City of Lawrence

Public Transit

TO:	Dave Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator
Date:	September 7, 2007
RE:	Calendar of Transit Activities.

Below is a schedule of various tasks the transit department plans to complete over the remainder of this year and into next with regard to developing a new operating contract with a private transportation provider in 2009 and beyond, towards addressing fleet replacement needs, and working on other high priority tasks.

Timeframe	Tasks to be Completed
8/31/07 – 10/31/07	Continue discussions with KU representatives about transit needs for students, faculty and staff to determine where increased coordination can be realized and to work on joint procurement for contracted transit services for 2009 and beyond.
9/1/07 – 8/31/08	Gather information about T routes on a trip by trip basis from bus drivers to determine peak and off-peak service utilization.
9/1/07 – 12/31/07	Work with PTAC on developing and adopting Route Performance Standards that will be used to help justify future service changes.
9/1/07 – 9/30/07	Conduct on-board passenger surveys utilizing PTAC members and volunteers.  This data will be analyzed and compared to last year’s benchmarked passenger survey responses.
10/1/07 – 10/31/07	Conduct a community-wide survey to determine citizen opinions regarding public transportation in the community, to identify the role it is to serve in the community, and level of service desired in 2009 and beyond.
11/1/07 – 11/30/07	Draft scope of work for an RFP to obtain the services of a private transportation provider for 2009 and beyond.  Determine the length of contract. (e.g., 5 year contract or 1 year contract with 4 option years) and types of vehicles to be utilized.
12/1/07 – 12/31/07	Submit draft RFP to the Federal Transit Administration, City Commission, City Manager, and Legal Services for their review and approval.
12/1/07 – 12/31/07	Obtain City Commission approval to place an order from KDOT vehicle bid to replace 3 T Lift paratransit vehicles that have fulfilled their useful service life requirements by utilizing 100% available State CTP funds.
1/1/08 – 1/11/08	Based on feedback received, finalize RFP and prepare it for advertisement.
1/14/08 – 2/14/08	Advertise RFP for the solicitation of qualified private transportation providers.
2/15/08 – 3/31/08	Interview contractors, select contractor, negotiate contract terms, and award contract.
2/1/08 – 3/21/08	Obtain City Commission approval of FY09 Transit Earmark Funding Request and formally submit funding request to Kansas Congressional Delegation.
3/1/08 – 3/31/08	Prepare and submit annual performance report to the National Transit Database.
4/1/08 – 4/10/08	Prepare FY09 Transit Department Budget
4/11/08	Submit Transit Department FY09 Budget Information to Assistant City Manager.  Also, staff begins preparation for a FTA Triennial Review.
5/6/08	Obtain City Commission approval to order fixed-route transit vehicles utilizing available federal and local funds.
6/2/08	Transit Department meets with City Commission to discuss FY09 department budget submittal.
7/1/08	FTA Triennial Review conducted.
8/5/08	Public Hearing on 2009 City Budget – Budget Ordinance first reading
9/1/08 – 12/31/08	Initiate public process to revise service routes and schedules based on approved funding levels.
9/1/08 – 9/30/08	Conduct on-board passenger surveys to measure established customer satisfaction performance measurements.
12/31/08	Current contract with MV Transportation, Inc. expires.
1/1/09	New operating contract begins.
11/1/09	Delivery of new fixed-route transit vehicles.