Solano Transportation Authority
Member Agencies: Benicia ♦ Dixon ♦ Fairfield ♦ Rio Vista ♦ Suisun City ♦ Vacaville ♦ Vallejo ♦ Solano County
One Harbor Center, Ste. 130, Suisun City, CA 94585-2473 ♦ Phone (707) 424-6075 / Fax (707) 424-6074 Email: [email protected] ♦ Website: sta.ca.gov
SOLANOEXPRESS INTERCITY TRANSIT CONSORTIUM 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, 2020
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MEETING AGENDA ITEM STAFF PERSON 1. CALL TO ORDER Beth Kranda, Chair
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
3. OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT (1:30 –1:35 p.m.)
4. REPORTS FROM MTC, STA STAFF AND OTHER AGENCIES (1:35 – 1:45 p.m.) • Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force Update Daryl Halls
5. CONSENT CALENDAR Recommendation: Approve the following consent items in one motion. (1:45 – 1:50 p.m.) A. Minutes of the Consortium Meeting of September 29, 2020 Johanna Masiclat Recommendation: Approve the Consortium Meeting Minutes of September 29, 2020. Pg. 5
CONSORTIUM MEMBERS Louren Kotow Diane Feinstein Brandon Thomson Beth Kranda Lori DaMassa Joyce Goodwin Debbie McQuilkin VACANT (Chair) (Vice Chair) Dixon Fairfield and Rio Vista Solano County Vacaville County of Solano Mobility STA Readi-Ride Suisun Transit Delta Breeze Transit City Coach Solano (FAST) (SolTrans) Ron Grassi STA Staff The complete Consortium packet is available1 on STA’s website: www.sta.ca.gov B. Coordinated Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs) Ron Grassi Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the Coordinated Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs) as listed below: For review and printing of the Coordinated SRTPs: 1. Click here: Dixon Readi-Ride SRTP 2. Click here: Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) SRTP 3. Click here: Rio Vista Delta Breeze SRTP 4. Click here: Solano County Transit (SolTrans) SRTP 5. Click here: Vacaville City Coach SRTP Pg. 9 6. ACTION FINANCIAL A. Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) Connection Erika McLitus Protection Study Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to authorize the Executive Director to: 1. Release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a consultant to conduct the 2020 SolanoExpress Connection Protection Study; and 2. Enter into a contract for an amount not-to-exceed $600,000 for the Study. (1:50 – 1:55 p.m.) Pg. 15 7. ACTION NON-FINANCIAL
A. Legislative Update and STA’s Draft 2021 Legislative Platform Vincent Ma Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to release the STA’s Draft 2021 Legislative Platform for 30-day review and comment. (1:55 – 2:05 p.m.) Pg. 17 B. Discussion of Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs) – Draft Working Brandon Thomson Papers #7 Operation and Performance of the SolanoExpress System #8 Connectivity between the regional and Local Transit Networks #9 Access to Medical Providers and Services #10 Transit Access and Connecting Communities to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Future Priority Production Areas (PPAs) Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the SRTP Working Papers 7, 8, 9, and 10 as shown in Attachment A, B, C, and D. (2:05 – 2:15 p.m.) Pg. 25
The complete Consortium packet is available2 on STA’s website: www.sta.ca.gov 8. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
A. First Quarter Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 Solano Mobility Programs Debbie McQuilkin Update 1. Travel Training 2. Countywide ADA In-Person Eligibility Program 3. Taxi Card Program utilizing the PEX card 4. Medical Trip Concierge using GoGo Grandparents (2:15 – 2:20 p.m.) Pg. 47 B. SolanoExpress Intercity First Quarter Report for Fiscal Year Brandon Thomson (FY) 2020-21 Beth Kranda, SolTrans (2:20 – 2:25 p.m.) Diane Feinstein, FAST Pg. 51 C. Vehicle Share Program Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 Annual Report Brandon Thomson (2:25 – 2:30 p.m.) Pg. 59 NO DISCUSSION D. Solano Mobility Call Center/Transportation Depot Monthly Amy Antunano Update Pg. 63 E. Summary of Funding Opportunities Brent Rosenwald Pg. 67 9. TRANSIT CONSORTIUM OPERATOR UPDATES AND COORDINATION ISSUES
10. FUTURE INTERCITY TRANSIT CONSORTIUM AGENDA ITEMS Group
December 2020 A. Clipper 2.0 Update B. Discussion of SolanoExpress Service Changes for FY 2020-21 C. MTC Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force Update D. Solano EOC – Emergency Prepardeness – Robin Rains E. Countywide Integrated Fares F. Integrated Transit Payment (ITP)
January 2021 A. BRT Light – Solano Express Future Evaluation of Blue, Green, Express, Red and Yellow Lines B. SolanoExpress Marketing Update
February 2021 A. SolanoExpress Second Quarter Report FY 2020-21 B. SolanoExpress Capital Update
The complete Consortium packet is available3 on STA’s website: www.sta.ca.gov 11. ADJOURNMENT The next regular meeting of the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.
Meeting Schedule for the Calendar Year 2021 1:30 p.m., Tues., January 26th 1:30 p.m., Tues., February 23rd 1:30 p.m., Tues., March 30th 1:30 p.m., Tues., April 27th 1:30 p.m., Tues., May 25th 1:30 p.m., Tues., June 29th No Meeting in July (Summer Recess) 1:30 p.m., Tues., August 24th 1:30 p.m., Tues., September 28th No Meeting in October 1:30 p.m., Tues., November 16th (Earlier Date) 1:30 p.m., Tues., December 14th (Earlier Date)
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The complete Consortium packet is available4 on STA’s website: www.sta.ca.gov Agenda Item 5.A November 17, 2020
INTERCITY TRANSIT CONSORTIUM Meeting Minutes of September 29, 2020 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Kranda called the regular virtual meeting of the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium to order at approximately 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Members Present: Beth Kranda, Chair Solano County Transit (SolTrans) Louren Kotow Dixon Readi-Ride Diane Feinstein Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) Brandon Thomson Rio Vista Delta Breeze Debbie McQuilkin Solano Mobility Joyce Goodwin County of Solano –Health & Social Services Members Absent: Lori DaMassa Vacaville City Coach Also Present (In Alphabetical Order by Last Name): Kristina Botsford SolTrans Pat Carr SolTrans Daryl Halls STA Ron Grassi STA Kathrina Gregana STA Ipeleng Kgositsile NWC Consulting Johanna Masiclat STA Kit Powis WSP Mary Pryor NWC Consulting Elizabeth Richards STA Consultant Tina Spencer NWC Consulting Tina Tran City of Fairfield Shaun Vigil City of Fairfield Amber Villareal City of Fairfield
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA On a motion by Brandon Thomson, and a second by Joyce Goodwin, the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium approved the agenda. (5 Ayes, 2 Absent – Dixon Readi Ride and Vacaville City Coach)
3. OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Daryl Halls introduced STA’s new planning staff, Kathrina Gregana.
4. REPORTS FROM MTC, STA STAFF AND OTHER AGENCIES Louren Kotow, Dixon Readi Ride, joined the meeting at this time. 1. Healthy Transit Plan Dashboard presented by Kit Powis, WSP 2. Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force Update presented by Daryl Halls
5
5. CONSENT CALENDAR On a motion by Diane Feinstein, and a second by Louren Kotow, the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium approved Consent Calendar Items A. (6 Ayes, 1 Absent – Vacaville City Coach)
A. Minutes of the Consortium Meeting of August 25, 2020 Recommendation: Approve the Consortium Meeting Minutes of August 25, 2020.
B. Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 Transportation Development Act (TDA) Matrix – October 2020 – Dixon Readi Ride and Rio Vista Delta Breeze (RVDB) Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to STA TAC and Board to approve the October 2020 TDA Matrix for FY 2020-21 which includes the TDA Claim for Dixon in the amount of $526,642 and Rio Vista in the amount of $345,774.
C. Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 Vallejo Community Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the FY 2019-20 Vallejo Community Based Transportation Plan with Participatory Budgeting as shown in Attachment C.
6. ACTION FINANCIAL ITEMS
A. Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22 SolanoExpress Intercity Funding Forecast Mary Pryor reported that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SolanoExpress service levels, costs, and revenues for FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 are projected to be substantially different than prior years. She also noted that given the uncertainties regarding revenues and ridership demand, the forecast does not include substantial changes to the current SolanoExpress service. She added that STA staff will provide regular updates to the STA Board and the Consortium on the SolanoExpress operations, ridership, costs, and revenues. As the service changes are implemented, minor adjustments to the proposed service plan may be required. She concluded by stating that substantial changes to the service plan will be developed in consultation with the transit operators, the Intercity Transit Finance Working Group (ITFWG) and Consortium.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the FY 2021-22 SolanoExpress Cost Sharing Forecast as specified in Attachment A.
On a motion by Brandon Thomson and a second by Diane Feinstein, the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium approved the recommendation. (6 Ayes, 1 Absent – Vacaville City Coach)
7. ACTION NON-FINANCIAL ITEMS
A. STA’s Title VI Program - Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Brandon Thomson and Tina Spencer presented the STA’s Title VI Progam. She explained that an important aspect of the Title VI Program is that it must be adopted by the agency’s Board and integrated in policy and in practice by the agency. She added that the Title VI Program and its associated Complaint Policy, Language Assistance Plan, and Public Participation Plan must become a tenet under which STA operates in order to ensure federal
6 compliance. She concluded by noting that the Title VI Program commits the agency to undertake activities related to Title VI along with monitoring those activities. This includes updating the Title VI Program every three years that should be included in agency and staff work-plans.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the following: 1. Adopt the STA’s 2020 Title VI Program as shown in Attachment A; and 2. Authorize the Executive Director to submit the STA’s Title VI Program to Caltrans.
On a motion by Diane Feinstein, and a second by Louren Kotow, the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium approved the recommendation to include all submitted comments. (6 Ayes, 1 Absent – Vacaville City Coach)
B. Solano Mobility Study for Older Adults and People with Disabilities Report Update Elizabeth Richards presented and provided a detailed report of the Solano Mobiility Study for Older Adults and People with Disabilities. She noted that while a myriad of changes has been made recently and are planned in the near future, there will still be mobility challenges not addressed. She also noted that from the start of this project, the focus has been on transportation and mobility in general for older adults and people with disabilities not on a specific mode, nevertheless, transit has frequently been raised as a challenge and also seen by the community as a primary solution with improvements. She concluded by outlining the series of strategies listed in the final chapter and that transit improvements are listed along with a variety of other strategies.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the Solano Mobility Study for Older Adults and People with Disabilities Update as shown in Attachment B.
On a motion by Debbie McQuilkin, and a second by Brandon Thomson, the SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium approved the recommendation. (6 Ayes, 1 Absent – Vacaville City Coach)
8. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS – DISCUSSION
A. Update on Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs) – Draft Working Papers 7, 8, 9, and 10 Ron Grassi provided an update to the draft working papers as llisted below and requested the Consortium review and provide comments: #7 Operation and Performance of the SolanoExpress System #8 Connectivity between the regional and Local Transit Networks #9 Access to Medical Providers and Services #10 Transit Access and Connecting Communities to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Future Priority Production Areas (PPAs)
NO DISCUSION
B. Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan Dashboard – Data Collection Update • Dixon Readi-Ride • Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) • Rio Vista Delta Breeze • Solano County Transit (SolTrans)
7 • Vacaville City Coach
C. Solano Mobility Call Center/Transportation Depot Monthly Update
D. Legislative Update
E. Summary of Funding Opportunities
9. TRANSIT CONSORTIUM OPERATOR UPDATES AND COORDINATION ISSUES
10. FUTURE INTERCITY TRANSIT CONSORTIUM AGENDA ITEMS
11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m. The next regular meeting of the Solano Express Intercity Transit Consortium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.
8 Agenda Item 5.B November 17, 2020
DATE: November 2, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Ron Grassi, Director of Programs RE: Coordinated Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs) 1. Dixon Readi-Ride SRTP 2. Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) 3. Rio Vista Delta Breeze 4. Solano County Transit (SolTrans) 5. Vacaville City Coach
Background: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) provides Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5303 funding to transit operators to support the development of Short Range Transit Plans (SRTP). SRTPs assist transit agencies with operations and capital planning in the interest of meeting federal planning requirements related to the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
An individual SRTP for each transit agency and an accumulation of the SRTP’s known as the Coordinated Short Range Transit Plan were last completed for Solano county transit operators in September 2016, covering the period Fiscal Years (FYs) 2015-16 to 2024-25. STA’s approach, with guidance and direction from MTC, is to update these documents approximately every two to three years. This agenda item proposes the updated process begin in early FY 2019-20.
On February 13, 2019, the MTC’s Programming and Allocations Committee adopted MTC Resolution No. 4364, which recommended that STA receive $110,000 to develop a coordinated SRTP for SolTrans, the City of Rio Vista, the City of Dixon, and the City of Fairfield. In coordination with Vacaville City Coach. MTC staff allocated the City of Vacaville $20,000 to conduct their SRTP (Attachment A). MTC staff separated the City of Vacaville from the Solano County operators because, in the last update, the City of Vacaville prepared their own SRTP. The City of Vacaville decided to include their SRTP update for City Coach under the single consultant agreement with STA to prepare the individual agency SRTPs. Therefore, STA received $130,000 in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5303 funds from MTC and set aside State Transit Assistance Funds (STAF) in the amount of $70,000 toward this effort. The set aside of STAF funds covers the required local match of $18,138 and the remaining $51,862 of STAF funds has been used to conduct the Coordinated SRTP.
Discussion: As in the previous Coordinated SRTP process, each transit agency provided information and reviewed drafts as they were developed by the consultant team. STA staff used a similar approach from the 2016 effort for this cycle, with some changes: 1. Eliminate the element related to the Transit Corridor Study. 2. Replace that item with an element that looks at operation and performance of the SolanoExpress system as a single unit, while retaining the individual agency approaches 9 for evaluation and planning regards to finances and performance of the individual SolanoExpress routes as allocated to each agency. 3. The section on the SolanoExpress system includes an element that examines connectivity between the regional network and the local transit networks. This will examine shortcomings and opportunities for improved connectivity. 4. Examined transit access to medical facilities and to medical appointments. Determine actual demand for services and propose cost effective options for addressing the demands. This component is being added as this was to top priority of the Coordinated Transportation Services Agency (CTSA) and all seven cities for Senior and Persons with Disabilities. 5. Examined transit access to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and future Priority Production Areas (PPAs) for jobs.
Relevant to the SRTPs, under a separate item, there are 4 Short Range Transit Plans (SRTP) Working Papers; # 7 Operation and Performance of the Solano Express System; #8 Connectivity between the regional and Local Transit Networks; #9 Access to Medical Providers and Services; and #10 Transit Access and Connecting Communities to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Future Priority Production Areas (PPAs). The MTC Resolution requires a ten-year fiscally constrained financial plan for each of the transit operators SRTP as well as for the coordinated plan. Therefore, sustainability is an overarching objective of the entire process.
Another area of special interest/concern is the Pre Covid-19 decline in local ridership of Solano’s three largest fixed route transit systems. Attachment B shows Pre Covid-19 summary ridership statistics for all the Solano operators. The loss of local ridership for the three largest transit operators may be attributed to a variety of factors including lower fuel costs, increased teleworking, higher car ownership and the rise of alternatives such as Uber and Lyft. The MTC Resolution requires a review of usage trends; and as Solano has seen declining local ridership, STA has been exploring Micro-Transit alternatives with Rio Vista and SolTrans for Benicia to specifically look for long- and short-term solutions to improve transit ridership.
The schedule shown on Attachment C was utilized for developing the FY 2019-20 Coordinated SRTPs. All the individual SRTPs have been reviewed and adopted by the individual transit governing boards and are ready to be forwarded to the STA Board along with the four working papers.
Fiscal Impact: The SRTP’s are funded with $130,000 in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5303 funds from MTC and $70,000 State Transit Assistance Funds (STAF) already approved by the STA Board.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the Coordinated Short Range Transit Plans (SRTP’s) as listed below: For review and printing of the Coordinated SRTPs: 1. Click here: Dixon SRTP 2. Click here: FAST SRTP 3. Click here: Rio Vista SRTP 4. Click here: SolTrans SRTP 5. Click here: Vacaville SRTP
Attachments: 10 A. Click here for immediate review and printing: MTC Resolution No. 4364 B. Solano County Operator’s Ridership Information C. Coordinated SRTP schedule
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12 ANNUAL RIDERSHIP SUMMARY COMPARISON
Increase/ 2018-19 (Half 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 (Decrease) Percentage Year) Dixon Readi Ride Monday - Friday 51,839 55,650 54,167 60,673 62,144 1,471 2.6% 30,807 Dixon Readi Ride Saturdays 1,267 1,460 1,630 1,501 1,283 (218) -14.9% 431 Dixon Readi Ride Intercity Paratransit 38 205 292 357 416 59 28.8% 157 53,144 57,315 56,089 62,531 63,843 1,312 31,395 - - Rio Vista Delta Breeze All Routes 10,248 11,778 10,134 9,680 10,009 329 2.8% 5,042 - - SolTrans Fixed Route 765,870 761,818 811,637 732,705 681,420 (51,285) -6.7% 364,907 SolTrans SolanoExpress 672,234 690,506 705,198 677,670 666,340 (11,330) -1.6% 368,928 SolTrans Paratransit 25,068 25,669 23,525 21,971 24,528 2,557 10.0% 13,731 SolTrans Dial-a-Ride 9,343 6,731 5,505 4,847 4,999 152 2.3% 2,806 SolTrans Local Taxi Scrip 13,390 7,013 13,337 10,136 8,544 (1,592) -22.7% 3,064 1,485,905 1,491,737 1,559,202 1,447,329 1,385,831 (61,498) 753,436 - - Vacaville City Coach Fixed Route 511,194 485,578 492,754 432,670 405,254 (27,416) -5.6% 184,111 Vacaville City Coach Paratransit 12,175 13,880 16,269 16,340 15,527 (813) -5.9% 6,514 Vacaville City Coach Local Taxi Scrip 12,384 12,474 9,971 9,212 5,936 (3,276) -26.3% 2,999 535,753 511,932 518,994 458,222 426,717 (31,505) 193,624 - - Fairfield and Suisun Transit Fixed Route 684,436 673,951 627,267 582,713 572,238 (10,475) -1.6% 265,334 Fairfield and Suisun Transit Solano Express 392,396 396,703 401,499 409,903 393,711 (16,192) -4.1% 179,241 Fairfield and Suisun Transit Paratransit 24,687 25,667 25,221 25,461 25,324 (137) -0.5% 11,502 Fairfield and Suisun Transit Local/ARC Taxi Scrip 52,612 56,818 28,467 26,393 20,438 (5,955) -10.5% 11,841 Fairfield and Suisun Transit Volunteer Driver* 4,036 2,844 1,801 0.0% 1,158,167 1,155,983 1,084,255 1,044,470 1,011,711 (32,759) 467,918
13 ATTACHMENT C
Short Range Transit Plans Schedule TASK DATE STATUS Transit Operators Submit Areas of May 1, 2019 Completed Concentration to STA STA Develops and Issues RFP June/July 2019 Completed
RFP Process and Issue Intent to Award July through September 2019 Completed
Coordinated SRTPs completed by January through May 2020 Completed consultant and reviewed by transit operators. Draft SRTPs brought to transit governing May through October 2020 Completed boards for review and approval:
City of Dixon (Redi-Ride) May 19, 2020 SolTrans July 16, 2020 City of Rio Vista (Delta Breeze) August 4, 2020 City of Vacaville (City Coach) October 13, 2020 City of Fairfield (FAST) October 20, 2020 Coordinated SRTP’s brought to November 2020 In Process Consortium and STA TAC Coordinated SRTPs brought to the STA December 2020 Board for review and approval.
14 Agenda Item 6.A November 17, 2020
DATE: November 2, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Erika McLitus, Project Assistant RE: Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) Connection Protection Study
Background: The goals of the State’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) are to provide monies to fund transformative capital improvements that modernize California’s intercity rail, bus (including feeder buses to intercity rail services, as well as vanpool services that are eligible to report as public transit to the Federal Transit Administration), ferry, and rail transit systems to achieve all of the following objectives: 1. Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases 2. Expand and improve transit service to increase ridership 3. Integrate the rail service of the state’s various rail operations, including integration with High-Speed Rail 4. Improve transit safety
Pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 9, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) approved an initial five-year program of projects with the first year being Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21, with additional five-year programs approved by April 1st of each even numbered year thereafter. Approximately $400M is available in funding.
STA submitted applications for Solano Regional Transit Improvements in both 2018 and 2020 and received partial funding each cycle. In April 2018, CalSTA informed STA that the TIRCP 2018 grant submittal was approved for $10.8M in funding. The awarded components consist of 3 capital improvement projects: • Access to the Fairfield Transportation Center - $3M • Fairgrounds Dr. in Vallejo - $1.1M • Santa Clara Ave. in Vallejo/Adjacent to Vallejo Transit Center - $1.8M
The award also includes electrification of Solano Express, with $2.7M for 13 electric buses and $2M to upgrade FAST and SolTrans facilities to allow for future electric bus use.
In April 2020, CalSTA awarded STA $10.4M in the next round of TIRCP funding. Five project components were funded in this application. • Network Integration Planning, including Real-time Transit Coordination Equipment and SolanoExpress Bus Rapid Transit Implementation and Electrification Plan - $1.1M • In-Line Charging Infrastructure at Fairfield Transportation Center (FTC), Sacramento Valley Station, Suisun-Fairfield Amtrak Station, Walnut Creek BART Station, and Vallejo Transit Center (VTC) - $2.7M • Improvements at the Vacaville Transit Center - $2.05M • Improvements at the Fairfield-Vacaville Train Station - $2M • In-line Bus Stop and pedestrian access to the Fairfield Transportation Center - $2.55M 15 Discussion: STA is requesting the assistance of the two SolanoExpress operators in planning to better integrate SolanoExpress service to larger regional transit services by offering connection protection on key routes to provide a seamless travel experience for as many riders as possible. Network Integration on this scale requires coordination with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), San Francisco Bay Ferry, and Capitol Corridor to align schedules and procure equipment for SolanoExpress operations staff that would allow them to communicate delays to and from other regional transit services. This communication and coordination equipment/software would allow a SolanoExpress bus to wait several minutes and ensure that no commuter is left behind due to an unprotected connection.
The SolanoExpress Connection Protection Study will provide comprehensive analysis of the connection protection options available to Solano County transit operators. The Study will analyze the current demand and opportunity for connection protection on key SolanoExpress routes, recommend operational improvements, application development, and equipment purchase, and provide planning-level cost estimates for these improvements. These components will help STA, SolanoExpress, and the two transit operators that provide SolanoExpree service to plan and secure funding for future network integration and connection protection improvements.
STA will seek input from Caltrans, who is currently undergoing a pilot program for a similar effort. The Deployable Integrated Dynamic Transit Operation System (IDTO) for Revolutionizing Suburban Transit Operation in California seeks to demonstrate a fully functional IDTO prototype system that enables real-time information for transit operations and travelers. Input from Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) regarding their Connection Protection Pilot Study with BART will also be crucial component of this Study. STA would like to learn from these processes and implement their successes for the SolanoExpress system.
The final product will be the 2020 SolanoExpress Connection Protection Study. Network Integration will require communication and cooperation between STA, SolanoExpress, and regional agencies including BART, WETA Ferry, and Capitol Corridor. The consultant will develop a Coordination Plan will facilitate communication between agencies by identifying primary contacts, outlining expectations, and establishing a timeline for inter-agency meetings and Study completion and attend monthly Working Group meetings with selected operators. This Study will analyze and compare of current schedules between local and regional transit operators to determine connection protection opportunities, identify gaps in transit information between operators, and create a prioritized list of connections according to ridership, alternative routes, total delay to the rider, and other relevant factors. The final report will also include an overview of available transit network integration equipment, including cost estimates for the purchase and installation of equipment and a breakdown of advantages or disadvantages of various equipment types.
Fiscal Impact: The Study is funded with TIRCP funds for $550,000 with $50,000 State Transit Assistance Funds (STAF) already approved by the STA Board.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to authorize the Executive Director to: 1. Release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a consultant to conduct the 2020 SolanoExpress Connection Protection Study; and 2. Enter into a contract for an amount not-to-exceed $600,000 for the Study. 16 Agenda Item 7.A November 17, 2020
DATE: November 3, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Vincent Ma, Marketing and Legislative Program Manager RE: Legislative Update and STA’s Draft 2021 Legislative Platform
Background: Each year, STA staff monitors state and federal legislation that pertains to transportation and related issues. On December 11, 2019, the STA Board approved its 2020 Legislative Platform to provide policy guidance on transportation legislation and the STA’s legislative activities during 2020.
Monthly legislative updates are provided by STA’s State and Federal lobbyists and are attached for your information (Attachments A, and B). An updated Legislative Bill Matrix listing state bills of interest is available at: https://sta.ca.gov/operations/legislative-program/current/
Discussion: Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-79-20 on September 23rd, which requires 100% of all new passenger cars and trucks sold in California to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Staff participated in a briefing with California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the California Energy Commission to discuss the Governor Executive Order. On September 28, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler issued a letter which stated that CARB would not be able to implement the Governor’s ban without the approval of the EPA, due to the EPA’s removal of California’s emissions waiver in 2019. The Administration and the State are currently still in litigation over the State’s special authority to regulate vehicle emissions, and the case is currently before a federal appeals court in Washington D.C.
September 30th was the final day for Governor Newsom to act on legislation passed by the Legislature. One of the bills signed by the Governor was Senate Bill 288 (SB 288), which the STA Board supported. The Sustainable Transportation Covid-19 Recovery Act authored by Senator Scott Weiner expands exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to “fast- track” sustainable transportation projects to make the process more streamlined, cost-effective, and provide additional opportunities for job creation and assist with economic recovery from Covid- 19.
November elections will somewhat change the political landscape in Solano County. Several positions will be vacated by officials not seeking re-elections and the Cities of Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo will transition to District-Based elections which will introduce a number of newly elected officials at the local levels. At the State level, Senator Bill Dodd, Assembly members, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Jim Frazier, Tim Grayson have been re-elected. On the Federal level, both Representatives Mike Thompson and John Garamendi were re-elected, and Senator Kamala Harris would vacate her position should she successfully become Vice-President. 17 2021 STA Legislative Platform Update To help ensure the STA’s transportation policies and priorities are consensus-based, the STA’s Legislative Platform is first developed in draft form by staff with input from the STA’s state (Shaw/Yoder/Antwih, Inc.) and federal (Akin Gump) legislative consultants.
This draft will be distributed to STA member agencies and members of our federal and state legislative delegations for review and comment prior to adoption by the STA Board. Staff requests that the Transit Consortium and the STA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) review the Draft 2021 Legislative Platform for comment at their meetings in November. Staff proposed edits to the Platform are shown with tracked changes (Attachment C). The Final Draft of the STA’s 2021 Legislative Platform will be placed on the December 2020 agenda of the Consortium and TAC, and forwarded to the STA Board for adoption at their January 13, 2021 meeting.
State Legislative Update (Shaw/Yoder/Antwih/Schmelzer/Lange): STA’s state legislative advocates (Matt Robinson and Josh Shaw of Shaw Yoder) arranged meetings with Commissioners and staff from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and members of the STA Board to advocate for the I-80 Managed Lanes Project.
The Legislature will reconvene for the 2021-22 session on December 7th. Assembly member Frazier announced on September 23rd that he plans to introduce a bill in December to ask CARB to “reprioritize Cap and Trade dollars to address the immediate threat and environmental devastation that wildfires are causing” and reduce GHGs contributed by wildfires.
Updates on the following are detailed in Attachment A: • Legislative Update • STA Board Meets with CTC • Bills of Interest
Federal Legislative Update (Akin Gump): STA’s federal legislative advocate (Susan Lent of Akin Gump) continues to work with STA staff to craft STA’s strategic objectives to align with those of available federal transportation funds.
On September 22nd the House passed a Continuing Resolution to extend the current level of spending until December 11th. The Senate also passed the Continuing Resolution and the President signed it on October 1st. The bill also included a one year extension of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which was set to expire on September 30th, and a transfer of $10.4 billion from the general fund into the Highway Trust Fund and $3.2 billion into the Mass Transit Account.
While House Democrats and the bi-partisan House Problems Solvers Caucus introduced revised legislation and a new framework for another round of Covid-19 economic stimulus, negotiations have stalled. With the recent focus on the Supreme Court confirmation and the Presidential election, further action on an economic stimulus package may take place in the lame duck session or in 2021.
Updates on the following are detailed in Attachment B: • FY 2021 Appropriations • Infrastructure Legislation • Economic Stimulus Legislation • Emissions Standards • Permitting • Pandemic Impacts to California Transit Agencies • Potential Bills of Interest 18 Fiscal Impact: None.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to release the STA’s Draft 2021 Legislative Platform for 30-day review and comment.
Attachments: A. State Legislative Update B. Federal Legislative Update C. STA’s Draft 2021 Legislative Platform with Tracked Changes (Provided Under Separate Cover)
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20 ATTACHMENT A
September 30, 2020
TO: Board of Directors, Solano Transportation Authority
FM: Joshua W. Shaw, Matt Robinson & Michael Pimentel, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange
RE: STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – October 2020
Legislative Update The Legislature adjourned the 2019-20 Legislative Session around 1:30 a.m. on September 1. In the second year of the two-year session, 438 bills were sent to Governor Newsom. In a normal year, the number of bills sent to him would be in excess of a thousand. The Governor vetoed 56 bills. Several bills the STA Board is tracking were passed by the Legislature, while others did not make the Governor’s desk. Below, under Bills of Interest, is a short report on the key bills we have been tracking for your agencies and where each ended up. For the bills that made it to the Governor’s desk, the Governor had until September 30 to act on them. The Legislature will reconvene for the 2020-21 Legislative Session on December 7, with the work beginning in earnest in early January. The General Election is scheduled for November 3 and all of STA’s delegation members are up for reelection – Senator Dodd and Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Frazier, & Grayson.
STA Board Meets with CTC On August 31, members of the STA Board and staff begin a series of meetings with Commissioners and staff from the CTC. The meetings have primarily focused on updating the CTC on the I-80 Managed Lanes project in Solano County and its relationship to the rest of the Bay Area and Sacramento Area’s HOV/express lane network. Additional meetings with CTC Commissioners are scheduled in the weeks ahead.
Bills of Interest SB 288 (Wiener) CEQA Exemptions for Transportation Projects – Signed by Governor The California Environmental Quality Act requires a lead agency to prepare and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have an effect. CEQA includes exemptions from its environmental review requirements for numerous categories of projects, including projects for the institution or increase of passenger or commuter services on rail or highway rights-of-way already in use and projects for the institution or increase of passenger or commuter service on high-occupancy vehicle lanes already in use. This bill would revise and recast the above-described exemptions and further exempt from the requirements of
21 CEQA certain projects for the institution or increase of bus rapid transit and regional rail services on public rail or highway rights of way, as specified, whether or not it is presently used for public transit. The bill would additionally exempt projects for rail, light rail, and bus maintenance, repair, storage, administrative, and operations facilities. The STA Board SUPPORTS this bill (July 8 Board Meeting).
SB 757 (Allen) Transit Projects CEQA Judicial Review – Vetoed by Governor The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 authorizes the Governor, until January 1, 2020, to certify projects that meet certain requirements for CEQA streamlining. This bill would additionally include projects to construct an exclusive public mass transit guideway and related fixed facilities meeting certain conditions as projects that are eligible for certification by the Governor under the leadership act. The bill would provide that the certification by the Governor expires if the lead agency fails to approve the project by January 1, 2024. In his veto message, the Governor noted his support for the idea, but could not sign the bill because SB 995 (Atkins) failed passaged (the two bills were joined together).
SB 902 (Wiener) Housing Production – Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk This bill would authorize local governments to rezone neighborhoods for increased housing density, up to ten homes per parcel and would require a legislative body pass a resolution to adopt the plan and exempts that zoning action from being considered a project under the California Environmental Quality Act. To be eligible, an area must be urban infill, or be near high quality public transportation or a job-rich area. The local government can determine whether the individual projects will be ministerial/by right or subject to discretionary approval.
SB 995 (Atkins) Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act – Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 authorizes the Governor, until January 1, 2020, to certify projects that meet certain requirements for CEQA streamlining. This bill would extend the authority of the Governor to certify a project to January 1, 2024 and would add housing projects meeting certain conditions to the list of projects eligible for certification.
SB 1351 (Beall) Transportation Improvement Fee: Revenue Bonds – Vetoed by Governor This bill would authorize the state to issue revenue bonds, backed by a portion of the Transportation Improvement Fee, to fund capital improvements needed to preserve and protect the state highway system.
SB 1408 (Dodd) SR 37 Tolling - Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk This bill would require an unspecified authority to operate and maintain tolling infrastructure on State Route 37 between its intersections with Route 121 in the County of Sonoma and Walnut Avenue in the County of Solano. The bill would authorize the authority to issue bonds payable from the revenues derived from those tolls. The bill would authorize those toll and bond revenues to be used for specified purposes, including near-term and long-term improvements to the segment of State Route 37 and the Sonoma Creek Bridge to improve the roadway’s mobility, safety, and long-term resiliency to sea level rise and flooding. The bill would require the authority to update and approve an expenditure plan for those toll and bond revenues on an annual basis beginning on July 1 following implementation of a toll.
22 The bill would require the authority to develop and implement an equity program for the toll bridge to reduce the impact of the toll on low-income drivers. The STA Board adopted a SUPPORT IN CONCEPT position on this bill (March 11 Board Meeting).
AB 2057 (Chiu) Seamless Bay Area - Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk This bill initially represented the legislative vehicle for a potential Seamless Bay Area framework, with the stated intent of requiring future regional funds for public transportation in the nine-county San Francisco Bay area to be conditioned on advancing institutional reforms that improve accountability and establish a seamlessly integrated regional transit system, so that these funds are responsibly spent and advance state mobility and environmental goals. However, if the bill is to move forward, the author is proposing to only include the establishment of a regional transit task force to further study and make recommendations on the items above and to require MTC, along with transit systems, to develop a regional mapping and wayfinding system.
AB 2237 (Berman) Contracting Limits - Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk This bill would raise the limit for contracts no subject to competitive bidding from $75,000 to $150,000 for county transportation agencies in the Bay Area, including the Solano Transportation Authority. The STA Board adopted a SUPPORT IN CONCEPT position on this bill (May 13 Board Meeting).
AB 3145 (Grayson) Mitigation Fee Cap - Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk This bill would prohibit a city or county from imposing a mitigation fee or exaction if the total dollar amount they would impose on a proposed housing development is greater than 12 percent of the city or county’s median home price, unless approved by the Department of Housing and Community Development.
ACA 1 (Aguiar-Curry) Local Government Financing: Affordable Housing and Public Infrastructure: Voter Approval - Failed to Reach Governor’s Desk This constitutional amendment would lower the necessary voter threshold from a two-thirds supermajority to 55 percent to approve local general obligation bonds and special taxes for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects.
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24 ATTACHMENT B
MEMORANDUM
September 28, 2020
To: Solano Transportation Authority From: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Re: September Report
During the month of September, we monitored developments in Washington and brought them to the attention of STA.
FY 2021 Appropriations
Since Congress could not complete work on the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, the House Democratic leadership, Senate Republican leadership and White House agreed to support passage of a continuing resolution to extend federal government funding at fiscal year 2020 levels through December 11. The House passed the continuing resolution by a vote of 359-57 on September 22nd and the Senate is expected to vote on the bill on Tuesday or Wednesday. The bill likely will pass the Senate and be signed into law by the President before October 1.
As of September, the House had passed most of its FY 21 spending bills, but the Senate had yet to start work on its appropriations bills. Congress will return to Washington after the elections and either will pass some or all of the individual appropriations bills or pass another continuing resolution extending funding into next year. If the election results in the status quo it is more likely that Congress will reach agreement on appropriations bills this year. If former Vice President Biden is elected president and or Democrats take control of the Senate, Democrats may want to pass another continuing resolution so that they can write appropriations bills in the New Year when they are in control and can approve higher spending levels.
Infrastructure Legislation
Congress included in the continuing resolution a one year extension of the FAST Act, the multiyear law that authorizes funding for highway, transit and rail programs. The FAST Act, which was enacted in 2015, expires on September 30, 2020. Despite the House passing a multiyear bill this year and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passing a highway title last year, consensus could not be reached regarding how to pay for the programs. In addition to extending the programs through September 30, 2021, the continuing resolution authorizes the transfer of $10.4 billion to the Highway Trust Fund from the general fund for highway programs and $3.2 billion to the Mass Transit Account for transit programs ensuring that there is sufficient funding for both programs. Eighty-eight interest groups sent a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate supporting a one-year extension of the FAST Act. The next
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Congress will work to advance surface transportation legislation and the scope of the bills likely will depend on the outcome of the elections. Both the House and Senate bills included climate change focused programs so we likely will see those programs in bills next year.
Economic Stimulus Legislation
After a lack of progress on COVID-19 stimulus legislation, the House Democratic leadership announced late last week that it was drafting a new $2.4 trillion bill that could form the basis for negotiation with the White House and Senate. The new bill, which Speaker Pelosi hopes to bring to the floor for a vote this week, will be smaller than the $3 trillion House HEROES Act, which previously passed the House. We do not know what the new House bill will include, although Speaker Pelosi said it would have many of the elements of the HEROES Act, which we assume means supplemental funding for transit programs and state highway departments and for state and local governments. The impetus for the House bill appears to be strong advocacy by airline CEOs for new funding for airline workers to forestall layoffs. Speaker Pelosi has advocated for a larger coronavirus relief package versus smaller bills such as a stand-alone bill providing relief to airline workers.
The Senate has been far apart from the House having started with the $1 trillion HEALS Act and then putting forth a $500 billion “skinny bill”, which included $300 in boosted weekly federal unemployment benefits until December 27, additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service and liability protections, but no funding for transportation or state and local governments. The House bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus unveiled its “March to Common Ground” framework on September 15th to encourage bipartisan coronavirus relief negotiations. The Problem Solvers Caucus framework was a $2 trillion proposal that included funding for COVID-19 testing, unemployment insurance, direct stimulus, worker and liability protection, small business and non-profit support, food security, schools and child care, housing, election support, and state and local aid. With the upcoming contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the likelihood for bipartisan agreement around stimulus legislation does not appear likely – at least before the elections.
Emissions Standards
On August 27th, The California Air Resources Board approved new standards including the Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Regulation aimed to significantly lower smog pollution from diesel trucks and cargo ships. These rules represent the state’s biggest cut in smog-forming pollutants since 2008, equivalent to taking 16 million cars off the road.
The new rule will be phased in, allowing engine manufacturers time to prepare for compliance. The NOx standards that engines must meet will be cut to approximately 75 percent below current standards beginning in 2024, and 90 percent below current standards in 2027.
On September 23rd, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California would ban new gas vehicles within 15 years as a response to combat climate change. Newsom urged instead for automakers to focus on developing electric vehicles, which currently only make up 10% of
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California’s auto market. Under the order, California would rely on the California Air Resources Board to establish rules for phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
Permitting
On Aug. 21st the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Final Rule, Streamlining Procedures for Permit Appeals, in the Federal Register. The rule became effective Sept. 21st for all applicable appeals filed thereafter.
The new rule addresses procedures of the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), which oversees administrative appeals of certain permits where EPA is the permit-granting authority under the federal Clean Water Act National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Safe Drinking Water Act Underground Injection Control (UIC) program, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and certain permitting decisions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Some of the notable proposals adopted in the final rule include:
• Removal of EAB's scope of review to eliminate review of EPA's exercise of discretion or important policy considerations. • Limiting amicus curiae briefs to 15 pages filed within the first 21 days of the proceeding. • Eliminating EAB's sua sponte authority for permit decisions. • Imposing deadlines to expedite the appeal, including a limit on extensions requested by parties and a deadline for issuing the decision. • Setting term limits of 12 years for EAB judges, allowing administrators to appoint new judges and transfer judges to other senior executive service positions. • Providing a process for the administrator to review each decision before publication to determine if it will have precedential effect and confirming that only published decisions will have such effect and warrant deference by reviewing courts. • Providing a process by which the administrator, through the general counsel, can issue a dispositive legal interpretation in any matter pending before the EAB or on any issue addressed by the EAB.
Pandemic Impacts to California Transit Agencies
According to a new analysis from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), California transit agencies will be hard hit because fuel tax revenues and vehicle registration fees are expected to be 10 percent lower than originally projected in fiscal year 2020-21. The state budget passed in June should leave funding levels largely steady compared to last year for most of the other transportation programs, including highway maintenance and replacement and increasing the capacity of local roads. However, for transit, the LAO expects to see a 39 percent reduction in funding compared to 2019-20 levels. Transit agencies are expected to receive $265 million less than this year. Therefore, The California Transit Association is, therefore, pushing Congress to make available $32 billion in federal stimulus funding to help address the shortfall.
Potential Bills of Interest
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27 • H.R. 8350, was introduced by Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH) to amend title 49, United States Code, regarding the authority of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over highly automated vehicles, to provide safety measures for such vehicles, and for other purposes. On September 24th it was referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
• H.R. 8222, The Infrastructure Expansion Act of 2020, was introduced by Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) and aims to preclude absolute liability in any action against a property owner or contractor for projects receiving Federal financial assistance for infrastructure and transportation development, and for other purposes. On September 11th, the bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
• H.R. 8300 was introduced by Rep. James Langevin (D-RI) To provide for a temporary increase to the Federal share for certain highway projects, and for other purposes.
• S. 4651 was introduced by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to amend title 49, United States Code to establish a National Transit Frontline Workforce Training Center, and for other purposes.
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28 ATTACHMENT C Solano Transportation Authority 2021 Legislative Platform Adopted December 11, 2019
PROJECTS AND FUNDING PRIORITIES
Pursue (and seek funding for) the following priority projects:
Roadway/Highway: Priority Tier 1: • I-80 Corridor Freight and Mobility Improvements o I-80 Managed Lanes (Red Top Rd to I-505) o I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange o I-80 Westbound Truck Scales • I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange Package 2B, 3, 4, and 5 • Parkway Blvd. Overcrossing (Dixon) o • SR 37 Corridor Improvements: o Segment B and Fairground Dr Interchange and Segment C/Mare Island Interchange • Vaca Valley Parkway (Vacaville) • Access to Federal Facility (Travis Air Force Base) o Jepson Parkway Segment 2C (Canon Road to Vacaville City Limits) and North Gate Entrance Priority Tier 2: • I-80 Corridor Freight and Mobility Improvements o I-80 Managed Lanes (SR 37 to Carquinez Bridge) o I-80 Managed Lanes (I-505 to Yolo County Line) o I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange Package 6 and 7 o SR 37 Corridor Improvements: . Flood Protection and Adaptation Improvements for Segments B & C . Mare Island Interchange • Parkway Blvd. Overcrossing • Rail and Mass Transportation: Priority Tier 1: • California State Rail Plan: Solano County Hub near Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station • Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan Train Station, (building/solar panels/electric vehicle charging stations, and complete parking)
Transit Centers: Priority Tier 1: • Fairfield-Vacaville Train Station, (building/solar panels/electric vehicle charging stations, and complete parking) • Vallejo Station Parking Structure Phase B • SolanoExpress Bus capitol to expand service plan • Fairfield Transportation Center Expansion – Westbound bus station Priority Tier 2: • Vallejo Mare Island Strait Dredging • Fairground Dr Park and Ride
2020 Legislative Platform | Solano Transportation Authority 1 29 • Programs: Priority Tier 1:
• Active Transportation (bike, ped, SR2S, PDA, PCA) o Bay Trail/Vine Trail o Heart of Fairfield • Climate Change Adaptation/Electrification (Infrastructure and Vehicles) • Mobility Management • Safe Routes to School • Safe Routes to Transit • SolanoExpress – operating funds to restore service post-COVID-19 • SolHIP Partnership funding
Priority Tier 2:
LEGISLATIVE OBJECTIVES
1. Support efforts to protect and ensure efficient, effective implementation of the various SB 1 transportation funding programs.
2. Ensure that new bridge tolls are dedicated to improve operations and mobility in Solano County. (Specifically: I-80 Managed Lanes, I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange, I-80 Westbound Truck Scales, SR 37/Mare IslandFairgrounds Interchange, Intercity bus facilities and rail stations, additional operating funds for expansion of SolanoExpress, and additional operating funds and capital improvements for the Vallejo segment of the SF Bay Ferry operated by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA).
3. Seek grant funding through SB 1 competitive programs for: • I-80 Managed Lanes (Solutions for Congested Corridors and Trade Corridor Enhancement Program) • I-80 Westbound Truck Scales (Trade Corridors Enhancement Program) • I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange and I-80 Westbound Truck Scales (Trade Corridors Enhancement Program)
4. Seek grant funding through Cap and Trade competitive Transit and Intercity Rail Capitol Program (TIRCP) for: • Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan Train Station (solar panels and charging stations; and parking) • SolanoExpress Electrification, Capital and Operation Improvements • Solano County Mobility Hub: planning studies to advance the development of this intermodal station as put forth in the 2018 CA State Rail Plan 5. Support efforts by the SR 37 Policy Committee (County Transportation Authorities of Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties) to develop an expedited funding, financing and project implementation strategy for the reconstruction of SR 37. Including State authorization for tolling, inclusive of an equity program with discount and premiums, of the SR37 Corridor to provide the necessary revenue to improve the resiliency of this important transportation
2 Solano Transportation Authority | 2020 Legislative Platform 30
infrastructure from sea level rise, flooding, congestion, while increasing opportunities for ecological enhancements, transit, multimodal use, and public access.and provide flood protection to withstand rising seas and storm surges, while improving mobility and safety along the route.
6. Oppose efforts to reduce or divert funding from transportation projects.
7. Support initiatives to pursue the 55% voter threshold for local transportation infrastructure measures.
8. Monitor/support/seek/sponsor, as appropriate, legislative proposals in support of initiatives that increase funding for transportation infrastructure, operations and maintenance in Solano County.
9. Monitor and participate in the implementation of state housing and jobs production and climate change legislation that impacts transportation funding, planning and projects. This includes SB2: Building Jobs and Homes Act, Executive Order S-3-05 and subsequent Executive Orders, SB 375 (the California Global Warming Solutions Act), and agency regulations such as the Housing and Community Development Department and California Air Resources Board (CARB) greenhouse gas reduction target setting.
10. Continue to participate in the development and implementation of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), known as Plan Bay Area 2050, including on-going funding of investment in future Priority Development Areas (PDAs), Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs), and future Priority Production Areas (PPAs), and OBAG 3 . 11 Monitor the Implementation of Executive Order N-70-20, which bans the sale of new internal combustion engines for passenger cars and pickup trucks in California by 2035
12. Monitor the implementation of the other three quadrants – Housing, Economic, and Environment With the 4Cs and other partnership agencies
1113. Support implementation of the Capitol Corridor Strategic Plan and State Rail Plan, including: • Implementation of a regional rail hub in at the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station Solano County • Support designation of an existing train station in Solano County as a full service Amtrak station • Support rail crossing safety improvements
1214. Support efforts to protect and preserve funding in the Public Transportation Account (PTA), and the efforts of the California Transit Association’s Transportation Development Act Task Force.Monitor and support CTA’s and MTC’s efforts to obtain federal and state funding for transit
15. Monitor legislative proposals from the MTC’s Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force
1316. Support efforts to ensure Solano receives fair share of federal transportation funding from state and region.
2020 Legislative Platform | Solano Transportation Authority 3 31 1417. Support implementation of national, state and regional freight plans that include construction of the I- 80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange, I-80 Westbound Truck Scales and SR 12 East improvements, and Intelligen Transportation System (ITS) deployment and Freight Electrification.
15. Monitor implementation of the National Freight Program and the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects Program to ensure that funds are distributed to projects that are the most critical to the safe movement of freight.
16. Support laws and policies that expedite project delivery.
1718. Support establishment and operation of regional Managed Lanes network that includes I-80 in Solano County and connects the Bay Area region to Sacramento.
1819. Support “fix it first” efforts that prioritize a large portion of our scarce federal and state resources on maintaining, rehabilitating and operating Solano County’s aging transportation infrastructure over expansion.
1920. Advocate for continued Solano County representation on the WETA Board. Concurrently seek sponsorship for and support legislation specifying that Solano County will have a statutorily- designated representative on the WETA Board.
20. Support legislation that encourages public private partnerships and provides low cost financing for transportation projects and programs.
21. To create consistency in the application of Federal regulations (i.e. ADA), advocate for the establishment of a Federal definition establishing the threshold between maintenance and improvement in paving as “more than one-inch.” This would mirror the threshold used in the State of California Streets for roads.
21. Monitor legislation which impacts STA’s statutory authority to serve as the Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for Solano County.
4 Solano Transportation Authority | 2020 Legislative Platform 32
LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
I. Active Transportation/Land Use/Housing/Jobs
1. Promote, implement and expand active transportation facilitiesand land use planning, facilities and programs (such as Safe Routes to School and Safe Routes to Transit) to support pedestrian, bicycle and multimodal use in Solano County. Support legislation that prioritizes road safety for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly for vulnerable users such as children, the elderly, and the disabled.
2. Support legislation that provides adequate, dedicated funding for the development of transportation projects that support affordable housing and housing, (including affordable housing) and employment areas in Transit Priority Development (TPD) locations and Priority Development Areas (PDAs).
3. Support legislation that provides adequate, dedicated funding for the development of transportation projects that support employment and jobs in Solano County. including designated Priority Production Areas (PPA) in Solano County.
4. Support legislation and regional policy that provides qualified Commuter Carpools and Vanpools with incentives to encourage and promote ridesharing.
5. Promote innovative programs to fill commuter first/last mile gaps and Safe Routes to Transit.
6. Support legislation that increases employers’ opportunities to offer commuter incentives.
7. Support legislative and regulatory efforts to ensure that projects from Solano County cities are eligible for federal, state and regional funding of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects. Ensure that development and transit standards for TOD projects can be reasonably met by suburban communities and monitor MTC’s TOD Policy to ensure participation by suburban TOD’s.
8. Recognize Solano County’s housing affordability at the regional context (i.e. Solano County is the most affordable County in the Bay Area) and support funding programs that link transportation investment to STA’s future Solano Housing Incentive Investment Program. (SolHIP) and Solano Suburban Housing Investment Pool (SubHIP) Program.
9. Monitor legislation and oppose any caps to County Impact Fee, which reduces the Regional Transportation Impact Fee (RTIF) and would negatively impact the development of affordable housing in Solano County.
10. Monitor and comment on the implementation of the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Housing Finance Act which establishes the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and authorizes the Authority to raise and allocate new revenue from special taxes, parcel taxes, and business taxes.
II. Climate Change/Air Quality
1. Monitor implementation of federal attainment plans for pollutants in the Bay Area and Sacramento air basins, including ozone and particulate matter attainment plans. Work with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Sacramento Area Council 2020 Legislative Platform | Solano Transportation Authority 5 33 of Governments (SACOG), BAAQMD, and YSAQMD to ensure consistent review of projects in the two air basins.
2. Monitor and participate in the implementation of state climate change legislation. This includes Executive Order S-3-05 and subsequent Executive Orders, SB 375 (the California Global Warming Solutions Act), and agency regulations such as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) greenhouse gas reduction target setting. Continue to participate in the development and implementation of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), known as Plan Bay Area, including on-going funding of investment in Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs). (Objective #9)
3. Continue to participate in the development and implementation of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), known as Plan Bay Area, including on-going funding of investment in Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs). (Objective #10)
3.4. Support legislation, which ensures that any fees imposed to reduce vehicle miles traveled, or to control mobile source emissions, are used to support transportation programs that provide congestion relief, benefit air quality or support climate change adaptation.
45. Support legislation and funding, which provides infrastructure for low, ultra-low and zero emission vehicles and a three prong approach for installation of more consumer level chargers, electrification of freight vehicles . and Support support electrification of SolanoExpress and all five local transit operators with the installation of in line inductive chargers and Managed Lane Implementation Plan (MLIP)
56. Support policies that improve and streamline the environmental review process, including the establishment and use of mitigation banks and advanced mitigation programs.
67. Support legislation that allows for air emission standards appropriate for infill development linked to transit centers and/or in designated Priority Development Areas (PDA). Allow standards that tolerate higher levels of air pollutants in exchange for allowing development supported by transit that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, provided these standards are equitable.
78. Monitor energy policies and alternative fuel legislation or regulation that may affect fleet vehicle requirements for mandated use of alternative fuels.
9. Monitor the Implementation of Executive Order N-70-20, which bans the sale of new internal combustion engines for passenger cars and pickup trucks in California by 2035 (Objective 11)
108. Support legislation to provide funding for innovative, intelligent/advanced transportation and air quality programs, which relieve congestion, improve air quality and enhance economic development.
119. Support funding to finance cost effective conversion of public transit fleets and transit infrastructure to zero emission vehicles alternative fuels and/or to retrofit existing fleets with latest emission technologies to meet California Air Resources Board requirements.
1210. Support income tax benefits or incentives that encourage use of alternative fuel vehicles, vanpools and public transit without reducing existing transportation or air quality funding levels. 6 Solano Transportation Authority | 2020 Legislative Platform 34
1311. Support federal climate change legislationTIRCP Funds that that fund electrification, SolanoExpress, Rail, overall reduction of GHG provides funding from, and any revenue generated by, emission dis-incentives or fuel tax increases (e.g. cap and trade programs) to local transportation agencies for transportation purposes.
Monitor federal action on fuel economy standards for cars and light duty trucks to ensure that federal action does not negatively impact the advancement of any transportation projects in Solano County.
14. Monitor federal CAFÉ/SAFE vehicle rule action on fuel economy standards for cars and light duty trucks to ensure that federal action does not negatively impact the advancement of any transportation projects in Solano County.
III. Employee Relations
1. Monitor legislation and regulations affecting labor relations, employee rights, benefits, and working conditions. Preserve a balance between the needs of the employees and the resources of public employers that have a legal fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers.
2. Monitor any legislation affecting workers compensation that impacts employee benefits, control of costs, and, in particular, changes that affect self-insured employers.
3. Monitor legislation affecting the liability of public entities, particularly in personal injury or other civil wrong legal actions.
IV. Environmental
1. Monitor legislation and regulatory proposals related to management of the Sacramento- San Joaquin River Delta (Estuary) in the context of rising sea level and ecosystems functions, including those that would potentially impact existing and proposed transportation facilities such as State Routes 12, 84 and 113.
2. Seek funding for vulnerability assessment, adaptation and projects implementation for sea-level rise, flood protection and climate change in relation to existing and proposed transportation facilities in Solano County, including State Route 37, State Route 12, and I- 80. (Objective #5)
3. Monitor proposals to designate new species as threatened or endangered under either the federal or state Endangered Species Acts. Monitor proposals to designate new “critical habitat” in areas that will impact existing and proposed transportation facilities.
4. Monitor the establishment of environmental impact mitigation banks to ensure that they do not restrict reasonably foreseeable transportation improvements.
5. Monitor legislation and regulations that would impose requirements on highway construction to contain stormwater runoff.
6. Advocate for regulations that increase safety pertaining to the transport of volatile and hazardous materials. 2020 Legislative Platform | Solano Transportation Authority 7 35
7. Monitor implementation of the environmental streamlining provisions in FAST Act.
87.. Monitor and Ssupport provisions in the FAST Act, and subsequent reauthorization act, that further streamline the environmental review and permitting process.
98. Advocate for further streamlining of project delivery requirements to allow projects to advance quicker and more cost-effectively. (Objective #16)
109. Monitor legislation and regulatory proposals related to sustaining the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers Delta (Estuary) in context of rising sea levels and ecosystems functions and potential effects on transportation facilities.
10. Monitor the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Cease and Desist Order (CDO), which requires Caltrans to develop a workplan and identify the feasibility of trash capture systems, and the potential impact on State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) Funds
V. Water Transport
1. Protect existing sources of operating and capital support for San Francisco Bay Ferry service operated by WETA which do not jeopardize transit operating funds for FAST, SolTrans, and SolanoExpress intercity bus operations, and include additional operating funds and capital improvements for the Vallejo segment of the SF Bay Ferry.
2. Support efforts to increase and expand levels of service directly between Vallejo and San Francisco as well as capacity improvements at the Vallejo Station that support the increased service of Ferry Operations as a result of RM3. Support efforts to reduce overall travel time between Solano County and San Francisco Ferry Terminals.
3. Seek funding opportunities for passenger and freight water transport operations and infrastructure.
4. Advocate for continued Solano County representation on the WETA Board. support legislation specifying that Solano County will have a statutorily-designated representative on the WETA Board. Advocate for continued Solano County representation on the WETA Board. Concurrently seek sponsorship for and support legislation specifying that Solano County will have a statutorily-designated representative on the WETA Board. (Objective #19)
5. Support recommendations of the Water Transit Study including water transit options between Solano, Contra Costa, Marin, and Marin San Francisco counties where feasible. as an alternative to driving on the SR 37 corridor
8 Solano Transportation Authority | 2020 Legislative Platform 36
VI. Funding
1. Support and protect Work with member and partner agencies to support the implementation of SB 1 funded projects, and oppose efforts to divert funds to assure a dedicated source of funding, other than the State Highway Account for local streets and roads maintenance/repairs, and transit operations.
2. Protect Solano County’s statutory portions of state highway and transit funding programs.
3. Seek a fair share for Solano County of any federal and state discretionary funding made available for transportation grants, programs and projects.
4. Protect State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds from use for purposes other than those covered in SB 45 of 1997 (Chapter 622) reforming transportation planning and programming, and support timely allocation of new STIP funds.
5. Support state budget and California Transportation Commission allocation to fully fund projects for Solano County included in the State Transportation Improvement Program and the Comprehensive Transportation Plans of the county.
6. Support efforts to protect and preserve funding in the Public Transportation Account (PTA), and the efforts of the California Transit Association’s Transportation Development Act Task Force.. (Objective #12)
7. Seek/sponsorSupport legislation in support of initiatives that increases the overall funding levels for transportation priorities in Solano County.
8. Support legislation that encourages public private partnerships and provides low-cost financing for transportation projects in Solano County. (Objective 20)
9. Support legislation to secure adequate budget appropriations for highway, bus, rail, air quality and mobility programs in Solano County.
10. Support initiatives to pursue the 55% or lower voter threshold for local transportation infrastructure measures. Any provisions of the State to require a contribution for maintenance on a project included in a local measure must have a nexus to the project being funded by the measure. (Objective #7)
11. Seek funding for movement of goods via maritime-related transportation, including the dredging of channels, port locations and freight shipment.
12. Support implementation of national, state and regional freight plans that fund construction of the I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange, I-80 Westbound Truck Scales and SR 12 East improvements, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployment and electrification of freight. (Objective #14)
13. Support legislation that provides funding that would allocate State ATP funds at the regional and/county level by formula.
2020 Legislative Platform | Solano Transportation Authority 9 37 14. Ensure STA population-based funds (SB 1) continue to be distributed by formula to the county transportation authorities. (Objective #1)
15. Ensure that new bridge tolls are dedicated to improve operations and mobility in Solano County. (Specifically: I-80 Managed Lanes, I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange, I-80 Westbound Truck Scales, SR 37/Mare IslandFairgrounds Interchange, Intercity bus and rail facilities, additional operating funds for SolanoExpress, and additional operating funds and capital improvements for the Vallejo segment of the SF Bay Ferry operated by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)). (Objective #2)
16. Oppose any proposal that could reduce Solano County’s opportunity to receive transportation funds, including diversion of state transportation revenues for other purposes. Fund sources include, but are not limited to, State Highway Account (SHA), Public Transportation Account (PTA), and Transportation Development Act (TDA), SB 1, and any local ballot initiative raising transportation revenues. (Objective #6)
17. Support the authorized funding for the federal Rail Title accounts established in the FAST Act, for which the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) is an eligible applicant (CRISI, SOGR)
18. Support a new funding authorization for rail projects in the legislation that reauthorizes the FAST Act.
19. Support legislation allowing a county to create a sales tax district and/or transit district within its boundaries.
20. Support the prompt passage of legislation of multiyear surface transportation legislation or legislation which reauthorizes the FAST Act to that provides stable and reliable funding to address resilient infrastructure, support deployment of new technologies, including autonomous vehicles, and support rail projects. needs.
21. Support the authorization of new funding for resilient infrastructure in the FAST Act reauthorization legislation.
22. Support the authorization of new funding for infrastructure needed to support deployment of new technologies, including autonomous vehicles.
23. Support Caltrans’ California State Rail Plan, which designates the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station as the Solano County Transit Hub.
VII. Project Delivery
1. Monitor implementation of FAST Act provisions that would expedite project delivery. Support federal and state laws and policies that expedite project delivery 2. Support legislation and/or administrative reforms to enhance Caltrans project delivery, such as simultaneous Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and engineering studies, design-build authority, and a reasonable level of contracting out of appropriate activities to the private sector.
3. Support legislation and/or administrative reforms that result in cost and/or time savings to environmental clearance processes for transportation projects. 10 Solano Transportation Authority | 2020 Legislative Platform 38
4. Continue to streamline federal application/reporting/monitoring requirements to ensure efficiency and usefulness of data collected and eliminate unnecessary and/or duplicative requirements.
5. Support legislation that encourages public private partnerships and provides streamlined and economical delivery of transportation projects in Solano County.
6. Support legislation and/or administrative reforms that require federal and state regulatory agencies to adhere to their statutory deadlines for review and/or approval of environmental documents that have statutory funding deadlines for delivery, to ensure the timely delivery of projects funded with state and/or federal funds.
7. To create consistency in the application of Federal regulations (i.e. ADA), advocate for the establishment of a Federal definition establishing the threshold between maintenance and improvement in paving as “more than one-inch.” This would mirror the threshold used in the State of California Streets for roads.
VIII. Rail
1. In partnership with other counties located along Capitol Corridor, seek expanded state commitment for funding passenger rail service, whether state or locally administered.
2. Support legislation and/or budgetary actions to assure a fair share of State revenues of intercity rail (provided by Capitol Corridor) funding for Northern California and Solano County.
3. Support legislation to assure that dedicated state intercity rail funding is allocated to the regions administering each portion of the system and assure that funding is distributed on an equitable basis.
4. Support implementation of the new State Rail Plan, including making Solano County a regional rail hub, connecting the Capitol Corridor to the state high speed rail system, and exploring connection of the Sonoma Marin Area Rapid Transit (SMART) system to Solano County.
5. Support legislation to adequately fund replacement of at-grade railroad crossings with grade-separated crossings.
6. Oppose legislation that would prohibit Amtrak from providing federal funds for any state- supported Intercity Passenger Rail corridor services.
7. Advocate for accelerated Positive Train Control implementation.
8. Support efforts to advance California’s State Rail Plan, which designates a Solano County Hub at or near the Suisun/Fairfield Station
2020 Legislative Platform | Solano Transportation Authority 11 39 IX. Safety
1. Monitor legislation or administrative procedures to streamline the process for local agencies to receive funds for road and levee repair and other flood protection.
2. Support legislation to further fund Safe Routes to School and Safe Routes to Transit programs in Solano County.
X. Transit
1. Protect funding levels for transit by opposing state funding source reduction without substitution of comparable revenue.
2. Support tax benefits and/or incentives for programs to promote use of shared mobility options.
3. In partnership with the affected agencies and local governments, seek additional strategies and funding of programs that benefit older adults, people with disabilities, students, youth, veterans and the economically disadvantaged such as intercity paratransit operations, mobility management and other community based programs.
4. Monitor efforts to change Federal requirements and regulations regarding the use of Federal transit funds for transit operations in rural, small and large Urbanized Areas (UZAs)
5. Work with MTC to generate new regional transit revenues to support the ongoing operating and capital needs of transit services, including bus, ferry and rail. (Objective #2)
6. Monitor implementation of requirements in the FAST Act for transit agencies to prepare asset management plans and undertake transportation planning.
7. Support the use of Cap and Trade funds for improved or expanded transit service.
8. Support funding of discretionary programs, including the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant, bus and bus facilities, INFRA, Low or No Emissions, and ITS deployment.
9. Support increased funding for public transportation.
XI. Travel Demand Management (TDM)/Micotransit 1. Support TDM related legislation and policy and regional policy at the regional and state level that provides qualified Commuter Carpools and Vanpools with incentives to encourage and promote clean air initiatives and ridesharing. 2. Promote innovative programs and projects to fill commuter first/last mile gaps, microtransit, and Safe Routes to Transit. Support legislation that increases employers’ opportunities to offer commuter incentives. 3. Support income tax benefits or incentives that encourage use of alternative fuel vehicles, vanpools, carpools and public transit without reducing existing transportation or air quality funding levels.
XII. Movement of Goods
12 Solano Transportation Authority | 2020 Legislative Platform 40
1. Monitor and participate in implementation of national, state and regional freight plans that include construction of the I-80/I-680/SR 12 Interchange, I-80 Westbound Truck Scales and SR 12/Church Road improvements, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployment and electrification of freight. (Objective #14)
2. Monitor and support initiatives that augment planning and funding for movement of goods via maritime-related transportation, including the dredging of channels, port locations and freight shipment. Support the development of workforce development incentives, training, and education funding for the logistics, freight, and maritime industries.
3. Support efforts, including the use of dredging, to mitigate the impacts of additional maritime goods movement on surface transportation facilities.
4. Monitor and support initiatives that augment planning and funding for movement of goods via aviation, rail, and truck.
5. Monitor proposals to co-locate freight and/or passenger air facilities at Travis Air Force Base (TAFB), and to ensure that adequate highway and surface street access is provided if such facilities are located at TAFB.
6. Support research into clean vessel and vehicle fuels.
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42 Agenda Item 7.B November 17, 2020
DATE: November 2, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Brandon Thomson, Transit Mobility Coordinator RE: Update on Short Range Transit Plans (SRTPs) – Draft Working Papers • #7 Operation and Performance of the SolanoExpress System • #8 Connectivity between the regional and Local Transit Networks • #9 Access to Medical Providers and Services • #10 Transit Access and Connecting Communities to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Future Priority Production Areas (PPAs)
Background: The 2019/2020 Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) project includes four supplemental Working Paper documents. They were specifically identified by the STA Board and prepared separately from the MTC required SRTP’s and are not included in the transit operators SRTP’s. This agenda item is to provide the four Working Papers for information, they are being brought back as part of the full package now that all the transit operators have adopted their respective SRTPs.
Discussion: The four documents provide information helpful in efforts that require similar expertise to that used in preparation of the SRTP’s. The consultant selected for the SRTP project, Moore and Associates, also completed these papers. Following is a description of the requirement for each document as well as reference to the attached documents that are the individual research or “working” papers. The working papers are number from “7” to “10” as this is their individual location in the overall deliverable listing for the SRTP project. Staff intends to use the working papers to guide and support future transit coordination and connected mobility efforts.
Working Paper 7 - Operation and Performance of the SolanoExpress System (Attachment A) This Working Paper examined and evaluated operation and performance of the SolanoExpress service as a single unit, although the services are provided by two different operators via a contract with STA. The STA Board serves as the policy Board for SolanoExpress. Certain modifications to the regional system which has been active since July 2018 and additional services that were implemented July 2019. The changes were largely based on a plan that was developed in the I-80/I-680/I-780 Transit Corridor Study completed in December 2014. The 2014 Study said that, with limited exceptions, the existing regional services do not meet most performance standards; and, the actual ridership numbers anecdotally were not good relative to the total travel in the corridors served.
The Paper recommends these minimum requirements to improve the Operation and Performance: 1. Identify key corridor segments within the county; and, to and from destinations outside the county. 2. Determine percentage of trips that are captured within the corridor segments currently.
43 3. Develop and assess opportunities to implement Bus Rapid Transit to improve capacity, usage, and reliability. Create list of suggested modifications including costs to implement and operate 4. Assess performance of the individual routes based on a set of measures established as part of this work. Working Paper 8 - Connectivity between the regional and Local Transit Networks (Attachment B) This Working Paper examined the connectivity between the regional network and the local transit networks to specifically examine shortcomings and opportunities for client connectivity. In general, SolanoExpress needs to significantly increase ridership on the regional service and support increasing ridership on local services. Local jurisdictions which are to be included are the six cities that are in the corridors served by SolanoExpress – Vallejo, Benicia, Suisun City, Fairfield, Vacaville, and Dixon. Rio Vista is connected to SolanoExpress by Delta Breeze at the Suisun Amtrak Station and Fairfield Transit Center.
The Paper recommends these minimum requirements to improve the connectivity between regional and local services: 1. Examine connectivity between the regional SolanoExpress network and the local transit networks within these jurisdictions. 2. Recommend modifications to local services and recommend modifications to regional services. Working Paper 9 - Access to Medical Providers and Services (Attachment C)This Working Paper looked at providing client access to medical facilities and enhance access to medical appointments. This is the top priority of the Consolidated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA) and all seven cities for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities. The Paper considered these minimum requirements for the access to medical providers and services: 1. Identify all key medical facilities within and adjacent to the County that are desired and used by County residents. 2. Identify existing transportation services that access the facilities and how they are usable from a complete trip perspective. 3. Identify costs and modifications to gain specific connectivity improvements. Working Paper 10 - Transit Access and Connecting Communities to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Future Priority Production Areas (PPAs) for Jobs (Attachment D) This Working Paper examined transit access to Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and future Priority Production Areas (PPAs) for jobs. PDA and PPA are area designations established by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) for analysis and mapping related to Plan Bay Area.
The Paper considered these minimum requirements in the evaluation of transit access to PDA’s and PPA’s: 1. Identify all relevant PDA’s and PPA’s. 2. Evaluate current transit access. 3. Establish service levels to attain PDA and PPA requirements. 4. Identify specific service improvements needed to attain service levels identified. 5. Establish timing and cost for the improvements Following review by the Transit Consortium, these working papers will be combined with the five SRTPs to the STA Board for approval.
44 Fiscal Impacts: Funding sources have been identified and approved by the STA Board, including $70,000 of State Transit Assistance Funds and $130,000 of FTA 5303 through a funding agreement with MTC, for a total project cost not-to-exceed $200,000 for the total project which includes five (5) SRTP’s, one (1) Coordination Document tying together the SRTP’s, three (3) Task papers examining fixed route ridership loss, and four (4) Working Papers on various issues included in this report.
Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the STA TAC and Board to approve the SRTP Working Papers 7, 8, 9, and 10 as shown in Attachment A, B, C, and D.
Attachments: Click here for immediate review and printing: SRTP Working Papers 7, 8, 9, 10 A. Working Paper 7 - Operation and Performance of the SolanoExpress System B. Working Paper 8 - Connectivity between the regional and Local Transit Networks C. Working Paper 9 - Access to Medical Providers and Services D. Working Paper 10 - Transit Access and Connecting Communities to PDAs and PPAs for Jobs.
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46 Agenda Item 8.A November 17, 2020
DATE: October 29, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Debbie McQuilkin, Transit Mobility Program Coodinator RE: First Quarter Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 Solano Mobility Programs Update 1. Travel Training 2. Countywide ADA In-Person Eligibility Program 3. Taxi Card Program utilizing the PEX card 4. Medical Trip Concierge using GoGo Grandparents
Background: The Solano County Mobility Management Program was developed in response to public input provided at two mobility summits held in 2009 and the Solano Transportation Study for Seniors and People with Disabilities completed in 2011. Mobility Management was identified as a priority strategy to address the transportation needs of seniors, people with disabilities, low income and transit dependent individuals in the 2011 Solano Transportation Study for Seniors and People with Disabilities. On April 9, 2014, the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) Board unanimously adopted the Solano County Mobility Management Plan which included authorizing the STA to begin implementation of the four key priority elements identified in the Plan: Countywide In-Person American Disability Act (ADA) Eligibility and Certification Program, Travel Training, Senior Driver Safety Information, and the Solano Mobility One Stop Call Center.
Between 2017 and 2018, eight (8) additional mobility summits were held throughout Solano County to update the plan. Based on the findings of this community outreach, the Medical Trip Concierge Program (through GoGo Grandparent) was implemented in order to address the number 1 issue that came up: a need for transportation to and from medical appointments. STA additionally manages the Intercity Taxi Card Program, which transitioned from Solano County in February of 2015, and the SolTrans Local Taxi Program utilizing the PEX card. Both taxi programs require ADA eligibility.
For the purposes of this report, STA staff will provide fiscal year end information on the following programs: 1. Travel Training 2. Countywide ADA In-Person Eligibility Program 3. Taxi Card Program utilizing the PEX card 4. Medical Trip Concierge using GoGo Grandparents
In response to precautionary COVID-19 safety measures currently established by the Solano County Public Health Department and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) announced proactive measures to SolanoExpress, Local Route Transit Agencies and Solano Mobility. These proactive measures include modification, or disruptions to service levels. The Solano Mobility in-person services were temporarily closed until further notice, although the Call Center remains open answering calls during the same time period of Monday-Friday 7am-5pm. 47 Discussion: The first quarter of FY 2020-21 showed that while programs are still reflecting the effects of COVID-19, they have been able to sustain and show slight increases in usage since the onset of the pandemic.
Here are a few brief highlights:
Intercity Taxi Card Program: • Usage increased 6% from June with 251 rides to July with 267 rides and has continued to increase each month with September usage at 289 rides. • Program usage shows a continued decline for the same period over the last 4 fiscal years. (See attachment A) • Cab companies are still reporting a driver shortage, which may be impacting trips taken.
Countywide In-Person Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Evaluations: • Evaluations continue to be conducted with the alternative paper application and phone interview process. • 1st quarter numbers reflect an increase of 155% in evaluations up from 59 in FY 2019-20 Q4 to 141 in FY 2020-21. They are, however, 43% lower than the same time last year; from 247 to 141 (Attachment A) • Auto-renewals have remained steady.
Travel Training: • Training resumed during the first quarter with both individual and field trip trainings completed. • Travel Trainer, Cindy Hayes, conducted a Field Trip training on September 24th with 10 Vallejo residents taking the Ferry to San Francisco. 6 residents were also individually trained between July and September. • All trainees are and will continue to be provided with PPE’s: masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and required to view the STA travel training safety video.
Medical Trip Concierge Program (GoGo Grandparents): • The receipt of CARES Act funding from Solano County allowed for STA to expand the program in September 2020. • The expansion allowed ADA Eligible residents to utilize the program, provided all program participants an increase from 10 rides to 20 rides per month and, allowed for trips to essential services such as the pharmacy in addition to medical trips. • Since the program expansion, an additional 77 participants have been added to the program, bringing the total number of registered participants to 751. • 614 rides have been provided within the first quarter of this fiscal year.
Fiscal Impact: While the programs are primarily funded with State Transit Assistance Fund (STAF) funds, Transit Development Act (TDA) funding is also utilized for the Intercity Taxi Card program. The Fiscal YTD actual expenses versus the budgeted amounts are shown below:
Program Actual Expense Budgeted Expense Intercity Taxi Program $370,589.51 $687,141 ADA In-Person Eligibility $154,184.07 $196,053 Countywide Travel Training $144,124.38 $200,880 Medical Trip Concierge $81,209.05 $100,000 48
Recommendation: Informational.
Attachment: A. First Quarter FY20-21 Solano Mobility Programs Update
49 Attachment A
First Quarter FY20-21 Solano Mobility Programs Update
ITX FY20-21 First Quarter Comparison
Percent Decrease Month FY 17-18 FY 18-19 FY 19-20 FY 20-21 from FY19.20
July 607 560 413 267 35% August 837 824 482 262 45% September 783 678 408 289 19% Totals: 2227 2062 1303 818 37%
First Quarter ITX program usage has declined over the past 4 years.
ADA Program FY 1st Quarter Comparison
FY19-20 FY20-21 Decrease/Increase %
July 87 44 -49% August 88 46 -48% September 72 51 -29% Totals 247 141 -43% Auto Renewals 40 37 -7%
ADA Program Quarterly Comparison FY19-20 Q4 FY20-21 Q1 April 17 44 May 1 46 June 41 51 Totals 59 141
First Quarter ADA Program Eligibility Evaluations increased from last quarter, but have declined over the past 2 years
50 Agenda Item 8.B November 17, 2020
DATE: November 2, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Brandon Thomson, Transit Mobility Coordinator RE: SolanoExpress Intercity First Quarter Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21
Background: Prior to 2005, the funding for Solano County’s intercity bus routes, collectively called Solano Express, was shared among local jurisdictions through various verbal understandings and informal and year to year funding agreements. In FY 2005-06, at the request of Vallejo Transit and Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST), the STA developed with the transit operators a countywide cost-sharing method that would provide funding stability for the operators of the intercity services and an equitable and predictable cost sharing formula for the funding partners. A working group was formed, the Intercity Transit Funding Working Group (ITFWG), and was comprised of representatives from STA, Solano County, and each participating cities in Solano County. The first countywide Intercity Transit Funding Agreement was established for FY 2006-07. Key components of the agreement are the Intercity Cost Sharing Formula, primarily based upon two factors: ridership by residence and population. This shared funding is for the cost of these routes after farebox and other non-local revenue are taken into account. Another key element of the agreement is that these routes be regularly monitored so that all the funding partners are aware of these routes’ performances. This data helps guide future funding, service planning and marketing decisions. In the Intercity Funding Agreement, it states that transit operators shall report at least quarterly to the ITFWG the following information by intercity route: • Budget vs. actual cost for the quarter • Budget vs. actual fares for the quarter • Ridership • Service hours Discussion: SolTrans and FAST have submitted their FY 2020-21 First Quarter reports for review by the ITFWG, Consortium, and STA Board (Attachment A). The table below shows where the SolanoExpress Intercity Routes are compared to the estimated yearly projections. A percentage of 25% would indicate that the estimate is meeting the budget actual. A summary of the FY 2020-21 First Quarter report is presented below.
FY 2019-20 FAST SolTrans Cost 28.1% 29% Revenue Hours 25.5% 26% Fares 24% 29% Ridership 6% 8% FareBox Recovery Ratio 8% 13%
51 A vital piece of this report is the cost per vehicle revenue hour as the operators have been capped by the funding partners and the STA Board at $143.00 an hour. However, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the cut in service by both operators, the STA Board acted to increase the cost per vehicle revenue hour to $193.78 for FY 2020-21. Any costs above and beyond the $193.78 hourly rate will have to be absorbed by either FAST or SolTrans. Discussions are underway with FAST and SolTrans regarding the year by year reduction of the cost per hour until it matches the cost per hour performance target adopted by the STA Board in future years. Potential service adjustments that can improve the overall performance of the system are also being discussed.
Fiscal Impact: SolanoExpress Revenues and Costs for FY 2020-21 were approved by the STA Board on June 10, 2020 and can be found on Attachment B.
Recommendation: Informational.
Attachment: A. SolanoExpress Intercity Quarterly Report B. SolanoExpress Revenues and Cost FY 2020-21
52 SOLANO EXPRESS INTERCITY TRANSIT SERVICE QUARTERLY MONITORING REPORT
FY 2020-21 Budget vs Estimated or Actual Cost Budget from June 10, 2020 STA Board Approved Intercity Funding Agreement for FY2020-21 First Quarter Ending Sept. Second Quarter Ending Third Quarter Ending Fourth Quarter Ending FY 20-21 30 Dec. 31 Mar. 31 June 30 TOTAL Annual SolanoExpress Budget % of % of Estimate or % of Route Expenses Estimate % of Budget Estimate % of Budget Estimate Budget Estimate Budget Actual Budget FAST Blue Line $ 3,326,621 $ 868,030 26.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 868,030 26.1% FAST GX $ 695,670 $ 221,092 31.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 221,092 31.8% Subtotal, FAST $ 4,022,291 $ 1,089,122 27.1% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ 1,089,122 27.1%
SolTrans Y Line $ 1,145,046 $ 332,682 29.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 332,682 29.1% SolTrans R Line $ 3,522,339 $ 1,016,001 28.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 1,016,001 28.8% Subtotal, SolTrans $ 4,667,385 $ 1,348,683 28.9% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ 1,348,683 28.9% Total $ 8,689,676 $ 2,437,805 28.1% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ 2,437,805 28.1%
Report Completed By: Kristina Botsford Diane Feinstein
First Quarter Ending Sept. Second Quarter Ending Third Quarter Ending Fourth Quarter Ending FY 20-21 30 Dec. 31 Mar. 31 June 30 TOTAL Budgeted SolanoExpress Cost Per % of % of Estimate or % of Route Hour Estimate % of Budget Estimate % of Budget Estimate Budget Estimate Budget Actual Budget FAST Blue Line $ 193.78 $ 205.94 106.3% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 205.94 106.3% FAST GX $ 193.78 $ 206.63 106.6% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 206.63 106.6% Subtotal, FAST $ 193.78 $ 206.08 106.3% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 206.08 106.3%
SolTrans Y Line $ 193.78 $ 218.58 112.8% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 218.58 112.8% SolTrans R Line $ 193.78 $ 219.53 113.3% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 219.53 113.3% Subtotal, SolTrans $ 193.78 $ 219.30 113.2% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 219.30 113.2% Total $ 193.78 $ 213.19 110.0% #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! $ 213.19 110.0%
53 SOLANO EXPRESS INTERCITY TRANSIT SERVICE QUARTERLY MONITORING REPORT
FY 20-21 Budget vs Estimated or Actual Hours Budget from June 10, 2020 STA Board Approved Intercity Funding Agreement for FY2020-21 First Quarter Ending Second Quarter Ending Third Quarter Ending Fourth Quarter Ending FY 20-21 Sept. 30 Dec. 31 Mar. 31 June 30 TOTAL
Budget Revenue % of % of % of Estimate or % of Intercity Route Hours Actual Budget Estimate % of Budget Estimate Budget Estimate Budget Actual Budget FAST Blue Line 17,167 4,215 24.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4,215 24.6% FAST GX 3,590 1,070 29.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1,070 29.8% Subtotal, FAST 20,757 5,285 25.5% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 5,285 25.5%
SolTrans Y Line 5,909 1,522 25.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1,522 25.8% SolTrans R Line 18,177 4,628 25.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4,628 25.5% Subtotal, SolTrans 24,086 6,150 25.5% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 6,150 25.5% TOTAL 44,843 11,435 26% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 11,435 26%
Report Completed By: Kristina Botsford Diane Feinstein
54 SOLANO EXPRESS INTERCITY TRANSIT SERVICE QUARTERLY MONITORING REPORT
FY 2020-21 Budget vs Estimated or Actual Fare Revenue Budget from June 10, 2020 STA Board Approved Intercity Funding Agreement for FY2020-21 First Quarter Ending Second Quarter Ending Third Quarter Ending Fourth Quarter Ending FY 20-21 Sept. 30 Dec. 31 Mar. 31 June 30 TOTAL Annual Budget % of % of % of Estimate or % of Intercity Route Fares Estimate Budget Estimate % of Budget Estimate Budget Estimate Budget Actual Budget FAST Blue Line $ 127,889 $ 43,900 34.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 43,900 34.3% FAST GX $ 217,652 $ 37,888 17.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 37,888 17.4% Subtotal, FAST $ 345,541 $ 81,788 23.7% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ 81,788 23.7%
SolTrans Y Line $ 83,524 $ 17,892 21.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 17,892 21.4% SolTrans R Line $ 526,139 $ 161,196 30.6% $ - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% $ 161,196 30.6% Subtotal, SolTrans $ 609,663 $ 179,088 29.4% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ - 0.0% $ 179,088 29.4% TOTAL 955,204 260,876 27% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 260,876 27%
Report Completed By: Kristina Botsford Diane Feinstein
55 SOLANO EXPRESS INTERCITY TRANSIT SERVICE QUARTERLY MONITORING REPORT
FY 2020-21 Budget vs Estimated or Actual Ridership
First Quarter Ending Second Quarter Ending Third Quarter Ending Fourth Quarter Ending FY 20-21 Sept. 30 Dec. 31 Mar. 31 June 30 TOTAL Annual Budget % of % of % of Estimate or % of Intercity Route Ridership Estimate Budget Estimate % of Budget Estimate Budget Estimate Budget Actual Budget FAST Blue Line 162,492 12,148 7.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 12,148 7.5% FAST GX 209,229 10,394 5.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10,394 5.0% Subtotal, FAST 371,721 22,542 6.1% 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 22,542 6.1%
SolTrans Y Line 78,420 5,245 6.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5,245 6.7% SolTrans R Line 460,117 39,700 8.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 39,700 8.6% Subtotal, SolTrans 538,537 44,945 8.3% 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 44,945 8.3% TOTAL 910,258 67,487 7% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 67,487 7%
Report Completed By: Kristina Botsford Diane Feinstein
56 Cost Fares Ridership Revenue Hours Farebox Estimate or % of Estimate or Estimate or % of Estimate % of Recovery Intercity Route Actual Budget Actual % of Budget Actual Budget or Actual Budget Ratio
FAST Blue Line $ 868,030 $ 43,900 12,148 4,215 5% FAST GX $ 221,092 $ 37,888 10,394 1,070 17% Subtotal, FAST $ 1,089,122 $ 81,788 22,542 5,285 8%
SolTrans Y Line $ 332,682 $ 17,892 5,245 1,522 5% SolTrans R Line $ 1,016,001 $ 161,196 39,700 4,628 16% Subtotal, SolTrans $ 1,348,683 $ 179,088 44,945 6,150 13% Total SolanoExpress $ 2,437,805 $ 260,876 67,487 11,435 11%
57 SOLANO TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY Solano Express Revenues and Costs FY20‐21 Attachment B 4‐Jun‐20
FY 2020‐21 FY 2020‐21 Reinforced Saturday Service Model with 5/13/20 Board Amendments Percent Adopted Plan (June 10 plan) Change Difference Solano Express Service FAST Service Hours 18,541 20,757 12% 2,216 SolTrans Service Hours 21,897 24,086 10% 2,189 Total Service Hours 40,438 44,843 11% 4,405 Cost per Hour in IFA $ 193.78 $ 193.78 0% ‐ FAST Cost in IFA $ 3,592,875 $ 4,022,291 12% $ 429,416 SolTrans Cost in IFA $ 4,243,201 $ 4,667,385 10% $ 424,184 Total IFA Cost $ 7,836,076 $ 8,689,677 11% $ 853,601 FAST: Est. Act. Cost/Hr $ 193.78 $ 196.13 1% $ 2.35 SolTrans: Est. Act. Cost/Hr $ 193.78 $ 232.62 20% $ 38.84 Additional FAST Cost $ ‐ $ 48,779 $ 48,779 Additional SolTrans Cost $ ‐ $ 935,389 $ 935,389 Capacity Enhacements $ ‐ $ 560,068 $ 560,068 Total Estimated Cost $ 7,836,076 $ 10,233,912 31% $ 2,397,836
Revenues Fares (FAST) $ 566,311 $ 345,540 ‐39% $ (220,771) Fares (SolTrans) $ 1,136,576 $ 609,662 ‐46% $ (526,914) RM‐2 $ 1,603,725 $ 1,871,013 17% $ 267,288 STAF Lifeline $ 465,425 $ 465,425 0% $ ‐ JARC $ 171,274 $ 171,274 0% $ ‐ Solano College Pass $ 66,000 $ 66,000 0% $ ‐ Parking Revenue $ 137,633 $ 141,680 10% $ 4,047 Benicia $ 194,300 $ 194,300 0% $ ‐ Dixon $ 88,326 $ 88,326 0% $ ‐ Fairfield $ 633,472 $ 633,472 0% $ ‐ Suisun City $ 119,507 $ 119,507 0% $ ‐ Vacaville $ 529,455 $ 529,455 0% $ ‐ Vallejo $ 731,459 $ 731,459 0% $ ‐ Balance of County $ 175,514 $ 175,514 0% $ ‐ CARES Act Tranche 1 (FAST) $ 522,722 $ 935,522 79% $ 412,800 CARES Act Tranche 1 (SolTrans)$ 694,572 $ 871,434 25% $ 176,862 CARES Act Tranche 2 $ ‐ $ 1,300,163 $ 1,300,163 New FAST Funds (Tranche 2) $ ‐ $ 48,779 $ 48,779 New SolTrans Funds (Tranche 2) $ ‐ $ 935,389 $ 935,389 Total Revenue $ 7,836,269 $ 10,233,912 31%$ 2,397,642
Balance $ 194 $ (0) $ (194)
Notes: Assumes 30% reduction in RM‐2, per MTC 5/15/20 guidance. Fares are 25% of pre‐pandemic levels. Additional Costs for FAST and SolTrans based on difference in $193.78/hr rate and cost data provided by operators. FAST and SolTrans Additional Funding Need is cost over $193.78 hourly rate.
FY 20‐21 SolExp58 Summary Agenda Item 8.C November 17, 2020
DATE: November 2, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Brandon Thomson, Transit Mobility Coordinator RE: Vehicle Share Program Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 Annual Report
Background: The concept of a Vehicle Share Program for Solano County was one of several proposed at Solano Community Based Transportation Studies and the 2011 Solano County Mobility Study for Seniors and People with Disabilities conducted by the Solano Transportation Authority (STA). The issues raised were as follows: Non-profits do not have the funding to own and operate a vehicle and only need a vehicle a few hours a week to transport their clients to medical appointment, social services, and activities to stay engaged in their community. On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 the Solano County Board of Supervisors approved an intergovernmental agreement with Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation for $1,000,000 to implement five projects to improve the health and well-being of Solano County residents. One of the projects is to improve transportation options for non-ambulatory low-income older adults and people with disabilities to access medical appointments, social services, and other activities. $100,000 was allocated to partner with Solano Transportation Authority (STA) to purchase two wheelchair accessible vans for a new Vehicle Share Program. A Vehicle Share Program would allow vehicles to be shared amongst multiple non-profits, public or any other 501(c)(3) organization that provides services for older adults and people with disabilities in Solano County. Discussion: The Vehicle Share Program for Solano County officially started during the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2019-20, on November 1, 2019. STA staff initially worked with seven non-profits (Community Action Northbay, Connections for Life, Faith in Action, Independent Living Resources, Vallejo Senior Citizens’ Council, Guru Sikh Temple, and the Opportunity House), to obtain driver’s information to conduct Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Pull Notices to ensure that all drivers have a clean driving record and conducted a Department of Justice Background Checks to ensure that the drivers have no criminal history. STA contracted with Michael’s Transportation to provide classroom and behind the wheel training once the drivers have been cleared through DMV. The first training dates were held in October 9 and 16 in 2019. Another set of trainings commenced during the month of February 2020 and have been offered throughout the year as new volunteers and nonprofits register to participate in the program. A total of 16 volunteers from the various non-profits were provided classroom and behind the wheel training. After launching the program on November 1, 2019 and between March 2020, the vehicle share vans were used to provide five trips, involving four nonprofits, with 25 people being transported. Of the 23 transported individuals, two required the use of a wheelchair accessible van. However, once the COVID-19 pandemic became reality, and shelter in place orders were issued, demand for using the vehicles deteriorated due to health and safety concerns.
59 Fiscal Impact: $50,000 in STAF has been budgeted annually for insurance, training, and maintenance pursuant to the CTSA’s recommendation and STA Board approval.
Recommendation: Informational.
60 Vehcile Share Program for Solano County FY 2019-20 Agency Number of Passengers Wheelchair Passenger Trip Month Purpose Florence Douglas 7 0 Oct-19 Alzheimers event Opportunity House 7 0 Nov-19 Client Transportation Connections for Life 4 1 Dec-19 Holiday event CANB 0 1 Jan-20 Medical Transport Connections for Life 5 0 Feb-20 Staff and Client Training Total 23 2 5 5
Participating Agencies and Drivers Agency Signed Particpation Agreement Participating Drivers CANB Q 1 1 Connections for Life Q 1 3 Faith in Action Q 1 3 Guru Sikh Temple Q 2 1 Independent Living Resources Q 2 2 Opportunity House Q 2 1 Vallejo Project Q 4 4 Total 7 15
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62 Agenda Item 8.D November 17, 2020
DATE : October 28, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Amy Antunano, Program Coordinator II RE: Solano Mobility Call Center/Transportation Depot Monthly Update
Background: The original Solano County Rideshare Program began as part of a statewide network of rideshare programs in the early 1990s funded primarily by Caltrans for the purpose of managing countywide and regional rideshare programs in Solano county and providing air quality improvements through trip reduction. In 2000, Solano Commuter Information was transferred from County Public Works to STA and became the Solano Napa Commuter Information program a few years later.
In February 2014, the STA has expanded its services to include the Solano Mobility Call Center. This was one of four Solano Mobility priorities identified in the most recent Solano Transportation Study for Seniors and People with Disabilities completed in 2011. In addition to providing commuters and Solano county employers with information on a variety of transit services and incentive programs, the Solano Mobility Call Center provides older adults and people with disabilities with a range of various mobility information. The Transportation Info Depot, at the Suisun-Fairfield Train Depot opened in November 2014, which now provides the public with expanded access to transportation information and mobility options. Solano Mobility staff started with four customer service representatives and has since expanded to six.
Discussion: Solano Mobility Call Center In response to precautionary COVID-19 safety measures currently established by the Solano County Public Health Department and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) announced proactive measures to SolanoExpress, Local Route Transit Agencies and Solano Mobility. These proactive measures include modification, or disruptions to service levels. The Solano Mobility resumed in-person services June 1st, 2020 by appointment only. The Call Center remains open answering calls during the same time period of Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
During the month of October 2020 (Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21), the Solano Mobility Call Center assisted 720 customers, processed two RTC applications, and processed 68 Pex card transactions. As of March 19, 2020, Solano County was directed to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As a result, there was a decrease of walk-in clientele. (Attachment A).
Transportation Info Depot/Call Center Update While the in-person assistance services are by appointment only due to the pandemic, the Solano Mobility Call Center hotline is still open from 8 am to 5 pm. Additionally, the Solano Mobility website remains a source of assistance.
63 Recommendation: Informational.
Attachment: A. Call Center Activity Chart
64 ATTACHMENT A
Solano Mobility Call Center Activity Chart F.Y 20/21 July August September October Total ADA Paratransit 27 46 77 58 208 SolanoExpress 59 55 69 58 241 General Transit 19 21 36 35 111 Travel Training 3 3 8 5 19 Local Scrip 43 44 54 39 180 ITX 92 85 175 170 522 GGG 30 21 217 161 429 Lyft programs 11 6 5 9 31 Commuter Incentives 1 4 3 1 9 Trip Planning 15 12 13 11 51 General Information 9 7 0 1 17 Private Transport 8 9 14 4 35 RTC/Clipper 8 6 11 15 40 Other 38 34 84 153 309 Total Calls 363 353 766 720 2202 Billingual Calls 0 3 4 2 9 Walk In 4 2 2 2 10
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66 Agenda Item 8.E November 17, 2020
DATE: October 30, 2020 TO: SolanoExpress Intercity Transit Consortium FROM: Brent Rosenwald, Planning Assistant RE: Summary of Funding Opportunities
Discussion: Below is a list of funding opportunities that will be available to STA member agencies during the next few months, broken up by Federal, State, and Local. Attachment A provides further details for each program.
AMOUNT APPLICATION FUND SOURCE AVAILABLE DEADLINE Federal First deadline is Up to $300 million; Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – Nationally December 18, 2018, 1. projects of at least $25 Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) applications accepted on million a Quarterly Rolling Basis. Regional Carl Moyer Off-Road Equipment Replacement Program (for Approximately $10 Due On First-Come, 1. Sacramento Metropolitan Area) million First-Served Basis Due On First-Come, Air Resources Board (ARB) Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Up to $7,000 rebate 2. First-Served Basis (CVRP) per light-duty vehicle (Waitlist) Approximately $5,000 Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Hybrid Due On First-Come, 3. to $45,000 per Electric Vehicle Purchase Vouchers (HVIP) (for fleets) First-Served Basis qualified request
Pays to install 7,500 Due On First-Come, 4. PG&E Charge Program chargers in PG&E area First-Served Basis
Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund for Zero Emission Transit Due On First-Come, 5. Up to $65 Million and Shuttle Buses First-Served Basis State
Fiscal Impact: None.
Recommendation: Informational.
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