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ON. >> THE TIME IS NOW 1:38 AND THE MEETING OF TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 1 NOW CALLED TO ORDER.
MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU CALL THE ROLL, PLEASE.
>> CLERK: MA'AM, WE HAVE A QUORUM. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU.
THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES. CAN I GET A MOTION AND
SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? >> MOTION.
>> SECOND. >> GAVITO: SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, SO MOTION CARRIES. OH, SORRY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
MOTION CARRIES. THANKS, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE.
SORRY. MOTION CARRIES AND SO WE'LL MOVE FORWARD TO PUBLIC COMMENT. MADAM CLERK, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? THANK YOU. NOW WE'LL GO TO -- WE HAVE TWO BRIEFINGS FOR
CONSIDERATION. PLEASE READ CAPTION. >> BRIEFING BY VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT ON UPDATE TO THEIR BETTER BUS PLAN.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. CAT HERNANDEZ, DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. WE COORDINATE AND COLLABORATE WITH VIA ON A LOT OF THEIR PROGRAMS AND PLANS AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY ARE DOING TODAY IS [INAUDIBLE] BETTER BUS PLAN, WHICH IS LIKE A MASTER PLAN FOR THEIR TRANSIT SYSTEM.
WITH THAT I'LL HAND IT OVER TO JOHN GARY. >> THANK YOU, CAT.
MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS, GREAT TO BE HERE. WE'RE EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU ALL IN DEPTH ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR AGENCY BUT IN PARTICULAR VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS, OUR RIGHTER SHIP AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS. MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ART AND THAT IS A MASSIVE PROJECT UNDERTAKING FOR OUR AGENCY AND OUR COMMUNITY THAT WILL BE TRANSFORMATIVE. ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WILL BE JUST AS IMPACTFUL TO MANY, MANY OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS WILL BE HOW WE DEVELOP AND DEVISE AN IMPROVEMENT TO OUR BUS SYSTEM. OUR BUS SYSTEM IS THE MAIN WAY THAT WE GET OUR RIDERSHIPS OBVIOUSLY AROUND OUR SYSTEM AND AROUND OUR COMMUNITY HERE. TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE, THEN I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE SANDY FROM OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO COME UP AND TALK IN MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS BETTER BUS EFFORT THAT WE'RE UNDERTAKING. I THOUGHT WE COULD DO BY SETTING THE TABLE AT THE FRONT ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH A KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN WHICH BETTER BUS IS PART OF. WE'LL START WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY WITH THE NUMBERS BECAUSE THAT WILL GIVE INSIGHT.
45 YEARS, WE'RE CELEBRATING OUR 45TH YEAR AS AN AGENCY THIS YEAR.
IN THAT 45 YEARS, WE'VE SEEN OBVIOUSLY OUR COMMUNITY GROW.
WE HAVE 1200 SQUARE MILES THAT WE SERVICE, SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NUMBER TO REMEMBER BECAUSE THAT IS AN AREA THAT'S RATHER LARGE. I KNOW YOU ALL PROBABLY SEE IT IN OTHER ASPECTS THAT YOU HAVE PER POLICY DECISIONS AND UNDER CONSIDERATION, BUT TO PUT THAT IN CONTEXT WITH THE OTHER TRANSIT AGENCIES IN TEXAS, ONLY HOUSTON SERVES MORE SQUARE MILES THAN WE DO AND THAT'S ONLY BY ABOUT 70 SQUARE MILES.
SO SAN ANTONIO IS A BIG, WIDE SYSTEM. SO WE'VE GOT TO COVER THAT AREA. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WE MAKE A POINT ABOUT.
BUS ROUTES THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ON THE STREET, WE HAVE ABOUT 75 BUS ROUTES.
THAT'S DOWN. THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN AS HIGH AS THE 9 BUS ROUTES AT ONE -- 99 BUS ROUTES IN MY TENURE AT VIA, BUT THOSE ARE BUS ROUTES WE'LL BE BRINGING BACK ON BOARD OR REUTILIZING AND RETOOLING. OF COURSE, THE TOTAL BUS STOPS WE HAVE IN THE SYSTEM IS 5980, BUT WE WANT TO POINT OUT TO THIS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE THAT 2,303 OF THOSE ARE SHELTERED STOPS.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IS INDEED SOMETHING YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE OUR SHELTER STOPS AS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE. IMPOSSIBLE TO COVER ALL 5,980, SO WE TRY TO PUT THE SHELTER SPOTS AT AREAS MOST UTILIZED. AND THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE'VE DONE AN ANALYSIS ON, IT'S 85 TO 90% OF OUR BOARDINGS HAVE BEEN AT A SHELTERED SPOT. WE'RE TRYING TO BEST UTILIZE THOSE SHELTERS IN THOSE
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AREAS THAT ARE HIGH UTILIZATION. BUT WE'RE CONTINUING TO ADD TO THAT SHELTER PROGRAM. AGAIN, TO PUT THIS INTO SOME PERSPECTIVE, 2,303 SHELTERED STOPS IS MORE THAN THE BUS STOPS THAT CAPITAL METRO HAS IN AUSTIN, SO WE HAVE MORE SHELTERED STOPS THAN THEY HAVE TOTAL BUS STOPS IN AUSTIN.WE'RE PROUD OF THAT NUMBER BUT KNOW WE CAN DO MORE. FOR VIA LINKED ZONES, WE'VE EXPANDED. 24 MILLION PASSENGER TRIPS ANNUALLY, THAT'S BEEN AS HIGH AS 40 MILLION AND WE ARE HEADING BACK. WE ARE CURRENTLY ON A 12% NET GAIN ON RIDERSHIP YEAR OVER YEAR. WE'VE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. WE THINK THIS YEAR WE'LL END UP EVEN HIGHER THAN 12% YEAR OVER YEAR GROWTH. NEXT SLIDE. OUR FAMILY AND SERVICES HERE, THOSE WE RECOGNIZE ON THE STREET ON HOW WE ARE MOVING OUR POPULATION AROUND, THOSE 24 MILLION. GO BACK ONE SLIDE HERE. THERE'S BEEN SOME ATTENTION ABOUT OUR FARE PROGRAM. WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU OUR LIST OF DIFFERENT DISCOUNTED FARE PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER YOUR CITIZENS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
IT'S A NUMBER OF DISCOUNTS BASED ON ELIGIBILITY OR BASED UPON MEANS.
SO OUR BASE FARE IS $1.30. AND WE HAVE A DISCOUNTED PROGRAM THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT. HERE'S A LIST OF THOSE DISCOUNTED PROGRAMS WE HAVE ALTOGETHER. THE BULK FARE DISCOUNT PROGRAM IS ACTUALLY ONE GEARED TOWARDS A MEANS-BASED FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS DEMONSTRATING A NEEDS BASE WOULD QUALIFY FOR THOSE DISCOUNTED PROGRAMS. WHEN YOU BRING ALL THOSE PROGRAMS TOGETHER AND RUN THAT ACROSS THE ENTIRE UTILIZATION OF OUR SYSTEM, THE AVERAGE TRIP COST THAT A CUSTOMER IS PAYING IS ABOUT 55 CENTS WHAT WE HAVE AS A DISCOUNTED FARE PROGRAM. A SNAPSHOT OF OUR TYPICAL VIA RIDER.
MOSTLY HISPANIC, LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, EMPLOYED FULL TIME.
WE LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THIS PARTICULAR PART BECAUSE IT IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOLKS ARE UTILIZING OUR SERVICES ARE GET TO WORK OR HOME FROM WORK AND EMPLOYMENT IS A VERY BIG PART OF THAT. THEY ARE FREQUENT BUS USERS, FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK ON AVERAGE FOR ABOUT 45-MINUTE TRIPS.
WE ARE QUITE PROUD OF THE NET PROMOTER SCORE THAT WE MONITOR.
AMONG SOME OTHER INDUSTRY TRANSIT AGENCIES SIMILAR IN SIZE TO OUR SAN ANTONIO SYSTEM HERE, AND A NET PROMOTER SCORE IS ESSENTIALLY ASKING THE CONSUMER IS HOW SATISFIED ARE THEY WITH THE SERVICE THAT THEY ARE RECEIVING FROM THE COMPANY AND WOULD THEY BE WILLING TO TELL THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
THAT'S A PROMOTER, SOMEBODY THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO SAY SOMETHING POSITIVE.
SO WE TRACK THAT. WE ARE CURRENTLY AT A 57, WE'VE BEEN AS HIGH AS 62.
THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE FOR THIS IS 29. SO THE 57 ISN'T A NUMBER YOU PUT AGAINST 100 AND WE HAVE A FAILING GRADE. 57 IS ACTUALLY TOPS IN THE INDUSTRY AS IT RELATES TO A NET PROMOTER SCORE. SO THE EXPERIENCE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE HAVING WITH OUR SYSTEM, WITH THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE SOLUTIONS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS IN THE CHALLENGES, WE FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT HAVING THOSE TYPES OF POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS.
WE'RE ALWAYS SURVEYING AND SURVEYING OUR CUSTOMERS AND ASKING THEM -- AND NOT ALL CUSTOMERS ARE ALIKE. WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE THE BUS STOPS, THE BUS SYSTEM OR TRANSIT SYSTEM. WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE CAN DO TO GET MORE RIDERSHIP.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THEIR SERVICE. HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES OF THE TOP CONNECTIONS, IMPROVED RELIABILITY. MORE FREQUENCY.
YOU ARE GOING TO SEE A THEME OF THAT WHERE IT IS ABOUT IMPROVING FREQUENCY AND GETTING MORE COVERAGE INTO THE SYSTEM IS THE NUMBER ONE THING OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ASKING FOR BECAUSE THEY WANT TO HAVE LESS TIME TRAVELING AND MORE TIME AT THEIR DESTINATIONS OR MORE TIME WITH THEIR FAMILY. I WOULDN'T BE DOING MY JOB IF I DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TO REMIND YOU ALL ABOUT HOW WE'RE FUNDED BECAUSE THIS IS THE CRUX OF WHERE WE START IN TERMS OF THE SYSTEM THAT WE DELIVER FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS. WE HAVE ACCESS OR -- BY 1977 THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE MADE AVAILABLE TO METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITIES IN THE BIG URBAN AREAS UP TO ONE PENNY OF -- OR ONE CENT OF THE SALES TAX OPTION.
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WE TOOK THAT TO THE VOTERS IN 1978, ROUGHLY HALF A CENT OF THAT, THAT'S THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THAT PENNY. WHEN YOU SEE A VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY, THAT IS THE MTA. THAT GENERATES TAX REVENUE FOR US. SINCE THEN IN 2006 WE'VE ALSO ADDED THE ATD VIA REVENUE WHICH AS YOU SEE IN THE -- ABOUT THE 7:00 QUADRANT OF THAT PENNY.AND THEN COMING TO US IN 2026 WOULD BE THE 11:00 QUADRANT INDICATED BY THE YELLOW OR GREEN SHADING IS WHERE THE REALLOCATION COMING OVER FROM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT'S CURRENTLY BEING UTILIZED BY THE CITY WOULD COME OVER.
WE'LL HAVE AT THE END OF THE DAY IN 20265/8 OF THAT PENNY.
JUST PUT THAT INTO CONTEXT WITH THE OTHER URBAN AREAS IN TEXAS.
CAP METRO WHEN THEY WENT OUT FOR THEIR LATEST VOTE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN UTILIZED PROPERTY TAX TO RAISE MONEY FOR CAP METRO'S PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $871 MILLION A YEAR. DART AND METRO ARE OVER A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR THAT THAT PENNY IS GENERATING. HERE IN SAN ANTONIO IT'S GENERATING 390 MILLION.
SO I'LL TAKE YOU BACK TO THAT STORY AGAIN ABOUT THE SIZE OF OUR SYSTEM.
WHEN YOU HAVE TO COVER THAT SIZE OF THE SYSTEM AS WELL, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY INNOVATIVE BECAUSE WHEN YOU BREAK IT OUT PER SQUARE MILE, WE'RE AT $323,000 PER SQUARE MILE VERSUS IF YOU LOOK AT AUSTIN, $1.6 MILLION OF INVESTMENT PER SQUARE MILE. SO SYSTEM COVERAGE COMES INTO PLAY WITH ALSO THE REVENUE. THAT SAID, WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY GOOD AT WHAT WE DO.
WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY INNOVATIVE ABOUT OUR APPROACH WITH THE DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GO AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.
WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE LAST ELECTION WHERE 68% VOTER APPROVAL COMMUNITY BACKED INITIATIVE TO FUND TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ART. BUT THE ART SYSTEM IS PART OF AN OVERALL KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN TO IMPROVE TRANSIT. THAT INCLUDES A BETTER BUS SYSTEM WHICH WE WILL TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT IN A MOMENT. A VIA LINK SERVICE THAT WE HAVE IN PARTICULAR AREAS OF TOWN THAT MIGHT BE HARD TO REACH WITH A 40-FOOT BUS THAT ARE MORE SUBURBAN IN NATURE AND DON'T HAVE THE HIGH URBAN DENSITY THAT TYPICALLY A SYSTEM OF OURS WOULD COVER AND TRANSFORMATIVE, RAPID TRANSIT, THAT'S IN THE RUNNING. HOW WOULD WE APPROACH IMMATERIAL MOVING. IMPROVING FREQUENCY IS FIRST AND FOREMOST AND THIS SLIDE TELLS A GREAT STORY OF THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR VIA IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WHERE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE IF YOU FOLLOW THIS WATER FALL TO THE RIGHT, THIS IS THE INTEREST IN TAKING TRANSIT. AND THIS IS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AGAINST THE FREQUENCY OF SERVICE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SLIDE. SO ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE IF THE SERVICE IS COMING BY FROM ZERO TO TEN MINUTES, THAT MEANS THE FREQUENCY OF THAT SERVICE IS COMING BY ZERO TO TEN MINUTES, GENERALLY 83% OF THE PUBLIC WE SURVEYED SAID WE'RE INTERESTED IN THAT, WE'RE INTERESTED IN THAT, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT SERVICE THAT YOU WOULD BE OFFERING. WHEN YOU DROP TO 11 MINUTES TO 20 MINUTES OF SERVICE, YOU SEE HOW THAT DROPS AND THEN IT REALLY DROPS OFF TO 21 -- 21 TO 30 MINUTES IT DROPS AND THEN IT DROPS EVEN FURTHER AT 60 MINUTES.
THE INDICATIONS OF FOLKS INTERESTED IN 60-MINUTE SERVICE IS ABOUT 1.1% OF THE POPULATION HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. SO THAT 72% WAS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO COME IN ANIMATED AT A BIG DELIVERY POINT FOR US BUT IT ALREADY IS UP THERE. 72% OF OUR SYSTEM AS IT STANDS OUT IN THE SYSTEM TODAY IS A 30 MINUTE OR MORE FREQUENCY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS GRAPH, THAT IS ATTRACTIVE TO ABOUT LESS THAN 5% OF CONSTITUENTS IN SAN ANTONIO.
THAT IS ONE CORE WAY THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THIS SERVICE IS TO IMPROVE THE FREQUENCY WHICH MAKES IT MORE ATTRACTIVE TO MORE CITIZENS.
THE BENEFIT OF THAT AS WELL AS THOSE CITIZENS THAT ARE TAKING IT TODAY WILL SEE SHORTER TRIPS. BECAUSE HIGHER FREQUENCY WILL ALSO TRANSLATE TO SHORTER TRIPS AS WELL. THE OTHER EXAMPLE THAT WE EMPHASIZE HERE IS HOW MUCH ACCESS YOU HAVE TO THE COMMUNITY IN A 45-MINUTE COMMUTE.
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THIS IS IMPORTANT ALSO FOR JOBS. NUMBER ONE REASON THEY ARE TAKING OUR SERVICE TODAY OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE FOR JOBS. THOSE JOBS, IF THEY ARE NOT LOCATED WITHIN A 45-MINUTE TRANSIT COMMUTE, YOU'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT GETTING A VEHICLE AND UTILIZING A VEHICLE. WHAT WE SEE HERE IS EXAMPLES OF THE NEAR EAST SIDE OF WHERE A 45-MINUTE COMMUTE IN --N ORANGE COLOR WITH THE STAR IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT A 45-MINUTE COMMUTE VIA TRANSIT WOULD PROVIDE THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ORIGINATING FROM THAT STAR.WHEN YOU TRANSLATE THAT INTO WHERE THE JOBS ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY, BASICALLY THAT'S ABOUT A -- YOU'VE GOT ACCESS TO ABOUT 10% OF THE TOTAL JOBS IN OUR COMMUNITY IN A 45-MINUTE TRIP BY TRANSIT. NOW, THE GRAY WHAT YOU SEE THERE IS THE BIG AREA, THE GRAY IS WHERE YOU CAN GET TRAVEL IN SAN ANTONIO 45 MINUTES WITH A VEHICLE.
SO YOU GOT THAT COVERED IN A VEHICLE, BUT IN TRANSIT YOU ARE INDEED GOING TO BE AT LEAST IN A 45-MINUTE TRAVEL TIME, THAT'S THE REACH AND THE DEPTHS OF THAT REACH.
SO IT IS ABOUT EXPANDING THAT. WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THAT SLIDE FOR MEDICAL CENTER, BUT IT'S THE SAME KIND OF CONCEPT. MEDICAL CENTER HAS THE HIGH DENSITY OF JOBS.
IT IMPROVES THE ACCESS TO JOBS AT 20%, BUT CONVERSELY THAT MEANS 80% OF THE MARKET OR 80% OF THE JOBS WOULD AT LEAST BE MORE THAN A 45-MINUTE TRAVEL BY TRANSIT.
THOSE TWO ARE THE BIG AREAS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE WITH THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING SYSTEM. WHERE WE'RE EXPANDING THE REACH OF THOSE AREAS, SO YOU CAN REACH MORE OF SAN ANTONIO AND YOU DO SO IN A MORE FREQUENT BASIS SO YOU SPEND LESS TIME TRAVELING AS WELL. SO THE COMBINATION OF THOSE THREE ASPECTS OF THREE PILLAR STOOL AS WE'RE CALLING IT IS GEARED TOWARDS MAKING IMPROVEMENTS FROM THOSE CORE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE.
OUR GOAL FOR THE BUS SYSTEM IS IMPROVE THAT AND GET RID OF ANY SERVICE THAT'S ABOVE 30 MINUTES IS OUR LONG-TERM GOAL. OUR GOAL IS TO NOT HAVE ANYTHING WORSE THAN A 30-MINUTE SERVICE, AND SAN DIPPA IS GOING TO COME UP AND TELL US HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, DESCRIBE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE
BETTER BUS PLAN. >> THANK YOU, JOHN GARY. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
SO WHAT IS OUR BETTER BUS PLAN? OUR BETTER BUS PLAN IS [INAUDIBLE] SERVICE EVALUATION AND PLAN WHICH INCLUDES THE VIA BUS AND VIA LINK SERVICE AND IT'S DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN THE REGION'S TRANSIT SYSTEM.
WHY WE ARE CONDUCTING THIS ANALYSIS, IT'S A BEST PRACTICE TO INCREASE WAITING TIME, INCREASE ACCESS TO JOB AND ACTIVITIES, PRODUCE MORE ATTRACTIVE OPTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS. AND OPTIMIZE SERVICE AND RESOURCES.
TRAVEL PATTERNS HAVE CHANGED DUE TO COVID. SO WE HAVE TO ADD UP OUR SO GOING OVER THE BETTER BUS PLAN GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, THE FIRST GOAL WE HAVE FOR OUR BETTER BUS PLAN IS FREQUENT. FREQUENT MEANS WE NEED TO HAVE FREQUENCY ACROSS [INAUDIBLE] WHICH IS 30 MINUTES OR BETTER AND MORE FREQUENT SERVICE ON OUR KEY CORRIDORS. THE OBJECTIVES THAT'S ALIGNED WITH THE GOAL FREQUENT IS TO ENHANCE RELIABILITY, MOBILITY AND EFFICIENCY AND INCORPORATE SOLUTIONS. THE SECOND GOAL ON THE LIST IS THE DIRECT WHICH MEANS WE NEED TO HAVE DIRECT AND FOSTER SERVICE CONNECT PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. THE OBJECTIVES THAT'S ALIGNED WITH THE GOAL DIRECT IS TO FOSTER ECONOMY GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY AND SUPPORT THE REGIONAL CONNECTIST. THE NEXT GOAL -- CONNECTIVITY. THE NEXT GOAL IS SIMPLE WHICH MEANS OUR SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REALLY SIMPLE AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND EASY TO USE, AND THE OBJECTIVES THAT'S ALIGNED WITH THE GOAL SIMPLE IS COMMUNITY CENTRIC APPROACH AND ALSO TO GIVE
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OUR RIDERS EASY ACCESSIBILITY REGARDLESS OF OUR BACKGROUND OR ANY ABILITY. THE NEXT GOAL ON OUR LIST IS CONVENIENT.WHICH MEANS OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE AVAILABLE WHEN AND WHERE IT IS NEEDED.
THE OBJECTIVE THAT'S ALIGNED WITH THE GOAL CONVENIENT IS TO MATCH OUR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY'S NEED AND PRIORITIZE OUR SAFETY. HOW WE WILL GET THERE, WE ARE DOING OUR EVALUATION AND HAVING THE ONGOING [INDISCERNIBLE] ACTIVITY TO INFORM THE BETTER BUS PLAN AND DESIGN. SO WHAT WE ARE DOING PRESENTLY IS ASSESSING THE CURRENT SERVICE WHICH MEANS WE ARE REVIEWING OUR CURRENT BUS ROUTES, THE RIDERSHIP AND THE [INAUDIBLE]. WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON THE PEER REVIEWS WHICH MEANS THAT WE ARE RESEARCHING AND INTERVIEWING DIFFERENT TRANSIT AGENCIES TO DEVELOP ACCESS FULL STRATEGIES. ALSO WE ARE WORKING ON EVALUATING THE MARKET CONDITION WHICH MEANS WE ARE ANALYZING THE MARKET DEMAND AND THE TRAVEL PATTERNS. AND FINALLY, WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON IS IDENTIFYING THE GAPS AND NEEDS WHICH MEANS WE ARE DETERMINING WHERE SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS ARE MOST NEEDED. AS OUR SERVICE DESIGN IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF FREQUENT, DIRECT, SIMPLE, AND CONVENIENT, SO WE ARE CONSIDERING THE SERVICE DESIGN ELEMENTS WHICH IS PRIORITIZE EQUITY AND ACCESS TO TRANSIT.
WE ARE LOOKING IN CREATING SOME NEW ZONES AND PROVIDING MORE TRANSIT SOLUTIONS.
WE ARE WORKING ON ADJUSTING THE ROUTE FREQUENCY AND THE HOURS OF SERVICE.
WE ARE ALSO TRYING TO LAY THE FOUND FOUNDATION FOR THE VIA RAPID SERVICE, THE GREEN AND SILVER. WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON PROVIDING MORE DIRECT SERVICE AND CONNECTING THE NEW AREAS. AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST IS TO OPTIMIZE THE STOP SPACING SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A MORE EFFICIENT SERVICE.
GOING OVER THE BETTER BUS PLAN TIME LINE, WE STARTED DEVELOPING THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND BEGIN THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN FALL OF 2023.
OUR BOARD ADOPTED THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR.
SO WE ARE CONTINUING THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ALL THROUGHOUT OUR PROJECT.
IN SPRING OF 2024, WE ARE PLANNING TO COMPLETE THE EXISTING SERVICE ON THE CONDITION ASSESSMENT. IN SUMMER OF 2024, WE WILL COME AND SHARE THE PROPOSED SERVICE PLAN. IN FALL OF 2024, WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO DO IS WE ARE PLANNING TO SHARE THE COMMUNITY INFORMED SERVICE PLAN WHICH IS DEVELOPED AFTER THE JOB PLAN IS COMPLETED IN SUMMER OF 2024. IN DECEMBER OF 2024, OUR BOARD WILL CONSIDER THE SERVICE PLAN FOR APPROVAL AND ADOPTION.
WE WILL IMPLEMENT THE BETTER BUS PLAN IN THREE PHASES STARTING IN 2025, LEADING UP TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RAPID GREEN IN 2027. NOW I TURN OVER TO JOHN GARY
TO COMPLETE THE PRESENTATION. >> THANK YOU, SANDY.
TO ROUND OUT, IN CONCLUSION FOR THIS BETTER BUS PLAN, IT IS INDEED AN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONSTITUENTS OF SAN ANTONIO. AND IN PARTICULAR HAVE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH THEM BECAUSE SOME OF THE TRADE-OFFS AND BALANCE WE HAVE TO DO AS AN AGENCY IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THOSE THAT ARE TAKING OUR SERVICE BUT THOSE THAT MIGHT BE ATTRACTED TO OUR SERVICE.
WHEN WE LAUNCHED PRIMO, IT'S A SERVICE THAT'S FREQUENT, MORE DIRECT BECAUSE IT HAS FEWER STOPS. WE'RE ABLE TO TALK TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT WOULD A MORE DIRECT, MORE FREQUENT SERVICE BE OF INTEREST TO YOU, AND IF SO ONE OF THE TRADE-OFFS MIGHT BE WE MAY HAVE TO CONSOLIDATE STOPS IN ORDER TO EXPRESS THAT SERVICE. SO THAT SERVICE STOPS LESS. IF THAT SERVICE STOPS LESS, THEN IT BECOMES A MORE EFFICIENT SERVICE. SO PRIMO IS AN EXAMPLE OF
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THAT WHERE THERE IS INDEED -- THERE WAS INDEED SOME CONSOLIDATION OF STOPS IN ORDER TO FACILITATE A MORE DIRECT AND FASTER DELIVERY OF SERVICE.AND WHEN WE LAUNCH -- EACH TIME WE LAUNCHED PRIMO, WE'VE SEEN RIDERSHIP INCREASES EVERY SINGLE TIME IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS. WE THINK THE RESPONSE FROM THE COMMUNITY WAS VERY POSITIVE AND CONTINUES TO BE POSITIVE I HAVE BECAUSE WE CONTINUE TO SEE NET GAINS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME IF WE DIDN'T HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC TO PUT INTO CONTEXT WE'RE CONSOLIDATING STOPS, IT MAY JUST LOOK LIKE WE'RE PULLING A STOP FOR THE SAKE OF PULLING A STOP AND THAT'S NOT OUR INTENTION WHEN WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER A PLAN LIKE THIS IS HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM AND WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF TAKING THAT TYPE OF ACTION. IN SOME CASES WE DIDN'T PULL STOPS AS WELL BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF WHAT THAT STOP OR CONCERN MAY HAVE BEEN FOR THAT NEIGHBORHOOD OR THAT COMMUNITY. BUT THE ONLY WAY WE FIND THIS OUT IS TO HAVE THE TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT. I KNOW ALL YOUR OFFICES ARE VERY HELPFUL WITH US TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO YOU. TODAY IS ABOUT REACHING OUT AND HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT A PLAN, AND THEN LATER IN THE YEAR ONCE WE START LANDING ON WHAT THAT PLAN MIGHT LOOK LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK AGAIN AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH NOT ONLY YOU AS ELECTED OFFICIALS BUT YOUR STAFF TO HELP US FACILITATE THE CONVERSATIONS WE NEED TO HAVE OUT TO TO PUBLIC.
BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO GET FEEDBACK ON THESE IDEAS WE HAVE FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THIS PLAN. AND I THINK THAT'S THE LAST SLIDE.
OF COURSE, WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS OR --
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'LL START OFF WITH A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS, THEN TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES.
I SERVED ON THE VIA BOARD FOR MANY YEARS SO IT'S REALLY GOOD TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DID HAVE A YOU COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS. SORRY, I WAS MAKING SURE COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE WAS THERE. UNDER THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL RIDES HAVING A FREQUENCY OF LESS THAN 30 MINUTES.
IS THAT CORRECT? LIKE THAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL?
>> THAT'S OUR GOAL, YES. >> GAVITO: CAN WE PULL UP THAT TIME LINE SLIDE? SORRY, IT WAS CLOSER TO THE VERY END. AND I'LL PREFACE THIS WHILE WE'RE GETTING TO THERE, I KNOW THAT I WAS ON THE VIA BOARD WHEN WE WORKED ON GETTING THAT INCREASE IN FUNDING. MY CONCERN HERE IS THAT LIKE WHEN I SEE ACTIVATE THE PLAN IN 2025, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S TOO LONG.
THAT'S TOO LONG FOR PEOPLE TO GET ACCESS. I KNOW THAT YOU ALL SPOKE A LOT ABOUT HOW VIA TAKES PEOPLE TO JOBS. AND SO I JUST FEEL 2025 IS TOO LONG FOR PEOPLE TO WAIT TO GET TO JOBS. AND SO -- AND I SEE A LOT OF PLANNING HERE, BUT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW LESS PLANNING AND MORE
ACTIVATION. >> ABSOLUTELY. IT'S A BRIDGE FOR US, COUNCILWOMAN, IS A, TO GET TO THE $2,026 THAT WILL BE COMING INTO OUR SYSTEM AS A RESULT OF THE REALLOCATION OF THE DOLLARS. THE OTHER PART IS WE ARE STILL STRUGGLING ON OPERATOR HIRING. IF OUR OPERATOR HIRING WAS IN A BETTER POSITION TODAY, WE COULD PROBABLY HAVE MORE SOLUTIONS ON THE STREET TODAY THAN WE DO. SO IT HAS BEEN ALL HANDS ON DECK ABOUT OPERATOR HIRING IN OUR SYSTEM FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS SO WE CAN GET AHEAD OF THAT.
AND WHILE WE ARE HIRING -- LAST YEAR WE HIRED MORE PEOPLE THAN WE HAVE IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS ANNUALLY, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE STILL DIGGING OUT OF THAT COVID HOLE, WE STILL HAVE TO MAKE UP THAT HOLE THAT HAS BEEN DUG.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT FAST FORWARDING THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ON, WE DO NOT WANT TO WAIT IF WE DON'T HAVE TO.
IF THE RESOURCES ARE THERE, WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THEM DEPLOYED AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE. >> GAVITO: YEAH, AND I WONDER HOW THE CITY MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT OPERATOR HIRING BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE KIND OF THE LONG
POLE IN THE TENT AND THAT'S JUST WAITING ON THAT. >> AGREED.
AGREED. >> GAVITO: THAT'S -- >> AND WE HAVE A NEW TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD BEFORE IS VIA LINK. VIA LINK IS ONE THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A THIRD PARTY THAT FACILITATES THAT FOR US AND ALSO OPERATES THAT FOR US. SO THERE MAY BE SOME SOLUTIONS THROUGH THE BETTER
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BUS PLAN THAT SANDEEP AND HIS TEAM WILL BE LOOKING AT POSSIBLY EXPANDING VIA LINK THAT ISN'T HAVING THOSE SAME TYPE OF OPERATOR ISSUES THAT THE -- THAT THE MAIN SYSTEM IS HAVING. THERE'S SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE AS WELL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPLEMENTING SOONER THAN LATER, BUT UNDERSTOOD 100%.>> GAVITO: AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO STAY IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH YOU ALL ABOUT THAT. HOWEVER THE CITY CAN SUPPORT TO HELP PUSH UP THAT TIME LINE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF ESPECIALLY IF IT'S GETTING RESIDENTS TO JOBS. ARE THERE -- ON THAT NOTE, DO WE HAVE CURRENTLY ANY ISSUES WITH OUR FLEET OR THE AMOUNT OF BUSES IN OUR FLEET THAT PREVENT THIS --
>> WE'RE SOLID. WE'VE GOT EIGHT ELECTRIC BUSES ON ON THE STREET.
>> GAVITO: THAT IS PROGRESS. HOW DO YOU ALL GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR NPS SCORE, I SAW IT'S 57. IS THAT ONLY ONLINE, IN
PERSON? >> IT'S A SURVEY THAT'S DONE IN PERSON AT -- THESE SURVEY TAKERS ACTUALLY TALK TO EVERY PERSON SO THEY ARE -- EVERY THIRD PERSON SO IN A
RANDOMIZED WAY. >> GAVITO: LIKE ON THE BUSES?
>> YES, IN PERSON. >> GAVITO: THAT'S GREAT. I SEE A LOT OF FORMAL SHELTERED BUS STOPS LIKE THE ONE ON FREDERICKSBURG, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DECO PIZZARIA. I AM CURIOUS ABOUT HOW MANY UNSHELTERED BUS STOPS ARE IN DISTRICT 7 AND THINKING MY COLLEAGUES MIGHT WANT TO KNOW FOR THEIR DISTRICTS
TOO. >> WE CAN DO THAT ANALYSIS FOR EACH COUNCILMEMBER BY DISTRICT. SHOW LOCATIONS WHERE SHELLERED VERSUS UNSHELTERED
>> GAVITO: VIA TAKES A LOT OF PRIDE IN DOING SOME OF THOSE REALLY NICE SHELTERS.
I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN EXPLORE NATURAL WAYS TO SHELTER LIKE BIG TREES.
I KNOW WE HAVE -- I THINK THAT IF THERE'S CREATIVE WAYS THAT WE CAN EXPLORE -- WE SEE A LOT OF THOSE BUS STOPS JUST SITTING BAKING IN THE SUN AND I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD BE CREATIVE AND NOT BUILD THINGS BUT JUST HAVE TREES FOR BUS SHADE.
I THINK THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS FOR NOW. COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE, DO
YOU HAVE ANYTHING? I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT -- >> COURAGE: YES.
THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. I DON'T SEE THE PRESENTATION SO I'LL ASK YOU TO SEND IT TO ME SO I CAN REVIEW IT SOME MORE.
I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. IT SEEMS THAT ONE OF YOUR PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW IS YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BUS DRIVERS.
SO YOU HAVE MORE BUSES THAN YOU HAVE DRIVERS FOR. AND HAVE YOU EVALUATED THE PAY THAT THE DRIVERS ARE RECEIVING HERE TO SEE HOW COMPARABLE IT IS TO A LOT OF THE COMMERCIAL DRIVERS THAT ARE GETTING LICENSES AND GOING TO WORK FOR COMMERCIAL COMPANIES IN TOWN AS WELL AS WHAT THE OTHER BUS AGENCIES ARE PROVIDING?
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE THERE? >> YES, SIR. WE HAVE -- WE ARE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PAID IF NOT THE HIGHEST PAID TRANSIT OPERATORS IN TEXAS BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF ALSO THE LABOR FORCE THAT WE HAVE TO COMPETE WITH HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. I THINK WHAT'S ALSO HAS HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME, COUNCILMEMBER, IS THERE WAS A GREAT RUSH FOR THAT TYPE OF LABOR FORCE.
WHEN YOU SAW THE AMAZON'S HIRING UP, YOU SAW THAT FEDEX IS HIRING UP, UPS IS HIRING UP DURING COVID, THAT'S A STRETCH TO THAT LABOR POOL THAT IS STARTING TO SETTLE SOME NOW AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE SOME POSITIVE NUMBERS.
WE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT THAT NUMBER IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT IT'S ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH, 100% TO YOUR POINT. WE'RE ALSO ADDED SOME BONUS OPTIONS AS WELL TO COME IN AND SIGN IN FOR BONUSES AND WE HAVE A BONUS PROGRAM NOT ONLY FOR THOSE WHO WILL COME TO WORK FOR US BUT THOSE WHO WILL REFER FOLKS TO US AS
WELL AND DOING THOSE TYPES OF LEVERS AS WE SAY. >> COURAGE: OKAY.
LET ME ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION. AT THE HEIGHT OF -- WHICH WAS PROBABLY FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU WERE GETTING THE MOST RIDERS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND EVERYTHING, HOW MUCH REVENUE CAME FROM RIDERSHIP?
>> THAT -- IF I RECALL 2019 JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, COUNCILMAN, IT'S ABOUT 10%.
[00:35:03]
THERE IS A GENERAL PRACTICE THAT THE TRANSIT AGENCIES AND IN PARTICULAR OUR GOAL IS TRY TO GET TO 16% ROUGHLY ON WHAT WE CALL FARE RECAPTURE I THINK IS WHAT YOU ARE RESERVING IN PARTICULAR OF HOW MUCH THE FARES MAKE UP OF THE ENTIRE OPERATING COST OF THE SERVICE. SO AT THAT TIME IT WAS ABOUT 10, 10 TO 11%, IF I REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. IF IT'S A DIFFERENT NUMBER,I'LL MAKE SURE TO GET THAT CLARIFIED FOR YOU, SIR. >> COURAGE: I IMAGINE IT'S EVEN LESS NOW BECAUSE THE RIDERSHIP IS DOWN, THE NUMBER OF BUSES IS DOWN.
IS THAT A GOOD GUESS? >> IT IS. AND EVEN WHAT WE'VE ADDED SINCE 2019 ARE MORE DISCOUNT PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S ALSO IMPACTING
THAT FARE RECOVERY. >> COURAGE: WELL, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS ONCE WE GET ENOUGH DRIVERS WHICH WOULD RAISE THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS, I GUESS, I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN INCREASE RIDERSHIP BY JUST OFFERING FREE FARE.
I MEAN IF THAT'S 10% OF YOUR REVENUE, IS THERE A WAY WE COULD MAKE UP THAT 10% IN OTHER WAYS AND GET MORE PEOPLE RIDING FOR FREE, WHICH IS PROBABLY DRASTICALLY INCREASE THE RIDERSHIP. I KNOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS AND GET THEM OUT ON THE ROAD. I'M JUST TALKING TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE YEARS DOWN THE LINE. SO I'M WONDERING IF YOU'VE EVER EXPLORED THAT, BUT I KNOW IT'S A DIFFERENT EXPLANATION TO MAKE RIGHT NOW THE WAY THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE. BUT HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED AT
THAT? >> WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH A COLLEAGUE OF YOURS THAT INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS A TROUBLE-MAKER EARLIER TODAY.
WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ JUST RECENTLY ABOUT THOSE ATTENTIONS SO FARES. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST INSIDE INTO THE WEEDS HERE, WE ALSO HAVE ALSO HAVE BONDS PLEDGED AGAINST THAT FARE, THOSE FARES AS WELL. SO THERE'S THAT ASPECT FINANCIALLY FOR OUR COMPANY, BUT -- OUR AGENCY, BUT WHAT WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER AS A PACKAGE FOR COUNCILMAN AND, OF COURSE, FOR YOU WE CAN COME BACK AND SHOW YOU WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AS YOU ALL REMAIN PARTNERS OF OURS IN OUR SUCCESS, WE CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT. ONE MORE COMMENT ON FARES IS IT IS A BALANCE WITH THE CUSTOMERS. I DO NEED TO ESTABLISH THAT AS WELL. IT IMPACTS THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO WATCH VERY, VERY CAREFULLY BECAUSE THAT BECOMES A SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUE FOR THEM. AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HEAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT WHEN WE HAVE DONE FREE FARE IN THE PAST. SO THOSE THAT MAY START RIDING THE SYSTEM ARE NOT RIDING IT FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE, THEY ARE RIDING IT FOR OTHER REASONS AND THAT STARTS PUTTING STRAIN ON OUR EXISTING CUSTOMER BASE WHICH WE HAVE TO OF COURSE EVALUATE AND MITIGATE. SO THAT WOULD ALSO CAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME INCREASES IN EXPENSE FROM A TRANSIT POLICE PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY AS WELL. SO THOSE ARE JUST THE BALANCES, BUT WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES SO WE CAN
MAYBE ADDRESS THESE TOGETHER AS PARTNERS. >> COURAGE: GREAT.
WELL, I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT POINT TO MAKE. YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT I'VE SEEN IN THE PAST AND IT WAS WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT TRANSPORTATION IN CHINA WAS A LOT OF THE ELECTRIC BUSES THAT THEY ARE DEVELOPING OVER THERE THAT WOULD PUT TWO OR THREE OR FOUR BUSES TOGETHER AND THEY RUN ON BATTERY POWER.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE AUTOMATIC. THEY DON'T EVEN NEED TO HAVE DRIVERS. OF COURSE AT THAT AS A WAVE OF THE FUTURE. IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A DRIVER ON EVERY BUS AND YOU CAN PUT TWO OR THREE OR FOUR TOGETHER TO CARRY A COUPLE HUNDRED PASSENGERS AT A TIME AND IT'S ALL ELECTRIC SO THAT YOU SAVE ON FUEL COSTS, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEING DONE IN CHINA TODAY. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE EXPLORATION OF THAT BY VIA FOR THE FUTURE. ANYWAY --
>> YES, SIR. >> COURAGE: THAT'S ALL HAVE I TO SAY.
THANK YOU. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE.
COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU. IS YOUR FISCAL YEAR THE CALENDAR YEAR OR IS IT A
DIFFERENT SET OF MONTHS? >> THE SAME FISCAL YEAR YOU HAVE AT CITY COUNCIL.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: IF WE'RE LOOK AGO THE THE CALENDAR AND IT SAYS '25,
[00:40:04]
WE'RE IMAGINING THIS WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR?>> SO THIS CHART IS ACTUALLY --. THIS CHART IS BASICALLY THE CALENDAR YEAR.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: OKAY. SO NOT THE 2025 FISCAL YEAR BUT STARTING IN JANUARY OF
2025. >> JANUARY OF 2025. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: OKAY.
THE REASON I ASK IS BECAUSE FINANCIALLY SOMETIMES IT MAKES SENSE THAT YOU CAN EXPECT -- ALSO I THINK TO ACHIEVE A LOT OF THE GOALS THAT WE WANT AND A LOT OF THINGS THAT MANY OF US WANT TO SEE, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN CCRS ABOUT OUR STRUCTURES AT THE BUSES, SHADING EVERY BUS SHELTER THAT WE HAVE. IN FEBRUARY I SENT YOU -- THIS MONTH ON THE 2ND I SENT YOU AN EMAIL THAT BROKE DOWN SHELTERED VERSUS NON-SHELTERED BUT THAT WAS LAST YEAR. THERE SEEMS TO BE A DISCREPANCY. I HAD BEEN ASKING YOU ABOUT THE SHELTERED VERSUS UNSHELTERED STOPS IN EVERY DISTRICT CITYWIDE AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCREPANCY. LAST YEAR IN MAY WHEN I RECEIVED THE INFORMATION, THERE WERE 6,034 STOPS. IT SAYS HERE THAT THERE'S 5,980.
54 STOPS BEEN LOST OR ARE WE COUNTING THOSE AS -- >> SO WE IMPLEMENTED THE NEW VIA LINK ZONE, VIA LINK RANDOLPH. BASICALLY THOSE ARE -- NOT PHYSICAL STOP. THAT'S THE REASON WE HAVE TO TAKE OUT THOSE STOPS IN THAT ZONE, THAT'S THE REASON YOU SEE THE LESSER NUMBER IN THE BUS STOP.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: AND IT'S SHOWING THAT THERE'S 106 MORE SHELTERED STOPS NOW
THAN THERE WERE IN MAY. IS THAT ACCURATE? >> THAT MIGHT BE CORRECT, BUT I HAVE TO SEE WHETHER BECAUSE OF THE VIA LINK OR I KNOW -- BECAUSE OF THE VIA LINK WE REMOVED SOME OF THE SHELTERS BUT NOT ALL OF THE SHELTERS, BUT THERE MIGHT BE
SOME SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN. I HAVE TO CHECK THE NUMBERS. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: I GUESS IT WOULD BE GOOD, THE INFORMATION I HAD RECEIVED LAST YEAR IF WE CAN RECEIVE AN UPDATED VERSION OF THAT THAT SORT OF EXPLAINS THAT -- I WON'T CALL IT A DISCREPANCY BUT DIFFERENCE IN NUMBERS BETWEEN THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO HEAR COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE BRING UP ZERO FARE AND SOMETHING I'M VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN. I REACHED OUT TO YOU FOR INFORMATION IN 2018 IT LOOKED LIKE 9.66% OF YOUR OPERATIONS BUDGET CAME FROM THE FARE BOX REVENUE.
IT DECREASED A LITTLE IN 2019 TO 9.02. 8.58 IN 2020.
AND AS OF 2022, IT WAS ABOUT 5.2%. AND I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITY -- AND I THINK IT'S WORTH FURTHER DISCUSSION, WE ALREADY HAD CONVERSATION ABOUT BOND OBLIGATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS TO MEET CERTAIN FARE BOX EXPECTATION, BUT IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL TO SUPPLEMENT FUNDS AND GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MAYBE A PILOT PROGRAM FOR ZERO FARE IN SOME ZIP CODES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT'S A WORTHWHILE EXPLORATION.
AND I JUST WANT US TO BE CASH, AND I KNOW -- CAUTIOUS, AND I KNOW COUNCILMEMBER GAVITO AND I HAVE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS, I DON'T WANT US TO -- IN A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS LIKE THIS, THERE'S THAT UNDERLYING FEAR OF POOR PEOPLE. AND IT'S WHAT IF HOMELESS PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SERVICE. THERE'S ALREADY HOMELESS PEOPLE WHO GET ON THE BUS AND THEY MIGHT JUST SIT THERE AND MIGHT NOT GO ANYWHERE, THEY MIGHT JUST SIT ON THE BUS. SOMETIMES THERE ARE MAYBE PROBLEMS. WHAT I SAW WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN ZERO FARES, THERE'S A DECREASE IN VIOLENT ALTERCATIONS AND LARGELY BECAUSE THOSE ARE TIED TO FARES AND DISPUTES OF THAT NATURE.
AND IT ALLOWS FOR TRANSIT POLICE TO THEN BE FOCUSED ON THE MOST EGREGIOUS AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEING AS SO MANY BUS STOPS BECAUSE THERE'S NOT AS MANY INCIDENTS. ONE, THERE'S POOR PEOPLE IN OUR CITY, THERE'S HOMELESS PEOPLE. THEY STILL DESERVE ACCESS TO PUBLIC GOODS.
OUR PUBLIC BUS SYSTEM IS A PUBLIC GOOD. SO WE SHOULDN'T AVOID DOING PROGRAMS THAT ARE GOING TO BENEFIT THE MOST VULNERABLE AND THEN EXCLUDE THE MOST VULNERABLE. I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS THAT BECAUSE IT WAS TAKING A FAIRLY CONCERNING TURN. ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO GET ON WAS -- AND YIKES, THE SLIDE YOU SHOWED ABOUT THE 45-MINUTE TRAVEL ZONES AND HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE
[00:45:02]
PEOPLE TO GET, I MEAN THAT'S A LARGE PORTION TODAY AND PEOPLE AREN'T PAID FOR THEIR COMMUTES IN MOST INSTANCES. CERTAINLY NOT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TAKING THE PUBLIC BUS FOR 45 MINUTES TO GET TO A JOB THEY NEED AND THEY ARE MAKING MINIMUM WAGE.I THINK FREQUENCY IS AN AREA THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO WORK ON MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAVE AS SHORT A COMMUTE AS POSSIBLE. IMAGINE ALL THOSE WHO ARE USING THE -- USING VIA TO RUN ERRANDS AND WHAT COULD BE THREE OR FOUR ERRANDS BECOMES A FULL DAY, A FULL DAY WHERE YOU CAN'T WORK. YOU HAVE TO HAVE CHILDCARE FOR YOUR KIDS OR FIND SOME SORT OF ACCOMMODATION, SO IT'S JUST A REALLY CONCERNING SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I THINK WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW.
AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT TO SHOW THE SLIDES WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT IS VIA COMPARED TO OTHER MAJOR CITIES IN TEXAS FINANCIALLY AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE EVER GOING TO GET TO THAT POINT WHERE WE CAN COMPARE TO THEM JUST ORGANICALLY BASED ON THE WAY OUR TAX IS SET UP. SO I THINK IF WE WANT TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS, I THINK A REAL STRONG PRIORITY THIS BUDGET CYCLE HAS GOT TO BE SUPPORT FOR VIA. AND THAT COULD TAKE A NUMBER OF FORMS. I THINK IT WOULD TAKE MULTIPLE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, BUT TO ACHIEVE AT LEAST ONE OF THE GOALS PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR I WOULD STRONGLY URGE MY COLLEAGUES TO BACK ME ON THAT AND HOPEFULLY THIS BUDGET CYCLE WE'LL SEE STRONGER SUPPORT FOR VIA THAN WE'VE SEEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
>> COUNCILMAN, IF I COULD SHARE FROM OUR CONVERSATION, AND YOUR LEADERSHIP WHAT WE HAVE PROMISED AND WILL DELIVER IS WHEN THAT ANALYSIS IS DONE ON BETTER BUS, WE'RE GOING TO FIT BETTER BUS INTO OUR EXISTING UNUSUAL THAT WE HAVE.
-- FINANCIAL THAT WE HAVE. COUNCIL HAS ASKED TELL ME WHAT IT COULD BE AND WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THAT SO WE CAN HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IS WHAT COULD A SYSTEM LOOK LIKE AND WHAT'S THE FINANCIAL COST OF THAT SO WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. I APPLAUD YOU FOR GIVING YOU THAT IDEA AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO DELIVERING THAT TO YOU. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THAT'S GENERALLY MY PHILOSOPHY IS WHAT COULD BE. THANK YOU.
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ.
COUNCILWOMAN DR. KAUR. >> KAUR: THANKS, CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I JUST WANT TO CHECK MY UNDERSTANDING ON A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE, FOR THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING GOAL ON SLIDE 13, I THINK THAT'S REALLY AMBITIOUS IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.
FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN FROM -- THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE SAYING IF THERE'S MORE FREQUENTLY WE CAN INCREASE RIDERSHIP. AGREED THIS IS A VERY AMBITIOUS GOAL. I GUESS I WANT TO KNOW ARE IN THE BETTER BUS PLAN CAN WE FINALIZE AND ADOPT THIS PLAN BY THE END OF THE YEAR, ARE WE GOING TO HAVE A THREE-YEAR PLAN THAT'S GOING TO GET US THERE AND ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAY -- I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE PLAN GOING TO SAY IN THREE YEARS WE NEED TO DO X, Y, Z.
I ASSUME THERE'S GOING TO BE INCREASED FUNDING. I DON'T THINK THE PORTION YOU ARE GETTING IN 2026 IS GOING TO BE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO GET US TO THIS VERY AMBITIOUS GOAL OF NOT HAVING ANY TRIPS OVER 30 MINUTES.
>> YES, YOUR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS IS RIGHT ON 100%, COUNCILWOMAN.
IT IS INDEED. WHAT'S COMING IN IS GOING TO HELP US GET THERE.
THIS IS WHERE THE BALANCE COMES IN AS WELL AS IF THERE'S -- IF WE SHRINK THE SYSTEM DOWN, THIS IS THE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE, WE COULD GET MORE FREQUENCY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT REACHING AS MANY PLACES, BUT OUR CONSTITUENTS, OUR RIDERS NEED TO GO TO PLACES. SO THAT'S THE CORE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO GET THE -- THAT GOAL OF 30 MINUTES. BUT IT WILL BE DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY THE FINANCIAL CAPABILITIES THAT WE HAVE AS A SYSTEM.
>> KAUR: I GUESS THAT'S MY QUESTION. IS YOUR BUDGET GOING TO BE THE DRIVER OR IS THE GOAL GOING TO BE THE DRIVER AND SAYING THIS IS OUR BUDGET GAP TO GET TO OUR GOAL AND FOR THAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET ADDITIONAL
X MILLION DOLLARS OR BILLION DOLLARS? >> IT'S GOING TO BE A BUDGET GAP THAT'S GOING TO COME INTO PLAY FOR THAT COMPLETE DELIVERY.
I THINK WHAT WE WOULD GET FROM SANDEEP IS AN ANALYSIS THAT SHOWS HOW FAR WE CAN GET ON THAT DONUT THAT YOU ARE REFERENCING. HOW MUCH IMPROVEMENT CAN WE DO TO THESE DONUTS THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
[00:50:02]
AND HOW FAR WE CAN GET TOWARDS THAT GOAL WITH THE CURRENT ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. BUT LET'S HAVE THAT CONVERSATIONAUDIO] WE NEED PARTNERS TO ACHIEVE THAT. >> KAUR: I GUESS THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I GUESS I WOULD PUSH FOR, ADVOCATE FOR IS LIKE YES, A PLAN THAT IS REALISTIC IN THE CONSTRAINTS WE CURRENTLY HAVE AND IF WE TRULY WANT TO GET TO THIS GOAL BY THE ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT IS SOLVED, THERE IS SOME KIND OF ASPIRATION TO FUND RAISE TO ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IN BUDGET CONVERSATIONS WHERE -- AND MAYBE THERE'S VARIOUS ASSUMPTIONS BUILT INTO THAT LIKE INCREASED RIDERSHIP IN AREAS THAT ARE CLOSER. OR WE COULD GO TO OUR FRIENDS DOWN THE STREET AND ASK THEM FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. JUST WANTING TO KNOW --
>> DO -- BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND. I DON'T THINK -- OR ANY OF US ON COUNCIL DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW COST EFFICIENT YOU ALREADY ARE IN TERMS OF THE SERVICE WE'RE GETTING AND THE LEVEL AT WHICH YOU ARE PROVIDING IT FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING. AND I KNOW YOU ALL WILL NEVER LET US FORGET THAT,
BUT WE DON'T F YOU FOR REINFORCG THAT. >> KAUR: WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE KNOW THERE'S A GAP. BUT WE CAN'T HELP WORK TOWARDS THE GAP IF WE DON'T
KNOW HOW MUCH IT IS. >> FAIR. FAIR.
>> KAUR: THAT WAS MY ONLY -- THE ONLY OTHER POINT I WANT TO ECHO WAS COMMENTS ABOUT HOW WE'RE GETTING NPS SCORES AND I LIKE YOU GAVE THE INDUSTRY STANDARD BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS THAT IS SCORE --
>> 57 IS FAILING. NO, BUT IT'S NOT.
>> KAUR: JUST CONTINUING THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN COLLECT VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF
DATA FROM OUR USERS I THINK IS IMPORTANT. >> AND I DO HAVE TO MAKE ONE ADDITIONAL COMMENT. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A SYSTEM IN SAN ANTONIO THAT HAS THIS TYPE OF SCORE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT FOR GRANTED BECAUSE THOSE OTHER SYSTEMS THAT STRUGGLE WITH THEIR SCORES, THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO CLEAN UP CERTAIN PARTS OF THEIR SERVICE IN ORDER TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS.
WE'RE IN A GOOD POSITION THAT WE -- WE'RE ATTRACTIVE ON THE SERVICE.
THE KEY IS TO HAVE MORE OF THAT SERVICE. AND WE'RE FORTUNATE TO BE IN THAT POSITION TO DO SO, BUT IT BECOMES A FINANCIAL GAP FOR US AT THE END OF THE
DAY. >> KAUR: THANK YOU. AND THE LAST THING I'LL JUST COMMENT ON IS I AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, AND IN OUR CONVERSATION WHEN WE FOLLOWED UP ON RIDER FARES, THERE ARE NON-PROFITS OUT THERE TRYING TO CLOSE THE GAP. EVEN IF IT'S NOT CREATING AN OFFICIAL PROGRAM ON HOW WE CAN GROW THE NUMBER OF NON-PROFITS THAT ARE PROVIDING THOSE FARES SO IT'S NOT -- IT'S NOT THE THING THAT'S CAUSING SOMEONE FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO WORK. BUT PUTTING YOUR RESOURCES AND TIME ON REALLY
ADDRESSING THE BIG ISSUE OF FREQUENCY. >> WHEW WE COULD ALSO PROVIDE IN THE PACKET OF INFORMATION I KNOW THIS COMMITTEE IS ASKING FOR, WE CAN LIST OUT THE NON-PROFITS CURRENTLY THAT ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE BULK FARE PROGRAM SO YOU ALL CAN SEE AND HAVE AN IDEA. IF THERE'S SOME WE SHOULD
REACH OUT TO OR YOU SEND OUR WAY -- >> KAUR: COULD YOU SEND US STATISTICS ON WHERE THE PEOPLE FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE USING
IT, LIKE -- >> YES, WE CAN DO THAT. >> KAUR: THANK YOU.
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK COMMENTS. ONE, I THINK GOING AS A FORMER VIA BOARD MEMBER AND HOW MUCH WE'RE TRYING TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO NOW BEING ON COUNCIL AND HEARING COUNCILMEMBERS SO EAGER AND KNOWING HOW MUCH OF A PRIORITY VIA IS IS SOMETHING VIA SHOULD CAPITALIZE ON. LIKE BOTH OF YOU ALL MENTIONED, REALLY EVERYBODY MENTIONED, WE KNOW HOW MUCH OF A PRIORITY IS IT IT IS FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN SUPPORT BECAUSE THERE'S DEFINITELY A WANT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THOSE OF US IN SAN ANTONIO, BEEN SAN ANTONIANS OUR WHOLE
LIFE, WE YEARLY SEE WHEN THERE'S A BILL THERE'S A WAY >> GAVITO: ONE OTHER FINAL COMMENT. I JUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM A DISTRICT 7 RESIDENT WHO IS WATCHING SO THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. SHE WAS ASKING ABOUT A FREQUENT RIDER CARD. IF A CUSTOMER TAKES A RIDE TEN TIMES IN A MONTH CAN THEY GET TWO RIDES FREE THE NEXT MONTH. DOES VIA HAVE SOMETHING LIKE
THAT? >> IN THE INDUSTRY IT'S CALLED FARE CAPPING.
[00:55:02]
THE FAIR CAPPING -- LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. OUR MONTHLY FARE IS $38.BUT IF YOU TAKE OUR SERVICE INDIVIDUALLY EVERY DAY, YOU'LL REACH $38 IN ABOUT 12 DAYS. SO WHAT WE'RE IMPLEMENT AGO SYSTEM THAT SAYS ONCE YOU REACH A CERTAIN CAP -- I'M JUST USING A MONTHLY PASS AS EXAMPLE, THEN THE REST OF THE MONTH IS FREE. SO THAT IS ALSO A VERY VALUABLE WAY TO KEEP DOLLARS IN THE POCKETS OF OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT CANNOT AFFORD A $38 ONE-TIME CHARGE, BUT THEY ARE DOING IT ON A DAILY BASIS, THEY END UP SPENDING WAY PAST $38 AT THE END OF THE MONTH. THAT'S A FARE CAP PROGRAM DESIGNED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE AND HELP THOSE THAT REACH THAT THRESHOLD. AND THAT THRESHOLD, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SET AND THAT THRESHOLD COULD THEN BECOME A BENEFIT FOR THE CONSTITUENT ONCE THEY REACH A CERTAIN THRESHOLD. IS IT POSSIBLE WITH THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE INSTALLING ON THE BUSES, THE FARE BOX TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS US TO DO THAT THROUGH AN ACCOUNT BASIS.
>> GAVITO: AWESOME. THANK YOU. ITEM 2 WAS FOR -- GO AHEAD.
SORRY, GO AHEAD. COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: JUST WONDERING, DO YOU GUYS HAVE GIS MAPS?
>> YES. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: WOULD YOU MIND SENDING THE FILES?
THANK YOU. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN.
ITEM 2 WAS FOR A BRIEFING ONLY SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 3.
MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION FOR ITEM 3. >> CLERK: BRIEFING ON THE
PLEASANTON ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT. >> GOOD AFTERNOON.
SO THIS PRESENTATION WILL COVER THE PLEASANTON ROAD, MORRISON BOULEVARD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT. WE'LL START WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT AND WE'LL COVER THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS. WE'LL SPEND SOME TIME SHARING ABOUT SOME OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS AND THE EXPECTED SAFETY BENEFITS OF THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS, AND THEN WE'LL SHARE SOME INSIGHTS ON THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH, STRATEGY AND HOW RESIDENTS WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT DESIGN PROCESS.
LASTLY, WE'LL PRESENT TO YOU WHAT OUR CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE LOOKS LIKE.
SO THIS PROJECT COVERS A SEGMENT OF PLEASANTON ROAD AND MORRISON BOULEVARD FROM FITCH STREET TO THE NORTH DOWN TO LOOP 410 [INAUDIBLE].
IT WAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE CITY'S VISION ZERO PROGRAM AND THE HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ALSO KNOWN AS HSIP, WITH THE PROCESS IN COORDINATION WITH TXDOT. THE TEXAS HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IS THE FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAM MANAGED BY TXDOT AND THE DEPARTMENT WE APPLIED IN 2021, SELECTED, AND CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE ADVANCE FUNDING AGREEMENT IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR. THIS PROGRAM IS DIRECTED BY THE [INAUDIBLE] HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN AND ITS MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE TRAFFIC FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES ON TEXAS ROADWAYS INCLUDING ON SYSTEM AND OFF-SYSTEM ROADS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS IMPROVE SAFETY AND MOBILITY FOR ALL MODES OF TRAVEL BUT ESPECIALLY PEDESTRIANS. THE TOTAL COST OF THE PROJECT IS 3.8 MILLION, OF WHICH THE CITY'S PORTION IS ABOUT $720,000.
AND THE CITY'S FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COVERS 100% OF THE DESIGN AS WELL AS 10% OF THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS. THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE RAISED CONCRETE MEDIAN WHICH WILL LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF CONFLICT POINTS THAT LEADS TO CRASHES. LEFT TURN BAYS WERE INCORPORATED IN THE DESIGN TO PROVIDE ALTERNATE ROUTES AS NEEDED AND REPLACEMENT -- PLACEMENT WAS GUIDED BY THE SPEED OF THE ROADWAY CROSSING. THE LOCATIONS FOR MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS WERE DETERMINED BASED ON KEY DESTINATIONS, THE RIDERSHIP DATA AT THE VIA BUS STOPS AS WELL AS PEDESTRIAN CRASHES ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
COMMERCIAL STRIPS AND WE OBTAINED DATA CAPTURING HOW MANY DAILY BUS RIDERS WERE OBSERVED AT EACH STOP. WE ALSO COLLECTED AND ANALYZED HISTORICAL DATA OF CRASHES INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS TO IDENTIFY PATTERNS.
IT WAS CHOSEN FOR FUNDING BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CRASHES ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, THERE WERE ABOUT 100 CRASHES A YEAR ON AVERAGE.
OF THOSE, 32 PEDESTRIANS WERE SEVERELY INJURED AND THREE PEDESTRIANS LOST THEIR LIVES. THE CRASH ANALYSIS ALSO REVEALED THE PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THESE CRASHES WHICH WERE DISTRACTED DRIVING AT 445%,
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FOLLOWED BY FAILURE TO YIELD RIGHT-OF-WAY. UNDER FAILURE TO YIELD RIGHT-OF-WAY, THE MAJORITY OF CRASHES INVOLVED TURNING LEFT AND HAPPENED AT EITHER A PRIVATE DRIVEWAY OR STOP SIGN. THESE FACTORS ARE CLONED BY CURRENT ROAD DESIGN AND MULTIPLE DRIVEWAY APPROACHES THAT EXIST TODAY.OTHER EXISTING FACTORS INCLUDES HOW MANY ROUTES THAT VIA OPERATES.
VIA OPERATES THREE ROUTES WITH 47 BUS STOPS AND MORE THAN 800 WEEKLY PASSENGERS.
SO WE TRIED TO ACCOMMODATE SOME OF THE BUSIEST BUS STOPS WITH MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS. THE STOPS WITH THE TWO HIGHEST RIDERSHIP ARE CLOSE TO SOUTHWEST MILITARY DRIVE. THEY WILL BE ACCOMMODATED BY THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL WE HAVE PROPOSED AT THE INTERSECTION OF PLEASANTON ROAD AND RAY BURN.
THE THIRD HIGHEST RIDERSHIP WAS EAST INVOLVEMENT ILERETTE NEAR THE FLEA MARKET. AND THE FOURTH HIGHEST RIDERSHIP IS AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF PLEASANTON ROAD AND SOUTHWEST MILITARY DRIVE.
NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE PROPOSED AT THIS LOCATION BECAUSE IT IS AT A SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION. AND THE FIFTH HIGHEST VIA RIDERSHIP IS AMBER STREET WHERE ANOTHER MID-BLOCK CROSSING IS PROPOSED. VILLARET.
THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN -- TO IMPROVE CRASHES.
FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN INSTALLING A RAISED MEDIA REDUCES CRASHES UP TO 53%. WHEN COMBINED WITH THE RAISED MEDIAN, PEDESTRIAN CRASHES ARE REDUCED BY UP TO 45% AS WELL AS PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES BY UP TO 78%.
SO HOW DO WE GET TO THIS POINT IN THIS PROJECT? NOT ONLY DO WE EVALUATE THE EXISTING CONDITIONS BY LOOKING AT CRASH DATA AND VIA BUS RIDERSHIP, WE ALSO MADE FIELD VISITS TO OBSERVE PEDESTRIAN BEHAVIORS AND PATTERNS, TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND LENGTH OF QUEUES AT THE INTERSECTIONS WITHIN THE CORRIDOR, LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPTUAL PLAN. WE'VE COORDINATED WITH PUBLIC WORKS TRAFFIC AND STORMWATER DIVISIONS AS WELL AS SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT AND CPS ENERGY. OUTSIDE OF THE CITY WE'VE COORDINATED WITH TXDOT, HARLANDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AS WELL AS BUSINESSES INCLUDING HEB.
WE ALSO CONDUCTED A REBUST COMMUNITY OUTREACH PLAN TO ENSURE RESIDENTS CAN SEE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS AND GIVE COMMENTS. WE CREATED A SA SPEAK UP.COM WEB PAGE TO SHARE INFORMATION AS THE PROJECT PROGRESSED AND RECEIVED COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC. AS OF FEBRUARY 19, THE WEBSITE HAS RECEIVED OVER 700 VIEWS, 93 SUB VIBERS AND 16 MINUTES. WE ALSO PUBLISHED MEETING EVENTS AND UPDATES RELATED TO THIS PROJECT ON FACEBOOK FOR AN AUDIENCE OF OVER 3,000 SUB SUBSCRIBERS AS WELL AS NEXT DOOR. THE CITY -- WE ALSO HELD TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS. THE FIRST WAS IN OCTOBER ON OCTOBER 12 AND THE SECRETARY WAS JUST RECENTLY ON FEBRUARY 8TH. WE'VE NOTIFIED ALL PROPERTIES WITHIN A HALF A MILE RADIUS WHICH INCLUDED OVER 9,000 RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES. IN ADDITION, STAFF WENT DOOR TO DOOR TO DISTRIBUTE FLIERS TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROJECT. THE SAME FLIER WAS ALSO PROVIDED FOR D3. FOR BOTH MEETINGS WE ALSO PLACED TWO PORTABLE VARIABLE MESSAGE SIGNS TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF MEETINGS AT STRATEGIC LOCATIONS ALONG THE CORRIDOR. AND THE LOCAL TELEVISION CHANNEL WAS PRESENT AT THE SECOND MEETING AND PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE PROJECT ON THEIR WEBSITE.
WE HAD 23 RESIDENTS WHO ATTENDED THE FIRST PUBLIC MEETING AND 36 WHO ATTENDED THE SECOND. TODAY WE RECEIVED ABOUT 30 COMMENTS.
THIS SUMMARIZES THE TYPES OF COMMENTS. 58% OF THE COMMENTS WERE RELATED TO REDUCTION OF ACCESS ALONG THE CORRIDOR. OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE THEY HAVE TRAVEL PATTERNS THAT ARE ROUTINE TO THEM.
28% WERE RELATED TO THE REQUEST FOR ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS MORE LIGHTING. 8% OF THE COMMENTS INCLUDED SAFETY CONCERNS FOR VEHICLES, BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS, AND 6% WERE RELATED TO POOR STREET CONDITIONS. WE ARE COORDINATING WITH PUBLIC WORKS ON THOSE STREET CONDITION COMMENTS. ALSO NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT REQUESTS INCLUDED SIDEWALKS, BIKE LANES AND TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES WON'T BE ABLE TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THIS PROJECT BUT WE WILL BE USING THOSE COMMENTS TO EVALUATE FOR FUTURE PROJECTS. SO WHAT CHANGED? SO HERE ARE THE CHANGES THAT OCCURRED IN DESIGN BETWEEN THE 30% AND THE 60% STAGE. AT THE 30% MILESTONE, WE WERE CONSIDERING THE RAISED CONCRETE MEDIAN AND SIX MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS THAT JUST HAD FLASHING LIGHTS. AT 60% WITH ALL THAT DATA WE ANALYZED, THE NEW MID-BLOCK
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CROSSINGS WERE REDUCED TO THREE HOWEVER DESIGN WAS UPDATED TO HYBRID BEACONS WHICH STOP TRAFFIC TO ALLOW PEDESTRIANS TO CROSS. THE FIRST LOCATION IS ON MORRISON BOULEVARD BETWEEN LOOP 410 AND EAST BUCHANAN NEAR THE FLEA MARK.THE SECOND LOCATION IS JUST NORTH OF BAETZ BOULEVARD. THE THIRD LOCATION IS SOUTH OF EAST AMBER PLACE NEAR THE BEXAR COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR OFFICE AND LILA COCHRAN APARTMENTS AND ONE AT RAYBURN DRIVE. ALSO ADDITIONAL ACCESS AT EAST ASHLEY ROAD. WE'RE CURRENTLY IN FINAL DESIGN STAGE.
THE PROJECT WILL GO OUT TO BID THIS SUMMER AND TXDOT WILL MANAGE THAT PROCESS.
WE ANTICIPATE THE CONSTRUCTION WILL EXTEND FROM FALL '234 -- FALL '24 TO SUMMER '25. THE FIRST PHASE WILL COME FROM LOOP 410 ON MORRISON TO PLEASANTON ROAD. THE SECOND PHASE WILL GO FROM PLEASANTON ROAD TO RAYBURN DRIVE, AND THE THIRD PHASE FROM RAYBURN TO FITCH ONE LANE WILL REMAIN OPEN DURING EAST PHASE. IF A BUS STOP IS IMPACTED BY CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY, A TEMPORARY BUS STOP WILL BE PROVIDED. BEFORE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS, HERE WE COME NOTIFICATION WILL BE MAILED OUT TO RESIDENTS. WITH THAT, I'LL ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS. BUT BEFORE I DO, I ALSO WANTED TO INTRODUCE ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS. HE'S A SENIOR ENGINEER PART OF OUR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION TEAM THAT WORKS ON OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS. COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE? >> ALL I CAN SAY IS IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME AND COMING. SO I'M GLAD WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT WE HAVE SO FAR. VISION ZERO IS A HIGH PRIORITY AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DIFFICULTIES ALONG THAT INTERSECTION FOR MANY YEARS. SO YEAH. I THINK IT'S POSITIVE. I APPRECIATE THE REPORT.
THAT'S IT FOR ME. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU,
COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. >> I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. THIS IS ME FROM LEARNING CONTEXT PERSPECTIVE. HOW IS THIS PROJECT -- I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF COLLABORATION WITH TXDOT. HOW IS IT
SUBMITTED? >> YOU'RE DEPARTMENT HAS A VISION ZERO SAFETY STRATEGY. PART OF THAT PLAN INCLUDES WHAT WE USED TO CALL THE SEVERE PEDESTRIAN INJURY REPORTS OR SEVERE BICYCLE INJURY REPORTS.
WE'RE NOW TRANSITIONING THOSE TO HIGH INJURY NETWORKS. AT THE TIME, THE LAST REPORT WE HAD WAS IN FISCAL YEAR 2020. IT PRIORITIZED THE CORRIDORS WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CRASHES. FROM THIS, WE TAKE THOSE AND THEN DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF ADDING SAFETY MEASURES AND THEN ONCE WE PRIORITIZE THOSE, THEN WE WORK WITH TXDOT DURING THEIR CALL FOR APPLICATIONS PROCESS IN ORDER TO SUBMIT A GOOD APPLICATION THAT HAS GOOD COST ESTIMATES FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. THAT'S KIND OF WHERE IT ORIGINATES FROM. THIS WAS A PREVIOUS TEAM'S PROJECT THAT APPLIED IN 2021.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO ITEM THREE WAS FOR BRIEFING ONLY. THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF OUR BRIEFINGS TODAY. THE NEXT TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING IS MARCH 19TH, 204 WHERE WE'LL BE INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES ON THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION. THE TIME IS 2:47 P.M., AND THE
MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. >> CAN I INTERRUPT?
>> GO AHEAD, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. >> ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO IS SET UP A COMMITTEE TO GO AHEAD AND HANDLE THOSE INTERVIEWS FOR THAT COMMITTEE. SO IT WAS SUGGESTED TO ME THAT WE SET UP A SUBCOMMITTEE TO GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. I WOULD ASK IF THE THREE OF YOU WOBBLING TO BE THAT -- WOULD BE WILLING TO BE THAT SUBCOMMITTEE
TO REVIEW THOSE. >> I CERTAINLY DON'T MIND.
>> IF I GET TWO MORE ANSWERS, WE'VE GOT A SUBCOMMITTEE.
>> CAN I GET BACK TO YOU? >> YEAH. IF YOU NEED TO
CHECK ON IT. >> I'M COOL WITH THAT. >> GO AHEAD AND GET IT
SET UP PRETTY QUICK. >> HOW MANY CANDIDATES ARE HERE?
>> I SEE A HAND RAISED THERE. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
>> HE SAYS HE'S GOOD. YES. >> WELL, THERE'S TWO.
AND IF FOR SOME REASON YOU CAN'T, COUNCILWOMAN, I'LL ASK MELISSA HAVRDA.
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DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS? ANYTHING YOU SHOULD LET THEMKNOW? >> NO. I THINK THAT'S GOOD. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A SUBCOMMITTEE GO THROUGH THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS SO THAT WE ONLY BRING SERIOUS CANDIDATES FOR INTERVIEWS TO THE
COMMITTEE. AURORA HAS THE COUNT. >> I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT COUNT RIGHT NOW TO THE COMMITTEE, BUT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT. WE'RE CURRENTLY EVALUATING -- WE'RE VETTING IT AND THEN WE'LL BE SENDING IT TO THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SO MAKE SURE THOSE WHO HAVE APPLIED MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THAT. BUT AT THIS TIME, I DON'T COMPLETELY KNOW THE NUMBER. THERE'S ALWAYS A LARGE NUMBER THOUGH.
>> I THINK IT'S 11. THAT'S WHAT I WAS ANSWERING.
>> YES. >> IT WON'T BE HUNDREDS. IT'S PROBABLY MORE
BETWEEN THE 20 TO 40. >> ARE THESE -- >> SOMETIMES THERE'S ONLY ONE APPLICANT FOR ONE CATEGORY, BUT OTHER TIMES THERE MAY BE FIVE OR SIX FOR ONE POSITION. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ASK THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO NARROW IT DOWN TO MAYBE THREE OR SO BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, INTERVIEWING 40
PEOPLE IN ONE MEETING IS QUITE LENGTHY. >> DID WE JUST DO THIS
LAST YEAR AS WELL? >> IT'S GOING TO BE REAPPOINTED, TOO, I WOULD IMAGINE. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF WORK, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING YOU'LL DO IT AND MARINA. I'LL WAIT AND SEE WHAT
THEY SAY OR IF I GO TO MELISSA. >> NOTHING FOR YOU.
>> THAT'S NOT PEER PRESSURE BY JUST STARING AND SMILING.
>> END OF THE MEETING. >> OKAY. THANK YOU. THE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. THANK
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.