* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [I. Call to Order] [00:01:04] WELL, I SHOULD SAY GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT TO, UH, TO OUR PUBLIC HEARING AND SPECIAL BOARD MEETING. UH, I WILL CALL THIS MEETING THE ORDER TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH. THE TIME IS 1222, UH, WITH A, WITH A QUORUM, UM, AVAILABLE. HAVE TO CHECK WITH MY ATTORNEY WITH THE QUORUM AVAILABLE. UH, WE'LL START THE MEETING AT AT, UH, 12, UH, 22. UH, WE ARE GOING TO, UM, REARRANGE OUR ORDER. WE'RE GOING DIRECTLY TO ACTION ITEMS AND UH, WE WILL GO WHEN WE FINISH OUR ACTION ITEM, WE'LL GO, UH, BACK TO THE FRONT AND, AND, UH, THEN, UH, WORK ON THE REST OF [IV.1. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to apply for the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) 2028-2031 Call for Projects, submitting both CapMetro’s Bus Stop Street Furniture and Equipment Program and Hybrid Bus Fleet Upgrade Program for CAMPO consideration, and committing to providing local match funding from CapMetro should the projects be selected.] OUR AGENDA. FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA, AND I'LL READ IT INTO THE, I'LL READ IT INTO THE RECORD, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HER DESIGNEE TO APPLY FOR THE CAP, UH, CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, CAMPO 2028, UH, THROUGH 2031 CALL FOR PROJECTS SUBMITTING BOTH CAP METRO'S BUS STOPS, UH, STREET FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT PROGRAM AND HYBRID BUS FLEET UPGRADE PROGRAM FOR CAMPO CONSIDERATION. AND, UH, COMMITTING TO PROVIDING LOCAL MATCH FUNDING FROM CAB METRO SHOULD THE PROJECTS BE SELECTED AND ANNA LAND WILL, WILL MAKE THIS PRESENTATION FOR US. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD CHAIR, ILION PRESIDENT, CEO WATKINS. MY NAME IS ANNA LAN. I'M THE TO OD MANAGER AT CAT METRO AND HERE WE'RE HERE TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR THE BOARD RESOLUTION FOR THE TWO PROJECTS. UM, THAT BOARD OR CHAIR TAVION STATED THE BUS STOP STREET FURNITURE EQUIPMENT PROGRAM AND THE HYBRID BUS FLEET UPDATE UPGRADE PROGRAM. UM, THIS WAS ORIGINALLY PRESENTED ON JANUARY 14TH TO THE UM, FINANCE AUDIT AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE AND WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE JANUARY 26TH BOARD, UM, AGENDA THAT WAS RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER. WE ARE SEEKING THE APPLICATION FOR THESE TWO PROJECTS UNDER THE CAMPBELL CALL FOR PROJECTS, WHICH IS BASICALLY A COMPETITION FOR FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION, UM, FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDS, ELIGIBLE FOR ROADWAYS, TRANSIT, MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS, AND SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS. THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO APPLY UNDER AND THEY ARE THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BLOCK GRANT TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE SET ASIDE AND THE CARBON REDUCTIONS PROGRAM. THE FIRST PROJECT IS THE CAP METRO BUS STOP STREET FURNITURE EQUIPMENT PROGRAM. WE ARE SEEKING FUNDS TO INSTALL 120 BUS STOP SHELTERS AND AMENITIES AND 76 88 PRIORITY TRANSIT STOPS. THE TOTAL COST IS APPROXIMATELY A LITTLE OVER 8.1 MILLION AND IF AWARDED, WE WOULD COMMIT TO A MATCH OF APPROXIMATELY A LITTLE OVER 1.6 MILLION. THE SECOND IS THE HYBRID BUS FLEET UPGRADE PROGRAM. THIS IS FOR THE PURCHASE OF 18 DIESEL ELECTRIC HYBRID BUSES TO REPLACE OUR AGING FLEET. AND IT'S A PLANNED AND PHASE SET OF FUTURE BUS REPLACEMENTS THAT SUPPORTS OUR STATE OF GOOD REPAIR GOALS. THE TOTAL PROJECT COSTS US $27 MILLION AND IF AWARDED, WE COMMIT TO A LOCAL MATCH OF $5.4 MILLION. AND THAT'S THE END. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE, UH, CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO, UH, CHAIR BEFORE WE TAKE THAT MOTION. I'VE BEEN INFORMED THAT ONE OF OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK NOT JUST ON THE PUBLIC HEARING, BUT ALSO ON THIS ACTION ITEM. SO I THINK IT WOULD MAKE SENSE THAT WE HEAR FROM THEM BEFORE WE THE BOARD TAKES A VOTE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, WOULD THAT BE MS. JOSEPH? YEAH, I BELIEVE SO. IS IT? YES, MS. JOSEPH, ARE YOU WITH US? [00:05:11] YES, MR. EASTON. I'M, WHAT IS IT YOU'RE WANTING ME TO COMMENT ON? IS IT THE ACTUAL PUBLIC HEARING OR IS IT THE ACTION ITEM? I KNOW YOU, UH, CHANGED SOME ORDER OR SOMETHING, BUT I DIDN'T CATCH ALL THAT WAS SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. THE ACTION ITEM. OKAY, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR MEMBERS. I'M ENOVIA JOSEPH. I JUST WANTED TO SAY AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN AND PLANNING ORGANIZATION ITEM AS IT RELATES TO THE BUS STOP FURNITURE, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE, AND I MENTIONED THIS IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AS WELL, SPECIFICALLY AT 1 2 0 4 1, THAT'S ST. ALBERT, THE GREAT CATHOLIC CHURCH ON VETERAN HOLLOW 12 100 IS ON METRIC. THERE WAS A BUS STOP SHELTER THAT WAS JUST PLACED THERE WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS AND ALSO ONE ON PALMER OR NEAR PALMER AT PALMER ELEMENTARY. BUT I WOULD JUST REMIND YOU SPECIFICALLY THAT AT BREAKER AND METRIC THERE IS STILL A FLAT BENCH FOR ROUTE 3 92. AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS WELL THAT THE TRASH CANS, AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, ARE BEING REMOVED FROM CAPITOL METRO'S BUS STOP, SPECIFICALLY NORTH PLAZA AND BERG. AND THERE ARE BUS STOP, UH, TRASH CANS THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM 3 92 STOP ID 5 3 2 3 3 0 8 7. THAT'S RATHER HAM AND CHAR. SO WHILE YOU ARE ASKING FOR MORE AMENITIES, THE QUESTION IS WHY IS IT THAT YOU'RE UNILATERALLY ALLOWING THE STAFF TO REMOVE THOSE FROM THE BUS STOP RE RECEIVING MOORE IS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE SYSTEM MORE EQUITABLE. I WOULD JUST REMIND YOU THAT NORTH OF NORTHEAST OF US 180 3, THE SYSTEM IS ACTUALLY INEQUITABLE THERE. I WOULD JUST CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THE LETTER THAT WAS WRITTEN BY SHARMILA MUKERJEE THAT SAID 50% OF THE ENHANCED STOPS WERE ON RUNDBERG, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. SO I'VE ASKED MR. FULMER TO ANALYZE THE BUS STOP SHELTERS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF THOSE ASSETS. THE YELLOW BOOK GIVES HIM HIS GUIDELINES AS IT RELATES TO THESE AUDITS. HE'S NOT DONE SO AT THIS POINT, BUT I WOULD JUST REMIND YOU THAT THE PASS THROUGH FUNDS THAT YOU RECEIVE ARE FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AND THAT YOUR SYSTEM AS MY COMMENTS ALWAYS ARE, ARE IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN. AND YOUR SYSTEM IS INEQUITABLE AS IT RELATES TO THE BUS STOP SHELTERS AND AMENITIES. SO I ACTUALLY AM AGAINST THAT. I KNOW THAT TRAVIS COUNTY WILL BE LOOKING AT THIS ITEM TOMORROW, AND I'M ALSO AGAINST THE RED LINE PARKWAY TRAIL FUNDING. IT'S ABOUT $2 MILLION THAT'S IN THE SAME CALL FOR PROJECTS. SO I JUST WOULD ASK YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE NORTH LAMAR AREA IN PARTICULAR AND TO CEO DOTIE WATKINS. I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THE MID-BLOCK STOP NEED TO BE CLOSED ON LAMAR, ESPECIALLY AT YEAGER, WHERE MR. UH, IS IMAM ISLAM. MOSSAD WAS KILLED JULY 27TH, 2025, SAME AREA AS MR. NORTON IN 2026. ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 30TH, HE WAS HIT AND THEN HE DIED FROM HIS INJURIES, HIS SERVICE DOG LIVED. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS, MR. CHAIRS. IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THIS ITEM. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE ACTION ITEM I TOLD MR. EASTON I SPEAK ON. I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHY YOU REMOVED OUR SUMMARY OF COMMENTS. UM, SO THAT ACTUALLY ALIGNS WITH YOUR MINUTES, THAT VIEWPOINT DISCRIMINATION, AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHY YOU NO LONGER PUT OUR COMMENTS IN THE BOARD PACKET. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME AND WE'LL JUST ASK FOR GUIDANCE AS IT RELATES TO THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALRIGHT, UM, BOARD MEMBERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, UM, THANK YOU MS. UH, THANK YOU MS. JOSEPH. UH, ALSO, UH, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD HERE DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD? ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? WELL, I GUESS WE'RE ON ACCIDENT ITEM. THIS IS NOT PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, LET ME TAKE THAT BACK AND, AND, UH, ASK, UH, LET'S SEE IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE. OKAY. UM, OKAY, WE GOT BOARD MEMBER. OKAY, SO, ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED, UH, THAT WE APPROVE ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE. IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ACTION ITEM NUMBER [00:10:01] ONE AND LET'S SAY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BOARD MEMBERS ARE ON CAMERA, SEE THE, SEE BOTH BOARD MEMBERS ON CAMERA. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE, OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER ONE. PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, SO, AND, AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE FOUR A'S AND I WILL MAKE IT UNANIMOUS. UH, AND UH, SO ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE HAS BEEN APPROVED. THANK YOU, MS. LANCE. ALRIGHT, [II.1. Public Hearing on Bus Farebox Replacement Project] NOW, NOW LET ME GO BACK AND, AND, UH, LET'S SEE. WE CALLED THE ORDER AT 1220, UH, 1222. UH, NOW WE WILL MOVE INTO OUR, UH, PRESENTATION FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, WHICH SHOULD BE BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENTS NOT SO, ALL RIGHT, UH, SO LET'S, UH, LET'S PUT THE PRESENTATION TOGETHER. THERE'LL BE PETER BRADEN AND, UH, PLEASE, UH, PLEASE, UH, PRESENT. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ILION, PRESIDENT AND CEO WATKINS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS PETER BRETON. I AM A SENIOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR HERE ON BEHALF OF THE CAP METRO TEAM WORKING ON IMPROVING OUR FAIR PROGRAMS. I HOPE FOR YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY YOU HAVE REMEMBERED TO BOOK YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY RESERVATIONS. I AM HERE TODAY TO PRESENT ON TWO TOPICS, THE DAY PASS RETIREMENT AND THE FAIRBOX REPLACEMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY. HEALTH AND SAFETY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. SO BEFORE WE GET INTO DEPTH, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT THESE TWO ITEMS, WHILE DISTINCT GO HAND IN HAND, THEY'RE LINKED THAT PERSPECTIVE. FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WE EXPECT THAT CUSTOMERS WILL EXPERIENCE THIS AS ONE CHANGE. THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN MAKING STRATEGIC STEPS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS TO MODERNIZE OUR TECHNOLOGY, IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, AND SIMPLIFY THE OPTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO FARES. NOW WE'LL START BY TALKING ABOUT THE DAY PASS RETIREMENT AND THEN THE FAIRBOX REPLACEMENT. HOWEVER, I WANT TO PROVIDE YOU ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION OUT OF ORDER. OUR FAIR BOXES ARE 20 YEARS OLD. REVENGE OF THE SIP, THE IPOD SHUFFLE, THE FIRST VIDEO EVER POSTED TO YOUTUBE. TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED A LOT SINCE 2005 AND CONSIDERING THE UNFATHOMABLE ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY SINCE THE TIME OUR FAIR BOXES WERE FIRST INSTALLED, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE OPTIONS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO IMPROVE THEIR EXPERIENCE AND HOPEFULLY PROVIDE THEM MORE VALUE. YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TIME-BASED VERSUS ACCOUNT-BASED PAYMENT SYSTEMS ON THIS SLIDE, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF WORDS. WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY OPERATING BOTH OF THESE SYSTEMS AT ONCE AND OUR MOMENTUM IS TOWARDS OPERATING ONLY ONE THAT IS FOR SIMPLICITY, EFFICIENCY AND A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. IF YOU USE A PAPER PASS TODAY, YOU ARE USING THE TIME-BASED SYSTEM. WHEN YOU ACTIVATE OR DIP THE PAPER PASS, A TIMER STARTS AND YOU ARE ABLE TO SWIPE THAT PASS AS VALID FAIR MEDIA FOR THE TIME THAT THAT TIMER IS ACTIVE. IF YOU USE A RELOADABLE FAIR CARD OR THE YU O APP, YOU ARE USING THE ACCOUNT BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM. YOU PAY PER RIDE AND YOU ARE CAPPED AT CERTAIN AMOUNTS OF CERTAIN THRESHOLDS. THAT PAPER PASS. WHEN YOU ACTIVATE IT, YOU STEADILY LOSE VALUE. I LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS AN HOURGLASS. YOU CAN ONLY BUY A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF SAND AND YOU ONLY HAVE A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME TO USE IT. IF YOU LOSE THE PASS, IF YOU GET SICK, IF YOU DECIDE THAT I WOULD RATHER TAKE AN UBER HOME, YOU LOSE VALUE. HOWEVER, IN CONTRAST, THE ACCOUNT BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM LETS YOU PUT IN ONLY AS MUCH SAND AS YOU NEED AT ONE TIME. AND IF YOU LOSE YOUR PHONE OR THE RELOADABLE FARE CARD, YOU DON'T LOSE THE VALUE THAT YOU'VE PUT IN SO LONG AS YOU'VE REGISTERED. IT'S RECOVERABLE. CONSIDERING THE BENEFITS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, WE'VE BEEN MAKING STRATEGIC STEPS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS TO PREPARE FOR A FULL TRANSITION FROM THE TIME-BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM TO AN ACCOUNT-BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM. WE ARE NOW AT THE POINT WHERE WE WILL MAKE A BIG LEAP AND RETIRE THE TIME-BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR ALL OF OUR FIXED ROUTE LOCAL AND COMMUTER SERVICES. HERE IS A SIMPLE SUMMARY OF THE CHANGES WE ARE PROPOSING TO THE FAIR STRUCTURE. LOCAL AND COMMUTER FAIRS WILL SEE A REMOVAL OF THE TIME-BASED PAYMENT OR PAST PRODUCTS AND THE ADDITION OF FAIR CAPPING THRESHOLDS STATED [00:15:01] EXPLICITLY RATHER THAN AS REFERENCES TO THE PRICE OF THE EQUIVALENT TIME-BASED PAST PRODUCT. THERE'S ALSO CLARIFICATIONS MADE TO MAKE PICKUP A DISCREET FARE AND STATE EXPLICITLY THAT FAIR CAPPING DOES NOT APPLY TO THAT SERVICE CODIFYING OUR CURRENT PRACTICE. WHILE WE EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING FAIR CAPPING ON PICKUP, WE'VE ALSO ADDED LANGUAGE TO DEFINE THE INTERVALS FOR FAIR CAPPING WITH A DAILY FAIR CAP BEING ASSESSED DURING A SERVICE DAY AND A MONTHLY FAIR CAP BEING ASSESSED DURING A CALENDAR MONTH. WE CONDUCTED A TITLE SIX FAIR EQUITY ANALYSIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR FAIR POLICY BECAUSE WE'RE CHANGING HOW THE FAIR SYSTEM WORKS. TITLE SIX STUDIES ARE USED TO CALCULATE WHETHER CHANGES IN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, OR SERVICES, UH, FROM ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING FEDERAL FUNDING DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAIN, UH, DISCRIMINATE AGAINST PEOPLE BASED ON RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN. AS REQUIRED BY THE TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, THE KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY WE CONDUCTED SHOWED THAT MORE THAN 97% OF ALL TRIPS MADE USING THE SERVICE WOULD NOT SEE A FAIR CHANGE WITH FEWER THAN 3% OF ALL TRIPS AFFECTED. THESE ARE TRIPS MADE WITH DAY PASSES PURCHASED WITH CASH ON OUR BUSES OR AT TICKET VENDING MACHINES. IF YOU ARE A CUSTOMER THAT CURRENTLY PAYS WITH CASH FOR DAY PASSES AND YOU RIDE FREQUENTLY, YOU WILL ACTUALLY BENEFIT BY TRANSITIONING TO THE YU O APP OR THE RELOADABLE FARE CARD BECAUSE YOU GET ACCESS TO DAILY AND MONTHLY FAIR CABINING. WE STUDIED THE IMPACTS OF DAY PASS RETIREMENT ON TWO GROUPS AS A PART OF THE FAIR EQUITY ANALYSIS, MINORITY CUSTOMERS AND LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS. WE THEN LOOKED TO SEE WHETHER THOSE GROUPS MAY SEE DISPROPORTIONATE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OR IF THOSE GROUPS WOULDN'T RECEIVE PROPORTIONATE BENEFITS. WHEN REVIEWING THE IMPACTS TO MINORITY CUSTOMERS, WE SEE NO DISPARATE IMPACT. THE IMPACT WE DO SEE IS MINOR WITH A LESS THAN 2% DIFFERENCE IN THE IMPACT BETWEEN MINORITY CUSTOMERS AND NON-MINORITY CUSTOMERS. WHEN REVIEWING THE IMPACTS TO LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS, WE SEE NO DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN EITHER. THE IMPACT WE DO SEE, AGAIN, IS MINOR WITH LESS THAN 2% DIFFERENCE IN THE IMPACT BETWEEN LOW INCOME AND NON LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS. OKAY, NOW I WILL MOVE ON TO OUR FAIR BOX REPLACEMENT, BUT BEFORE I DO, I WANT TO NOTE THAT THIS YEAR WILL BE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NINTENDO. WE, OUR FAIR BOXES NEED TO BE REPLACED. HE DIDN'T SAY MTV , THERE ARE OUR FAIR BOXES NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEY ARE NO LONGER SUPPORTED BY THE MANUFACTURER. AND A NEW SYSTEM WILL LOWER OUR ONGOING COSTS OF GOOD REPAIR. KNOWING THAT AN ACCOUNT-BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM IMPROVES THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND THEREFORE PLANNING FOR THE RETIREMENT OF THE TIME-BASED PAYMENT SYSTEM, WE MADE THE STRATEGIC DECISION TO ALIGN THE FAIRBOX REPLACEMENT AND DAY PASS RETIREMENT. OUR NEW VALIDATORS OFFER IMPROVED PAYMENT OPTIONS THAT ALLOW FOR FAIR CAPPING SUCH AS THE YU MAP RELOADABLE FARE CARD AND RECENTLY TAP TO PAY, THOUGH TAP TO PAY IS ONLY DAILY FAIR CAPPING. THERE WE GO. THE NEW FAIR FAIR BOXES WILL STILL ACCEPT CASH AS PAYMENT FOR SINGLE RIDES. WE DO ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS WHO PAY WITH CASH TO USE A RELOADABLE FAIR CARD OR THE UMO APP, WHICH ENSURES THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE MAXIMUM VALUE FOR THEIR MONEY WITH DAILY AND MONTHLY FAIR CAPPING. AT THE UPCOMING BOARD MEETING ON THE 23RD, WE WILL BE ASKING THE BOARD TO APPROVE THESE FAIR STRUCTURE CHANGES IF APPROVED, WE WILL END BULK PURCHASES OF DAY PASSES STARTING MARCH 1ST AND SALES OF DAY PASSES ON BUSES AND AT TBMS TICKET VENDING MACHINES IN EARLY MAY AND STOP ACCEPTING PAPER PASSES ON OUR BUSES STARTING ON JUNE 1ST. INSTALLATION OF THE NEW FAIR BOXES WOULD SPAN FROM ROUGHLY JUNE 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 1ST, AND WE EXPECT TO END OUR PAPER PASSPORT EXCHANGE PROGRAM AT THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR. THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM IS STILL IN DEVELOPMENT AND WE EXPECT TO LAUNCH IT BEFORE JUNE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HOPE THE INFORMATION IS HELPFUL. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YES, GO AHEAD. BOARD MEMBER . THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, HOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE STILL USING CASH? THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. I MAY LEAN ON SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE IN THE ROOM. I KNOW WE CAN [00:20:01] FOLLOW UP. OKAY, GREAT. I KNOW IT'S A SMALL PERCENTAGE, BUT, UH, JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, I'M WONDERING HOW MUCH, HOW, HOW MANY FOLKS IT IS. OKAY. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. UH, HEARING NONE. THANK YOU. BUT YOU MIGHT WANNA, UH, STAY CLOSE BECAUSE NOW WE'LL OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING AND, UH, WE'LL TAKE OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON IT, ON THE, UH, ON THE FARES ITEM AND, UH, GIVE THE GENERAL PUBLIC AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELL US WHATEVER THEY WANT TO TELL US. THANK YOU. SO, UH, LET'S SEE. I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER WHO HAS SIGNED UP IN ADVANCE. UH, LET'S SEE. CAN WE CALL MS. JOSEPH BACK? MS. JOSEPH, DID YOU WANT TO MAKE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TODAY? LET'S SEE. IS SHE STILL WITH US? SHE IS. I'M ON THE, YES, I'M ON THE LINE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MR. CHAIR. OKAY, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR MEMBERS. I'M ENOVIA JOSEPH. I WANTED TO MAKE MY COMMENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN. I DO SEE YOU HAVE A TITLE SIX FAIR EQUITY ANALYSIS ON PAGE NINE OF 86. HOWEVER, IT IS DISINGENUOUS FOR YOUR STAFF MEMBERS TO SAY THAT FEWER THAN 3% OF THE TRIPS ARE AFFECTED, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT TAKE MORE THAN TWO TRIPS A DAY OR TWICE A DAY. I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT CAT REMAP JUNE 3RD, 2018 ELIMINATED NORTHEAST WEST CONNECTIVITY. SO STARTING THERE, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE MORE THAN TWO BUSES TO GET ANYWHERE IF YOU ARE NORTHEAST OF US, 180 3. I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR ORIGINS AND DESTINATION SURVEY FROM 2023, THERE'S GOOD ARTICLE IN THE AUSTIN MONITOR BY NINA HERNANDEZ, OCTOBER 25TH, 2023, WHICH SPECIFY THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN RIDER ARE THE MOST TRANSIT DEPENDENT AND IT WENT UP TO 88%. SO THE QUESTION IS, DID YOU ACTUALLY ANALYZE WHAT IMPACT THIS WOULD HAVE ON AFRICAN AMERICANS IN PARTICULAR, AND THEN THE IMMIGRANTS THAT ARE NORTHEAST OF US, 180 3, AND THE HISPANIC RIDER TOO. I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT IT WAS MARCH 25TH, 2024 WHEN YOUR SERVICE, AN ANALYSIS MANAGER, JENNIFER GOVEA, ACTUALLY SAID, IF A PASSENGER NEEDS THREE VEHICLES TO GET TO THEIR DESTINATION, THEIR COUNTY, THREE TIMES, YOU'RE USING THE AUTOMATIC PASSENGER COUNTER. YOU ARE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE COUNTING THE MINORITY POPULATION. AND SPECIFICALLY, SHE SAID, THIS IS PART OF OUR FEDERAL FUNDING ALLOCATION AND OUR FORMULA FOR RECEIVING FUNDS FROM THE FDA FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION. I DO WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE MR. CHAIR, THAT THIS DOES HAVE A DISPARATE IMPACT ON AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LOW INCOME RIDERS. THE DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN, IF YOU ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO PAY $1 AND 25 CENTS PER RIDE, THAT'S $1 AND 25 CENTS, TWO 50 FOR JUST GOING TWO BUSES BEFORE THEY EVEN GET TO WORK. THAT'S ABOUT $5 THEY HAVE TO GET BACK. THAT'S ABOUT $10 ROUND TRIPS. THAT'S MORE THAN THE ACTUAL COMMUTER PASS. I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THE COMMUTERS ALSO RIDE FREE ON GAME DAYS WHEN THE TRAIN IS TOO FULL AND THEY CAN'T EVEN GET TO THE FAIR BOX ON THE 8 0 3 METRO RAPIDS, I WOULD ASK YOU TO TABLE THIS ITEM, GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND TO DO THE ANALYSIS APPROPRIATELY AS OPPOSED TO TRYING TO SELL THIS SYSTEM TO US AS THOUGH IT'S THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD. I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE ARGUMENTS BETWEEN THE UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS AND PEOPLE WHO JUST GET ON THE BUS AND YOU STILL HAVE THE 20 SOMETHING YEAR OLDS THAT GET ON THE BUS AND SAY, STUDENT, AND THEY HAVE NO ID BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T ENFORCED IT. THIS IS DISCRIMINATORY. AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE THE SYSTEM EQUITABLE AS OPPOSED TO DIMINISHING THE SERVICE AND TREATING US LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME, BUT YOUR ANALYSIS IS FLAWED BECAUSE IT DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THESE ROUTES THAT I'VE BEEN UNILATERALLY ELIMINATED BY ROBERTO GONZALEZ, WHO ALSO WAS THERE WITH GOVEA WHEN SHE MADE HER PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD. AND IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO RETIRE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING TO MAKE BOARD MEMBERS. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, CHAIR, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS, UH, THE BOARD? ANY OTHER, UH, ANY OTHER, UH, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL CALLS? ED? OKAY. UH, SO WITH, WITHOUT ANYONE WHO WANTS TO MAKE A PRESENTATION IN, IN THE AUDIENCE WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL CALLS, UH, THEN I WILL CALL THIS MEETING. [00:25:01] UH, I WILL CLOSE THIS MEETING AT 1246. 1246. ANY ANY QUESTIONS OR OBSERVATIONS? HAVE WE DONE EVERYTHING? OKAY? ALRIGHT. MEETING IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED. ALL RIGHT. YOU'LL GIVE US A SECOND TO REARRANGE SEATS. WE'LL START THE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.