AG 1999 06 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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of funding and the flow of information makes the direct integration of the social and health services with general public transit services very difficult. Economies of scale that could be realized are not possible due to the regulations. This should not be taken, however, as a prohibition against integration of services. The solution lies in finding commonly used services and com.bining their operations. For example, customer information is required for all public transit services and can be provided by a central source. In this way, economies of scale can be achieved without violating funding regulations. · Market Development Building a ridership base is not simply providing bus service and advertising the schedule in local newspapers. This element of the market development process is a necessity but it is not as effective in the long run as the community design and land use efforts that are oriented to making the bus system more accessible and easier to use. The joint or coordinated planning of new residential, commercial, and institutional projects with the transit system will ultimately provide for a more attractive alternative (the bus) than private automobiles for some people. The more accessible and attractive the system is, the more people will ride. The larger the market, the better the level of service that the community will afford in terms of contracted hours of system operation and bus frequencies. The building of transit's market share is a fundamental role of the agency that manages the system in cooperation with City and County Planning Departments. · Recommended Structure Based on the preliminary level of development of the system, the most cost effective structure will utilize an existing local government agency to host the transit program. The operation of the regional services will be by a contract that is competitively procured. The services to be provided must be negotiated with adjoining jurisdictions and interlocal agreements signed to reflect the payment provisions and the expected performance. The capital requirements must be defined and sources of funding identified. IrA may become a funding partner and the procurement of vehicles and facilities will have to follow federal guidelines. If capital funds are not available, the contract with a private operator must specify the equipment needs and requirements. A plan for integrating the support services for fixed route bus service and paratransit services must be developed in order to realize the economics of scale noted earlier. Similarly, a plan to initiate the long term development of a transit market should be put in place. The participation of the local land use regulatory bodies and land developers / architects and engineers in the establishment of development guidelines is a key. Figure 2 illustrates conceptually how the initial regional transit system should be organized.