Title
CONTRACT K-1516-6: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND CLEVELAND AREA RAPID TRANSIT (CART) IN THE AMOUNT OF $535,500 FOR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES THROUGH JUNE 30, 2016.
Body
BACKGROUND: Beginning in 1980 as a campus shuttle service for the University of Oklahoma, Cleveland Area Rapid Transit (CART) has become the third largest transit system in the State of Oklahoma. The University expanded the service into a public transportation bus system in 1986, and since 1993 the City of Norman has partnered in funding this essential public service.
Transporting more than one million passengers annually, CART features six Norman city routes, three University of Oklahoma campus routes, a route that serves to transport people to the Social Security Office in Moore as well as a six-times-daily commuter route to Oklahoma City, the “Sooner Express.” CART offers users mobility throughout the city, including access to many major employers, medical facilities, residential areas, social service providers, retail businesses and restaurants. Additionally, CARTaccess, an origin-to-destination service for those who are unable to ride the fixed route bus system, travels all 189.5 square miles of Norman.
CART fixed-route ridership is up 6 percent and CART access ridership is up 3 percent from last year. CARTaccess, CART's origin-to-destination service for those who cannot ride the regular bus routes because of disabilities and/or age, ensures mobility for more than 32,000 riders with disabilities each year. The majority of CARTaccess riders are Norman citizens with no University affiliation.
DISCUSSION: Funding for CART is provided by the Federal Transit Administration, the University of Oklahoma, the City of Norman, and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. The proposed contract for services for FYE 16 represents the twenty-second year of City subsidy for transit services.
For a number of years the City share in the funding of CART remained relatively level in spite of increasing costs of providing the service. In 2007 the City Council Transportation Committee recommended that the City try to achieve a budget share of at least 11% of the costs. The City did not meet this goal between 2006 and 2012.
The FYE 12 budget was $310,500. The $300,000 budget for FYE 12 (not including the funding for bus passes) equaled 12.88% of the total CART budget for the fiscal year.
The FYE 13 budget of $460,500 was a $150,000 increase over the FYE 12 budget. The $450,000 budget for FYE 13 (not including the funding for bus passes) equaled 11.08% of the total CART budget for the fiscal year.
The FYE 14 budget of $460,500 was the same as the FYE 13 budget. The $450,000 budget for FYE 14 (not including the funding for bus passes) equaled 10.26% of the total CART budget for the fiscal year.
The FYE 15 budget of $510,500 was a $50,000 increase over the FYE 14 budget. The $500,000 budget for FYE 15 (not including the funding for bus passes) equaled 11.54% of the total CART budget for the fiscal year.
The FYE 16 budget of $535,500 is a $25,000 increase over the FYE 15 budget. The $525,000 budget for FYE 16 (not including the funding for bus passes) equals 11.65% of the total CART budget for the fiscal year.
Contract K-1516-6 is for the general mass transportation services provided by CART. The set aside for bus passes is also included in this contract.
Bus stop, bus shelter and bus bench locations are identified in Addendum A. Included in Addendum A are locations that will receive the installation of a Bus Stopper. This device is a reflective device attached to the bus stop sign that uses headlights from the approaching bus to reflect a signal to the bus driver. When a person moves the handle up and down a flashing pattern is communicated to the driver so the driver knows a passenger is waiting. The designated locations were determined by CART based upon information from drivers indicating which stops are very difficult to detect waiting passengers in the dark.
The Administrative Guide for Bus Stop Locations and Bench and Shelter Locations and Advertising is attached as Exhibit B. This document is intended to provide a framework for authorizing bus stops, bus benches, bus shelters and advertising contained on the benches or shelters. Staff reviews this document each year with CART staff to update bench and shelter locations and to determine the availability of advertising at these new locations.
At the Community Planning and Transportation Committee meeting held on June 25, 2015 the members requested that we discuss with CART including benches at several current stop locations that currently do not have benches. The CART analysis of providing benches at those locations is attached at Exhibit C.
RECOMMENDATION: The City Council approved the funding for the FYE 16 budget on June 9th. Staff has reviewed the proposed contract and recommends approval. Funds in the amount of $535,500 are available in Miscellaneous Services/CART (010-1001-411.47-66).