City of Lawrence

Public Transit

 

TO:

Dave Corliss, City Manager

 

FROM:

Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator

 

CC:

Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City Manager

 

Date:

May 17, 2007

 

RE:

Agenda Item:

Recommended Transit Service and Fare Policy Changes.

 

Please place the following item on the City Commission meeting agenda for consideration at their June 12, 2007 meeting:

 

Approval of the following proposed transit service and fare policy changes recommended by the Public Transit Advisory Committee and staff to be implemented effective July 1, 2007.

 

(1) Revise T Lift Certification Process – New applicants for T Lift service will be required to undergo a two-part certification process that involves having a qualified professional conduct an evaluation to verify a person’s disability. This will assist Lawrence Transit System staff in determining an applicant’s eligibility for T Lift ADA complementary paratransit service. PTAC subcommittee members thought it would be best for applicants to be able to choose any qualified professional to conduct the evaluation such as a: Physician (M.D. or D.O) or registered nurse; Physical or Occupational Therapist; Psychiatrist, Psychologist, or Mental Health Counselor; Vocational Counselor, Rehabilitation Specialist or Independent Living Skills Trainer; Licensed Social Worker or Case Manager; Orientation and Mobility Instructor or Travel Trainer; and Ophthalmologist.

 

(2) Implement a Recertification Process – There will no longer be a one-time certification. In an effort to keep the database current and purge the T Lift database of riders that no longer utilize the service due to moving out of the service area, death or some other valid reason, every T Lift certified rider will now be required to recertify for service eligibility every three (3) years. Current riders will be provided a six (6) month grace period to become recertified. In the meantime, those riders will still be eligible to schedule trips.  Persons with permanent disabilities will only need to need to meet with a qualified professional to evaluate and verify their disability for the initial recertification.  Thereafter, persons with permanent disabilities every three (3) years will only need to complete a recertification form that indicates that they still want to utilize the service.  No professional verification will be necessary.

 

(3) Enforce Conditional Use Eligibility for T Lift Service on a Trip-by-Trip Basis – Transit system reservationists will evaluate the eligibility of trip requests for service by riders certified as conditional for T Lift at the time of scheduling on a trip-by-trip basis, due to the conditions listed in their certification. Reservationists will immediately inform the person scheduling the trip if the trip is deemed eligible based on conditions listed in their certification. If the trip is found not to be eligible, reservationists are to inform the rider about the availability of fixed-route T service as a viable option to complete the trip.

 

(4) Reduce T Lift Advanced Reservation Period – In an effort to reduce the high number of trip cancellations, the advanced reservation window has been shortened from fourteen (14) days to three (3) days or 72 hours.  This proposed change does not impact subscription service. 

 

(5) Eliminate Honor System Policy to Obtain Reduced Fare for T Service – In an effort to curb abuse by those riders seeking to obtain a reduced fare on regular T service that are questionable about meeting eligibility requirements, transit patrons seeking a reduced fare will now have to prove that they are: either a grade 10-12 student, Age 60+, or HINU student through a valid identification card or student ID. In order to receive a reduced fare, persons with disabilities will now have to provide a Medicare card, T Lift Photo Identification Card, or Valid Photo Identification from another public transportation system proving certification on their paratransit system. Riders who cannot provide proof of meeting any of the eligibility criteria will be charged a full-fare.  Only K-9 students will not be required show proof of age to qualify for the reduced fare. 

 

(6) Suspend T Lift Riders who Cancel 50% of Scheduled Trips over a 90-day Period – In an effort to eliminate the high number of trip cancellations, riders who cancel 50% or more of their scheduled trips with a minimum of six (6) cancellations over a 90-day period will be subject to a 30-day suspension from service. Excessive cancellations impact others’ ability to schedule trips.

 

(7) Increase Fares for Fixed-Route T Service and T Lift Paratransit Service – Since the service began six years ago, the fare has not been increased. However, during this period, the cost of providing transit services has increased annually. In an effort to maintain current service levels and to make transit system improvements, fares on both T and T Lift will be increased, but in a phased approach. The fares proposed will bring transit fares in line with what other public transit service providers in neighboring metropolitan areas in Kansas currently charge for service.

 

T Fixed-Route Service:

Upon policy adoption by the City Commission, fixed-route one-way fares will increase from current amount of $0.50 to $0.75. Effective January 1, 2008, fares will increase from $0.75 to $1.00.

 

Reduced one-way fare will increase initially from current amount of $0.25 to $0.35 and then $0.50 effective January 1, 2008.

 

10-ride punch cards will increase initially from current amount of $5.00 to $7.50 and then $10.00 effective January 1, 2008.

 

Reduced 10-ride punch cards will increase initially from current amount of $2.50 to $3.50 and then $5.00 effective January 1, 2008.

 

Unlimited ride daily pass will be introduced. Initially the cost for full-fare will be $2.25 and then increase to $2.75 effective January 1, 2008. The cost for reduced fare will initially be $1.10 and then increase to $1.35 effective January 1, 2008.

 

Unlimited ride full-fare monthly passes will increase initially from current amount of $17.00 to $25.50 and then $34.00 effective January 1, 2008. A 15% discount on monthly bus pass is provided, based on 40 one-way trips.

 

Unlimited ride reduced-fare monthly passes will increase initially from current amount of $8.50 to $12.75 and then $17.00 effective January 1, 2008.

 

T Lift Paratransit Service:

Upon policy adoption by the City Commission, paratransit one-way fares will increase from $1.00 to $1.50. Effective January 1, 2008 fares will increase from $1.50 to $2.00.

 

10-ride punch cards will increase initially from current amount of $10.00 to $15.00 and then $20.00 effective January 1, 2008.

 

Unlimited ride monthly passes will increase initially from current amount of $34.00 to $51.00 and then $68.00 effective January 1, 2008. A 15% discount on monthly bus pass is provided, based on 40 one-way trips.

 

(8) Children Under Age 12 Must be Accompanied by an Adult for T and T Lift Service

 

PTAC recommends striking this proposal as they feel that all school aged children should be permitted to ride without an adult.  Their belief is that for children of all ages, parents are the appropriate authorities to determine whether a child is mature enough to ride safely.  They also believe that by setting an age limit implies that the City deems any child of that age, mature and responsible enough to ride the bus unsupervised, which they believe is not the case.  PTAC members are concerned with the issue of “implied warranty” by establishing an age limit.

 

Staff disagrees with the PTAC recommendation, and believes a minimum age limit should be included in the policy as a best practice.  Many other communities have found it necessary to impose minimum age limits due to concerns of a young child’s ability to function independently and safely in a high traffic, congested environment that buses operate in (i.e., high speed arterials, busy intersections).  Staff agrees that parental discretion will always be a factor.  However, staff believes by not imposing an age limit, places the City and its transportation contractor in an awkward position, in dealing with young passengers that may ride unattended and require additional supervision.

 

Staff recommends that children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by a person age 10 or older to be able to ride either T or T Lift service.  Based on public feedback received, many felt the 12 year old age limit initially proposed was set too high especially for working parents who want their children to be able to utilize the public transit system to attend school and community sponsored summer activities.  However, public feedback did indicate that people do not disagree in setting a minimum age limit. 

 

 

Background Information:

 

In an effort to better manage the rising demand and cost to provide T Lift paratransit service, the Public Transit Administrator (PTA) working with the Public Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) evaluated current service and fare policies for both T Lift and T service.  On April 10, 2007 PTAC and PTA agreed on a series of draft policy changes to present to the public for their review and comment.  On April 11, 2007, a Public Hearing was conducted where proposed service and fare policy changes were presented to the public.  Also, the public hearing launched a 30-day written public comment period.  Proposed service and fare policy changes were made available at the Lawrence Transit System Administrative Office, Department of Planning in City Hall, Lawrence Public Library, and Lawrence Transit System’s website at www.lawrencetransit.org.  The 30-day written public comment period ended on May 11, 2007.  On May 15, 2007, the a Special Public Transit Advisory Committee Meeting was held to consider the public comment regarding proposed service and fare policy changes and approve recommendations to be submitted to the City Commission for their review and formal adoption. Attached for your review in a separate document is the written public feedback, as well as, a summary of the verbal feedback received at the Public Hearing and PTAC meeting regarding proposed service and fare policy changes. 

 

In early April, the City Commission as a short-term solution authorized staff to increase T Lift service hours to keep pace with rising demand through July 1, 2007.  In the meantime, PTAC and PTA have been working on service and fare policy changes that will help address long-term solution for better managing demand and cost of transit service.  In addition, when reviewing current service and fare policies, some other “best practice” policies were discussed and are included in the recommendations (i.e, minimum age limit to ride the bus and elimination of honor system).

 

If the City Commission adopts PTAC and staff recommendations effective July 1st, then the Transit Department can begin to measure the impacts of incorporating these policies over the long-term. It is important to note that historically the summer months are typically the time of year when demand for service is lower than other months of the year which may possibly skew the immediate measured impacts of service and fare policy changes. 

 

Action Request:

 

Staff respectfully seeks City Commission approval of the PTAC and staff recommendations regarding T and T Lift service and fare policy changes to be implemented effective July 1, 2007.

 

Attachments:  Summary of Public Comments & Public Comments