HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 2/27/2024 - Memorandum From Seth Lorson Re: Transfort/Psd Collaboration StudyFC Moves
200 W. Mountain Ave. Suite A
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6705
fcmoves@fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
Date: February 6, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Caryn Champine, Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation
Drew Brooks, Deputy Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation
Kaley Zeisel, Director of Transit
Aaron Iverson, FC Moves Manager
From: Seth Lorson, Senior Transportation Planner
Subject: Transfort/PSD Collaboration Study
Transfort and FC Moves are in the process of developing a white paper addressing opportunities for
Transfort and Poudre School District (PSD) to closer collaborate on transportation services. This
memorandum provides an update on progress including best practices review, existing conditions, and
regulatory landscape. Recommendations have not yet been drafted but are expected to be completed in
Q1 2024.
Best practices and existing conditions
This review included best practices research, including a review of relevant studies on coordination
between school transportation and public transportation, and an overview of the regulatory environment
of school and public transportation operations.
According to the studies reviewed in this project, a few types of coordination between schools and public
transportation providers exist nationally. However, there are common barriers identified throughout the
studies including operational issues in defining labor arrangements with dif ferent management styles;
different insurance and liability standards; layers of legal and regulatory issues of public bus operation,
DocuSign Envelope ID: 208A0ADF-1DF7-4CA9-B64F-33AAE5213E0F
especially federal prohibition of public transit agencies to provide exclusive school bus service; safety and
security concerns; and limited school accommodation for stops and routes on public transit may require
students to make multiple transfers adding more time to the commute. The following is a list of
opportunities for collaboration identified in the best practices review and the current status for
collaboration between Transfort and PSD.
Service Coordination: Public transit complements school bell times where schools become part
of the network of routes and stops.
o A detailed analysis of bell times and transit routes has been completed. The results
underscore the necessity of Transfort service restoration and increased frequency as
outlined in the Transit Master Plan, with long-term goals focusing on synchronized
schedules through regular coordination between Transfort and PSD. It should be noted
that Transfort puts forth substantial effort to adjust bus route times to match school bell
times which change annually.
Transit Pass Programs: Service coordination allows selected students to ride public transit,
while the school district pays for their fares in lieu of providing separate school bus service. In
denser cities with high levels of public transit, this option is used for older students, usually high
school and middle school. Most school districts throughout the cou ntry set a minimum distance
from the student’s home to the school for providing transportation. Coordination is usually
available to transport students outside the school bus service area.
o School age students used to ride Transfort for free due to an annual contribution from
Bohemian Foundation. Presently, Transfort is fare-free for all riders and Bohemian
Foundation has suspended their contribution.
Paratransit Services: Complementary service may accommodate students with disabilities who
cannot use the bus without wheelchair lifts or ramps to facilitate access. Typically, smaller
wheelchair-accessible vehicles are used to provide paratransit service. These types of buses can
be expensive to purchase and operate. Thus, school districts can coordinate to share vehicles
and mix riders for paratransit shuttles with public transportation agencies.
o PSD is required to provide paratransit for all students who are in need. Students who
qualify are able to utilize Transfort’s Dial-A-Ride program, but it is typically less
convenient than what is offered by PSD.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 208A0ADF-1DF7-4CA9-B64F-33AAE5213E0F
Managing Peak Demand: School buses sit empty and idle throughout most of the school day.
These buses can be utilized by the public transit agency during peak commuting times,
particularly the evening rush hour. Alternately, ridership on public transit is low during school
dismissal and some starting times, and public transit can be utilized by students for transportation
to and from school.
o Use of school buses for non-school related activities and riders is not permitted in the
State of Colorado without specific permission. This is currently not a common practice for
PSD. Additionally, the gap time between PSD school starting and dismissal times and
Transfort peak commute time is not long enough to adequately convert bus and driver
from one system to the other.
Management and Administrative Coordination: Coordination of management and
administrative tasks are “behind-the-scenes” activities, which are usually less controversial and
can still save agencies money. Managing the logistics of route designations and dispatch
services, the daily maintenance and storage of vehicles, driver background checks, drug
screening, and driver training can be shared by agencies.
o No staff sharing is currently occurring. There are many logistical, organizational, and
regulatory-based barriers to this opportunity.
Physical Stock Coordination: At the most minimal level, physical stock coordination can still
save money for school transportation providers and public transit agencies by combining and
coordinating procurement functions. By consolidating fuel sales, and the purchasing of vehicles,
tires, and parts, agencies can secure better prices from suppliers.
o Currently Transfort and PSD share a bus wash facility and unleaded fueling. The school
district and Transfort maintenance and storage facilities are located across the st reet
from one another (Portner Road off Trilby Road) providing for some opportunities for
coordination. However, federal funding (highly used by Transfort) has very strict
requirements which preclude many sharing opportunities.
Sharing of Drivers: Given similar, although not exact, commercial driver requirements, there is
an opportunity for public transit systems and school transportation services to share drivers.
School bus drivers typically have a midday break and are available evenings and weekends,
which may be an opportunity for school bus drivers to work as transit bus drivers.
o No staff sharing is currently occurring. There are many logistical, organizational, and
regulatory-based barriers to this opportunity. For example, bus drivers for PSD and
DocuSign Envelope ID: 208A0ADF-1DF7-4CA9-B64F-33AAE5213E0F
Transfort have different CDL and training requirements. And training for either requires
intensive availability which often precludes holding a job otherwise.
Regulatory landscape
School districts must comply with both federal and state government regulations of student transportation.
Federal regulations focus primarily on student safety and establish certain rights and requirements for
transportation services for homeless students and students with disabilities. While state governments
regulate the structure and function of school transportation operations.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations:
FTA funding recipients (including Transfort) may not engage in school bus operations. This
includes using FTA purchased facilities for non-public transit agency use.
Tripper service (including Transfort) operated to accommodate the needs of school students must
be open to the public, stop only at the operator’s regular service stops with only de minimus route
alterations, operate with regular route service, and not carry designations such as “school bus” or
“school special.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations:
Under these regulations related to manufacturing, codified in the Fed eral Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS), more than 30 of the standards apply to school buses including requirements
for pedestrian safety devices, seating, and rollover protection.
Colorado Department of Education (CDE) regulations:
“No one except school personnel and students regularly assigned to a school transportation
vehicle (yellow bus) for a particular route and schedule may ride in such vehicle, unless he or she
has received prior authorization from the appropriate district/service provider adm inistrator or
designee.” (Sec. 222.01)
CDE governs children's safety and welfare aspects, such as driver minimum qualifications, drug
and alcohol testing, obeying traffic laws (such as stopping at RR crossings and obeying the
speed limit) and providing transportation for students with disabilities and those under foster care.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 208A0ADF-1DF7-4CA9-B64F-33AAE5213E0F
Next steps
The project is nearing completion and expecting recommendations by the end of Q1 2024. The final steps
will be to complete a review of existing conditions for opportunities to overcome barriers and conduct a
meeting with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to present information and discuss
recommendations.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 208A0ADF-1DF7-4CA9-B64F-33AAE5213E0F