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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/20/2014 10 Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Bus and Fixed Routes Sunday Service ContinuationBUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. 10. For Meeting of: May 20, 2014 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ITEM TITLE: Consideration of continuing Yakima Transit Services for both the Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Bus Service as well as the Sunday Service for fixed transit routes. SUBMITTED BY: Scott Schafer, Public Works Director, 576-6411 SUMMARY EXPLANATION: Staff is requesting the continuance of the following two Yakima Transit services: Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter- The Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter (YEC) has been a successful service allowing many students and teachers to travel to and from either Yakima Community College or Central Washington University (CWU) since late 2011. It has been supported by Yakima Transit, WSDOT, HopeSource, and CWU. The YEC service entered into its second 2 -year WSDOT Consolidated Grant cycle in June 2013. Because RCW § 35.84.060 prohibits city -owned transit agencies from operating more than fifteen miles from their corporate limits, HopeSource has been managing and operating the service, while Yakima Transit provided the buses. High maintenance costs of keeping this older fleet of buses in service lead HopeSource to declare that they will be running out of funds by November 2014. Yakima Transit could not afford to replace this particular fleet of buses since the grant was specific in funding only operational costs until July 2015, not capital replacement. On April 2, 2014, HopeSource submitted a Severance Letter informing the partners that effective June 15, 2014, HopeSource was terminating the YEC Commuter Service Contract. In an attempt to save this service, the City immediately began working with the stakeholders and put together a Request for Proposals to try and obtain a new contractor for the YEC in time to continue the service past June 16th. Stakeholder meetings developed both short and long- term strategies to ensure the continued success and sustainability of the YEC service. At this time, a new contractor for the YEC has been selected to provide service for the next 12 months to complete the current grant cycle. They will be required to utilize their own fleet to provide the service to avoid the capital replacement issue; allowing the service to be more cost effective and reliable. Barring any delays with the Utilities and Transportation Commission, the contractor is scheduled to begin providing service on June 16th. Sunday Service - Yakima Transit has been providing Sunday Service year round since 2011 on six fixed transit routes from 8:45 am - 4:00 pm. This service has proven to be highly successful and popular with the passengers and costs approximately $198,000 per year to operate (City of Selah funds Route 10 in the amount of $33,000 with the City funding the remaining $165,000 for the rest of the routes). Various grants have funded this service the past three years; the last being funded under a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Grant that expired on April 13, 2014. There is no further grant availability for this service until July 2015. With service cutbacks and a fare increase within the past 13 months, Yakima Transit is recognizing a $1,200,000 per year savings. This includes an annual operational savings of $300,000 with the elimination of Route 8 which has been earmarked for capital replacement to address Yakima Transit's aging fleet. Staff is confident that Sunday Service can be incorporated into Yakima Transit's operational budget and continue to be successfully provided in its current state without further grant funding and without affecting or jeopardizing efforts to address the crucial needs for capital replacement. Attached for your review in more detail are the following: Exhibit A - Request for the continuance of the Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Service. Exhibit Al - YEC Schedule for Normal and Off Season Exhibit B - Request for the continuance of Sunday Services for Fixed Transit Routes. Resolution: Ordinance: Other (Specify): Memos Contract: Contract Term: Start Date: End Date: Item Budgeted: Yes Amount: Funding Source/Fiscal Impact: Strategic Priority: Insurance Required? No Mail to: Phone: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: RECOMMENDATION: Public Trust and Accountability City Manager Staff respectfully requests City Council approve the continuance of both the Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Bus Service as well as the Sunday Service for fixed transit routes. ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type Exhibit A - YEC Memo 5/10/2014 Ex hil b lit Exhibit Al - YEC Schedule 5/12/2014 Ex hil b lit Exhibit B - Sunday Service Memo 5/10/2014 Ex hil b lit Exhibit A Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Service Cu Ir"Ire n" �.u,"tatus The Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter (YEC) was started in November 2011 and is supported by Yakima Transit along with WSDOT, HopeSource, and Central Washington University as an effort for many students and teachers to travel to either Yakima Community College or Central Washington University. The service entered into its second WSDOT Consolidated Grant cycle in June 2013. Contributions are as follows: YEC Contributions 2011-2012 2013 2014 Yakima Transit $ 96,662.79 $ 69,498.81 $ 66,000.00 Central Washington University $ 90,000.00 $ 60,000.00 $ 60,000.00 HopeSource $ 6,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ 6,000.00 WSDOT $ 198,000.00 $ 171,561.75 $ 211,123.50 Fares $ 124,542.91 $ 159,782.86 $ *25,139.37 Totals $ 515,205.70 $ 466,843.42 $ 368,262.87 Contributions by CWU, HopeSource, and WSDOT are estimates. *Fare revenue for 2014 is to date as of 3/15/2014 The ridership of YEC is anticipated to continue to increase. For the past two years, ridership increased from 39,415 in 2012 to 45,964 in 2013. The service operates Monday — Friday with 8 roundtrips/day (4 originating in Yakima and 4 in Ellensburg). Each roundtrip is approximately 95 miles in distances. RCW § 35.84.060 prohibits city -owned transit agencies from operating more than fifteen miles from their corporate limits; affecting five transit agencies statewide including the City of Yakima and the YEC. WSDOT allowed Yakima Transit to transfer grant management to HopeSource as a result. The Commuter buses are owned by Yakima Transit, but leased, driven and maintained by HopeSource. The high maintenance costs of keeping Yakima Transit's older fleet of buses in service lead HopeSource to declare that they will be running out of funds by November 2014. The grant was to cover operational costs until July 2015, but did not address funding capital replacement. On April 2, 2014, HopeSource submitted a Severance Letter informing the partners that effective June 15, 2014, HopeSource was terminating the YEC Commuter Service Contract. Funding in °na During the first 8 months of the current grant cycle, the cost per mile to operate the service was determined to be $3.44. As such, to complete the remaining 16 months of the grant period ending in June 2015 would involve covering 239,040 miles at an operational cost of $822,297. Currently, $252,000 remains in grant funds and $150,000 in local match to fund this service. It is also projected that $150,000 will be collected in fares. As such, an estimated funding gap of $270,297 has been identified for the remainder of the grant period. Cost of Service $822,297 Revenue Fares $150,000 Grant Funds $252,000 Local Match $150,000 $270,297 Funding Gap April 29, 2014 Sust ll IIn boo °ty Two stakeholder meetings were held at WSDOT in Selah on March 31, 2014 and April 7, 2014 to strategize both short-term and long-term sustainability of the YEC Service. 1. Request for Proposals (RFP) to acquire new Contractor for Commuter Service 2. HopeSource Extension 3. WSDOT Contribution 4. Fare Increase 5. Route Reduction Request for Proposals (RFP) — Contractor for Commuter Service WSDOT indicated that it would take their agency several months to put together an RFP process. The City immediately put one together to obtain a new contractor for the Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter in order to continue the service past June 15th. The RFP was advertised on April 13th and 14th and a Pre - Conference was held on April 17th for the City to address any questions and/or concerns with the following interested vendors: • Airporter Shuttle • Medstar • People For People • A&A Motorcoach • MV Transportation • Starline Luxury Coaches Proposals were opened April 30th with submittals from the following three vendors: • Airporter Shuttle • People For People • A&A Motorcoach On May 2"d, the City submitted an Intent to Award to Airporter Shuttle and began developing a contract. The contract is scheduled to be awarded by May 15th. If no setbacks occur during the process, the new contractor will begin on June 16th and conduct the service until June 2015. The City's main concern is with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) certification and is why the City requested that WSDOT Representative Tom Hanson, work with UTC in the meantime to ensure that no delays occur with the service based on the contractor selected. This could ultimately jeopardize the Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter service. HopeSource Extension It was requested that HopeSource extend services until September in order for the City to obtain a new contractor. That request was denied. It was then requested of HopeSource to extend service until June 30th in the event there was a delay in the 30 -day process review of a new contractor. That request was also denied. April 29, 2014 WSDOT Contribution WSDOT has committed an addition $114,000 to the grant to offset the increase in repair costs in order for the partners to complete the grant cycle that expires in June 2015. Fare Increase A 25% increase in the fare amount beginning in September 2014 is being proposed. This would increase the fare from $4 one-way trip to $5 (monthly passes from $125 to $150); providing approximately $70,000 in addition revenue. Route Reduction Each roundtrip costs approximately $327 to operate. 264 roundtrips would need to be eliminated to cover the remaining funding gap. Because the majority of the YEC ridership occurs on the first two trips of the day, the proposal for route reduction is to eliminate two mid-day roundtrips during the summer months (off-season) when ridership is at its lowest and eliminate one mid-day roundtrip trip when school is back in session. This proposal would eliminate 356 roundtrips per year; saving over $116,000 ($30,000 more than is needed to cover the current funding gap). 1. Increase of Participating Partners 2. Cash Contribution Increases 3. Capital Replacement Increase of Participating Partners The proposal for long-term sustainability is to increase the number of participating partners beginning in 2015 for the next grant cycle to also include the City of Ellensburg, City of Union Gap, City of Selah, and YVCC. Cash Contribution Increases Increasing the annual contributions for both the City of Yakima and Central Washington University by $20,000 as well as including the new participating partners by the following amounts, will generate an additional $86,000 towards the YEC operating fund for the 2015 — 2017 Grant Cycle: • City of Yakima — increase by $20,000; total amount per year = $86,000 • Central Washington University — increase by $20,000; total amount per year = $80,000 • City of Ellensburg - $20,000 per year • City of Selah - $16,000 per year • City of Union Gap - $10,000 per year • WSDOT—to be determined • YVCC - has indicated that they will not contribute towards the YEC service Capital Replacement Since the YEC service began in 2011, MCI buses owned by the City have been utilized because they are heavy duty buses having at least 450 to 500 horsepower and able to handle the steep grades between Yakima and Ellensburg. The problem with this was that the buses used were already worn out and were intended to only be used on a temporary basis to get the YEC service started; yet have been in service for nearly three years. The City has not been able to afford the cost to purchase new or newer -used replacements. The WSDOT Consolidated Grants have only covered operational expenditures; not capital replacement. The cost of a new MCI bus is estimated at $800,000. However, two newer -used MCI buses can be purchased for approximately $500,000 - $600,000. April 29, 2014 Prior to HopeSource terminating the YEC Commuter Service Contract, WSDOT awarded $400,000 in grant funds to HopeSource for bus replacement with a local match of $100,000 required to access the funds. As such, WSDOT will transfer the 5339 Grant to the City of Yakima. The local match of $100,000 is still required; obligating the City of Yakima to fund this amount in order to purchase or lease new or newer -used buses to improve the quality and reliability of the YEC fleet. Yakima Transit recently received $190,000 more in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding than was anticipated this year. This unanticipated funding is due to a combination of an increase in annual apportionment and Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) performance-based funding from the FTA. With this additional funding, Yakima Transit could allocate $100,000 as match for the 5339 grant. The City would primarily be interested in the option to lease the buses. Pendinf Issues A private contractor still is required to go through a 30 -day rate review process with the UTC Commission which may disrupt the YEC service since we need a new contractor in place providing service as of June 16, 2014. April 29, 2014 Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Schedule - Normal Season Departure Location Northbound 1 2 Exhibit Al 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yakima Airport 6:00 AM 7:45 AM 9:15 AM 2:20 PM 12:45 PM 2:15 PM 3:45 PM 5:15 PM Yakima Valley Community College 6:07 AM 7:50 AM 9:20 AM 5:35 PM 12:50 PM 2:20 PM 3:50 PM 5:20 PM Yakima Transit Center 6:15 AM 7:55 AM 9:25 AM 6:55 AM 12:55 PM 2:25 PM 3:55 PM 5:25 PM Yakima Firing Center (Selah) 6:45 AM 8:30 AM 10:00 AM 1:55 PM 1:30 PM 3:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:00 PM Ellensburg (Southside) 7:00 AM 8:45 AM 10:15 AM 5:03 PM 1:45 PM 3:15 PM 4:45 PM 6:15 PM Ellensburg - 4th & Ruby (Safeway) 7:10 AM 8:55 AM 10:25 AM 1:55 PM 3:25 PM 4:55 PM 6:25 PM Central Washington University (Surc) 7:15 AM 9:00 AM 10:30 AM 2:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:00 PM 6:30 PM Departu Location South bound 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Central Washin9ton University (Surc) 6:20 AM 7:35 AM 10:35 AM 12:50 PM 2:20 PM 3:50 PM 5:25 PM Ellensburg - 4th & Ruby (Safeway) 6:30 AM 7:45 AM 10:45 AM 1:00 PM 2:30 PM 4:00 PM 5:35 PM Ellensburg (Southside) 6:40 AM 7:55 AM 10:55 AM 1:10 PM 2:40 PM 4:15 PM 5:45 PM Yakima Firing Center (Selah) 6:55 AM 8:10 AM 11:10 AM 1:25 PM 2:55 PM 4:25 PM 5:55 PM Yakima Transit Center 7:25 AM 8:40 AM 11:40 AM 1:55 PM 3:25 PM 4:55 PM 6:25 PM Yakima Valley Community College 7:33 AM 8:48 AM 11:48 AM 2:03 PM 3:33 PM 5:03 PM 6:33 PM Yakima Airport 7:40 AM 8:55 AM 11:55 AM 2:10 PM 3:40 PM 5:10 PM 6:40 PM Yakima/Ellensburg Commuter Schedule - Off Season Departure Location Northbound 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 Airport 6:00 AM 7:45 AM 12:45 PM 2:15 PM 3:45 PM 5:15 PM i (Yakima Yakima Valley Community College 6:07 AM 7:50 AM 12:50 PM 2:20 PM 3:50 PM 5:20 PM Yakima Transit Center 6:15 AM 7:55 AM 12:55 PM 2:25 PM 3:55 PM 5:25 PM Yakima Firing Center (Selah) 6:45 AM 8:30 AM 1:30 PM 3:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:00 PM Ellensbur• Southside) 7:00 AM _ 8:45 AM 1:45 PM 3:15 PM 4:45 PM 6:15 PM Ellensburg - 4th & Ruby (Safeway) 7:10 AM 8:55 AM 1:55 PM 3:25 PM 4:55 PM 6:25 PM Central Washington University (Surc) 7:15 AM 9:00 AM 2:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:00 PM 6:30 PM 1 Deoartu� Location Southbound 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Central Washington University (Surc) 6:20 AM 7:35 AM 12:50 PM 2:20 PM 3:50 PM 5:25 PM Ellensbur• - 4th & Rub (Safewa 6:30 AM 7:45 AM 1:00 PM 2:30 PM 7:55 AM 1:10 PM 2:40 PM 4:00 PM 4:15 PM _ 5:35 PM 5:45 PM Ellensburg (Southside) 6:40 AM Yakima Firin • Center Selah) 6:55 AM 8:10 AM 1:25 PM 2:55 PM 4:25 PM 5:55 PM Yakima Transit Center 7:25 AM 8:40 AM 1:55 PM 3:25 PM 4:55 PM 6:25 PM Yakima Valley Community College 7:33 AM 8:48 AM 2:03 PM 3:33 PM 5:03 PM 6:33 PM Yakima Ai •ort 7:40 AM 8:55 AM 2:10 PM 3:40 PM 5:10 PM 6:40 PM Service Day Schedule Normal Season – 20.92 Revenue Hours Per Day Fall Semester: Winter Semester: Spring Semester: September 22, 2014 – December 11, 2014 January 5, 2015 – March 19, 2015 March 30, 2015 – June 11, 2015 Off Season –17.17 Revenue Hours Per Day Summer Break: Winter Break: Spring Break: Summer Break: June 16, 2014 – September 21, 2014 December 12, 2014 – January 4, 2015 March 20, 2015 – March 29, 2015 June 12, 2015 – June 30, 2015 No Service Provided on the Following Nationally Recognized Holidays Independence Day Labor Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day New Year's Day Martin Luther King Day President's Day Memorial Day Fri., July 4, 2014 Mon., Sept. 1, 2014 Tues., Nov. 11, 2014 Thurs., Nov. 27, 2014 Thurs., Dec. 25, 2014 —2015--_-_----- Thur., Jan. 1, 2015 Thur., Jan. 15, 2015 Mon., Feb. 16, 2015 Mon., May 25, 2015 Exhibit B Date: May 9, 2014 To: Honorable Mayor, Members of City Council, City Manager From: Scott Schafer, Public Works Director Ken Mehin, Transit Manager Subject: Sunday Service for Fixed Transit Routes Sunday Service has been provided by Yakima Transit since April of 2011. The service consists of six fixed transit routes operating a 7.25 -hour period each Sunday from 8:45 am - 4:00 pm. Route 9 is the only exception, servicing just past 4:00 pm on its way back to Public Works. All six routes operate on the hour. Various grants have funded the Sunday Service the past three years; the last being funded under a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) Grant and expired on April 13, 2014. Yakima Transit is not eligible for further grant funding for Sunday Service in accordance with the Washington State Department of Transportation funding cycle until July 1, 2015. It costs approximately $198,000 per year for Yakima Transit to operate the six fixed routes for the Sunday Service. The City of Selah contributes $33,000 to completely fund Route 10. Since the inception of the Sunday Service program, ridership has averaged 18 passengers per hour or 791 passengers per Sunday. Diagram below depicts the average Sunday Service ridership per route for the past three years. Hourly Service 8:45 9:45 10:45 11:45 12:45 13:45 14:45 15:45 Hourly Average Per Route Sunday Service Ridership (2011, 2012, and 2013) Sunday Routes Hourly Average Ridership Averages All Routes Rt 1 Rt 2 Rt 4 Rt 6 Rt 9 Rt 10 7.5 15.1 12.2 11.2 11.9 12.5 12 11.9 18 15.6 22 16.9 12.3 16 11.2 19.2 14.7 23.7 24.5 13.4 18 11.8 27.1 17.1 28.1 18.7 16.7 20 11.9 27.5 19.9 34.7 21.6 18.6 22 13.7 31.3 21.7 29.9 20.7 16.6 22 10.8 22.9 17.5 22.1 21.1 13.9 18 5.2 16.4 15 15.4 26.9 16.2 16 11 22 17 23 20 15 Averaging at 18 passengers per hour at a cost of approximately $5.83 per passenger, this service has been very successful and is very comparable to the 2013 averages of all of the fixed routes (weekdays and weekends) at 23 passengers per hour at a cost of $5.00 per passenger. Out 00 k Below is the 5 -Year annual cash balance prior to any cost-saving measures and then after service cutbacks and a fare increase were conducted. As the chart indicates, Yakima Transit would have operated into a deficit starting in 2016 without any changes. 5 -YEAR ANNUAL CASH BALANCE (in thousands) 5 -YEAR ANNUAL CASH BALANCE 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Project Ending Cash Balance Without Changes $2,255 $757 $783 88809)) 881,'118)) Project Ending Cash Balance With Service Cuts and Fare Increase $3,078 $2,891 $3,921 $3,333 $4,028 In March of 2013, service cutbacks and a fare increase were implemented along with the elimination of the underperforming Route 8 at the beginning of 2014. Such moves have effectively wiped out the deficit, restoring a strong and stable cash balance past 2017. With service cutbacks and a fare increase within the past 13 months, Yakima Transit is recognizing a $1,200,000 per year savings. This includes an annual operational savings of $300,000 with the elimination of Route 8 which has been earmarked for capital replacement to address Yakima Transit's aging fleet. Currently a third of Yakima Transit's fleet is considered past its useful life which contributes directly to high maintenance costs. Yakima Transit plans to address this issue by scheduling the replacement of three buses per year at a cost of approximately $430,000 per bus. This will be accomplished by utilizing the dedicated $300,000 from the elimination of Route 8 as well as additional fund savings. In addition, as an approved strategic priority, Yakima Transit recently implemented a "run -cut" software system to identify areas within its fixed -routes that could be modified for cost efficiencies. Staff estimates an annual savings of $60,000 could realistically be recovered and utilized towards the cost of providing Sunday Service. Yakima Transit has been providing Sunday Service at a cost of $198,000 per year (minus the City of Selah's $33,000 annual contribution) for the past two years. The CMAQ grant funding is not made available until after the service period of the grant has been completed. In other words, the City has been providing and funding the Sunday Service utilizing its own operational budget for the past two years. Only until now, will Yakima Transit be reimbursed for providing Sunday Service for the past two years. - de lir /State - : U IIn Iii Ilrli The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) uses the Urbanized Area Formula Program (5307), to distribute funds to urban areas based on potential and existing transit needs. Yakima Transit receives an annual apportionment of $2 to 2.2 million due to the size of the urban area being serviced by Yakima Transit and the concentration of people within the urban area. Yakima Transit also receives Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) funding. This funding is made available each year in March and is based on performance categories such as passengers per hour, distances of passenger traveled, services provided above and beyond what is expected for the total population, and providing service to more people, higher ridership, and total distance traveled compared to the urban area population. Yakima Transit recently received $191,838 in STIC funding for 2013. Adding or eliminating transit services directly affects the amount of STIC funding to transit agencies. Yakima Transit was recently awarded an additional $45,000 of CMAQ funding from YVCOG to extend the Sunday Service. Sunday Selr\4ce Options The City would like to present to City Council the following three options for Sunday Service: Option 1 - Elimination Fix -Routes Sunday Service would be eliminated for all six fixed -routes; saving Yakima Transit approximately $165,000 per year in operating expenditures. Transit users will not have access to transportation on Sundays and it is unknown as to the amount of STIC funding Yakima Transit stands to lose should the Sunday fixed -routes be eliminated. Dial -A -Ride Should Yakima Transit eliminate Sunday Service fixed -routes, it is recommended that Dial -A -Ride continue to provide services on Sundays. The cost of service for Dial -A -Ride on Sundays is approximately $50,000 per year and is not funded by the grant. The hours of operation are required to coincide with the schedule of the fixed transit routes (8:45 am - 4:00 pm). Ridership of Dial -A -Ride indicates heavy utilization during the earlier hours of Sunday Service, with very few being requested past 1:45 pm. To increase cost efficiency, Dial -A -Ride would be modified to 8:45am - 1:45pm (5hrs) on Sundays. Option 2 - Reduction Fixed -Routes Reducing the service hours for each route by 2.5 hours and operate for only 4.75 hours on Sundays (8:45 am — 1:30 pm), will save approximately $65,000. However, the reduction in service hours will also reduce the amount of STIC funding by an unknown amount to Yakima Transit. Dial -A -Ride The hours of operation of Dial -A -Ride are required to coincide with the schedule of the fixed transit routes. If it is decided that the number of service hours of the fixed transit routes is to be reduced on Sundays, the same will be required of Dial-A- Ride. This would actually benefit Dial -A -Ride, as ridership is utilized more frequently during the earlier hours of Sunday Service, with very few being requested past 1:45 pm. Option 3 — Full Service Fixed -Routes Yakima Transit to continue to provide Sunday Service for each of its six fixed transit routes operated from 8:45 am - 4:00 pm. This will be budgeted as a line item each year as normal operation and will not be reliant upon grant funding. Dial -A -Ride Continue to have Dial -A -Ride provide Sunday Service. The cost of Sunday Service for Dial -A -Ride is approximately $50,000 per year and is not funded by the grant. The hours of operation are required to coincide with the schedule of the fixed transit routes and will remain 8:45 am - 4:00 pm. Con C ti S III oIII' Because of the proactive measures already put into place regarding service cutbacks, fare increase, run -cut cost efficiencies, and the ability to operate the previous Sunday Service for two years ahead of the grant funding availability, staff is confident that Sunday Service can continue to be successfully provided in its current state without further grant funding. It would become a committed fixed service incorporated into Yakima Transit's operational budget without affecting or jeopardizing efforts to address the crucial needs for capital replacement.