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PTAC Minutes 01/16/2018 MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING January 16, 2018 Naples, Florida, LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Public Transit Advisory Committee in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 3:00 P.M. in REGULAR SESSION at Administrative Building "F", Suite 501, Collier County Government Complex Naples, Florida with the following members present: ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chairman: Mr. John DiMarco, II Vice Chairman: Mr. Arthur Dobberstein Mr. Richard Duggan Mr. John Jenkins ALSO PRESENT: Ms. Michelle Arnold, Director, Public Transit and Neighborhood Enhancement Mr. Omar De Leon, Senior Planner, Public Transit and Neighborhood Enhancement Mr. Matt Liveringhouse, Transit Manager, Public Transit and Neighborhood Enhancement Ms. Elena Ortiz Rosado, Events, Marketing & Sales Coordinator, PTNE Page 1 Call to Order Chairman DiMarco called the meeting to order at 3:00 P.M. II. Roll Call Roll call was taken and a quorum was established. III. Approval of Agenda Mr. Jenkins entered a motion to approve the January 16, 2018 meeting agenda. Mr. Duggan seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion was carried unanimously. IV. Approval of Minutes December 19, 2017 meeting minutes Mr. Jenkins entered a motion to approve the minutes of the December 19, 2017 meeting minutes. Mr. Duggan seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion was carried unanimously. V. Committee Action VI. Reports and Presentations a. Routes 22 and 23 Route Modification Update Mr. DeLeon reported that routes 22 and 23, which have been in service for several months, are being monitored on an ongoing basis. An emphasis is being placed on public awareness of the new routes/stops in order to increase ridership, which has recently reflected a decline. Ms. Arnold stated that modifications done to these routes have resulted in some passengers having to transfer buses, which may have contributed to the decline in ridership. The route modifications were determined as a result of previously held public meetings in Immokalee, with feedback initially being solicited with regard to desired destinations, and follow-up meetings to present the proposed route changes and to field community response. Feedback on this topic will be solicited at upcoming community meetings which are planned in Immokalee to discuss the ongoing fare study. Public Transit representatives have also been in attendance at Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meetings to promote the new routes and provide clarification as to their structure. Question: Is there an extra fee to transfer buses? Answer: Yes, the fee for a transfer is .75, with an all-day pass the more economical option for riders. b. Fare Study Mr. DeLeon provided a brief summary of the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), which serves as the resource and budgeting document for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Page 2 This document was presented to the Advisory Committee in January 2016 for review and discussion, in which the various studies were ranked, with the Fare Study selected as the number one priority. As a part of the Transit Development Plan, it was determined that a periodic review and evaluation of the fare structure is necessary in order to ensure fares are equitable, but which also generate the required operational revenue. Preliminary scenarios were developed by the consulting firm of Tindale Oliver for potential fare modifications and were now presented to the Advisory Committee for their review. Public surveys are planned in order to obtain feedback with regard to the various scenarios under consideration. Feedback will also be solicited at public meetings which will be held on January 30, 2018 at the transfer center in Naples, as well as in Immokalee. Ms. Arnold suggested the number of scenarios be reduced to a number which would be less confusing for the public, thus avoiding the potential for reduced ridership, and allowing for increased revenue. The current fare structure was reviewed, which includes reduced fares for students 17 and younger, seniors 65 and older, as well as for ADA qualified riders. Notable recommendations made in the various scenarios under consideration include the following: *Elimination of an additional fee for transfers, allowing free transfers which must be redeemed within 90 minutes. This free transfer option is under consideration in scenarios in which base fares are being increased. *Reduction in the cost of the day pass as a cost savings incentive for riders. *Elimination of the 7 day pass and introduction of a 15 day pass; this due to historically low sales of the 7 day pass, as well as the offering of a 50% discount for the 15 day pass for riders unable or unwilling to pay the 30 day pass price. *Marco Express base fare increase from $1.50 to $2.00, with reduced Marco Island base fare increased to $1.50. *Increase the 30 day pass from$35 to $40,with the reduced fare 30 day pass increased to $20. The proposed fare increases are rounded up figures to whole dollar amounts, eliminating the need for change. Information with regard to the range of ridership and revenue estimates after implementation of these proposed changes were discussed. While the purchase of a full fare with a free transfer option may remain attractive for some riders,the purchase of a day pass will be encouraged, as the use of a pass will improve system performance in terms of time savings for riders during the boarding process. It was the general consensus of the committee that the presentation of four different fare structure scenarios to the public would be ideal, choosing scenarios 1, 4, 5 and 6 as presented in the consultant's packet. Page 3 Question: Why is the Marco Express route singled out within the various fare structure scenarios under consideration? Answer: This is the route which travels from Immokalee to Marco Island, with a proposed single fare price increase from$2.50 to $3.00, and the reduced Marco Express single fare increased from$1.20 to $1.50. The Marco Express 30 day pass price will remain the same. Federal regulations stipulate Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) fares may not exceed twice the fixed route fare. With the proposed fare increases for fixed routes from $1.50 to $2.00,the current ADA fare of$3.00 is proposed to be increased to a maximum new fare of$4.00. The low income qualifying ADA fare is proposed to increase from $1.00 to $1.25. Caregivers are allowed to accompany ADA riders for free. ADA routes are aligned with the fixed route system, with an ADA"corridor"which extends 3 mile in each direction outside of the fixed route. Destinations desired outside of the 3 mile corridor fall within the transportation disadvantaged category, which are income based fares. A future enhancement under consideration for paratransit riders includes an ability to purchase passes online. Prime time fares and the Passport system, as presently utilized in Lee County were also briefly discussed, with implementation of these programs in Collier County presently under consideration as well. Question: Are there any transfer options available for paratransit riders? Answer: The only transfer option presently available is a transfer onto the Lee Paratransit system. Question: When would the proposed fare changes take effect? Answer: The start date depends upon when the changes are adopted by the Board of County Commissioners(BOCC). The Board may also opt to identify a specific start date; for example,the start of the new fiscal year. Following presentation of the various scenarios to the public, a draft document of the proposed changes will be presented to the Advisory Committee for review,prior to presentation to the BOCC. c. Marco Island Route—Mr. DeLeon Following feedback received from the Public Transit Advisory Committee, as well as recommendations suggested by the Marco Island Beach Parking Ad Hoc Committee, potential route modification options presently under consideration were discussed. Public meetings are being planned for Marco Island residents in order to obtain feedback with regard to desired route modifications. Various levels of service during the week, such as later service on the weekends and earlier service on Sunday morning are being considered. Two route proposals were discussed; one route keeping to Collier Boulevard, the second route traveling deeper onto the Island, stopping at tourist driven locales such as the Shoppes of Marco. Page 4 Both route options now include a stop at Tiger Tail Beach, as well as one route including a stop for shopping on the north end of the Island. The Marco Island circulator demographic takes into account riders traveling onto the island to work, as well as bringing in tourists and transporting local residents. Question: Does either route make a stop in Goodland, which is presently underserved by the public transit system? Answer: Presently, neither route is planned to make a stop in Goodland. Mr. Jenkins suggested route service to the top end of Manatee Road, on which several large 55+ communities and apartment style communities, as well as Manatee Middle and Elementary schools are located. There is presently a bus stop in front of the race track, with stops made twice in the morning and once in the afternoon, as well as 5 routes which make a stop in front of Walmart on 951. Mr. Liveringhouse suggested that adjustments to an existing route could be made based upon demand, and community input and participation working with Public Transit was encouraged. VII. Member Comments Mr. DiMarco commended Ms. Rosado on her maintenance of Facebook posts, with many positive comments and member shares having been noted. Posting in Spanish was discussed, however it was pointed out that Facebook automatically translates posts into Spanish at a user's request. As a means of outreach to the Hispanic community, Mr. DeLeon recently conducted an interview on Univision, with Public Transit advertising planned on their website and the pages of D'Latino magazine. VIII. Public Comments No members of the public were present for comment. IX. Next Meeting Date—February 20,2018. X. Adjournment There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair. Public Transit Advisory Committee � '� ' , Chairman These minutes approved by the Board/Committee on as presented or as amended Page 5