TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action on approval of the first amendment to the contract with Valutrans Holdings, LLC authorizing two (2) one year extensions to provide City transit services. Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
The Mayor and City Council approved contract CON 14-28 on September 2, 2014 for Total Transit Inc. to provide transit service for the City Of Maricopa for the period October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015. This contract was subsequently amended to change the name of Total Transit Inc. to Valutrans Holdings, LLC, with the amendment carrying contract number CON 14-42. The contract contains an option to renew for two (2) one year terms which we request be exercised for the period October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016 and October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017.
The City of Maricopa received Preliminary Notice Of Award of Section 5311 funding from Arizona Department Of Transportation on July 30, 2015, in the amount of $281,238.97. This amount represents funding at 95.5 percent of our request for $294,404 approved by council on February 17, 2015 in our 5311 grant application, and is anticipated to be sufficient to maintain the current level of expanded services for the period October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016. These services include: (1) Local Demand Response 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday; (2) Regional Demand Response 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday; (3) Limited Demand Response from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm Tuesday and Thursday; and (4) Limited Fixed Route Service with ¾ mile deviations 7:00 - 9:00 am and 3:00 - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. The preliminary notice of award also includes $1,200 to purchase 12 bus stop signs and posts for the limited fixed route stops. Any of these services can be considered for expansion within the awarded budget, with council approval if transit demand suggests the need.
Ridership has been steadily increasing since the introduction of additional local Demand Response and Limited Fixed Route service in May 2015. A review of rider counts from January 2015 reflects an average of 35 passengers and 67 trips per week. The most recent week reported for the week ending August 7, 2015 reflects 54 passengers and 81 trips, not including the Special Summer Shuttle which provided 767 trips in six weeks of operation. Additionally, the steady growth is indicative of the slow transition to fixed route service as more of the general population uses it, except for the senior population which will continue to be reliant on curbside service.
The City Of Maricopa Express Transit (COMET) Program is projected to complete the current federal fiscal year on September 30, 2015 under budget.
This item is presented by David R. Maestas, Transportation/Transit Planner and COMET Program Manager.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Mayor and City Council approve the first amendment to authorize two (2) one-year renewals for CON 14-28 (and amended by CON 14-42) with Valutrans LLC.