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Report regarding a resolution authorizing the submittal of an application for the San Mateo County Shuttle Program Funding in an amount of $1,002,225 and committing a 25% matching contribution of $334,075 from South San Francisco Local Measure A funds, in support of the South City Shuttle program. (Sarah Henricks, Management Analyst II)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the submittal of an application for the San Mateo County Shuttle Program Funding in an amount of $1,002,225 and committing a 25% matching contribution of $334,075 from South San Francisco Local Measure A funds, in support of the South City Shuttle program.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The South City Shuttle has been in operation since November 2014, funded by three rounds of San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA) Shuttle Program funds. Staff applied for the TA Shuttle Program funds for South City Shuttle operations in February of 2014, 2016, and 2018; all three applications were successful. The TA provided the City with $836,000 in funding for the current cycle, fiscal year (FY) 2018 - 2020 and the City provided a 25% match of $279,000 in local Measure A funding, for a total project cost of $1,115,000.
Since its inception, the South City Shuttle has become a vital service to the South San Francisco community, as it provides a critical connection between the regional South San Francisco BART station, SamTrans stops, and numerous pedestrian generators throughout the City, such as the downtown, recreation centers, libraries, local shops, parks, and others. The City has two buses, running in opposite directions that provide service throughout the City. The current routes begin and end at the SSF BART station and provide access to Sunshine Gardens, Hillside Boulevard, Linden Avenue, and Grand Avenue. They also serve the Terrabay Recreation Center, downtown South San Francisco, both libraries, the Magnolia Senior Center, Orange Memorial Park, Rotary Plaza, the Municipal Services Building, and Kaiser Medical Center. The complete routes and timetables can be viewed in Attachment 1.
The second bus was added to the program in October 2018. Since its addition, the South City Shuttle has served as a transportation option to an average of 330 riders per day, an increase of approximately 80 passengers per day since the 2016 funding cycle. The shuttle program averages 16 passengers per hour at an average cost of $5.51 per passenger. These metrics place the South City Shuttle among the best performing community shuttles in San Mateo County, exceeding the performance benchmarks of the TA of 10 passengers per hour at $11 per passenger.
During the FY 2019 - 2020 funding cycle, staff procured and installed automated passenger counters (APCs) on both shuttles to increase accuracy of ridership counts and improve shuttle safety. The installation of the APCs will also provide a shuttle tracking mechanism that riders can use to approximate the shuttle’s arrival. Staff is working with the vendor to optimize the APCs and tracking technology. Staff also provided the Shuttle’s General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) 511 Open Data Portal. Sharing this data to the portal allows MTC to share the Shuttle’s data with private sector disseminators to maximize the number of travelers benefitting from 511 data. Private sector partners include Google, Apple, TomTom, HERE, and INRIX. Similarly, the Open Data Portal provides several APIs for developers who would like to create applications, widgets, and other tools using 511 data.
Call for Projects
The TA, in conjunction with the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), issued a Call for Projects on January 13, 2020 for the San Mateo Shuttle Program. The $10 million program is a combination of C/CAG funds from the Countywide Congestions Relief Plan and TA funds from the Measure A Sales Tax Program. The funding is available on a competitive basis for a two-year funding cycle: fiscal years 2020 - 2021 and 2021 - 2022. To seek funding pursuant to this Call for Projects, TA and C/CAG require a governing board resolution from the City committing the City to the completion of the South City Shuttle.
The shuttle has proven to be successful and staff recommends continuing the service and asking for funds for the next two funding cycles. Staff is not recommending any changes to the routes or the schedule, but believes the installation of the APCs, tracking technology, and the 511 Open Data Portal will drive more riders to the shuttle routes, increasing program participation. Based on community feedback and an informal staff audit, staff believes the shuttle program would benefit from an update to the signage at all stops, installation of benches at stops with no nearby seating areas, and increased marketing and outreach. Staff proposes a more thorough audit of all shuttle stops to identify needed improvements or repairs.
FISCAL IMPACT
The projected cost of the Free South City Shuttle program over the next two years is $1,336,300. If approved, new Measure A or C/CAG congestions relief funds would cover 75 percent ($1,002,225) of the project costs. The proposed city match for the next two years is 25% of the project costs ($334,075). This amounts to approximately $167,040 per year for FY 2020 - 2021 and FY 2021 - 2022. Staff proposes the matching funds come from the City’s local Measure A fund. This is an increase to the current funding model of approximately $27,540 per year.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
The Free South City Shuttle Program supports Priority Area 2: Quality of Life of the South San Francisco Strategic Plan by providing access to multi-modal transportation options.
CONCLUSION
City Council’s support of the application for the San Mateo County Shuttle Program gives the City an opportunity to continue providing a free public transportation option to the South San Francisco Community.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Attachment 1: Shuttle map and timetable
2. Attachment 2: South City Shuttle Grant Application presentation