City of Lawrence

Public Transit Advisory Committee

December 13, 2005 minutes

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Chairman Danny Kaiser, Richard Heckler, Alan Black, Marc Epard, Marian Hukle, and Rob Tabor.

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Jessica Mortinger, Andy Stahmer

 

STAFF PRESENT:

Public Transit Administrator (PTA) Cliff Galante, Mike Sweeten, Wendy Koerner, and Rachel Cornish.

 

PUBLIC PRESENT:

Marion Babb, Saunny Scott, and Hilda Enoch.

 

 

Call to Order

Chairman Danny Kaiser called the meeting to order at 4:10 pm.

 

Public Comment

Hilda Enoch spoke on behalf of her husband Jacob Enoch regarding TLift service.  She said the bus used to pull into the driveway when picking up Mr. Enoch, but now they park in the street.  Mr. Enoch’s health has deteriorated and he must use a wheelchair to get from the house to the street.   

 

The Enochs also have concerns about the accuracy of reservations they make and would like email confirmation of reservations from MV after they are made.

 

An additional problem occurs at the Schiefelbusch Clinic which is the drivers wait only 5 minutes for Mr. Enoch to come out, and no longer come into the clinic to get Mr. Enoch.  The Enochs have been notified of the system policy that for safety reasons, drivers are prohibited from losing sight of their vehicle and are not permitted to enter the building. The problem is that the drivers don’t notify Mr. Enoch that they have arrived at the clinic and he does not know they are there.  Mrs. Enoch suggested the drivers call into dispatch to let them know they are on the way to the clinic, and dispatch in turn would call the clinic so they can let Mr. Enoch know they are on the way. On three occasions Mr. Enoch has been left at the clinic because the drivers only waited 5 minutes and Mr. Enoch did not know they were out there waiting for him.  The Enoch’s believe the 30 minute pick up window is too long for Mr. Enoch to wait for the bus and the drivers should wait longer than 5 minutes before they depart, or let someone at the clinic know they are there for him.

 

 

Agenda Review

Marc Epard requested agenda item “TLift Paratransit Service Evaluation” be addressed next.  There were no objections from the committee.

 

TLift Paratransit Service Evaluation

In addressing the board, PTA said he became aware of the Enoch’s concerns with the system a couple of months ago.  He and Mike Sweeten visited the clinic to get a better idea of the site layout and to see if they could come up with a solution.  They determined there is no way for the driver to enter the building to get Mr. Enoch without losing sight of the vehicle.  The TLift is a door-to-door service and policy prohibits drivers from entering a building (crossing the threshold) to pick up a passenger or to lose sight of their vehicle for safety reasons.  MV is upholding the policies set forth by the PTAC board and City Commission by refusing to enter the clinic to get Mr. Enoch. In addition, if special arrangements are made for Mr. Enoch at the clinic, precedence would be set, which must be allowed for all passengers. 

 

Mrs. Enoch said they offered another solution which would require the driver to call dispatch to let them know the bus was on the way to the clinic.  Dispatch in turn would call the clinic to let them know the bus was on the way.  PTA explained that service at this level was not in the service provider’s scope of work and current staffing levels do not allow MV to perform this additional service.  PTA reiterated the system’s policy of the 30-minute pick up window which requires passengers to be ready and waiting for the bus 15 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time.  If passengers expect a call to let them know the driver is coming, they may wait for the call before they begin getting ready for the bus.

 

PTA said he thought the Enoch’s idea of email confirmation of TLift reservations is a good idea.  Unfortunately, at this time, current equipment and Trapeze scheduling software are not capable of providing this and staffing levels would make it difficult.  Staff will continue to look into obtaining or the development of software that would aid in performing this service.

 

PTA said that he and Danny Kaiser met with the Enoch’s to obtain additional information about the issues and to try to come up with solutions.  No solutions were determined that did not go against current policies, so it was suggested the Enoch’s bring their concerns to the PTAC board where the existing policies could be reviewed.

 

Administrator said that as the system has grown, we are getting to a point where the demand for paratransit is putting a strain on the system, which is adversely impacting the level of service we provide, resulting in decreasing on-time performance and the potential for increased denials.  So we are at the point that if the board decides they want to increase paratransit services, they will need to push for increased funding to implement the proposed services.

 

The board discussed the issues and possible solutions.  Staff was directed to investigate the technical issues involved with email reservations and reservation confirmation.  As long as it is acceptable to clinic staff, courtesy calls to the clinic are to be provided on an experimental basis to the Schiefelbusch Clinic until the next scheduled PTAC meeting.  At that time, the effectiveness will be reviewed. The driver will call dispatch when they are on their way to the clinic.  Dispatch will call the clinic to let them know the driver is on his/her way.  In addition, staff will check with the clinic to see if it would be possible to make the entryway more comfortable for TLift passengers to wait for the bus.

 

Public Transit Administrator Update

Ridership and Other Performance Statistics

PTA updated the committee on the monthly performance statistics.  The monthly average dipped from October, most likely due to the Thanksgiving holiday and dropping gas prices.  In addition, passengers per hour dropped below 10.  Since August, paratransit ridership has been running between 170 and 180 passengers per day on average.  The growth has put a strain on the system and has resulted in the on-time performance falling below our standard of 95% for the past two months.  In our first year of operation we provided a little over 200,000 rides and through November of this year, we’ve exceeded 400,000 rides. 

 

5-Year Anniversary Celebration Reception

Marketing Coordinator updated the committee on activities planned for the 5-year anniversary celebration.  Activities for the week begin with tonight’s proclamation by the mayor at the City Commission meeting.  For the Stuff the Bus promotion, an empty bus will be at various city locations throughout the week so people can donate non-perishable food items and toys to benefit the Salvation Army.  Our 5-Year Anniversary Reception will be held at the Lawrence Arts Center on Thursday December 15 starting at 5:00 pm.  The winning t-shirt design will be unveiled at the reception. Friday is a scheduled free ridership day and prize patrols will randomly distribute bags of goodies as a thank you to all the passengers who have helped make the system a success.

 

Prairie Park Petition (Route 1)

Marian Hukle addressed the committee on behalf of the Route Review Committee in regards to Mr. Schmidt’s petition to remove the Route 1 bus from Harper Street between 25th and 27th Streets.  The sub-committee reviewed the request, evaluated alternatives, and decided they would not recommend making changes to the route at this time.  The request will be reviewed again during the overall route review plan later in 2006.

City/KU Transit Service Coordination Feasibility Update

PTA says the dialogue between the university and the city is ongoing with guidance and direction from FTA on development and structure of agreements between the two entities.  Currently, legal staff for both the city and university is developing a memorandum of understanding with the initial goal of hiring a consultant who will evaluate the efficiencies and structure of both systems, and will recommend a level of coordination that will benefit both systems.  Upon completion, recommendations will be presented to the City Commission and the University for review and approval. 

 

K-10 Commuter Service Feasibility Update

PTA said about a month ago the Mayor held a transportation summit and part of the discussion was about providing inter-city public transportation between Lawrence and Johnson County along the K-10 corridor.  Discussions between LTS and Johnson County regarding this issue are ongoing as need and feasibility for this type of service are not yet fully determined.  KU will be surveying students and faculty at the Edwards Campus and Johnson County Community College to gauge the demand for commuter service.

 

PTA feels that since the service will be open to the public, a survey of the Lawrence community on a whole will be necessary to find out what their motivation to use commuter service and what their preferences might be, such as, would they prefer to ride a large bus or a smaller van.  The survey would also include questions regarding the time of day and days of the week people travel, as well as trip destinations.  In addition, PTA said the owner of a local shopping center has approached the city about using their parking lot located at 19th & Haskell as a potential park and ride location.  It may be a good option as it is in close proximity to the K-10 corridor, will hold a minimum of 100 vehicles, and lighting upgrades and pavement improvements would be minimal.

 

PTA has also been working with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) on evaluating ride-sharing software in the pursuit of a mechanism where prospective commuters can be matched up with other commuters so they can form their own carpools.

 

Schedule January Sub-Committee Meetings

PTA will get in contact with members to set up the meeting dates and times.

 

Public Comment

No public comment was presented.

 

Tentative Next Meeting Date:  February 21, 2006

Danny Kaiser reminded the board that elections will be held at the February meeting.

 

Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 5:30 pm.

 

 

Submitted by Wendy Koerner                        Approved via email