[00:00:01]
AND LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A QUORUM.WE GOOD? LOOK, ARE WE GOOD WITH OUR QUORUM COUNCIL? YEP.
JUST MAKE, JUST MAKE, JUST MAKING SURE.
[I. Call to Order]
SEE.THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE CAP METRO PUBLIC HEARING.
UH, TODAY IS MONDAY, MARCH 18TH.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO, UH, THIS IS, UH, CALLING THIS MEETING THE ORDER TO TAKE,
[II. Presentation]
UM, A PUBLIC HEARING TODAY ABOUT COMMENTS PROPOSED ON THE SUMMER 2024 SERVICE CHANGES.I UNDERSTAND MR. GONZALEZ IS GONNA BE HERE TO GIVE US A BRIEF PRESENTATION.
FOLLOWING THAT PRESENTATION, WE WILL BE OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
CHAIR BILION, PRESIDENT, CEO WATKINS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M WITH CAPITAL METROS PLANNING TEAM.
AND I'LL GO OVER A FEW SLIDES KIND OF SUMMARIZING WHAT OUR PROPOSED CHANGES ARE FOR THE SUMMER, AND THEN AFTER WHICH WE WILL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC, THOSE THAT MIGHT BE ONLINE IN THE AREA.
SO, WITH OUR SERVICE CHANGES, WE'LL GO OVER KIND OF HOW WE IDENTIFIED SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES, HOW WE DEVELOPED OUR PROPOSALS, HOW WE ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING TODAY'S FORUM RIGHT HERE.
AND THEN WE'LL GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF, OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE FUTURE.
SO WE'VE, UH, BEEN HERE BEFORE WHERE WE'VE PRESENTED KIND OF THIS, UH, COMPLEX SLIDE THAT KIND OF SHOWS SOME OF THE STEPS THAT WE GO THROUGH ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, WHERE YOU SEE IN PURPLE.
UH, WE LOOK TO IDENTIFY THOSE ISSUES.
WE CONTINUOUSLY RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC, UH, ON A DAILY BASIS, AND WE'LL USE THAT TO HELP DETERMINE SOME OF THESE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES.
WE HAVE KEY, UH, KPIS, KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, SUCH AS ON TIME PERFORMANCE RIDERSHIP THAT HELP US IN SOME DECISION MAKING.
WE'LL PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER TO DEVELOP SOME INITIAL PROPOSALS, AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT WE'VE DONE DONE TO THIS POINT.
WE'LL EVALUATE THEM AGAINST SOME OTHER INFORMATION THAT WE MAY HAVE, UH, INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY OF LOOKING AT A TITLE SIX ANALYSIS OF THE, IF THE, IF THE CHANGES MAJOR IN, IN NATURE.
AND THEN WE'LL TAKE A LOOK TO SEE WHAT, UH, PROTECTED CLASSES WE MAY BE IMPACTING AND HOW WE MIGHT MITIGATE THOSE, THOSE CHANGES.
AND THEN WE'LL TAKE THOSE PROPOSALS OUT TO THE PUBLIC FOR FEEDBACK.
WE'LL DO IT VIA DIFFERENT OP DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE'LL EITHER BE IN PERSON, UH, THERE'S, UH, INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE, ON THE BUSES.
UH, WE'LL DO DIRECT REACH OUTS TO PARTICULAR FOLKS, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES WITH OUR SERVICE ADVISORY COMMITTEES, UH, DIRECTLY WITH THEM.
AND THEN TODAY'S FORUM IS A, IS A PUBLIC HEARING WHERE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TO HEAR FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC, IF SO FORTH.
AND THEN ONCE APPROVED, UH, AND WE'RE NOT APPROVING ANYTHING TODAY, TODAY IS JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC AND SUMMARIZE.
BUT NEXT WEEK WE WILL HAVE THE PUBLIC, UH, THE BOARD MEETING.
THAT WILL BE THE TIME WHEN WE WOULD APPROVE THE CHANGE.
AND UPON APPROVAL, THEY DON'T TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY.
THEY'LL TAKE EFFECT AT THE, THE START OF THE SUMMER, WHICH WOULD BE JUST AFTER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
SO ONE ITEM THAT WE, WE DO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE CALL IT CONTINUING CHALLENGES, BUT I HAVE SEEN, AND, AND, AND THE STAFF HAS SEEN A, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CHANGE AROUND HERE, YOU KNOW, SINCE, UH, THE PANDEMIC THAT HAS HAPPENED, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES IN OUR WORLD, OF COURSE.
BUT STAFFING, UH, THE ABILITY TO, TO KEEP OUR OUR SERVICES AND WORKING ORDER HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, SOME CHALLENGES.
BUT QIS HAS BEEN, HAS COME ON BOARD AS OF JANUARY.
THEY'VE DONE A, A REALLY GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO DO SOME DIFFERENT THINGS TO HELP HIRE SOME ADDITIONAL WORKFORCE, TRAIN SOME FOLKS TO THE POINT TO WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO GET FOLKS WITHIN A DAY OR TWO TO START WORKING.
I'VE, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN, AND I'VE HEARD FROM ONE OF THOSE THINGS THIS MORNING, THIS OPERATION, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A, A LONG WEEK OF SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST EVENTS.
WE WERE SUPPORTING, UH, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN OPERATIONS, EXTRA BUSES, EXTRA TRAINS, JUST TO SUPPORT THE RIDERSHIP THAT WAS IN AND AROUND THE AREA.
AND YET TODAY WE HAVE A REALLY, REALLY GOOD, UH, DAY FROM WHAT I, EVERYTHING THAT I CAN SEE FROM, ON ALL OF THE, THE REPORTS THIS MORNING.
SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU'LL GET THROUGH ONE OF THOSE WEEKENDS AND ON MONDAY MORNING IT'S, IT'S LIKE, IT'S A TOUGH MORNING.
BUT THIS MORNING WAS A VERY, VERY GOOD MORNING.
SO GOOD KUDOS TO OLIS AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT'S BEEN WORKING HARD TO TRY AND GET US OVER THESE CHALLENGES.
BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT DOES COME INTO PLAY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PROPOSALS.
AND YOU'LL GET A LITTLE FLAVOR OF THAT WHEN I READ, NOT READ, BUT WHEN I'LL SUMMARIZE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT WE HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL.
SO OUR RIDERSHIP IS CONTINUING TO GROWTH MONTH TO MONTH AND YEAR OVER YEAR.
WE'RE AT ABOUT 18% OVER, UH, THE PREVIOUS COUPLE OF YEARS.
WE'RE AT 24 AND A HALF MILLION.
AND PUT THAT IN CONTEXT, YOU KNOW, UH, PRIOR TO THE, THE CHANGES TO OUR ENVIRONMENT, WE WERE AT SOMEWHERE AT ABOUT 31 MILLIONS.
SO IT IS GROWING AND IT'S GROWING AT ABOUT A 10% PER YEAR GROWTH.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT 18%, AND I CAN SEE IT EVERY SINGLE MONTH.
DIFFERENT ROUTES, DIFFERENT SERVICES IN THAT AREA, OUR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SERVICE.
SOME OF THOSE ROUTES ARE REACHING THE POINT WHERE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, PRE 20, 20 LEVELS RIGHT NOW AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR.
OUR CHANGES ARE CATEGORIZED INTO, UH, FOUR PARTICULAR TOPICS.
THERE'LL BE SOME SCHOOL, THERE ARE SOME PROPOSED SCHOOL TRIP ADJUSTMENTS.
[00:05:01]
TO UT UH, SERVICE.THAT'S TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE STUDENTS, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, END THEIR SPRING SEMESTER AND WE, WE, UH, TRANSITION TO SUMMER MODE.
WE'LL MAKE SOME AND PROPOSE SOME MINOR BUS AND RAIL SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS.
SOMETHING NORMALLY THAT WE DO FOR, TO IMPROVE ON TIME, PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY.
AND THEN I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A, A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR PICKUP PERFORMANCE RIGHT NOW, UH, TOWARDS THE END OF THIS.
BUT WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY, WE'RE NOT PROPOSING ANY CHANGES RIGHT NOW.
AS WE'RE, AS WE'RE DISCUSSING THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
UH, AND WE'LL BE BACK NEXT MONTH TO TALK ABOUT SOME OPPORTUNITIES, UH, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS FOR PICKUP SERVICES.
SO, WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL TRIPS, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH OUR SERVICE, WE TYPICALLY OPERATE ON MAIN CORRIDORS.
YOU'LL SEE US ON PLEASANT VALLEY ON SOUTH FIRST AND SOUTH CONGRESS, AND THAT'S REPRESENTED BY THE DASH BLUE LINE ON THAT MAP THERE.
BUT SOMETIMES WE DO DIVERT OURSELVES OVER A FEW BLOCKS SO WE CAN SERVE A PARTICULAR AREA, AND IN THIS CASE, SOME SCHOOLS.
AND WE'VE DONE THAT IN MY TIME HERE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
THERE ARE CASES WHEN IT'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
WE MAY HAVE CHANGED A SERVICE.
WE MAY HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LOOK AT SOME THINGS BECAUSE IT'S A DIFFICULT MATTER FOR SOME STUDENTS TO CROSS, UH, MAJOR ROADWAYS.
THEY'RE JUST A VARIETY OF REASONS.
AND SO WE TOOK THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, ARE THESE, UH, ADJUSTMENTS? ARE THERE ANY ADJUSTMENTS THAT MAY BE NEEDED TO THESE PATTERNS? BECAUSE IF YOU ARE RIDING ON OUR MAINLINE SERVICE, THERE'S A TIME WHEN WE HAVE TO DIVERT OVER.
SO THEN YOU HAVE TO THEN TRAVEL WITH US OUT OF THE WAY, UH, TO SERVE THAT, THAT SCHOOL, AND THEN GET BACK INTO THAT AREA.
SO YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL THAT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THE SCHEDULE.
YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE TRIP THAT YOU'RE ON BECAUSE YOU MAY BE, UH, UM, AFFECTED BY THAT, THAT CHANGE.
SO AS WE LOOKED AT THE, SOME OF THESE OPTIONS, AND I'LL LOOK, I'LL, I'LL TALK THROUGH MORE.
WE LOOKED AT THE RIDERSHIP PATTERNS.
AND SO OUR RIDERSHIP NUMBERS THAT WE GET ON A DAILY BASIS, AND BY STOP INDICATED THAT ON CERTAIN, SOME OF THESE ROUTES IN THE AREA, WHEN WE DID THE DIVERT OURSELVES, WE SAW LOW NUMBERS SOMETIMES IN THE ZERO ONE ON AVERAGE IN THAT AREA.
BUT WHAT WE ALWAYS DO IS WE WANNA MAKE CHECK BUT VERIFY.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE'VE GONE OUT TO THE, TO THESE STOPS AND TA TAKEN A LOOK FOR OURSELVES TO SEE AND TALK TO THE SCHOOLS.
IF, IF THIS IN FACT ARE THE CORRECT NUMBERS, AND NUMBERS ARE GOOD WHEN IT COMES TO THE DATA THAT WE COLLECT, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO GO OUT THERE BECAUSE IT, THERE'S A, THERE'S A LOT OF THAT GETS AVERAGED IN ON A DAILY BASIS.
YOU COULD HAVE SOME WRITERS A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND THEN SOME WRITERS NOT BE FOR A FEW DAYS, BUT ON AVERAGE IT'LL, IT'LL AVERAGE OUT CERTAINLY DIFFERENTLY.
SO I SHOWED YOU KIND OF THAT, UH, MAP BEFORE.
BUT THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF, OF A SCHOOL AND TRIP.
AND SO THIS IS ALLISON ELEMENTARY, JUST SOUTHEAST OF US.
WE SERVE THE EAST SIDE BUS PLAZA A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM US.
AND OUR GENERAL PATTERN IS THAT DARK BLUE LINE, AND WE GO DOWN TOWARDS THE MONTOPOLIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND ANCHOR AT A CC RIVERSIDE.
BUT WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE ON THE, UM, SCHEDULE IN THE RIGHT, THIS IS A, IS A BLUE, UM, HIGHLIGHT.
AND IT SHOWS THAT ONE OF THOSE TRIPS TRAVELS TO ALLISON ELEMENTARY AT ABOUT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THE DASHED LINE WHERE WE DIVERT OURSELVES AWAY FROM THE ROUTE.
SO IF YOU'RE TRAVELING TO SOME OTHER PORTIONS ON THAT BLUE LINE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL WITH US.
WHAT WE ENDED UP FINDING OUT WHEN WE WENT TO SPEAK TO ALLISON AND OUR STAFF WENT TO SPEAK WITH THE PRINCIPALS AND OTHERS, THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS THAT USE IT, THE TIMING COULD BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE, WHEN WE'RE NOT THERE, THEY HAVE TO THEN WALK OVER TO, TO MONTOPOLIS DRIVE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE FELT, WE FELT LIKE WE PROBABLY NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER SO WE CAN ENCOURAGE SOME MORE FOLKS TO, TO USE THAT SERVICE.
AND THEY WERE EXCITED THAT WE WERE OUT THERE TO TALK TO THEM, AND PROBABLY BEEN, WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUT THERE TALKING TO 'EM A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, EARLIER ON.
BUT, UH, NEVERTHELESS, THEY WERE EXCITED TO HEAR FROM US.
THIS IS THE SECOND OF TWO EXAMPLES.
BUT ON THE SCHEDULE ON THE LEFT, YOU SEE THAT THERE IS NO, UH, UNIQUE VARIATION OF THE, OF THE COLUMNS IN THAT AREA.
WE JUST, IT'S JUST A, A HIGHLIGHT OF A TRIP.
AND THAT TRIP DOESN'T EVEN DIVERT.
IT'S INSERTED BETWEEN TWO OTHER TRIPS AND STAYS ON COURSE, UH, WITHIN THE DARK BLUE LINE.
BUT IT HELPS TO SUPPLEMENT SERVICES.
OP THIS ROUTE OPERATES EVERY 30 MINUTES AND WE TIME OURSELVES TO PASS JUST A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE BELL TIME.
SOMETHING SIMILAR WE DO WITH SOME OTHER SCHOOLS.
BUT THIS ONE OUR STAFF OBSERVED AS WELL TOO, THAT ALTHOUGH THE RIDERSHIP WAS SHOWING A ZERO ON AVERAGE, THERE WERE CASES WHERE THEY'D SEE MULTIPLE, UH, STUDENTS USING THAT SERVICE IN THE AFTERNOON.
SO AS WE, WE'VE EVALUATED OUR PROPOSALS, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT MINOR CHANGES TO THE SYSTEM.
UH, WE HAVE CONSIDERED EQUITY, UH, UNDER OUR, UM, UNDER OUR, UH, ANALYSIS IN THAT AREA FOR THOSE SCHOOL TRIPPERS THAT I MENTIONED RIGHT NOW.
UH, OUR STAFF IS RECOMMENDING THAT PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, WE WAIT ON MAKING ANY CHANGES.
SO ALTHOUGH IT IS THE PROPOSAL, IN OUR OPINION, BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND BASED ON OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SCHOOLS, THEIR ENTHUSIASM, THEIR WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH US AND HELP PROMOTE THE SERVICE A LITTLE BIT MORE, THAT WE'RE GONNA HOLD ON, ON MAKING THAT AS A, AS A STAFF RECOMMENDATION, IT IS STILL PART OF THE PROPOSAL, BUT IT, WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE HOLD ON THAT AND THAT WE WAIT UNTIL WE DO THE UPDATE TO THE SYSTEM, UH, NETWORK PLAN THAT'S GONNA START IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
AND WE LOOK AT IT MORE COMPREHENSIVELY AS PART OF THE ENTIRE NETWORK AND NOT JUST LOOK AT IT AS JUST A, A CONSIDERATION HERE.
[00:10:01]
NONE OF THESE CHANGES THAT WE'RE PROPOSING ARE MAJOR IN NATURE.SO THEY DO NOT REQUIRE THE, THE MORE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT ELIMINATING SERVICES OR TRIPS FROM, FROM FROM AREAS.
THIS IS A SUMMARY OF OUR, KIND OF OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS OVER THE COURSE OF FEBRUARY AND MARCH.
UH, WE PRESENTED A MEMO TO THE BOARD EARLY FEBRUARY.
WE'VE MET WITH OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEES, UH, EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES SUCH AS ADAPT AS WELL.
UH, WE MET WITH THEM PRIOR TO EVEN MAKING COMMUNICATION WITH THE SCHOOLS.
'CAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE WERE GONNA LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS, IS THIS EVEN SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH? AND THEY, THEY HAD ADVISED US, YEAH, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, TALK TO THE SCHOOLS, SEE WHAT YOU HEAR, AND THEN COME BACK TO US AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE.
UM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE INFORMATION ONBOARD BUSES, UH, WE'VE GOT STOP, UH, SIGNAGE AT STOPS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES AT THE SCHOOLS THAT WE'RE CONTEMPLATING, MAKING SOME CHANGES.
UH, MEETING WITH OUR OPERATORS, SENDING OUT SERVICE ALERTS.
AND THEN WE HAD A VIRTUAL PRESENTATION THAT'S, THAT'S LOADED ON OUR WEBSITE.
UH, TODAY WE'RE HERE, UH, TO PRESENT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND THEN NEXT WEEK WE WOULD BE, UH, SEEKING BOARD APPROVAL.
AND THEN IF, IF APPROVED, THE CHANGES WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED ON MAY 26TH, WHICH IS A SUNDAY BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY.
THIS IS JUST, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL FORUMS JUST BECAUSE WE ARE, UM, VIRTUAL AND, AND LIVE RIGHT NOW, OPPORTUNITIES IN WHICH, UH, PEOPLE CAN ENGAGE WITH US.
UH, WE HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT 76 COMMENTS FROM ABOUT 35 PLUS INDIVIDUALS IN THAT AREA.
FOR THE MOST PART, THE COMMENTS ARE, HEY, RIDERSHIP IS GROWING.
WHEN ARE WE GONNA SEE SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, SERVICE ON BOTH RAIL AND METRO RAPID AND, AND JUST REGULAR, UM, FIXED ROUTE SERVICE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SEE, AND THEY DO SEE ON OCCASION, BECAUSE SOME OF US RIDE SERVICE WHERE WE DO HAVE OVERLOADS IN, IN CASES, BUT, UH, I MENTIONED EARLIER WE HAD A GREAT DAY TODAY ON PULLOUT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE CONSISTENCY ON A REGULAR BASIS BEFORE WE CAN COME, BEFORE YOU EVEN SAY WE'RE READY TO START, UH, INTRODUCING SOME ADDITIONAL SERVICE INTO THE, INTO THE, INTO THE SYSTEM.
UM, I CAN EITHER END HERE OR WE CAN JUST TALK.
AND LET ME JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LOOKING AHEAD AND THEN WE WILL END THE, THE PUBLIC HEARING.
SO I MENTIONED ABOUT THE PICKUP PERFORMANCE SCORE.
JUST AS A HIGH LEVEL, THERE ARE SERVICE STANDARDS THAT WE LOOK AT FOR EACH ZONE.
WE LOOK AT THE CHARACTERISTICS, UH, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMMUNITY, THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE SERVING IN THAT AREA.
AND THERE'S A GRADING SYSTEM FOR THAT.
WE LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF OUR SERVICE, INCLUDING, UH, HOW MANY PASSENGERS ARE WE PICKING UP AND WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE, WE ARE ARRIVING WHEN WE SAY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE.
WE LOOK AT THE COST EFFECTIVENESS, WHETHER WE'RE SHARING RISE AND WE'RE BEING EFFICIENT IN A SERVICE.
SO THEN WE TALLY ALL OF THAT UP AND THEN WE ARE ABLE TO REPORT BACK ON EACH OF THE ZONES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO WE'RE PRESENTING A, AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SUMMER, JUNE, 2023 AT THE END OF THE FALL, DECEMBER.
AND THEN ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE EACH OF OUR ZONES.
SO YOU'LL SEE ALL OF OUR ZONES WITH THE MOST RECENT ZONE, UH, DOVE SPRINGS NOT GRADED BECAUSE WE JUST TURNED IT ON IN, IN JANUARY, BUT IT IS DOING WELL.
WHEN I WAS BEFORE THE BOARD THIS PAST SUMMER, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, IN DETAIL AND WE WILL DO THAT NEXT MONTH.
WE TALKED IN DETAIL ABOUT EACH ONE OF THESE ZONES, HOW THEY WERE PERFORMING, WHAT WAS DOING WELL, WHAT WAS NOT DOING SO WELL, WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE FOCUSING ON AT THAT TIME.
WE MENTIONED THAT EXPOSITION WOULD BE ONE THAT NEEDED TO BE LOOKED AT A LOT, A LOT CLOSER BECAUSE IT WAS NOT MEETING OUR STANDARDS.
WE AGREED TO, TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, GO OUT MORE TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, ENLIGHTEN THE COMMUNITY OF, OF THE SERVICE THAT WAS OUT THERE.
AND WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THOSE EFFORTS DID WORK BECAUSE RIDERSHIP HAS GROWN IN THAT AREA.
THERE'S A NEW HEB NOW, UH, THAT HAS OPENED UP, BUT EVEN WITHOUT THE HEB, THERE ARE NEW RIDERS IN THAT SERVICE.
SO GREEN MEANS POSITIVE BASED ON THE SCORING THAT I MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
YELLOW MEANS CONTINUE TO MONITOR, AND IN RED MEANS WE'VE GOTTA LOOK AT THAT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE CLOSER.
I WOULD SAY THAT ON THE NORTH OAK HILL AREA, ALTHOUGH IT SHOWS IN RED, UM, ONCE YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE DETAILS AS TO WHO THEY'RE SERVING, YOU'LL SEE AND, AND UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT USE THAT SERVICE, BOTH UNIVERSITY BASED AND THEN, UM, ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL, BUT NOT ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL BASE THAT USE OUR SERVICE OVER THE COURSE OF, OF JUNE TO GET TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND WORK.
SO DECEMBER IS NOT, YOU KNOW, FULLY REPRESENTATIVE OF, OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE DURING THE COURSE OF OTHER PARTS OF THE, OF THE, OF THE, OF THE PERIOD.
BUT, UM, THAT IS ONE THAT'S JUST GREAT IN THAT AREA.
NEXT MONTH WE'LL GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THE ZONES IN MORE DETAIL AND WE'LL, WE'LL PRESENT YOU KIND OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE STAND THERE, BUT WE'RE NOT MAKE LOOKING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES FOR THE SUMMER.
THERE MAY BE SOME CHANGES THAT WE'LL LOOK TO DO FOR THE FALL, UH, THIS COMING YEAR.
AND LASTLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S ON OUR RADAR.
UM, AND I MENTIONED TO YOU THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING US, YOU KNOW, WHEN ARE WE GONNA ADD SOME MORE SERVICE? WELL, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING RIGHT NOW ON ADJUSTMENTS FOR REDLINE SERVICE.
WE OPENED A BRAND NEW STATION JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, UH, THERE AT MCCULLOUGH.
WE'VE INTRODUCED SOME ADDITIONAL SERVICES THESE LAST, UH, FEW WEEKENDS BECAUSE WE HAD THE SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST EVENT.
WE HAD SOME Q2 EVENTS IN THAT AREA.
[00:15:01]
OUT THERE.SEVERAL OF THE STAFF IN IN THIS ROOM WERE OUT THERE AS WELL TOO, INCLUDING OUR PRESENT CEO, UH, DOTIE WHO WENT BY EACH STATION AND EVERYBODY WAS EXCITED TO SEE HER.
AND, UH, THINGS WERE WORKING A LOT BETTER THAN OUR FIRST, UH, OPENING WEEKEND IN THAT AREA.
AND WE'VE, WE DID EVEN BETTER THIS PAST WEEKEND AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY VERY, VERY HAPPY WITH THE SERVICE IN THAT AREA.
AND THEN IF YOU'VE BEEN OUT IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ALREADY SOME ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION GOING ON ON THE PLEASANT VALLEY LINE.
OUR NEWEST METRO RAPID LINE AND EXPO, UH, RAPID LINES, INCLUDING THE RECENTLY COMPLETED UPGRADE TO THE BUS STOP THERE AT SEVENTH AND PLEASANT VALLEY.
SO IF YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY OUT, YOU MAY SEE THAT IN THAT AREA.
AND WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IS A MORE SIGNIFICANT BUS STOP AREA, INCLUDING A LITTLE BIT LARGER LANDING PAD SHELTERS WILL BE COMING IN IN, IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO BE INSTALLED IN THAT AREA.
WE'LL USE THOSE, THOSE STOPS 'CAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE, UH, SERVICE STOPS IN THAT AREA.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA WAIT TO TURN THEM ON.
UH, BUT WE ARE BUILDING, UH, THINGS AHEAD OF TIME SO WE CAN BE READY BY 2025.
AND WITH THAT, THE LAST ITEM IS, I MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SERVICE PLAN.
SO EVERY FIVE YEARS WE, WE UPDATE OUR SERVICE PLAN, AND THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF EVERYTHING.
WHAT HAS CHANGED, WHAT'S NEW, UH, WHAT ARE THE NEW DATA SETS I'VE BEEN BEFORE HERE MAYBE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ORIGIN DESTINATION SURVEY THAT WE COLLECTED, UH, THIS PAST YEAR THAT GIVES US IN INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CURRENT WRITERS.
BUT WE WERE ALSO COLLECTING INFORMATION ON JUST THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND HOW THEY'RE MOVING IN AND AROUND OUR COMMUNITY.
SO ALL THAT WILL FEED INTO THE TRANSPLANT.
THIS BOARD WILL BE HEAVILY ENGAGED.
UH, MR. ILIAN HAD JUST JOINED OUR BOARD WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CAT REMAPPING THAT AREA.
BUT WE'LL BE SEEKING YOUR, YOUR, YOUR GUIDANCE.
WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR WHAT THE GOALS ARE FROM THIS, FROM THIS BODY AROUND HERE, THAT'S GONNA HELP GUIDE US AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND WE TALK TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW CHANGES COULD AND SHOULD BE MADE IN THE COMING YEAR.
AND WE'LL BE LOOKING AT VERY DETAILED CHANGES WITHIN THE NEXT ONE OR TWO YEARS AND MAYBE SOME EARLY OUT MOVEMENTS.
BUT WE'LL BE LOOKING ALSO WITHIN FIVE YEARS.
AND THEN IDEALLY, YOU KNOW, WITHIN 10 YEARS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NEXT ITERATION OF OUR SYSTEM, UH, WITH LIGHT RAIL AND STUFF.
BUT THAT'S STARTING, THAT WILL START IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND MONTHS, AND YOU'LL START TO SEE MORE OF THAT.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR TO BOARD MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO INTO THE, UH, INTO RECEIVING CALLS? ANYONE? JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAD THE OPTION, MR. CHAIR.
I THOUGHT THE WALLS WERE TALKING TO ME.
UH, I WAS HOPING EVERYBODY ELSE HEARD
BOARD MEMBER THE WALL WAS TALKING TO YOU FROM BEHIND.
UH, UH, MS. GONZALEZ JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY.
UM, SO ON, ON THE, THE SCHOOL CHANGES.
DID, DID I UNDERSTAND THEN, UM, THAT YOU, YOU ALL ARE RECOMMENDING TO PROCEED WITH THOSE LIMITED CHANGES FOR THE, THE, THE SCHOOL SERVICES OR HOLD IT AT THIS TIME? WE'RE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO HOLD AT THIS TIME AND THEN, AND THEN TAKE IT UNDER, UH, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AS WE LOOK AT THE, THE TRANSIT PLAN AT A LATER DATE.
BUT THIS WAS A, A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO, TO DO EXACTLY WHAT WE SAY IN THE PROCESS.
AND THAT IS WE COME UP WITH OUR PROPOSALS, WE EVALUATE THE DATA, WE GO OUT AND VERIFY, WE CHECK WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS AND WE MEET WITH THOSE STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTIES THAT ARE GONNA BE MOST CLOSELY AFFECTED.
AND THEN WE HEAR WHAT, WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
AND THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, UH, AS WE'VE PROPOSED IN DIFFERENT PROPOSALS, WE EITHER MODIFY THEM OR WE SAY WE'RE GONNA HOLD.
AND IN THIS CASE WE'RE SAYING WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND JUST, UH, WITHDRAW THOSE, THOSE PROPOSALS IN THERE, CONTINUE TO OPERATE THEM IN IN THE FALL, BUT THEN REENGAGE WITH THE, WITH THE SCHOOLS.
SINCE WE'VE HEARD FROM THEM, THEY WERE VERY POSITIVE TO HEAR, TO HEAR THAT WE HAD COME OUT.
THEY, THEY LIKED CAPITAL METRO.
I WENT TO ONE EVENT WHERE EVERYBODY WAS CHEERING US ON AND ALL.
AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT USE OUR SERVICES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO THIS GIVES US A, A GOOD CHANCE TO JUST CONTINUE WITH THAT, THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCHOOLS THAT WE STARTED OFF, AND THEN HELP PROMOTE THE SERVICE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND THEN I THINK OUR GOAL SHOULD BE THAT, YOU KNOW, MUCH LIKE WHAT WE DO WITH PICKUP SERVICE REPORTING ON THAT, MUCH LIKE WE DO WITH JUST RIDERSHIP.
MAYBE LOOK AT MAYBE ONCE A YEAR REPORTING, HOW ARE THOSE SCHOOL UH, SERVICES PERFORMING AND ARE THERE ANY CHANGES AND BE AHEAD OF IT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER ON, UM, IN THE GAME.
THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
APPRECIATE Y'ALL TOOK, DID THE LEGWORK AND WENT OUT THERE AND ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR, MET WITH THE ACTUAL PRINCIPALS OF THE SCHOOLS AND TALKED TO THEM ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING.
'CAUSE I, I BELIEVE THERE IS A, A RULE OUT THERE THAT, UM, A THAT, UH, SCHOOL BUS, THE SCHOOL BUS SERVICE, UH, WON'T, WON'T ENGAGE STUDENTS WITHIN, I THINK IT'S A, LIKE A TWO MILE OR ONE AND A HALF MILE RADIUS.
SO FOR THE MOST PART WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT MOST OF OUR SERVICES ARE, ARE GETTING UTILIZED BY, BY STUDENTS WHO ARE JUST OUTSIDE OR JUST INSIDE, RATHER THAT, THAT TWO MILE RADIUS, WHICH FOR SOME IS A LITTLE FAR TO BE WALK-IN, BUT PERHAPS THEIR PARENTS DON'T HAVE THE TRANSIT, UH, TRANSPORTATION NEEDS AVAILABLE OTHERWISE TO BE ABLE TO GET THEIR, THEIR CHILDREN TO AND FROM,
[00:20:01]
ESPECIALLY THE, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL.I I, I FOUND THAT, UH, INTERESTING AND FASCINATING.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DID AND FOR, UH, FOR THAT, THAT UPDATE AND FOR, UH, PAUSING THAT RECOMMENDATION AT THIS TIME.
UH, ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBER LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION? WELL, IF NOT, UH, CERTAINLY.
UH, WE WANT TO, UH, THANK YOU MR. GONZALEZ FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
[III. Public Comment]
WE'LL GO TO OUR PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION.WE HAVE ONE PERSON WHO SIGNED UP AHEAD OF TIME TO SPEAK, UH, MS. NOIA JOSEPH, AND SHE'LL BE JOIN JOINING US REMOTELY.
UH, SO MS. JOSEPH, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IS SHE CONNECTED? UH, MR. HOUSTON.
I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I RECOGNIZE THIS IS NOT A MAJOR SERVICE CHANGE THAT REQUIRES A TITLE SIX ANALYSIS.
HOWEVER, I WANNA REFER BACK TO ROBERTO GONZALEZ'S 2013 COMMENTS WHERE HE SAID, QUOTE, WE FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, A ONE SEAT RIDE IS WHAT'S MOST BENEFICIAL FOR FOLKS AS WELL AS A HIGH FREQUENCY SERVICE.
AND THEN FOR CAP REMAP JUNE 3RD, 2018, HE ELIMINATED NORTHEAST WEST CONNECTIVITY, THE ONE SEAT RIDE.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING IS THAT WHEN YOU REPORT RIDERSHIP, THE 18% CHANGE, WHICH IS ON PAGE SEVEN, I'M GONNA ASK THAT YOU INCLUDE THE LANGUAGE THAT'S ON CAPITAL METRO'S WEBSITE THAT SAYS, QUOTE THE DATA COUNT INDIVIDUAL RIDES ON VEHICLES, NOT TRIPS.
SO CUSTOMERS MAKING TRANSFERS ARE COUNTED ON EACH VEHICLE THEY TAKE UNQUOTE.
THE REASON I ASK YOU TO PUT THAT INFORMATION IS BECAUSE THE DATA IS SKEWED BECAUSE WE HAVE NO EAST WEST CONNECTIVITY.
THE MINORITIES AND THE BLACKS IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN HAVE TO ACTUALLY TAKE MORE BUSES, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU TRIPLE COUNT US DOUBLE COUNTLESS, AND THAT DATA IS SKEWED.
OTHERWISE WE'D HAVE ONE SEAT, RIGHT? I JUST WANNA CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION, UM, IN THE BACK OF YOUR PACKET ON PAGES 27 TO 30, THERE'S THE LETTER FROM, UM, CHARMILLA MUKERJEE, WHICH BASICALLY SAYS SERVICE CHANGES PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADJUST THE SERVICE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF CUSTOMERS.
I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT STUDENTS IN SOUTH AUSTIN PRIMARILY, BUT I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT IT'S ONE TO FIVE MILES TO ROUTE 3 92 IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN.
AND I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE OVER 2000 APARTMENT UNITS, ONE MILE FROM SAMSUNG.
AND AS IT RELATES TO THE PICKUP SERVICE, IT DOES NOT TRAVEL EAST WEST.
SO I WOULD ASK YOU TO LOOK AT THE EAST WEST CONNECTIVITY THAT IS MISSING IN THAT AREA AND TO ACTUALLY EXPAND THAT ZONE FROM OL ALL THE WAY TO CVS PHARMACY AT BREAKER AND NORTHMORE TO SAME AREA.
I KEEP ASKING YOU TO MOVE THE MIDBLOCK STOP FROM CHINATOWN 5 8 5 7 TO THE CVS PHARMACY.
OTHERWISE THE PEOPLE IN THAT AREA CAN ONLY RELY ON THE 3 92 BECAUSE THERE'S A GAP.
SO I'M GONNA ASK THAT YOU ANALYZE THAT GAP AND MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS.
AND I WOULD LASTLY ASK YOU TO PLEASE RESTORE THE ONE SEAT RIDE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN, NORTH OF US, 180 3.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT SPECIFICALLY WE'RE ROUTE 30 19.
THE ONE SEAT RIDE ACTUALLY SERVES 22 EISD STUDENTS WHO DO NOT LIVE IN THE SERVICE AREA.
AND SO I WOULD JUST REFER YOU TO THE ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 16TH, 2016 BOARD MEETING WHERE CHAIR COOPER AT THE TIME DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND INVITED WESTLAKE HILLS MAYOR LINDA ANTHONY, TO REJOIN THE SERVICE AREA.
SO THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME PARODY.
AND I ALSO WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE TWO 17 IS A FEEDER BUS FOR SOUTHEAST AUSTIN, BUT THE NORTHEAST AUSTIN FEEDER RUNS ONCE AN HOUR AND IT'S ONLY SEVEN TO 10 AND THE PEOPLE STILL CAN'T GET TO THEY LABOR.
AND SO IT'S NOT EQUITABLE, MR. CHAIR.
AND I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO LOOK AT THE RUNTIME, UH, AND TO MAKE IT EQUITABLE.
FIVE TO MIDNIGHT GETS YOU TO WORK, BUT SEVEN TO 10 ON A ONE HOUR ROUTE DOES NOT.
AND SO I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO MAKE MY COMMENTS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE, UH, THANK YOU MS. JOSEPH.
APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR PRESENTING TO THE BOARD.
LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE ONE, UH, PERSON ON SITE.
CAN YOU, HERNANDEZ, CAN YOU PUSH THE BUTTON ON THE MICROPHONE? THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS PEDRO HERNANDEZ JUNIOR, AND I WORK WITH PO AND I'M AN ENVIRONMENT WITH, IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION.
I'M A RESIDENT OF THE MENTALIS
[00:25:01]
NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALSO THE CHAIR FOR VASQUEZ FIELDS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.I'M ALSO ON THE PTA AT THE ALLISON ELEMENTARY.
UM, I AM HERE TO SPEAK ON THE ELIMINATION FOR SERVICE CHANGES FOR THE ROUTE TWO 17 MENTALIS FEED TO ALLISON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND, UM, IN SPEAKING WITH SOME OF THE PARENTS AND SOME OF THE SCHOOL STAFF, MANY ARE UNAWARE OF THE BUS STOP STILL BEING THERE DUE TO THE BUS SEAT, DUE TO THE BUS STOP SEAT BEING REMOVED.
SO THEY CAN'T TELL IF THERE'S A BUS STOPPER THERE OR NOT.
STAFF FEEL THAT RIDERSHIP SHOULD INCREASE, WOULD INCREASE BY 25 TO 30% IF THE, IF THE PICKUP TIME WAS MOVED, WHICH HE DID ADDRESS ALL THAT, THAT ALREADY.
UM, THEY'RE REQUESTING THAT THE PICKUP TIME, THE STAFF IS REQUESTING THAT THE PICKUP TIME BE PUSHED BACK TO AT LEAST THREE 20 TO GIVE THEM THE PARENTS ENOUGH TIME TO PICK UP THE KIDS AND GET THEM TO THE BUS STOP.
UM, I'M ASKING THAT Y'ALL DON'T ELIMINATE THE BUS STOP.
IT IS AGAIN, UH, CON CON CONSIST OF A LOT OF LATINO, UM, STUDENTS AND, UM, UNDER UNDERPRIVILEGED STUDENTS.
SO PLEASE DON'T ELIMINATE THE BUS STOP AND CONSIDER MAKING THAT CHANGE TO PUSH THE, THE TIME BACK.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD BOARD.
UH, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE ROOM WHO WOULD, UH, WHO DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO SIGN UP BUT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? ANYONE IN THE, IN THE CROWD THAT WANTS TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD? I'LL SAY THE THIRD TIME FOR POSTERITY.
ANYONE WANNA SPEAK TO THE BOARD? OKAY.
UH, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO DID MAKE COMMENTS.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC HEARING FOR TODAY.