Public Transit Advisory Committee Minutes

December 18, 2003, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Public Transit Division Office, 933 New Hampshire Street

Members present: Chairman Danny Kaiser, Rob Tabor, Andy Stahmer, Tim Akright, Alan Black, Ernie Dyer

Members excused: Marian Hukle, Melodie Christal, Jo Ann Garrett

Staff members present: Karin Rexroad, Mike Sweeten, BJ Edgemon, Wendy Koerner

Call to Order

            Chairman Danny Kaiser called the meeting to order at 4:06 pm.

Public Comment

            No public comment presented

Agenda Review

            Chairman added Kaw Regional Transit discussion after the Election of 2004 officers.

Public Transit Administrator Update

            Staff introduced BJ Edgemon as the new Operations Manager for the Lawrence division of MV Transportation.

Ridership Report

            Administrator updated PTAC on ridership from August through November, 2003.  Staff pointed out ridership for both systems exceeded 25,000 for eight months in a row, and that October had 25,342 riders for the fixed-route system alone. 

T Sticker with KU on Wheels Pass

            A total of 242 stickers have been sold so far and the fixed-route system has seen 6,687 KU-student riders since the program began in August, 2003.  Staff will again participate in KU on Wheels bus pass sales, January 20 – 23, to answer student questions and promote T sticker sales. 

3rd Anniversary Report

            The 2003 Annual Report was presented to the City Commission on December 16.  Copies of the Annual Report and 2004 Marketing Plan were distributed to PTAC.   Administrator gave an overview of events that occurred in 2003 such as passenger surveys, Master Signage Plan, introduction of “T” stickers, e-Routes, and updates to the www.lawrencetransit.org website.  She provided further information regarding oversight to ensure compliance with FTA and KDOT regulations, the new provider contract and the ratification of the contract between MV Transportation and the Amalgamated Transit Union.  In the area of preventive maintenance, Administrator pointed out that our system’s road calls are substantially lower than the national average per the National Transit Database. 

            In addition, Administrator discussed LTS partnerships with other agencies within the community, highlighted additional ridership information for the past year, and outlined projects and events slated for the coming year.

PTAC Membership

            The terms of three PTAC members are up at the end of this year.  Danny Kaiser and Alan Black have stated they would like to remain on the committee for a second term if reappointed by the Mayor.  Ernie Dyer has declined a second term.  Chairman Kaiser and the committee thanked Ernie for his dedication and commitment to the system and board. 

2004 Meeting Dates

            A handout of the 2004 meeting dates was distributed to PTAC for review.  Alan Black suggested the April 15th meeting be postponed until the following week, April 22nd, due to the Federal tax deadline.

Marketing    

            Administrator covered the 2004 Marketing plan during her report of upcoming projects and events for 2004.  Rachel Cornish will start December 29th as transit’s Marketing Coordinator.

Amenities Committee Update

            LTS has been awarded a $400,000 grant to go towards the acquisition of a transfer station.  Unfortunately this amount is too small to actually purchase land or to build a suitable transfer station, so the Administrator checked with FTA to see if the money could be used towards updating the current transit hubs and FTA said no.  

            Downtown Lawrence Incorporated (DLI) has expressed interest in building an additional parking garage in the area near the Lawrence Public Library.  Amenities Committee is recommending that LTS may explore the opportunity to partner with DLI and incorporate a transfer station in the plans, possibly on the lower level.  Administrator will investigate other agencies that have benefited from this type of facility. 

Route Review

            The Route Review Committee has been busy reviewing information collected from drivers, citizens, and riders to come up with possible revisions to the current schedules and bus routes.  Staff noted that 86% of ridership occurs Monday through Friday.  Therefore, reduction of Saturday service is being reviewed.  It would be logical to increase service or headways on Routes 7 & 8 as they are the two busiest routes, however, vehicles would need to be pulled from other routes to do this.  Careful review of all changes and impacts will be explored by staff and committee. 

Upcoming Discussions – Direction for Staff

            Performance Standards

            Although performance standards have been discussed many times in committee meetings, we do not have a record of formal adoption by the City Commission.   Staff was directed to provide an estimate of passenger miles versus revenue miles and a report of actual accomplishments of the system related to the proposed standards.

Student Passes

            Since the KU “T” sticker pilot program seems successful, the City Commission inquired whether it would be time to offer the same type of pass for elementary, jr. high and high school students.  PTAC directed staff to compile information on what other agencies offer to students for discussion at the February meeting.  A decision would need to be made at the April meeting to allow for City Commission approval and promotion through the school district.

Election of Officers for 2004

            Due to several committee members not being present, Ernie Dyer moved to defer election of officers until the February 19, 2004 meeting.  Rob Tabor seconded and the motion passed unanimously.  PTAC directed Administrator and Chairman to draft a by-law amendment to move Election of Officers to first meeting of each year.

Kaw Regional Transit      

            Kaw Regional Transit (KRT) is no longer supported by the state and has merged with Coordinated Transit District #1, so it is time to dissolve the corporation.  Alan Black will explore the steps necessary to get this done.  Any money left in the KRT checking account will be given back to the City with the exception of a couple thousand dollars to cover tax processing and other miscellaneous expenses. 

Public Comment

            Saunny Scott feels the board should offer discounts to jr. high and high school students as it could be an alternative for parents who would otherwise purchase cars to fill transportation needs.  She also said the “How to Ride the TLift” manual needs to be updated as it does not say passes and tickets can be purchased at the Community Mercantile and it does not say that cancellations must be made 2 hours prior to scheduled ride.  Administrator stated that 1 hour is still the cancellation deadline and we can add a sticker to manuals on hand indicating the Community Mercantile is a sales outlet.

Adjournment

            Meeting adjourned at 5:13 pm, per Chairman Kaiser

Submitted by Wendy Koerner