City of Tucson ID 9033 Title VI Triennial Program Revised January 13, 2020 Page i City of Tucson ID 9033 Title VI Triennial Program Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. ii Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Policy Statement ............................................................................................................................. 2 Requirement to Provide an Annual Title VI Certification and Assurance ....................................... 2 Requirement to Prepare and Submit a Title VI Program ................................................................ 2 Requirement to Notify Beneficiaries of Protection under Title VI ................................................. 3 Requirement to Develop Title VI Complaint Procedures and Complaint Form ............................. 4 Title VI Complaint Guidelines .................................................................................................. 4 Title VI Complaint Internal Process ......................................................................................... 4 Title VI Complaint Form .................................................................................................................. 6 Completing the Title VI Complaint Form ................................................................................. 6 Requirement to Record and Report Transit-Related Title VI Investigations, Complaints, and Lawsuits ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Promoting Inclusive Public Participation ........................................................................................ 9 City of Tucson – Transit Public Participation Plan ................................................................... 9 Requirement to Provide Meaningful Access to LEP Persons ........................................................ 15 City of Tucson – Language Assistance Plan ........................................................................... 15 Components of the Plan ........................................................................................................ 21 1. Identifying LEP individuals who need language assistance .............................................. 21 2. Language assistance measures ......................................................................................... 21 3. Training Staff ..................................................................................................................... 24 4. Providing notice to LEP persons ....................................................................................... 25 5. Monitoring and updating the LAP..................................................................................... 26 Minority Representation on Planning and Advisory Bodies ......................................................... 27 Providing Assistance to Subrecipients .......................................................................................... 29 Monitoring Subrecipients ............................................................................................................. 29 Determination of Site or Location of Facilities ............................................................................. 31 Requirement to Provide Additional Information upon Request .................................................. 31 Requirement to Set System –Wide Service Standard and Policies .............................................. 31 a) Service Standards ........................................................................................................... 31 b) Service Policy .................................................................................................................. 36 Requirement to Collect and Report Demographic Data ............................................................... 41 Demographic and service profile maps and charts ............................................................... 41 Page ii City of Tucson ID 9033 Title VI Triennial Program Demographic ridership and travel patterns, collected by surveys ....................................... 47 Requirement to Monitor Transit Service ...................................................................................... 48 Requirement to Evaluate Service and Fare Changes .................................................................... 48 Fare Change & Major Service Change Policy, Disparate Impact, and Disproportionate Burden Policy ..................................................................................................................................... 51 Approval of the Title VI Program .................................................................................................. 56 Appendices Appendix A: Federal FTA Certifications and Assurances Appendix B: 2019 City of Tucson On-Board Survey Appendix C: Monthly Operating Reports (MOR) Appendix D: City of Tucson, Mayor and Council meeting agendas and Legal Action Reports Page iii City of Tucson ID 9033 Title VI Triennial Program Introduction Sun Tran, Sun Van, and Sun Link are the City of Tucson’s public transportation system. In 1969, the City of Tucson agreed to assume control of Tucson Rapid Transit's struggling system. Under the City of Tucson's direction, public transit began to flourish. Ridership increased, new buses were purchased and service rapidly improved. In 1975, a contest was held and the system was renamed Sun Tran. In 1978, Sun Tran purchased the Roy Laos bus company, which operated on the south and west sides of Tucson, consolidating transit in Tucson to single public transit system. Today, Sun Tran operates 41 fixed routes, 29 local routes and 12 express routes, and the award- winning system remains on the cutting edge of technology as it has since the beginning. Sun Tran utilizes Compressed Natural Gas, Biodiesel or hybrid technologies for all vehicles in the fleet. Sun Van is Tucson's award-winning regional paratransit system, providing transportation services to those individuals unable to use Sun Tran's fixed route service due to their disability. Operating since 1987, and originally named Van Tran, Sun Van provides paratransit services in Tucson, Tohono O'odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, South Tucson and part of Pima County in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The Sun Link streetcar route is 3.8 miles long, connecting the west side of downtown with the University of Arizona (U of A), and was part of the $2.1 billion Regional Transportation Plan approved by Pima County voters in May 2006. In 2010, the City of Tucson was awarded a $63 million Transportation and Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The project was completed with multiple federal, state, and local funds. The fixed-guideway electric rail system has eight ADA-compliant vehicles, shares a travel lane with other vehicles, and is compatible with on-street parking. The streetcars accommodate bicycles and have easy roll-on access for mobility devices and strollers. The City of Tucson receives Federal funding in accordance with Chapter 53 of Title 49 of the United States Code, as amended by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. As a recipient of these funds, Sun Tran, Sun Van, and Sun Link comply with regulations relative to nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21 (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations), as they may be amended from time to time. As such, the City is required to submit a Title VI Program and follow the requirements and guidelines of FTA Circular C 4702.1B dated October 1, 2012. The Title VI Program must be submitted to the FTA’s Office of Civil Rights every three (3) years. Title VI is a Federal statute and provides that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Sun Tran, Sun Van, and Sun Link are committed to the following: 1. Ensuring that the level and quality of transit service is provided without regard to race, color, or national origin; Page 1 City of Tucson ID 9033 Title VI Triennial Program 2. Identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic effects of programs and activities on minority populations and low-income populations; 3. Promoting the full and fair participation of all affected populations in transit decision making; 4. Preventing the denial, reduction, or delay in benefits related to programs and activities that benefit minority populations or low-income populations; and 5. Ensuring meaningful access to programs and activities by persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Policy Statement The City of Tucson has hired RATP Dev to manage and maintain its transit services (Sun Tran, Sun Van, and Sun Link). RATP Dev is committed to complying with the requirements of Title VI in all federally funded programs. The City of Tucson Department of Transportation