AGENDA ITEM I-2 Public Works

STAFF REPORT

City Council Meeting Date: 9/11/2018 Staff Report Number: 18-178-CC

Informational Item: Update on the Menlo Park shuttle program and schedule

Recommendation This is an informational item and does not require City Council action.

Policy Issues The City of Menlo Park shuttle program is consistent with the 2016 general plan goal and policies to support local and regional transit that is efficient, frequent, convenient and safe. These policies seek to promote the use of public transit and to promote the use of alternatives to the single-occupant automobile.

Background The City of Menlo Park has been offering shuttle service since 1989, starting with the Marsh and Willow shuttles that take passengers between Caltrain and the business parks. Over the years, additional routes have been added to serve local residents in addition to commuters. The current fixed-route shuttles, the Menlo midday and the Belle Haven, are the successors to the former midday shuttle, while the shoppers’ shuttle is a door-to-door service. The Menlo midday shuttle is a new service started in March 2017, connecting Sharon Heights with the rest of the City via Santa Cruz Avenue and Sand Hill Road.

The City’s shuttle program takes advantage of a joint contract with the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (DBA Caltrain) and the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance (DBA Commute.org). This joint contract, which is managed by Caltrain, is with MV Transportation to provide shuttle service within San Mateo County and Santa Clara County. These shuttles serve first and last mile connections with BART and Caltrain, along with local community routes in cities such as Menlo Park.

Beginning in October 2017, MV Transportation began having staffing issues and could not staff drivers on every single route in the contract. As a result, service on two-bus routes, such as the Belle Haven and Marsh shuttles, were reduced to only one bus. Although this is an inconvenience to Menlo Park riders, it would ensure that other one-bus shuttle routes in the system would not be canceled.

Staffing issues at MV Transportation have continued over the course of the last year. There have been many recruitments, but many drivers are still leaving for other similar jobs. Due to this staffing issue, there have been random service disruptions on one-bus routes including those in Menlo Park. The lack of drivers means that when a driver calls in sick, there are few backups to cover the shift and the shuttle run for the day is canceled. For example, the Menlo midday shuttle was canceled at least once a week in July and August 2018 due to the driver shortage.

Per the January 2018 Staff Report to City Council (Attachment A), the Menlo midday shuttle will be combined with the Belle Haven shuttle to create the all-new crosstown shuttle. This will connect Sharon

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org Staff Report #: 18-178-CC

Heights, Stanford medical center, Stanford shopping center, downtown Palo Alto, downtown Menlo Park, Menlo Park library, and Belle Haven as a one-seat ride service. Not only will it offer connectivity to more destinations, but it will also offer all-day service between 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. for riders in Belle Haven, Sharon Heights and everywhere in between.

Analysis Effective September 4, 2018, the Belmont-Hillsdale and Menlo midday shuttles were suspended. The Belmont-Hillsdale shuttle is a commuter shuttle while the Menlo midday shuttle is a community one. The justification was based on ridership numbers. Table 1 shows the average ridership numbers for Menlo Park shuttles.

Table 1: Menlo Park shuttle ridership (by route, July 2018) Shuttle route Average daily ridership (passengers) Belle Haven 59 Marsh Road* 92 Menlo Midday 6 Shoppers 16 Willow Road* 75 *Commuter routes

Table 2 shows a sampling of various San Mateo County shuttles for location and ridership numbers, as the entire data range has over 20 routes serving the County. The low end for average daily ridership on San Mateo County shuttles is typically around 40 to 50 riders, with the highest at 200 to 300 riders. With an average daily ridership of 6 and 62, the Menlo midday and Belmont-Hillsdale Shuttles (respectively) are on the lower end of the ridership spectrum.

Table 2: Selected San Mateo County shuttle ridership (by route, July 2018) Shuttle route Average daily ridership (passengers) Belmont-Hillsdale 62 Crocker Park (Brisbane) 347 Norfolk (San Mateo) 70 Oyster Point Caltrain (South ) 125 South San Francisco shuttle* 216 Twin Dolphin (Redwood City) 74 *Community route

Based on the continued staffing issues, Caltrain and the City discussed options to suspend shuttle service. Due to the unstable staffing levels and frequent cancellations during summer 2018, suspension of shuttles with low ridership was considered to help prevent cancellations on other heavily used routes in the system. The suspension of the Menlo midday shuttle was decided after discussions between City staff and Caltrain to identify the least impactful options.

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org Staff Report #: 18-178-CC

The decision to temporarily suspend the Menlo midday shuttle was made for two main reasons. The first is that it had very low ridership and thus had extremely high per passenger costs. For example, the cost in June 2018 was approximately $60/passenger when in comparison, the benchmark for commuter shuttles is $5-$10 per passenger and on the expensive end is $40 per passenger. Secondly, the shoppers’ shuttle exists as an alternative service. The shoppers’ shuttle offers service to Redwood City on Tuesdays, and around the Menlo Park/Palo Alto area on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This free service only runs three times a week, but is a door-to-door service in comparison to the Monday to Friday Menlo midday shuttle.

As stated above, a new crosstown shuttle will connect Sharon Heights, Stanford medical center, Stanford shopping center, downtown Palo Alto, downtown Menlo Park, Menlo Park library and Belle Haven as all- day, one seat ride service. The start date for this crosstown shuttle is still to be determined, but will be implemented as soon as driver-staffing levels are stable. Proper outreach and refreshing of the shuttle stops with new signage will also be completed at that time to improve knowledge and visibility of the shuttles that are serving the Menlo Park community.

Staff will continue to monitor the situation and work with its partners to minimize impacts to passengers. The City’s goal is resumption of normal levels of service as soon as possible to support local and regional transit with reliable first and last mile mobility options.

Impact on City Resources There are no impact to City Resources at this time.

Environmental Review This action is not a project within the meaning of the Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines §§ 15378 and 15061(b)(3) as it proposes an organizational structure change that will not result in any direct or indirect physical change in the environment.

Public Notice Public notification was achieved by posting the agenda, with the agenda items being listed, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.

Attachments A. Hyperlink: https://www.menlopark.org/DocumentCenter/View/16513/F3---FY2018-20-CCAG-TA-Shuttle- Call-for-Projects

Report prepared by: Nicholas Yee, Transportation Demand Management Coordinator

Report reviewed by: Kristiann Choy, Senior Transportation Engineer Justin Murphy, Public Works Director

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org