City of Lawrence

Public Transit

TO:	Dave Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator
CC:	Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
Date:	January 14, 2008
RE:	Agenda Item: Revising T Lift Advanced Day Reservation Period Policy

Please place the following item on the City Commission agenda for consideration at their January 22, 2008 meeting:

Authorize staff to revise the “How to Ride the T Lift Policy Manual” regarding advanced day reservation period from 3-days to 5-days.

Background Information:

In June 2007, the City Commission adopted a variety of service and fare policy changes in an effort to better manage rising demand and costs of T Lift paratransit service for certified persons with disabilities. One of the policy changes implemented dealt directly with the issue of reducing the advanced reservation period to lower the high number of trips cancellations. Prior the policy change, one out of every three trips booked for T Lift demand-response service resulted in a cancelled trip, impacting the ability of other transit patrons wanting to reserve trips.

To resolve this issue, staff and the Public Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) recommended reducing the advanced reservation period from fourteen days to three days. Three days was determined to be an appropriate length of time based on reviewing service policies by other neighboring transit providers. This recommended policy change was then presented to the public to obtain their feedback. At the time, there was little opposition to this change. As such, the City Commission adopted the policy change.

In December during the regularly scheduled PTAC meeting, a meeting agenda item discussed the effectiveness of the new service and fare policies since they were implemented in July.

Staff informed PTAC that over the past few months, they have received feedback from some members of the public as well as Cottonwood about the difficulties they have experienced with the shortened advanced day reservation period which has adversely impacted their ability to schedule trips.

Since the policy change implemented in July, the reduced advanced reservation period has had the desired effect with a 20% decrease in trip cancellations.

However, staff and PTAC believe that as a compromise based on the feedback received that extending the advanced reservation period from three days to five days may be a more appropriate period and still be able to achieve the results we are seeking in reducing the high number of trip cancellations.

PTAC, at its December meeting unanimously approved the policy change from three days to five days.

At this time, staff and PTAC both recommend that the City Commission consider revising the T Lift advanced reservation period policy from three days to five days.