Title
AMENDMENT NO. TWO TO CONTRACT K-1920-30: BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING AUTHORITY (COTPA) D/B/A EMBARK EXTENDING THE CONTRACT OF THE TRANSITIONAL FREE FARE PERIOD UNTIL NO LONGER THAN JUNE 30, 2020, FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE TO AGREE TO THE END DATE.
Body
BACKGROUND: On July 30, 2019, City Council approved Contract K-1920-30, an Interlocal Agreement with the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority ("COTPA") d/b/a EMBARK, public trust, for the provision of public transportation services. That agreement provided that Embark would not charge Norman citizens fare from August 5, 2019, through October 31, 2019. On October 22, 2019, City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. K-1920-30 extending the free fare period to December 31, 2019. This amendment would extend that free fare period for a longer period of time not to extend beyond June 30, 2020, unless the parties agree to an earlier date to end the free fare period.
DISCUSSION: Embark began operation of the City's fixed route bus transportation system on August 5, 2019, and then took over the City's paratransit operations on October 1, 2019. Contract No. K-1920-30 provided that Embark would not charge fare from August 5, 2019, through October 31, 2019. This agreement also provided that the City and Embark would begin the planning process of undertaking to change the fares in the City of Norman service area to those charged by Embark for other service areas.
The most recent transit fare increase (when the University of Oklahoma's Cleveland Area Rapid Transit or "CART" was operating the public transportation system) was in 2014 when fixed-route single trip fares were raised from $.50 to $.75, Sooner Express single trip fares from $2.25 to $3.00, monthly passes from $20 to $25, Paratransit Zone 1 fares from $1 to $1.50, Paratransit Zone 2 fares from $2.50 to $3.50...
Click here for full text