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YARTS STRATEGIC PLAN Final Report

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YARTS STRATEGIC PLAN Final Report MERCED COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS YARTS STRATEGIC PLAN Final Report Prepared by LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc YARTS Strategic Plan Final Report Prepared for Merced County of Governments 369 W. 18 St. Merced, California, 95340 209-723-3153 Prepared by LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. 2690 Lake Forest Road, Ste. C Tahoe City, CA 96145 530-583-4053 June 14, 2021 LSC#207480 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTERS Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Institutional Overview Institutional Structure of YARTSS= ............................................................................................................ 3 YARTS Agreements .................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 3: Review of Yosemite Visitation and YARTS Service Historic Annual & Seasonal Visitation to Yosemite National Park .......................................................... 13 YARTS Services Overview ........................................................................................................................ 17 Current and Historical YARTS Ridership .................................................................................................. 24 YARTS Performance Analysis ................................................................................................................... 34 YARTS Connections .................................................................................................................................. 38 Chapter 4: YARTS Capital Overview Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 41 YARTS Fleet .............................................................................................................................................. 41 Moving Towards Zero Emissions ............................................................................................................. 43 YARTS Facilities ........................................................................................................................................ 47 Chapter 5: Funding History and Opportunities YARTS Funding Sources ........................................................................................................................... 49 Federal Sources of Revenue .................................................................................................................... 54 State Sources of Revenue ........................................................................................................................ 57 Local Sources of Revenue ........................................................................................................................ 59 Summary – The Future Funding of YARTS .............................................................................................. 60 Chapter 6: Recommended Strategies for YARTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 61 Service Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 61 Capital Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 73 Institutional Plan ...................................................................................................................................... 79 Appendix A: YARTS Fare Structure Appendix B: YARTS Ridership Trends Appendix C: YARTS Boarding and Alighting Data YARTS Strategic Plan Draft Report LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Merced County Council of Governments Page i LIST OF TABLES Table 1: NPS Financial Assistance for YARTS Service .............................................................................. 10 Table 2: Monthly Visitor Count (2000 – 2019)........................................................................................ 14 Table 3: Annual Vehicle Count by Park Entrance (1998 – 2019) ............................................................ 16 Table 4: Annual Visitation by Major Entrance Station (2015– 2019) ..................................................... 17 Table 5: 2019 Monthly Visitation by Major Entrance Station ................................................................ 18 Table 6: Summary of Existing YART Service ............................................................................................ 20 Table 7: Recent YARTS Service Changes ................................................................................................. 21 Table 8: YARTS 2019 and 2020 Service Quantities by Route and Month ............................................... 23 Table 9: YARTS Ridership History by Route ............................................................................................. 25 Table 10: YARTS Ridership History by Route and Season ....................................................................... 27 Table 11: Route 140 Ridership History by Type ...................................................................................... 28 Table 12: Passenger Boardings by Route by Month 2019 & 2020 ......................................................... 30 Table 13: Route Ridership by Average Weekday and Weekend by Month ........................................... 32 Table 14: YARTS 2019 Performance Analysis by Route and Month ....................................................... 36 Table 15: YARTS Vehicle Fleet – Replacement Needs ............................................................................ 42 Table 16: YARTS versus VIA Bus Use – Calendar Year 2019 ................................................................... 43 Table 17: YARTS Expenses by Year – Merced Contract .......................................................................... 50 Table 18: YARTS Revenues – Merced Contract ....................................................................................... 51 Table 19: YARTS Expenses and Revenue by Year – Fresno Contract ...................................................... 52 Table 20: YARTS Total Operating Expenses and Revenue by Year ......................................................... 52 Table 21: Countywide Retail Sales Trends in YARTS Service Area .......................................................... 54 Table 22: Recommended Service Reduction Plan to Generate Local Capital Match Funding ............... 62 Table 23: YARTS Alternative Service Reductions Analysis ...................................................................... 63 Table 24: Existing Buses Required in Service by Time-of-Day ................................................................ 65 Table 25: Route 120 Average Daily Ridership in July .............................................................................. 68 Table 26: 120 Route Reduced Schedule (June 22 to September 11) ..................................................... 69 Table 27: Route 41 Average Daily Ridership in August ........................................................................... 71 Table 28: Example Oakhurst – YNP Schedule ......................................................................................... 71 Table 29: YARTS Bus Size Requirements ................................................................................................. 75 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: YARTS 2021 – 21 Board of Directors .......................................................................................... 4 Figure 2: Total Annual Visitors (2000 – 2019) ......................................................................................... 15 Figure 3: Annual Visitors by Season (2000 – 2019) ................................................................................ 15 Figure 4: Annual Vehicle Count by Park Entrance .................................................................................. 16 Figure 5: Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System ..................................................................... 19 Figure 6: YARTS Historic Annual Ridership by Route .............................................................................. 25 Figure 7: 2019 Monthly Ridership by Route ........................................................................................... 31 Figure 8: 2020 Monthly Ridership by Route ........................................................................................... 31 Figure 9: 2019 Average Weekday and Weekend/Holiday Ridership ...................................................... 33 YARTS Strategic Plan Draft Report LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. Merced County Council of Governments Page ii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Since its founding in 2000, the Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) has grown to be a crucial element in Yosemite National Park’s transportation strategy and a key mobility and economic resource for the overall Yosemite Region. However, several factors are currently threatening the long‐term viability of the YARTS program as it currently stands. Most obviously, the COVID‐19 pandemic has reduced ridership and impacted operations while also reducing potential funding levels. The aging and
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