How To Improve Short Range Service On A Bus Line

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1 Executive Summary 2015 A Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) study was conducted to assess transit and related transportation issues in Siskiyou County and to provide a road map for improvements to the public transit program over the upcoming five years. The study included a review of existing transit operations, public outreach, evaluation of alternatives, and preparation of a comprehensive strategy of short-range service, capital, and institutional improvements with a supporting financial and implementation plan. EXISTING COMMUNITY CONDITIONS Siskiyou County has a population estimate of 44,673 (2012). The most populated communities are Yreka (7,702), Mount Shasta (3,360) and Weed (2,971). The population has actually declined slightly in the past two decades, but is projected to grow slowly in the next two decades. The elderly population is projected to grow while the youth population and adults aged 50 to 64 will decline resulting in an elderly population in 2020 that is 18.5 percent greater than in Of the total population, 15 percent are youths age 5 to 17, 28 percent are elderly age 65 or above, 10 percent are persons with disabilities, 19 percent are persons living in households below the poverty line, and 8 percent are living in households without a vehicle. EXISTING STAGE SERVICES The Siskiyou Transit and General Express (STAGE) public transit service is operated by the Siskiyou County Department of General Services. Current services can be summarized as follows: Route 1: Dunsmuir Mt. Shasta Weed Yreka Service begins at 6:15 AM in Dunsmuir and ends at 9:10 PM in Mt. Shasta. Service to Grenada is available in the morning only in the northbound direction and in the afternoon only in the southbound direction, while a stop in Gazelle is provided on one afternoon southbound run only. Additionally, McCloud service is offered one time per day in the northbound direction only, and the Cove Trailer Park is served twice per day (midday and afternoon) in the southbound direction only. Route 2: Dunsmuir McCloud Mt. Shasta Weed Yreka The first bus originates in Mt. Shasta at 6:05 AM and continues to provide service until 7:30 PM (route also ends in Mt. Shasta). The bus stops in Gazelle for one morning and one afternoon run in both the northbound and southbound directions only, while service to the other communities is available on each run. Route 3: Yreka Montague Hornbrook Weed Mt. Shasta McCloud Service begins in Yreka at 6:30 AM and ends at 5:55 PM in Hornbrook. Montague service is available through one morning and one afternoon run, while Hornbrook is served through two afternoon runs. Both Gazelle and Grenada are served once in the morning in each direction, while the Cove Trailer Park is served once per day (morning) in the northbound direction. Page ES-1

2 Route 4: Yreka Hornbrook Etna Scott Valley This route starts and ends in Etna, with service between 6:45 AM and 5:54 PM. Service is provided to Yreka, Etna and Montague throughout the day while Hornbrook is only served once in the morning (passengers needing to return to Hornbrook in the afternoon are able to use Route 3). Route 5: Yreka Happy Camp Orleans Route 5 service levels and areas depend on the day. Service on Monday and Wednesday is offered between 5:35 AM and 9:56 AM (Happy Camp to Yreka) and from 3:00 PM to 7:45 PM (Yreka to Happy Camp). On Tuesday and Thursday, the bus only serves Orleans and Happy Camp, with morning service between 5:35 AM and 8:08 AM, and service resuming from 5:10 PM to 7:45 PM. On Friday, the bus only serves Happy Camp and Yreka, with morning service between 7:55 AM and 9:56 AM, and afternoon service from 3:00 PM to 5:25 PM. Route 6: Mt. Shasta Weed Dunsmuir Lake Shastina There are two morning and two afternoon runs operated for Route 6. Service is generally provided between 6:36 AM and 5:59 PM to Lake Shastina, Weed and Mt. Shasta, with only one run (the second morning run) serving Dunsmuir. The first morning run originates in Carrick Addition (Weed), while the second morning run and two afternoon runs begin at Hoy Park (Lake Shastina); each run terminates in Lake Shastina. In short, service can be described as I-5 corridor service; Scott Valley to Yreka service; Happy Camp service; Yreka-Hornbrook and Montague service. Fares are between $1.75 and $10.00 one way, depending on distance, with discounted fares available to low income residents and multi-ride passes for several commuter routes. Because all service is intercity or commuter, there is no complementary paratransit service. Annual one-way passenger trips have declined slightly over the past three years, from 90,256 in to 85,751 in Approximately half of the STAGE ridership occurs in the I-5 corridor, followed by 14 percent on the Scott Valley services and 13 percent from Dunsmuir to Mount Shasta. Only 4 percent occurs on the Happy Camp service, and 3 percent on the Lake Shastina service. In terms of ridership per passenger hour (which measures service efficiency), the most efficient service is the Scott Valley service, with an average of 8.1 passenger trips provided per hour of service operated, followed by Dunsmuir to Mount Shasta with 6.9 passenger trips per hour and Yreka to Mount Shasta with 4.4 passengers per hour. The least efficient is Orleans to Happy Camp to Yreka, which only carries 1.4 passengers per hour of service, followed by Lake Shastina to Weed with 2.8 passengers per hour. The operating costs for Fiscal Year equaled $1,750,268. Personnel costs are just over a million dollars, while vehicle maintenance and fuel costs are just over half a million dollars. The revenue sources required to support STAGE s administration, operations and maintenance total $2,169,152. The largest source of income for STAGE is Transportation Development Act (TDA) Local Transportation Funds (LTF) funds which account for 50.4 percent of the revenues, followed by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5311 grant funds for rural areas (13.6 percent), and TDA State Transportation Assistance (STA) funds (11.3 percent). Passenger fares account for 10.9 percent of the operating budget, with other miscellaneous revenues such as interest, contract revenue, and department reimbursements make up the remainder. Page ES-2

3 As of March 2015, the STAGE vehicle fleet consisted of 15 revenue vehicles, 10 of which have or will expire within the timeframe of the plan period. STAGE has a number of shelters and benches, and most of the bus stops are signed. OUTREACH FOR THE PLAN Throughout the planning process, a number of outreach efforts and events took place, including: Onboard passenger surveys, developed and summarized by LSC Transportation Consultants and administered by STAGE staff. Online community surveys Poster sessions at Walmart, College of the Siskiyous, and the Mount Shasta Shopping Center. Steering Committee Meetings, held to kick-off the study, review interim documents, and provide feedback on transit needs, transit issues and service alternatives. From these outreach efforts, the strengths and weaknesses of the transit system were identified, and desired improvements were discussed. SUMMARY OF TRANSIT DEMAND The demand for transit services was evaluated, focusing on input through outreach efforts, as well as modeling demand using transit index, identifying mobility gaps and estimating nonprogram demand. Demand was found to be relatively high in Weed/Edgewood/Carrick and Mount Shasta, as well as in Yreka west of Main Street and north of South Street. STAGE SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN Service Evaluation and Recommendations For each alternative, LSC identified the hours and miles of service, the vehicle needs and operating cost, and projected the expected ridership and fare revenue. Performance measures were calculated for each alternative to help in the comparison and evaluation of each alternative. The recommended services include the following: Saturday Service 1st Saturday of the Month Only (to be expanded in third or fourth year if successful) I-5 Corridor Scott Valley/Montague Earlier Southbound I-5 Service by shifting Run 3A 15 Minutes Earlier Extend Yreka Service to Grocery Outlet Mid-Morning and Mid-Afternoon Runs Only Reduce Orleans Happy Camp Service to 2 Days per Week Modify Route 6 to South County Circulator Route Replace Rt 6 with Yreka Big Springs Lake Shastina Mt. Shasta Lifeline Service Page ES-3

4 Yreka Big Springs Lake Shastina Mt. Shasta Lifeline Service 2 Days per Week Lifeline / NEMT Service Yreka - Ashland Medford Mt Shasta Redding Formalize Flag Stops Capital Improvements Plan A total of 5 vehicles will need replacing over seven years, while a total of ten should be retired (the fleet is larger than necessary). No additional vehicles are needed for implementing service recommendations. Other miscellaneous improvements recommended for the plan period include: Improve storage at maintenance yard Bus Stop shelters, signage and maintenance Bus Stop shelter at College of the Siskiyous Purchase land in Mount Shasta and develop (pave, fence, install security cameras) for remote operations. The seven-year cost for capital improvements is estimated at $2,991,900. Management Plan and Marketing Recommendations Review and adopt goals and objectives; performance standards Improve Riders Guide: northbound and southbound I-5 on one guide More consistency in online presentation of schedules; smoother navigation Develop testimonial advertising and public presentations Establish a Bi-Annual Transportation Summit amongst human service organizations, senior centers, churches, and STAGE to: Establish lines of communication Create an inventory of services and needs Identify goals Seek Advocacy Develop a Travel Training Program Financial Plan Operating and administrative costs by the fifth year of the plan will total approximately $2,339,000, which is an 8 percent increase over the base-case cost of $2,157,800 if no service changes are implemented. By FY 2019/20, ridership is forecast to equal 108,500 one-way passenger-trips per year, which is 13,800 trips (15 percent) over the base case forecast of 94,700. The capital costs total $2,975,900 over the five-year period, with an additional $150,000 reserve fund established for future capital purchases. In addition to passenger fare revenues, this Financial Plan incorporates the following funding sources: Page ES-4

5 State Transit Assistance funds are used as funding for transit operations. Local Transportation Funds are used for transit operations, local match for capital improvements, and to build a capital reserve. FTA Section 5311 (Rural Program) is used for operations and the purchase of multiple buses. Low Carbon Transit Operations Program funds are used for operations, and marketing efforts of new services. Reimbursement funds from the County to offset administrative duties of transit staff for other departments. Contract revenue for operating transit services for the Karuk Tribe. Potentially, a fare agreement with the College of the Siskiyous to provide reduced student fares via a lump sum agreement. Proposition 1B PTMISEA (Public Transportation Modernization, Improvement, and Service Enhancement Account) Program funds are used for bus stop improvements. The operating financial plan is balanced in each of the plan years and the capital financial plan generates a reserve fund. No fare increases are recommended. However, STAGE staff is encouraged to work with the College of the Siskiyous administration and student body to determine if a funding agreement offering discounted student passes can be established. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Fiscal Year (Starting January 2016) Establish earlier Southbound I-5 service (shift 3A schedule) Implement Saturday Service the 1st Saturday of each month. Revise Route 4A, including preparation of new schedules Extend Yreka Service to include Grocery Outlet Implement Lifeline service 1 day/week serving Yreka Big Springs - Lake Shastina - Mount Shasta Reduce Happy Camp to Yreka Service to 2 days/week. Establish a Mount Shasta to Redding Lifeline service Adopt goals and objectives; develop tracking of identified standards Plan a Transportation Summit Fiscal Year ; improve bus stop at College of the Siskiyous and install shelter. Modify Route 6 (Lake Shastina service) to South County Circulator Establish a Yreka Ashland Medford Lifeline service Improve security and storage at the Yreka County Maintenance Yard Purchase land in Mount Shasta and fence for vehicle storage for park out operations. Hold a Transportation Summit Develop a Travel Training program Page ES-5

6 Fiscal Year Purchase 3 STAGE replacement buses. Fiscal Year If 1st Saturday service is successful, implement service every Saturday. Purchase 1 STAGE replacement bus. Hold a Transportation Summit Fiscal Year Purchase 1 STAGE replacement bus. Page ES-6