HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 2/28/2013 - Status Of North Front Range Transit Vision Regional Feasibility StudyMemorandum
DATE: February 22, 2013
TO: North Front Range Governing Bodies (Berthoud, Fort Collins, Larimer County, Loveland,
NFRMPO)
FR: North Front Range Transit Vision Project Management Team
RE: Status of the North Front Range Transit Vision Regional Transit Feasibility Study
Purpose:
This memo is intended to update the regional jurisdiction’s
governing bodies on the status of the North Front Range
Transit Vision (NFRTV) Regional Transit Feasibility Study,
here after referred to as the Study. The Study was
initiated in spring of 2012 by the Cities of Fort Collins and
Loveland, the Town of Berthoud, Larimer County and the
North Front Range MPO. The study’s intent is to assess
the feasibility of transit integration in the North Front
Range 2010 Transportation Management Area (TMA)
boundaries, depicted in the adjacent map.
After a nearly yearlong process of data collection and
analysis, public outreach, alternative evaluation and
focused discussions between the regional transit
providers, the project management team and steering
committee have identified a recommendation regarding
integration of regional transit operations.
Preliminary Recommendations (Supported by Steering
Committee on January 15th) (See overview on 2nd page)
1. Ultimately, pursue full Integration of both Fixed
Route and Paratransit Operations for Loveland
and Fort Collins
2. Develop a Joint Task Force to draft a Phased
Integration plan to improve transit coordination and
customer benefits overtime
3. Utilize an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) to form an “Authority”
a. Ensure IGA allows for additional entity participation
Next Steps
1. Present recommendations to regional governing entities (See outreach schedule in Attachment 1)
2. Facilitate community and local agency dialogue
3. If some or all recommendations are accepted develop Joint Task Force to begin drafting IGA and
Phasing schedule
2
Evaluation Overview of Fixed-route and Paratransit Operations Consolidation
Increased Efficiency – Medium to High Benefit
Short-term
Consolidate Paratransit Operations – saving
approximately $50,000 annually for Loveland
Long-term
Consolidate Staffing – reduce redundancies and cost
savings will occur through attrition
Consolidate route planning and dispatching – may
improve route timing which could result in cost savings
Consolidate capital planning and joint procurement –
consolidate activities related to all purchasing will result
in significant savings in the long run both in reduced
staff time and increased purchasing power
Consolidate training activities – sharing costs for
training personnel and or contracted training will result
in long-term cost savings
Increased Customer Benefit and Ridership – High Benefit
Short-term
Enhanced usability – a single regional system
increases the ease of regional trips, no transferring
between systems
Unified customer interface – branding, website, call
center, schedules, and fare media are all the same
benefiting customers greatly
Cross-jurisdictional trips – offers the opportunity for
paratransit trips between communities
Increased Ridership – Likely increase in ridership due
to enhanced usability for users for both the fixed-route
and paratransit systems
Long-term
Long-term ridership increases – all short-term benefits
would also be long-term benefits for customers
increasing ridership interest over time
Improve Regulatory Compliance – High Benefit
Short-term
Eliminate redundancies – consolidation would
consolidate all regulatory compliance activities under
one entity improving overall compliance
Reduced liability – reduces local municipality liability
associated with compliance with federal funds
Long-term
All short-term improvement would also be long-term
improvements
Improve Ability to Implement Regional Plans – High Benefit
Short-term
Improve coordination activities – consolidation would
improve the ability to coordinate coordinate and
implement state and regional plans
Consolidate FLEX IGA – consolidation would ease the
implementation of the FLEX route and future regional
routes
Long-term
Improve the ability to implement regional routes –
CDOT and Regional plans that identify regional routes
do not identify an operator, a regional provider would
provide for ease of implementation
Political and Community Support and Financial Sustainability – Medium to High Benefit
Short-term
1
Attachment 1
Background – A History of Collaboration:
1997 First Regional Route Established between Fort
Collins and Loveland – FoxTrot
2000 Fort Collins became recipient of Federal Funds for
the Transportation Management Area (TMA)
2008 Joint Strategic Plan Updates
− Transfort
− COLT (Loveland Transit)
− Poudre School District
Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) Established
to guide updates
2009 Strategic Plans Approved Locally
FAC Recommends follow-up study to assess
feasibility of integrated regional service provider
2010 TMA expanded to include parts of Timnath,
Windsor and Johnstown
Regional Route Extended to Longmont –
Renamed FLEX. Jointly funded by:
− Berthoud – Loveland
− Boulder County – Longmont
− Fort Collins – CDOT Grant
− Larimer County (through 2012)
2011 Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud, Larimer County
and the NFRMPO jointly pursue the North Front
Range Feasibility Study
North Front Range Transit Vision – Study Purpose:
Within the bounds of fiscal sustainability, explore and analyze options for potential integrated regional transit
services and operations, governance, and decision-making with the aims of:
− Improving services,
− Increasing ridership, and
− Improving transit cost-effectiveness.
Project Management Team:
− Fort Collins − Larimer County
− Loveland − NFRMPO
− Berthoud − Consultant Team
Steering Committee
− Two citizens and one elected official from each community
− Information linkage back to communities
− Provide oversight on findings and recommendation
2
Public Input and Data Review Highlights:
− Existing and growing demand for paratransit service
o Gap in service between Fort Collins and Loveland
o Growing Senior Population
− Regional Growth Patterns
o Population
o Employment
o Healthcare
− Large number of intra-regional trips
o Focus on 287 corridor
− Long-term funding uncertainty
− Regional air quality improvement goals
− Outlying community interest in transit service
o LaPorte area (Unincorporated Larimer County)
o Timnath
o Windsor
o Etc.
Study Need Statements/Evaluation Criteria (Statements 1, 2, and 5 were given double weight by the
Steering Committee):
1. Need to increase operational efficiency
2. Need to increase customer benefit and ridership
3. Need to standardize procedures to improve regulatory compliance
4. Need to establish a service model that is capable of implementing regional service plans
5. Need for political and community support and financial sustainability
Study Focus:
1. Integration Options
2. Governance Structure Options
Integration Options:
1. Status Quo
− Maintains operations as they are currently functioning, independent of one another
2. Fixed-Route Operation Integration
− Considers the Integration of only fixed-route operations, which includes Transfort and COLT:
o Services and operations
o Scheduling
o Administrative services
o Customer service
o Dispatching
o Branding
o Capital planning and
purchasing
3. Paratransit Operation Integration
− Considers the Integration of only paratransit operations, which includes:
o Transfort’s Dial-A-Ride
o COLT’s paratransit services
o BATS paratransit services
− Modelled after Transfort’s current contract for the operations of Dial-A-Ride
− Includes opportunity to provide cross-jurisdiction trips
4. Fixed-Route and Paratransit Operation Integration
− Considers the Integration of both fixed and paratransit operations
− Combining options 2 and 3 described above
5. Maintenance Integration
− Considers Integration of maintenance activities for all three entities
6. Fares, Passes and Customer Information Integration
3
− Considers Integration of fare policies, fare media, branding, printing and all customer
information such as: websites, call-centers and other customer interface
Integration Options Evaluation:
Evaluation Criteria and weighting came from Steering Committee input
Options are rated on a 1 - 5 scale
Weighted options receive double points
Governance Options:
1. Status Quo
− Maintains governance functions as they currently exist, independent of one another
2. Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA)
− IGA is an agreement that involves or is made between two or more governments to work
together in some distinct way
− IGAs are administratively approved by each participating entity
− Budgets are approved annually as agreed upon by each participating entity
3. Regional Service Authority (RSA)
− RSA is a form of government designed to provide a specified service on a regional basis
− RSAs are voter approved
− RSAs may levy property tax as approved by the voters
4. Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)
− RTA is a form of government that may be formed to provide a range of transportation services
− RTAs are voter approved
− RTAs may levy sales tax as approved by the voters
5. Special District
− A Special District is a quasi-municipal corporation organized to provide specified functions
− Special Districts are voter approved
− Special Districts may levy property tax as approved by the voters
Evaluation Criteria
Status Quo
Fixed-Route
Operations
Paratransit
Operations
Fixed Route
and
Paratransit
Operations
Maintenance
Fares, Passes
and
Customer
Information
Increase operational
efficiency
(weighted x 2)
LOW
(2)
MED
(6)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED-HIGH
(8)
LOW-MED
(4)
MED
(6)
Increase customer benefits
and ridership
(weighted x 2)
4
6. Special Statutory District
− Special Statutory District is a corporate body that may be established by state statute
− Special Statutory Districts are voter approved
− Special Statutory Districts may levy sales tax as approved by the voters
Governance Options Evaluation:
Evaluation Criteria and weighting came from Steering Committee input
Options are rated on a 1 - 5 scale
Weighted options receive double points
Outreach Schedule:
Evaluation Criteria
Status Quo IGA RSA RTA
Special
District
Special
Statutory
District
Increase operational
efficiency
(weighted x 2)
LOW
(2)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED-HIGH
(8)
Increase customer benefits
and ridership
(weighted x 2)
LOW
(2)
HIGH
(10)
HIGH
(10)
HIGH
(10)
HIGH
(10)
HIGH
(10)
Standardize procedures
LOW
(1)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
Service model to implement
regional plans
LOW
(1)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
Political, community, and
financial sustainability
(weighted x 2)
MED
(6)
MED-HIGH
(8)
LOW-MED
(4)
LOW-MED
(4)
LOW-MED
(4)
LOW-MED
(4)
Overall Evaluation
LOW-MED
(12)
HIGH
(36)
MED-HIGH
(32)
MED-HIGH
(32)
MED-HIGH
(32)
MED-HIGH
(32)
Governance Options
o January − Loveland Transportation Board
− Fort Collins Transportation Board
− Fort Collins Commission on Disability
o February − Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board
− Larimer County Mobility Council
− 287 Coalition
− Loveland City Council Work Session
o March − Berthoud Town Trustee Work Session
o April − Larimer County Senior Transportation Coalition
− Fort Collins Transportation Board
o May − Fort Collins City Council Work Session
LOW
(2)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED-HIGH
(8)
HIGH
(10)
N/A
HIGH
(10)
Standardize procedures
LOW
(1)
MED-HIGH
(4)
MED
(3)
HIGH
(5)
HIGH
(5)
MED-HIGH
(4)
Service model to implement
regional plans
LOW
(1)
HIGH
(5)
LOW
(1)
HIGH
(5)
N/A
LOW
(1)
Political, community, and
financial sustainability
(weighted x 2)
MED
(6)
MED-HIGH
(8)
LOW-MED
(4)
MED-HIGH
(8)
MED
(6)
HIGH
(10)
Overall Evaluation
LOW-MED
(12)
MED-HIGH
(31)
MED
(24)
HIGH
(36)
LOW-MED
(15)
MED-HIGH
(31)
Integration Options
Maintaining municipal entity anonymity – The IGA
governance structure proposed offer the most flexibility
and oversight by participating entities, compared to
other options
Community benefit - High level of community interest in
having cross-jurisdictional trips available for paratransit
patrons
No taxing power – IGA does not include taxing abilities
Long-term
All short-term benefits would also be long-term benefits