Keyline Transit_West End Tripper Express RouteMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: West End Tripper Service
DATE: June 29, 2010
Dubuque
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2007
Economic Development Director David Heiar recommends City Council approval for
City staff to negotiate a contract with the Regional Transit Authority to provide bus
service on the West End Tripper Express Route from downtown through the Dubuque
Industrial Center West under an approved Federal Job Access Reverse Commute
grant.
In 2009, the City was awarded $29,700 under the federal Job Access Reverse
Commute (JARC) Program to establish a tripper service from the downtown to the
Dubuque Industrial Center West (DICW). The primary purpose of this service was to
allow residents from the downtown and North end of the community, access to job
opportunities in the DICW.
Early this year, a survey of the industries and businesses in the DICW was completed to
get a better understanding of the number of employees and the various work shifts
available in the DICW.
In an effort to implement the West End Tripper and in an attempt to salvage the NICC
express route from downtown to Peosta, ECIA and the RTA are recommending that
these two services be combined. This approach will provide some cost savings to the
City in the amount of $21,000 per year over providing the service through Keyline.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM:jh
Attachment
Michael C. Van Milligen
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
David Heiar, Economic Development Director
Kelley Deutmeyer, Executive Director, ECIA
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: David Heiar, Economic Development Director
DATE: June 28, 2010
SUBJECT: West End Tripper Service
Dubuque
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11111
2007
BACKGROUND
In 2009, the City was awarded $29,700 under the federal Job Access Reverse
Commute (JARC) Program to establish a tripper service from the downtown to the
Dubuque Industrial Center West (DICW). The primary purpose of this service was to
allow residents from the downtown and North end of the community, access to job
opportunities in the DICW.
DISCUSSION
Early this year, a survey of the industries and businesses in the DICW was completed to
get a better understanding of the number of employees and the various work shifts
available in the DICW.
In April, the City Council awarded a management contract for Keyline Transit to ECIA.
One of the goals of this contract was to better coordinate transit services between the
RTA and Keyline in and around the City of Dubuque. The staff at ECIA has been
aggressively evaluating Keyline's budget and service over the past two months.
In an effort to implement the West End Tripper and in an attempt to salvage the NICC
express route from downtown to Peosta, ECIA and the RTA are recommending that we
combine these two services. This approach will provide some cost savings to the City
and to the RTA as more fully described in Kelly Deutmeyer's memorandum which is
attached.
RECOMMENDATION / ACTION STEP
I concur with the recommendation of ECIA, and request that the City Council authorize
City staff to negotiate a contract for the West End Tripper Service with the RTA as
described in the attached memorandum from Kelly Deutmeyer and further authorize the
City Manager to sign the contract.
Attachment
F: \USERS\Econ Dev \Transit \Council Memos\20100628 Council Memo West End Tripper Service.doc
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Dave Heiar, Economic Development Director
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Kelley Deutmeyer, Executive Director
Mark Munson, Director of Transit Operations
June 24, 2010
RTA Contract to provide West End Tripper Express Route
Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to recommend that the City of Dubuque contract with the Regional Transit
Authority to provide bus service on the West End Tripper Express Route from downtown through the
West end industrial park under an approved federal Job Access Reverse Commute grant.
Background
The City of Dubuque has an approved grant in the amount of $29,700 under the federal Job Access
Reverse Commute (JARC) program to establish a tripper service through the Industrial Park West for
employees at various companies located in the industrial park including but not limited to Hormel, Inc.
and Medline. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has the capacity to provide this shuttle service at a
cost of $43.00 per hour which is $21.00 per hour less than the operating cost of KeyLine Transit. KeyLine
Transit is also limited in available equipment to provide this service expansion and could subcontract the
route expansion to the RTA. The RTA would incorporate this west end shuttle into current KeyLine
schedules using the Red Line fixed route from downtown to Kennedy Circle and the RTA's express route
between the downtown and Peosta campuses of Northeast Iowa Community College which was
discontinued at the end of the 2009 -2010 school year due to funding shortfalls. The RTA would connect
to the Keyline Red Line fixed route at Kennedy circle and make the run through the Industrial Center
West and then on to NICC as part of the RTA shuttle service.
Based on survey results of businesses in the industrial park, the shuttle would need to operate in the
morning and afternoon and would not need to operate with frequency during the mid -day. If contracted
for the service, the RTA could provide up to 5 round trip shuttles per day through the Industrial Park
West. The trips include two round trips in the early morning; one round trip midday; and two round
trips between late afternoon. The 50% local match would come from match budgeted in the FY'11
KeyLine budget for the service using DICW -TIF in the amount of $16,862, savings from eliminating
unnecessary trips through the industrial park; RTA funding from Seipple Road to NICC Peosta; and fares
collected from the NICC riders. The RTA would also develop marketing materials and would market the
route expansion to the many potential businesses in the industrial park that could benefit from this new
service as well as to students headed to NICC Peosta.
Discussion
The West End Tripper route from the transfer point at Kennedy Circle through the Industrial Center
West will add approximately 4 hours per day of service. The additional hours that would have been
added to the Keyline schedule by keeping the service in -house but contracting to the RTA, will not
adversely impact the current drivers and their desire for additional hours. All Keyline drivers are
operating under the mandatory 1664 hour cap per the labor agreement. For the last couple of years
there has been concern about drivers bumping that 1664 cap and keeping driver hours down below the
cap. Service expansion and additional driver hours would get drivers to that 1664 cap earlier in the year
unless more part-time drivers were hired therefore, diluting the available hours to the existing driver
pool. There have also been concerns expressed about fleet availability to sufficiently run the West End
Tripper Route. The RTA has available drivers and available equipment to do the service at a lower cost
per hour. This would be an opportunity to partner with the RTA to provide the West End Tripper service
and for the RTA to continue its shuttle service to NICC.
Budget Impact
The City's cost for Keyline to operate the service at 4 hours per day at $64 per hour is $256 /day. The
service would not be operated on the weekends or holidays. There are approximately 250 days of
service for a total of $64,000 per year for Keyline to operate the route. If the RTA is contracted to do
the West End Tripper Service the cost would be 4 hours per day at $43 per hour or $172 /day with 250
days of service for a total of $43,000 per year. The total savings is $21,000 per year. The JARC grant is
$29,700 and the FY'11 budget has $16,862 in match budgeted. Fares are not expected to exceed $5,000
to $6,000 for the route based on RTA's statistics from running the NICC Peosta shuttle for the last three
years. Total City funding for the route is estimated at $52,562. The City would have to secure additional
funding from their operating budget to support the route at 4 hours or 5 round trips per day. If
contracting with the RTA for the service, the City has sufficient funding budgeted in the FY'11 budget to
successfully operate the route.
Action /Recommendation
We recommend the City of Dubuque contract with the Regional Transit Authority to provide bus service
on the West End Tripper Express Route under the approved federal Job Access Reverse Commute grant
in time to meet the transportation needs prior to the beginning of the 2010 -2011 school year.
Cc: Lisa Weinhold, Finance Director