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Sacramento Transportation Management AssociationParking at three RT lots to cost $1 in 2010
Beginning Jan. 1, it will cost $1 a day to park at three of Regional Transit's park-and-ride lots. The Watt/I-80, Watt/I-80 West and Roseville Road light-rail stations were chosen for the parking fee pilot program because they are along the freeway, lessening the chance that RT customers would park in neighborhoods to avoid the new fee as they could at other stations, officials said.
RT customers can choose to buy a monthly parking pass for $15. Motorists can pay the daily fee by cell phone or at a kiosk at the loading platform.
To pay for the use of a parking place at the kiosk, an RT customer punches in the four-digit number of the stall. There is no need for the RT customer to return to a vehicle to place any receipt in the vehicle window.
The three lots have a combined 1,578 stalls with an average weekday use of 951 vehicles. RT decided to charge at the three lots at the end of the Blue Line because the district needs to make up for lost state transit money and declining sales tax revenue. The pilot program will be re-evaluated in the summer to provide the RT board with information on how much money is generated by the fee and how many people choose to pay for the parking spaces.
For more information about the monthly pass and other information, go to www.sacrt.com/PP&R.stm
RT Board approves Fare Increases and Service Reductions - Effective September 2009
(June 22nd) The RT Board of Directors approved fare and service changes in an effort to close the gap on a projected $9 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2010, RT will implement fare changes effective Tuesday, September 1, 2009, and service changes effective Sunday, September 6, 2009.
The RT Board of Directors approved nine of the 11 staff-recommended service changes. Routes 54 and 65 were removed from consideration. Routes 63 and 83 were added to the list of service changes (see table below).
The RT Board of Directors approved increases to the Basic fare, Discount fare and Paratransit single fare; and the elimination of the Central City fares, Shuttle fares and transfers, which will require passengers to pay the Basic or Discount fare for each trip. There was no increase to the cost of the daily pass and monthly pass, which allow unlimited use, including transfers.
RT is managing the complete elimination of State Transit Assistance funds through Fiscal Year 2013 and a projected $24 million loss of local sales tax revenue for Fiscal Year 2010 by continuing to control labor and non-labor costs, and identify additional sources of revenue to absorb this shortfall. Approved fare and service changes will save approximately $4 million.
"The RT Board of Directors were faced with very difficult decisions that will affect how people travel for work, school, medical appointments and other purposes," Mike Wiley, General Manager/CEO, stated. "RT staff has worked hard to minimize the negative impacts on our riders."
|
Route |
Name |
Service Days |
Notes |
|
5 |
Meadowview – Valley Hi |
Sundays/Holidays |
Eliminate |
|
36 |
Folsom |
Weekdays |
Decrease service frequency from 30 minutes to 60 minutes |
|
37 |
Tahoe Park – 21st Avenue |
Weekdays |
Eliminate; Route 8 provides alternative service |
|
63 |
24th Street – Hogan – City College |
Weekdays |
Eliminate north section of route; maintain south section of route to serve Florin and Meadowview areas |
| 73 | White Rock | Saturdays |
Eliminate |
| 75 | Mather Field | Saturdays |
Eliminate the 6:40 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. trips |
| 83 | 14th Avenue | Weekdays |
Decrease service frequency from 30 minutes to 60 minutes |
| 140 | Ziggurat – Downtown | Weekdays |
Eliminate; Yolobus Route 40 provides alternative service |
The elimination of the Lifetime Pass, which allows free fare for passengers age 75 and over, was approved; however, passengers who currently possess a Lifetime Pass will be allowed to continue to use the pass beyond September 1. All other seniors would be required to pay the Discount fare. RT staff will develop a recommendation for a "Super Senior" discount fare for implementation on September 1.
The RT Board of Directors approved the fare increase for the Paratransit monthly pass, but did not approve limiting the number of rides.
The RT Board of Directors also approved setting a public hearing for July 27 to consider further service reductions for January 2010, if necessary, as an option that could potentially save $1 million.
For route, schedule and fare information, call 916-321-BUSS (2877) or visit www.sacrt.com
Join Mike Wiley from noon to 1 p.m. the first Friday of every month at www.sacrt.com for his online chat.
Submit your transit-related questions directly to Wiley and receive immediate feedback. No registration is needed and questions will be accepted two hours before and up to the conclusion of the chat.
For more information and instructions, visit www.sacrt.com and click on the "Transit Talk" icon.
Questions or comments can be directed to Michael Young at RT, 556-0119 myoung@sacrt.com
Placer Commuter Express increases fares (May 20, 2009)
Placer Commuter Express (PCE) will increase fares July 1st.
The purpose of the fare modification is to stay in line with inflation, and, most importantly, to help offset decreases in transit subsidy fund sources. 48% of Placer Commuter Express is funded by fare revenue. The remaining 52% is funded by Placer County and our partner cities using Local Transportation Fund (LTF) and State Transit Assistance (STA). The LTF revenue, which is derived from the retail sales tax, is down by more than 16% over the last two years in Placer County. The State Transit Assistance has been reduced by 50% in the current year and will be eliminated statewide beginning next year. In order to keep key transit services operating without significant cuts, it will be necessary for us to increase revenue through passenger fares, as well as reduce operating costs wherever practical.
The last fare increase for PCE was in July of 2007. The fare increases are posted on the website at http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/Works/Transit/~/media/dpw/pct/documents/PCTfareIncrease051509.ashx.
El Dorado Transit (August, 2009)
Effective Tuesday,
9-1-09, Sacramento Regional Transit (RT) will no longer issue or accept
transfers on the RT system. There will be no extensions of the use of
transfers to other transit agencies. As a result,
effective 9-1-09
All contract
terms that allow for acceptance of RT monthly passes remain in effect.
El Dorado Transit will continue to offer the RT/Commuter and RT/Iron
Point Connector combination monthly passes at the current rates of $194
and $130, respectively. Combination passes are available for sale at our
business office at
For more information call El Dorado Transit at (530) 642-5383
El Dorado Transit Fares Effective June 29, 2009:
One-way *Discount Monthly Pass *Discount Pass
Local Community Bus Routes $1.50 75˘ $60.00 $30.00
Grizzly Flat (Thursdays Only) $2.75 $1.35 $60.00 $30.00
Sacramento Commuter $4.50 N/A $162.00 N/A
Iron Point Connector $2.50 $1.25 $90.00 N/A
Sac Med $10.00 N/A N/A N/A
Dial-A-Ride One-way *Discount
Zone A (Placerville) $3.00 + $1.00 per zone crossing $1.50 + 50˘ per zone crossing
Zone B-E $5.00 + $1.00 per zone crossing $3.00 + 50˘ per zone crossing
Zone F-L N/A $5.00 + 50˘ per zone crossing
*Discount fares are available to seniors (60+), persons with disabilities and students
Included in the approved service reductions were the elimination of one (1) afternoon Sacramento commuter bus route and the reduction of the Iron Point Light Rail Connector route from the current seven (7) weekday runs to four (4) weekday runs.
Weekend Dial-A-Ride will remain intact however, weekday Dial-A-Ride will be reduced by 1 vehicle per day. Sac-Med and Senior Day Care services will continue at the current level of service with fare increases.
For more information about El Dorado Transit services call (530) 642-5383 or visit www.eldoradotransit.com.
For route, schedule and fare information, check www.sacrt.com for updated rider alerts or call 321-BUSS (2877)
Regional Transit now has solar powered bus stop signage and lighting units called "i-stops" with the following features:
- Improves communications between drivers and riders via a driver alert beacon, reducing the possibility of pass-bys
- Improves access to bus arrival information via a schedule display and illumination capabilities with braille and buttons to assist visually impaired
- Increases sense of security via high performance, reliable down lighting (at left is a picture)
Regional Transit has six "Nextbus" message boards -- $5,500 each -- installed at six stations. Officials will be able to send messages to those boards using cell phone technology. The boards will tell waiting riders if there is a service disruption and give an estimated arrival time for the next train.
Governor's Budget Proposal Significantly Reduces Transit (2008)
The Governor released his May Revise for the 08 / 09 budget and the news is not good for transit. With ridership surging, the Governor has responded by, once again, cutting transit funding. If the budget moves through as proposed, the result for transit agencies throughout the State, including Sacramento Regional Transit (RT), will likely be another round of service cuts, route eliminations, job loss and an inability to move ahead with many Capital projects.
Locally, the Governor’s 08 / 09 budget proposal will result in an expected loss of $18 million in transit funds to RT. This represents a 12% reduction in RT’s proposed operating budget and comes on the heels of a $14 million loss in the current budget year. The current year loss resulted in a 5% cut in transit services this past January. These cuts were in addition to RT hiring freezes (over 100 positions), travel restrictions and no cost of living increases for management and administrative staff. If the proposal goes through as planned, RT will be faced with the likelihood of reducing service an additional 10%.
At a time when more people are looking to transit, many people feel that RT should be adding service, not eliminating it. The State Assembly and Senate will be debating the budget over the next several weeks. Those wishing to express support for transit, may do so by contacting their state elected officials and the Governor.
--------------- From Mike Wiley General Manager/CEO:
As the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) begins Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, the agency is faced with many challenges. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal for FY 2009 calls for a $1.4 billion cut to transit agencies statewide. The result is an $18 million loss in State Transit Assistance funds to RT, which will severely impact bus and light rail service.
Should the State Legislature approve the proposed budget, this will be the second year in a row that transit funds have been diverted to the state's general fund to balance the state budget. In FY 2008, RT experienced a $14 million loss of state funds, a $14 million loss of sales tax dollars from the Local Transportation Fund, and a $10 million loss of Local Measure A sales tax dollars. RT was forced to reduce bus service by 5 percent in January 2008.
In response to these roadblocks, RT implemented cost-containment measures and ended FY 2008 on a positive note. Reports indicate that revenues were at 2 percent over budget and expenses at $2 million under budget. The year end farebox recovery ratio was 1.4 percent above goal for FY 2008 at 22 percent with the June 2008 farebox recovery ratio coming in at 29.5 percent.
The uncertainty of the state budget creates a dilemma for RT and the 32.6 million commuters, students, seniors and disabled passengers who ride RT each year. RT is at the point where the agency can no longer absorb this magnitude of cuts to transit funding without increasing fares or implementing service reductions - or a combination of both.
At a time when gas prices are high and RT is experiencing double-digit ridership increases, RT is forced to consider drastic service reductions and fare increases. If the State Legislature does not fully fund public transit, the ramifications of these severe budget cuts will extend far beyond this fiscal year.
Timetables and Schedule books. TMA commute coordinators: to order quantities of pocket timetables email Kim Boone at kboone@sacrt.com. Click here for an order form to print, fill out and fax back to RT, (444-0502). For the schedule of any individual line, go to RT's Web site page of the changed schedules.
The current issue of Next Stop News is available on RT's web site.
Bus rapid transit consists of buses that have special lanes set aside for them. Such buses also have the electronic technology to give them green lights at all intersections. Riders buy tickets from machines at the bus stops, saving the time now spent buying tickets from the driver. Electric signs at the bus stops tell riders when the next bus arrives, giving them time to grab a cup of coffee, and rapid buses may have four doors to speed ingress and egress.
The buses will likely be outfitted with communication devices that tell a bus waiting at a stop that a second bus will arrive there shortly. This would allow the first bus to leave sooner, speeding transit flow. The fast-moving buses cost far less than a light-rail system and do much of the work of getting people from place to place.
Bikes
on Light Rail any Time
Regional Transit's Board of Directors has changed its policies on bikes on light rail. Effective May 16th, (Bike to Work Day), bikes will be allowed on light rail anytime. Peak hour restrictions are gone. Also, the maximum number of bikes allowed on each light rail car, except the first car of a train, will increase from two to four.
The two-bike maximum will still apply to the first car of a train to allow space for disabled passengers. Cyclists will need to use either the front or rear light car doors for boarding.
RT is also examining ways to make light rail accessible to more cyclists during its single car operations, typically late at night. On many occasions, cars are not crowded, but cyclists are refused permission to board because two bikes are already in the car.
The changes in RT's policies will make bicycle commuting practical for many more people. For those with long distance commutes, it means cyclists can bike one way and use transit the other. It provides an option for cyclists caught by bad weather, including rain or excessive heat, unhealthy air and those that have mechanical problems.
Smart cards for a Transit System
Smart cards may be the key to making it easier for people to use public transit. With a smart card, transit system riders can travel anywhere in the area using a single card to pay transit fares, parking costs and even admission fees to city-operated swimming pools. The user can pay and select services, that will be paid by the card, over the Internet.
Most transit companies have a monthly pass, so people are already used to carrying a card. A smart card is just another type of card, or one that might have a few enhancements on it. Hong Kong uses smart cards for an intermodal transportation system, for all varieties of land and water-based transportation.
In Toronto, an Integrated Mobility Systems consortium working towards the advancement of sustainable transportation in Canada received a $41,250 grant for a study to assess the feasibility of using smart card technology to introduce a coordinated, multi-mode public transit system in the Greater Toronto Area.
The study will look at the problems people face when they use transit systems to get around large cities and neighboring municipalities.
"Convenience is one of the main reasons why people choose to stay in their cars," said the project manager for the Toronto study. She added that fare and schedule information is not available and transit schedules are so disjointed that you can spend twice the time the trip would take by automobile, even if there is congestion on the road.
The study will conclude in December, when results on rollout coordination, costs and potential challenges will be delivered. The Consortium and the federal Transport Ministry are optimistic that the final results will show. The smart card is similar to what people are already used to doing, so customer acceptance will be high. In fact, they expect that because of the convenience factor, people will be "beating down their doors asking for the cards."
