low floor buses. The remainder will be absorbed on Petaluma Paratransit through productivity improvements without increasing revenue hours. Table 9 provides a summary of annual potential Petaluma Paratransit demand for the period FY 2012/13 through FY 2021/22 as well as the number of passengers/ revenue hour that the service will have to carry in order to hold revenue hours at the FY 2011/12 ceiling of 8,082.

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Table 9: Projections of Potential Annual Petaluma Paratransit Demand (FY 2012/13 to FY 2021/22)

Demand Projections Hourly Productivity Required to Hold Revenue Hours at FY 2011/12 Ceiling of 8,028

Base Year 2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/2022

21,828

22,046

22,267

22,489

22,714

22,941

23,171

23,403

23,637

23,873

24,112

2.72

2.75

2.77

2.80

2.83

2.86

2.89

2.92

2.94

2.97

3.00

Figure 12: Projection of Annual Paratransit Demand (FY2012/13 to FY2021/22)

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Summary & Recommendations Petaluma Paratransit Summary Comments Petaluma Paratransit is in transition from a non-ADA demand-response service to a public transportation service that closely adheres to the regulatory requirements of an ADA complimentary paratransit service. Petaluma Paratransit management and staff have maintained a positive customer friendly philosophy through this transition. Both Petaluma Transit and Petaluma Paratransit are lean organizations (both on the City and contractor sides)3. While this keeps administration and operating costs down, it has set back the organization’s ability to utilize the full potential of NOVUS demand-response scheduling and management reporting capabilities. In spite of this, Petaluma Paratransit is a productive, efficient, and fully ADA compliant service. The following SRTP recommendations build on current strengths. In particular, the SRTP recommendations focus on maintaining productivity and efficiency, improving monitoring and reporting protocols, improving on time performance, and continuing to move forward in the area of demand management.

Petaluma Paratransit Recommendations Maintaining High Productivity and On Time Performance Maintaining a relatively high rate of productivity (passengers carried/revenue hour) is critical to holding revenue hour at 2011/12 levels while accommodating an expected increase in demand over the SRTP timeframe. While the operating cost/revenue hour will increase annually and cannot as effectively controlled, high service productivity can effectively control total operating costs by limiting the number of annual revenue hours necessary to accommodate demand while avoiding trip denials. High productive also increases the farebox recovery ratio. By more effectively using NOVUS, Petaluma Paratransit can maintain overall productivity levels between 2.50 and 3.00 passengers/revenue hour while maintaining on time performance levels of 90% or more. Many smaller California transit agencies have limited public agency and contractor staff resources. In some cases this negatively impacts service monitoring, evaluation and forward planning. Many smaller agencies frequently find themselves in a continual crisis management pattern, taking care of immediate operation challenges and report requirements. 3

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The following recommendations focus on scheduling and dispatch protocols: Recommendation 1: Use the NOVUS “assign now” feature for all initial trip assignments, confirming pick up times with the customer at time of trip booking. Continue to use the “15 minute before and after” scheduling window. Ensure that scheduling window parameters are fixed and will not change the confirmed pickup time outside the original scheduling window as additional trips are booked and scheduled. At the time of the initial booking, negotiate pick up or drop off times within the allowable two hour ADA window if NOVUS cannot assign at the time requested by the customer. Continue the ongoing batch scheduling process seven days out from service day. Manual override of trip assignments can be undertaken by dispatchers in conjunction with batch optimization. Manual override can correct for any geocoding shortcomings built into scheduling software. Effective manual override of automated trip assignments is dependent on the dispatchers’ understanding on the service area and individual customer abilities or limitations. Ensure batch scheduling procedure is carried out by PM dispatcher on evening before service day. Batch optimization can be done on service day as necessary. Ongoing batch optimization will improve productivity and on time performance. Recommendation 2: Establish an unscheduled trip list for those trips that cannot be assigned to a pre-scheduled run. Using the assign now scheduling feature, trips that cannot be assigned to an established run can be assigned to an unscheduled trip list (often an additional “ghost” run4). With this procedure, pick up times are confirmed with the customer at the time of the request and assigned to the unscheduled list using NOVUS. Trips from the unscheduled list will be assigned to a run by the dispatcher on the day of service as advance cancellations are called in. Approximately 13% of all trip requests are cancelled in sufficient time for the real time assignment of trips from the unscheduled trip list on the day of service. A ghost run is a paper run without a vehicle assigned to it and used as a placeholder for trips not fitting on formal runs. 4

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Recommendation 3: Formalize a midday assistant dispatcher position to provide overlap with AM and PM dispatch shifts. This position would process trip bookings using the assign now feature and process cancellations while the lead dispatchers: concentrate on managing road incidents and trip reassignments to enhance on time performance; continue to optimize schedules in real time and to communicate changes to in-service drivers (including the clarification of trip information if there are technical problems with the tablets); review schedules to see if same day requests are feasible;5 and process service complaints. The assistant dispatcher could also update the NOVUS trip database from completed driver manifests. This activity may only be required until electronic dispatch/vehicle communication is stabilized. Recommendation 4: Implement a will call policy and operating procedure for medical return trips. A will call trip request policy is used to reduce no shows that can occur when customers are not finished a medical appointment or procedure at a prescheduled pickup time. Through the real time management of paratransit service, dispatchers are able to “reserve capacity” for will call returns, or assign them where the impact on schedule adherence is minimized. Supplemental taxi service contracts also enhance the management of will call pickups. Recommendation 5: Establish a supplemental service agreement with a local taxi company. A supplemental taxi agreement would be used to: handle non-wheelchair trips from the unscheduled trip list that cannot be assigned to an existing Petaluma Paratransit run; trips that must be off loaded to maintain on time performance in the case of Petaluma Paratransit vehicle accidents or breakdowns; or will call requests that cannot be handled on existing runs.

The accommodation of same day requests is an effective demand-response strategy to reduce cancellation rates, improve service productive and farebox recovery, as well as enhance the flexibility of service to customers. 5

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Supplemental taxi services are intended as back up service to avoid denials and to maintain on time performance. Taxi usage must be monitored to ensure that paratransit bus productivity is not negatively impacted. Ceilings need to be established for taxi use by dispatchers. Supplemental taxi services would be procured following formal City of Petaluma contracting policy and procedures. Contracted taxi companies and their drivers would be required to comply with all applicable federal, state and city regulations, and follow Petaluma Paratransit service policies and operating parameters. Recommendation 6: Replace current computer tablet technology with a more purpose designed and proven mobile data terminal (MDT) technology. The computer tablet MDT system does not appear to be suited to a productive demand-response paratransit application. Proven, purpose-built MDT systems have been in application throughout the taxi and transit industries and are compatible with NOVUS software. Review alternatives with Trapeze and MV, then establish a budget for the upgrade in the SRTP Capital Plan6. Replacement with a consistent technology would improve service productivity and on time performance by reducing delays necessary to communicate trip information, and improve service monitoring by improving the transmission of trip and itinerary from the vehicles to the database on the scheduling server. Recommendation 7: Provide Petaluma Transit’s Manager or MV’s (Petaluma) General Manager with direct access to NOVUS administration files to update service speed and time parameters, as well as the ability to reboot the system once changes are made. While paratransit management have access to and are able to change parameters, they must request City IT staff to reboot the system after adjustments are made. An example parameter change would be the slowing of travel speeds during the a.m. and p.m. peaks (times to be determined by Petaluma Transit and MV Management). The ability to reboot the system would enhance real time scheduling parameter adjustment. This would enhance NOVUS effectiveness in dealing with changing roadway conditions in a timely manner and as required. 6

Funds have been set aside in the 2013 capital budget for a MDT upgrade.

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Changes to these parameters are required from time to time and sometimes for short periods of time as traffic circulation conditions fluctuate. Direct access would include remote access from selected non-City computers used by Petaluma Transit’s manager and MV’s (Petaluma General Manager).

Enhancing Demand Management Initiatives Petaluma Paratransit remains a productive service. However operating costs will continue to rise, at-or-above inflation. Many of these increases are beyond the control of Petaluma Transit management. While unit operating costs will increase, it will be possible to keep overall operating costs down by controlling or reducing annual revenue hour volumes. Paratransit demand management remains a critical strategy to control or even reduce demand for costly demand-response services by shifting potential riders to parallel fixed route services. Controlling demand reduces paratransit budget increases, freeing additional funds for fixed route service expansion. The following recommendations are intended to enhance Petaluma Transit’s demand management initiatives: 1. Transit Travel Training Program 2. current discounted fixed route fare structure for seniors and persons with disabilities: and 3. the operation of low floor buses. Petaluma Transit intends to expand the effectiveness of their demand management initiatives in 2013 by implementing functional assessment screening interviews for all applicants. Functional assessment screening through in-person interviews of all applicants is an effective way of limiting the growth in paratransit registrants and an effective way of steering potential applicants into Petaluma Transit’s Transit Travel Training Program. In combination with high paratransit productivity, Petaluma Transit’s demand management initiatives could reduce annual revenue hour volumes during the SRTP timeframe.

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Recommendation 8: Establish a free fare policy on fixed route service for qualified Petaluma Paratransit registrants. A free fare policy would make fixed route transit use increasingly attractive to Petaluma Paratransit registrants and affect a shift from paratransit for an increasingly number of trips. A free fare policy would replace the discounted fare policy for fixed route use by paratransit registrants. This could be implemented in conjunction with the proposed photo identification card requirement for ADA certification and paratransit registration. Recommendation 9: Establish an annual bus stop improvement program designed to improve access to/from bus stops by seniors and persons with disabilities. Improved access to bus stops would enhance the effectiveness of Petaluma’s paratransit demand management initiatives. A prioritization program would allow the scheduling of bus stop accessibility improvements based on the importance of the bus stop relative to travel by seniors and persons with disabilities. A multiyear capital program would target funds for bus stop improvement based on a prioritized list of stops needing enhancements. Prioritization criteria could be based upon on/off passenger volumes at bus stops, the location of bus stops relative to major senior/disabled trip generators and attractors. A transit advisory committee can be an effective way of establishing and managing a bus stop priority list. Priority list improvements should also be coordinated with annual street improvement programs and site redevelopment to benefit from already planned improvements.

Monitoring and Reporting Enhancements As is typical with many small paratransit operations, Petaluma Paratransit management and staff are preoccupied with daily operational challenges and do not have time to ensure the timeliness of data collection and the accuracy of the data. This situation has been further impacted by the unreliability of the current computer tablet mobile data terminal technology.

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Recommendation 10: Discontinue customer call backs to confirm pick up times. The use of the NOVUS assign now scheduling function was designed to eliminate the time and resource consuming call back process. Currently the PM dispatcher is responsible for customer call backs. By eliminating this function, the PM dispatcher could focus on the updating of the scheduling and trip database from the paper driver manifests. This focus would allow more time for data verification and correction and allow the completion of Daily Operations Reports in a timely manner. The availability of current data facilitates more effective service planning and operational problem solving.

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Chapter 5: Operations Plan & Budget Proposed Operating Expenses and Performance Assumptions Operating revenues and expenses have been projected using the assumptions below. Expenses 1. Fixed-route ridership would increase at 5 percent/year. Note that this is far less than recent actual ridership growth. 2. Paratransit ridership would remain constant. 3. The rate of inflation is estimated at three percent per year. Base expenses increase at constant rate of inflation except in Fiscal Year 2019 when they increase by five percent in anticipation of the next Maintenance and Operations contract. 4. Service hour increases budgeted based on current Maintenance and Operations contract rates. Revenues 1. One fare increase of twenty-five cents for adults, students, and seniors in August 2014. Paratransit fares increase to $3.00 in same fiscal year. 2. The City continues to periodically receive TFCA funding through the Sonoma County Transportation Authority to support marketing programs. 3. TDA Revenue projections based on MTC unofficial projections prepared based on the following factors: a. Fiscal Year 2013 base year and updated to reflect MTC most Fiscal Year 2013 fund estimate. b. Annual growth rates consistent with the MTC Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) c. Fifteen percent of total forecast revenue taken off top to support Sonoma Transit routes serving the City. 4. STA Revenue based on nine percent of MTC unofficial projections for Sonoma County Population Based STA and Regional Paratransit STA. MTC projections assume the following factors: a. Fiscal Year 2013 base year and updated to reflect MTC most Fiscal Year 2013 fund estimate. b. Annual growth rates consistent with the MTC Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). c. STA distribution factors updated to reflect the latest estimates from the State Controller's Office.

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d. City begins to receive its share of STA revenue-based funding starting in FY 14. These funds have never went to Petaluma due to filing under rare TDA Article 8 in past years. Filing under Article 8 eliminates STA revenue-based funds, and is generally never done by transit agencies. This was fixed in 2010 and should lead to an increase in STA funding. 5. City continues to be successful in receiving federal JARC funding to support weekend service. This appears a stretch, as the latest federal transportation bill, MAP-21, has eliminated JARC funding. However, due to unprecedented ridership and productivity growth, Petaluma is well positioned to received funds from a new MTC funding transit incentives program (TPI). This line is combined to reflect the existing JARC funds received, plus an estimate of future JARC or MTC TPI funds. 6. City is working with MTC to program a small amount of Petaluma Urbanized Area FTA 5307 Funds for preventative maintenance. This will directly help the operating budget in any year the funding is allocated, and is a common practice and supported by FTA and MAP-21 in most regions of the country outside the Bay Area.

Fixed-Route Service Recommendations Based on Petaluma Transit’ comprehensive evaluation of the City’s fixed-route service, and extensive outreach to the ridership in recent years, the following projects are recommended for implementation during the life of this plan. Short and Near-Term recommendations were implemented in August 2012, prior to the completion of this plan, but after conducting extensive outreach and planning. Short/Near Term Recommendations Initiate Sunday Service During extensive outreach to riders (ongoing, but specifically conducted in 2010 and 2012) the service expansion most desired by riders was extension of weeknight service, followed closely by the initiation of Sunday Services. In-depth interviews exposed that the weeknight service request may need significant extension to be effective, and high operating costs. However, Sunday Service can be initiated far cheaper, and should begin in August 2012. A federal JARC (job access reverse commute) grant was obtained to fund the first two years of Sundays (both fixed route and paratransit). Traditionally, in suburban US environments, Sunday service will perform about half as well as Saturdays. Petaluma Transit also did a major revamp of its beleaguered Saturday service platform in 2010, and currently Saturdays average around 300 boardings. With the industry standard in mind, it is projected that Sunday Service, once established and well known, will average at least 150 boardings per Sunday. Adds 884 annual revenue hours. Initiated FY 13

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Add Half Hour of Additional Weeknight Service During extensive outreach to riders (ongoing, but specifically conducted in 2010 and 2012) the service expansion most desired by riders was extension of weeknight service. In-depth interviews exposed that the weeknight service may be desired until 10pm or later, at least on weekends. However, many trips are not viable at this time due to the extremely short span of service (buses shut down at 6:45pm, meaning 6:15pm is the last trip that can be used). Therefore, it is recommended that the full weekday platform be extended by a half hour. 30 minutes of additional service should be provided in August 2012, extending operations on all routes by 30 minutes. Adds 502 annual revenue hours. Initiated FY 13. Initiate a Morning Version of the 3T Tripper on the Eastside Ridership has grown to the point that additional capacity is needed in the main morning trip of the Route 33. PT should implement an AM version of the 3T, to complement the 7:20am trip of the Route 33, and then to “spin” after dropping students off at Kenilworth Junior High School, and then perform an “extra” trip running in front of the main Route 3 from the Kenilworth area south to Casa Grande High School. Adds 200 annual revenue hours. Initiated FY 13. Add additional morning and early evening trips on Route 1 & 24 Routes 1 & 24 are the lowest producing routes in the current network, however, they also feature the worst frequencies and spans of service. To build momentum, and assist with the morning school commute, service should be added in the early morning and late afternoon to better match the other routes. Adds 385 annual revenue hours. Initiated FY 13. Mid to Long-Term Recommendations Increase Saturday Service The current service platform (2012) features a dramatic drop off in revenue hours between weekdays and Saturdays, and a slight drop in hours between Saturday and Sunday. Petaluma has an existing grant to fund Saturday service, and the grant is not being spent down as quickly as projected. In order to maximize the funding, comply with the grant terms, and meet rider requests for service expansion on Saturday, PT should initiate service on Routes 1 and 24 on Saturday. Adding a third bus to the Saturday 2-bus platform would consume approximately 800 annual hours. Projected FY 14.

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Create Night Service Looking later in the evening beyond 7:15pm, PT may wish to create a “night service” platform featuring routes that are likely to perform the best in the evening hours. It is likely that the weekend platform (30 minute frequency on Route 11, with 60 minute frequency on Routes 2 and 3) may be a good fit for night service. Alternatively, 30 minute service could be provided on Route 3 (SRJC night classes) and no late evening service on Route 2. To begin with, it makes sense to try a pilot project to extend service on PT’s most productive routes on Friday and Saturday evenings, utilizing the weekend, 2-bus platform would add 825 annual hours for weeknight service from 7:15pm to 9:15pm. Projected FY 14. Senior Route Feedback from recent market research outreach with leaders in the Petaluma senior community indicates that the current fixed route network is a challenge to some seniors. In particular, due to past land use decisions and site location decisions for senior housing, a number of clusters of senior apartments are located in areas difficult to serve productively with fixed route buses. Simply promoting paratransit (at $30+ dollars per trip) is not a sustainable option. The idea of crafting a dedicated (of course, anyone will be able to ride it) route that would run during the midday and serve the known senior apartment complexes that are far from main streets, then connect with shopping and medical destinations is attractive. This Senior Route could also “deviate” upon demand to pick up paratransit riders at their homes (or to their homes) upon request, thus acting to help mitigate future paratransit trip demand. It is thought that this deviated route could help greatly in the Westside, which failed to support normal fixed route service over the years (outside of school commutes) but has isolated transit needs that this service could meet. Any deviated fixed route service is dispatch-intensive, and MV (or whomever is providing operations contract service) would need to have enough staff ready and trained to deal with the challenge of interactive, day-of-service trip reservations. Adds 1380 annual revenue hours. Projected FY 16. SMART Shuttles SMART has always planned on providing some funding to create last mile shuttle services at stations in Petaluma. Petaluma has positioned itself to be the logical provider of choice for SMART to contract with to provide the service. However, if SMART’s operational funding proves inadequate (for example) the burden of providing the new, additional shuttle services could fall on the local transit systems. SMART recently asked each local transit agency to do preliminary planning and cost forecasting for additional weekday services that would be dedicated to meeting commute-direction SMART trains at the

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Petaluma (Downtown) Station. Weekday only service would require 3570 additional revenue hours (two shuttles, most of day). Projected FY 17 but omitted from table. Improve Frequency of Routes Frequency of buses should be increased as funding allows. Specifically, PT’s best routes (11, and 2) should increase from 30 minute headways to 15. PT’s lifeline routes (1 & 24, specifically) should increase from 60 minute frequencies to 30. Implementing these frequency improvements from 8am to 5pm (weekdays) on Routes 1 & 24 adds 2259 annual revenue hours. Projected FY 17. Implementing these frequency improvements from 8am to 5pm (weekdays) on Routes 11 & 2 adds 4518 annual revenue hours. Projected FY 22.

Tomales Transit There is a grass-roots effort to bring public transportation services to the Tomales and Dillon Beach areas of northwestern Marin County. Petaluma is the chosen destination of the planning group driving this effort. This would bring more transit riders and overall business to Petaluma, and could help provide some service to the sprawling exurban areas west of Petaluma that have never had fixed route service. PT has worked with the leaders of the effort, as well as with staff at Marin Transit, to begin the planning process. It is unclear if the market for this service is adequate and much additional planning and market research is needed. Marin Transit applied for a grant in 2011 to fund the planning and first two years of service, and identified PT as the appropriate transit operator to run the service. However, this grant was unsuccessful. For the sake of this plan, due to the fact that this service will be grant funded outside of PT’s current budget, this adds 0 annual revenue hours. Projected TBD. “Rapidizing” the Route 2 & 11 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a moniker for a package of improvements that elevate the prestige and levels of service of a particular route/corridor. In general, BRT systems (or “rapids” a lesser intense version of BRT) feature either dedicated bus lanes or rights of way, separate branding from the transit agency’s usual routes, using articulated buses with all the modern technologies, including the TSP described above, plus AVL (automatic vehicle location) and Wi-Fi, etc. Bus stops are bold and feature shelters, real-time bus arrival signage, bike racks, service information, and are clearly more developed than usual bus stops. BRT could be described as “smart transit”, and elements of it should and are

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

deployed already in Petaluma and elsewhere. However, BRT projects are eligible for funding that “normal” service is not, so it may behoove Petaluma Transit to package and develop a BRT project, in order to seek FTA Small Starts (or other) funding. The most appropriate corridors would be North McDowell and or E. Washington. Both corridors feature growing ridership now, and a network of bus stops that already serve their mix of land uses that are relatively, by suburban standards, transit friendly. A service frequency increase to 15 minutes is already in the plan (see above). If funding requires 10 minute peak service, additional revenue hours will be required, but may be (at least initially) obtained via operations funding obtained and dedicated to the project. Projected state date TBD.

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Table 10: Operating Expenses and Revenue Projections

Operating Expenses Fixed Route - Base FR - Increase Service Total Fixed Route Paratransit - Base Paratransit - Increase Service Total Paratransit Total Expenses Operating Revenue Fixed Route Fares - Base FR Fares - Fare Increase FR Fares - Service Increase Total Fixed Route Fares Paratransit Fares -Base PT Fares - Fare Increase PT Fares - Service Increase Total Paratransit Fares Non-Operating Funds Advertising Interest Local Grants (TFCA) Local, State and Federal Funds TDA STA (State) Measure M JARC & MTC TPI Incentive funds New Freedoms FTA 5307 (Federal) FTA 5303 (Federal) Total Revenue TDA Reserve Analysis Available TDA from forecast TDA used for Operations TDA Required for Capital TDA Carryover Beginning Balance Current Year Carryover Total Available Reserves

PETALUMA TRANSIT

2009 Actual

2010 Actual

2011 Actual

2012 Est

2013 Budget

$1,395,999

$1,420,418

$1,178,637

$1,238,742

$1,209,904

$1,395,999 $600,040

$1,420,418 $595,952

$1,178,637 $664,852

$1,238,742 $595,485

$600,040 $1,996,039

$595,952 $2,016,370

$664,852 $1,843,489

$595,485 $1,834,227

$134,408

$130,032

$138,370

$180,000

$180,000

$134,408 $38,528

$130,032 $33,352

$138,370 $50,315

$180,000 $50,000

$180,000 $40,000

$38,528

$33,352

$50,315

$50,000

$27,047

$28,608

$37,439

$36,615

$26,848 $17,667 $63,213

$1,137,600 $399,904 $202,454

$1,228,703 $111,821 $182,150

$18,659 $1,996,039

$245,089 $20,000 $2,016,370

$812,573 $323,239 $193,680 $18,163 $5,919 $193,502 $1,843,489

2014 Forecast

2015 Forecast

2016 Forecast

2017 Forecast

2018 Forecast

2019 Forecast

2020 Forecast

2021 Forecast

2022 Forecast

$1,246,201 $1,283,587 $1,322,095 $1,361,758 $1,402,610 $1,472,741 $1,516,923 $1,562,431 $1,609,304 $82,829 $109,696 $179,277 $295,873 $298,903 $319,826 $329,421 $339,303 $620,637 $1,209,904 $1,329,030 $1,393,283 $1,501,372 $1,657,630 $1,701,513 $1,792,567 $1,846,344 $1,901,734 $2,229,941 $785,958 $809,537 $833,823 $858,838 $884,603 $911,141 $956,698 $985,399 $1,014,961 $1,045,409 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $785,958 $809,537 $833,823 $858,838 $884,603 $911,141 $956,698 $985,399 $1,014,961 $1,045,409 $1,995,862 $2,138,567 $2,227,106 $2,360,209 $2,542,233 $2,612,654 $2,749,265 $2,831,743 $2,916,695 $3,275,350

$40,000

$215,040 $43,008 $10,800 $268,848 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$225,792 $45,158 $13,878 $284,828 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$237,082 $47,416 $22,158 $306,656 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$248,936 $49,787 $35,712 $334,435 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$261,382 $52,276 $35,712 $349,371 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$274,452 $54,890 $35,712 $365,054 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$288,174 $57,635 $35,712 $381,521 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$302,583 $60,517 $35,712 $398,811 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$317,712 $63,542 $63,420 $444,674 $59,450 $11,890 $0 $71,340

$30,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$28,000

$30,000

$10,000

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

$983,760 $305,100 $212,000 $50,700 $31,200

$1,111,932 $281,774 $220,471 $129,685 $24,000 $125,000 $0 $2,150,862

$1,316,737 $306,272 $227,085 $100,000 $1,281 $125,000 $20,000 $2,494,564

$1,374,674 $331,181 $233,898 $80,000

$1,435,159 $358,187 $240,915 $60,000

$1,498,306 $387,470 $248,142 $50,000

$1,564,232 $419,223 $255,586 $40,000

$1,633,058 $453,658 $263,254 $30,000

$1,704,912 $491,003 $271,152 $20,000

$1,756,060 $508,307 $279,286 $10,000

$1,808,742 $526,222 $287,665 $0

$100,000 $20,000 $2,553,921

$100,000 $20,000 $2,620,257

$100,000 $20,000 $2,767,693

$100,000 $20,000 $2,877,752

$100,000 $20,000 $2,964,364

$100,000 $20,000 $3,117,928

$100,000 $20,000 $3,201,805

$100,000 $20,000 $3,286,643

$1,267,532 $1,111,932 $201,986

$1,316,737 $960,740 $221,772

$1,374,674 $1,047,859 $411,025

$1,435,159 $1,175,112 $30,000

$1,498,306 $1,272,846 $46,959

$1,564,232 $1,299,134 $611,222

$1,633,058 $1,417,959 $66,862

$1,704,912 $1,418,727 $30,000

$1,756,060 $1,470,950 $30,000

$1,808,742 $1,797,449 $30,000

-$46,386 $301,429

$134,225 $435,654

-$84,211 $351,443

$230,048 $581,491

$178,501 $759,992

-$346,123 $413,868

$148,237 $562,106

$256,185 $818,291

$255,110 $1,073,401

-$18,707 $1,054,694

$0 $1,872,760

$347,815

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Table 11: Service Plan 2013-2022 2010 Actual Fixed route RVH - Base RVH - Service Increase Revenue Vehicle Hours Revenue Vehicle Miles Pasengers - Base Passengers - Service Increase Total Passengers Paratransit RVH - Base RVH - Service Increase Revenue Vehicle Hours Revenue Vehicle Miles Passengers Total Systemwide Revenue Vehicle Hours Revenue Vehicle Miles Passengers

2011 Actual

2012 Est

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Budget Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast

15,804

13,498

14,024

16,500

16,500 16,500 16,500 16,500 16,500 16,500 1,800 2,313 3,693 5,952 5,952 5,952 15,804 13,498 14,024 16,500 18,300 18,813 20,193 22,452 22,452 22,452 198,334 186,383 193,533 227,702 237,900 244,569 262,509 291,876 291,876 291,876 161,367 206,512 283,293 320,000 336,000 352,800 370,440 388,962 408,410 428,831 18,000 23,130 36,930 59,520 59,520 59,520 161,367 206,512 283,293 320,000 354,000 375,930 407,370 448,482 467,930 488,351 8,479

9,247

8,114

8,800

8,800

8,479 77,029 20,529

9,247 84,652 22,965

8,114 67,844 22,724

8,800 73,580 23,780

24,283 275,363 181,896

22,745 271,035 229,477

22,138 261,377 306,017

25,300 301,282 343,780

FY start

Sunday Service 1/2 hour full extension weeknight Add hour per day routes 1 & 24 Add AM Route 3T Tripper Increase Saturday Service Create Night Service Platform Add Night Service on Saturday Senior Route (deviated fixed) Improve Weekday Freq. Rts 1 & 24 Improve Weekday Freq. Rts 2 & 11

PETALUMA TRANSIT

2013 (now) 2013 (now) 2013 (now) 2013 (now) 2014 2014 2015 2016 2017 2022

2022 Forecast

16,500 5,952 22,452 291,876 450,272 59,520 509,792

16,500 5,952 22,452 291,876 472,786 59,520 532,306

16,500 10,570 27,070 351,910 496,425 105,700 602,125

8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

8,800 0 8,800 82,984 23,780

27,100 320,884 377,780

27,613 327,553 399,710

28,993 345,493 431,150

31,252 374,860 472,262

31,252 374,860 491,710

31,252 374,860 512,131

31,252 374,860 533,572

31,252 374,860 556,086

35,870 434,894 625,905

Note: Fixed Route ridership growth assumed at 5% w/ expansion service producing at 10 riders per revenue hour Paratransit Ridership assumed to stay at 2013 levels

Project

2021 Forecast

Annual Hours 884 502 251 200 800 1000 513 1380 2259 4518

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Chapter 6: Capital Improvement Program This Capital Plan provides for the infrastructure required to support the operations and services set forth in the Operations Plan and Budget described in Chapter 5.

Fixed-Route Vehicle Program In 2007, the City acquired four new 35-foot, heavy-duty transit buses. This purchase initiated the transition from reliance on medium duty cut-a-way vans to traditional transit vehicles with greater capacity, longer useful lives and an overall more comfortable passenger experience. In 2011 the City continued this transition with the purchase of four additional 30-foot, heavy-duty transit buses. The FTA service life of a heavy duty transit vehicle is 12 years or 350,000 miles, consequently the replacement of the 2007 vehicles is included in this capital plan. The 2011 vehicles will be replaced outside the plan window. In addition to these eight heavy duty vehicles the City has retained two of the older Cutaway vans to serve as a contingency fleet. These two vehicles, as well as two additional Cutaway vehicles that were retired in 2012, are slated for replacement in 2015. (These vehicles were originally scheduled for replacement at the end of their useful in 2010. Replacement was deferred for five years to allow the City to use 5307 funds for preventative maintenance in FY 2010, during the height of the Great Depression’s impact on the operating budget.) The City will replace the last of the phased-out Chevy cutaway buses from the fixed route fleet in 2015, replacing them with 40’ heavy duty buses. This plan assumes all vehicles are funded with FTA Section 5307 funds matched by local TDA 4.0 funds. However, local match funds may be replace by PTMISEA funds as they are made available through the State, as PT has done in the last two years. This plan does not assume any fixed route vehicle expansion. The modest expansions called out in the operations plan can all be delivered using the fleet at its projected size once the last of the old cutaways are replaced with heavy duty buses.

Paratransit Vehicle Program As of the end of June 2012 the City owned paratransit fleet included five active vehicles and a contingency vehicle with a seventh vehicle on order. Four additional paratransit vehicles are slated for federal funding in 2013. These vehicles will replace a 2003 vehicle for which replacement was deferred to take advantage of 5307 preventative maintenance funding as well as three contractor-owned, 5310 funded, vehicles that were withdrawn from the fleet when the relationship with the contractor ended in April 2012. Given the delay in allocation of federally funding these four replacements are shown in the capital plan as being funded in 2014. Although previous plans assumed replacement of paratransit

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

vehicles with medium duty seven-year vehicles, this plan assumes that vehicles purchased in 2012 and beyond will be replaced with five year vehicles. Since the City historically retains its vehicles in useful service beyond the FTA identified life, five year paratransit vehicles are shown for replacement in the sixth year following their purchase year. This plan assumes all vehicles are funded with FTA Section 5307 funds matched by local TDA 4.0 funds. However, local match funds may be replace by PTMISEA funds as they are made available through the State. This plan does not assume any paratransit vehicle expansion.

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Table 12: Vehicle Inventory

Vehicle #

Year

Make

Length

Type

Fuel

Seating

W/C

Last 5 of VIN

Status

Useful Life Replace Year

3

2002

Champion

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

8

3

66021

Contingency

7

2009*

4

2003

Braun

15

Cut-a-way

Gas

6

2

2049

Returned to PPSC

7

2013

6

2007

Starcraft

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

6

2

18730

Returned to PPSC

7

2013

9

2007

Starcraft

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

6

2

18732

Returned to PPSC

7

2013

7

2003

Ford E350

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

8

3

54483

Active

7

2013

12

2010

Ford E450

24

Cut-a-way

Gas

12

3

72376

Active

7

2017

14

2010

Ford E350

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

8

3

27086

Active

7

2018

15

2012

Ford E350

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

8

3

62807

Active

5

2018

16

2012

Ford E350

22

Cut-a-way

Gas

8

3

62808

Active

5

2018

17

2012

Ford E450

24

Cut-a-way

Gas

12

3

TBD

On Order

5

2018

21

2003

Chevy

29'

Cut-a-way

Gas

22

2

00819

Retired

7

2015

22

2003

Chevy

29'

Cut-a-way

Gas

22

2

00948

Retired

7

2015

25

2003

Chevy

29'

Cut-a-way

Gas

22

2

01020

Contingency

7

2015

26

2003

Chevy

29'

Cut-a-way

Gas

22

2

00892

Contingency

7

2015

33

2007

Gillig

35'

Transit Bus

Diesel

35

2

77482

Active

12

2018

34

2007

Gillig

35'

Transit Bus

Diesel

35

2

77483

Active

12

2018

35

2007

Gillig

35'

Transit Bus

Diesel

35

2

77484

Active

12

2018

36

2007

Gillig

35'

Transit Bus

Diesel

35

2

77485

Active

12

2018

37

2011

Gillig

30'

Transit Bus

Diesel

23

2

92152

Active

12

2023

38

2011

Gillig

30'

Transit Bus

Diesel

23

2

92153

Active

12

2023

39

2011

Gillig

30'

Transit Bus

Diesel

23

2

92154

Active

12

2023

40

2011

Gillig

30'

Transit Bus

Diesel

23

2

92155

Active

12

2023

Paratransit

Fixed-route

* This vehicle purchased used to replace a diesel vehicles that could not meet CARB air quality requirements.

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CITY OF PETALUMA – 2012 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN

Table 13: Fleet Replacement Plan Fleet Replacement No. of

Funding

In Service

Vehicles

Year

Year

Primary Length

Type

Fuel

Seating

W/C

Fund Source

Next Cost***

Life

Replace Year

Paratransit 2

2013*

2014