Fremont City Council Meeting: 06/07/22 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
STAFF REPORT (ID # 4631) DOC ID: 4631
Updated: 6/2/2022 3:36 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (RIDE-ON TRI-CITY!) – Authorization to Amend and Execute Agreements for Ride-On Tri-City’s Wheelchair Accessible Van Service, Taxi Service and Ride-Hailing Service and Making Finding of CEQA Exemption Contact Persons:
Name: Shawn Fong Suzanne Shenfil
Title: Paratransit Program Manager Director
Div/Dept: Human Services Department Human Services Department Phone: 510-574-2033 510-574-2051
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The City of Fremont (City) provides a wide array of transportation services for older adults and people with disabilities living in the Tri-City area. As the needs of our community have changed, the City has developed new ways to address transportation service gaps and to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities have access to reliable and affordable modes of transportation to get to doctor’s appointments, grocery shop, run errands and engage in social and recreational activities that are essential to a high quality of life. The City’s program, known as Ride-On Tri-City!, currently provides subsidized rides on wheelchair accessible vans, taxis and ride-hailing services. These services will continue to be the foundation of the City’s transportation service for FY 2022/23.
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager to:
1. Execute an amendment with MV Public Transportation, Inc., for wheelchair accessible van services, not to exceed $700,000, through June 30, 2023,
2. Execute an agreement with Siddiq, Inc. for taxi services, not to exceed $225,000 annually, through June 30, 2025,
3. Execute an amendment with Lyft for ride-hailing services, increasing the current not to exceed amount by $45,000 and extending the term through June 30, 2025, not to exceed $225,000 annually, and
4. Execute an agreement with GoGo Technologies, Inc. to operate a ride-hailing call center, not to exceed $30,000 annually, through June 30, 2025.
BACKGROUND: The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) administers Measures B and BB, the Alameda County transportation sales tax that provides direct local distribution payments to cities to implement special transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities. Additional Measure B/BB funds are awarded through a competitive grant process to fund programs that support mobility management activities that enhance travel options and access to transportation services for older adults and people with disabilities. Alameda CTC has awarded the City several grant awards over the years to fund innovative transportation and mobility service programs in the Tri-City area.
With community input from older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, community groups, health care professionals and social service providers, the City has used Measures B and BB direct local distribution funds and grant funding to develop a comprehensive network of transportation support services for residents of Fremont, Newark and Union City.
Staff Report (ID # 4631) Meeting of June 7, 2022
Updated: 6/2/2022 3:36 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 The Ride-On Tri-City! services, which are outlined below, provide unified and effective outreach and education to older adults, people with disabilities, family members, service providers and the rest of the community.
1. Mobility Management Services (Measure B/BB Grant funding) This program component combines integrated community outreach and education strategies with individualized transportation planning to ensure that seniors and persons with disabilities in the Tri-City are connected with the most cost-effective and appropriate transportation services based on their needs and functional abilities.
The service’s overall goal is to improve the overall mobility of elderly and disabled Tri-City residents by increasing transportation service access and coordination. There are no fees charged for mobility management services.
2. Travel Training Services (Measure B/BB Grant funding) The City provides individual and group travel training instruction at no cost to seniors and people with disabilities living in Fremont, Newark and Union City. Travel training teaches program participants how to navigate various transit systems, including AC Transit, Union City Transit and BART. There are no fees charged for travel training services.
3. Wheelchair Accessible Van Service (Meas. B/BB Direct Local Distribution funding) The City provides door-to-door, wheelchair-accessible transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities residing in Fremont and Newark. Rides are available within the Tri-City area, seven days a week, from 8 am to 6pm. Rides are primarily reserved in advance; there is limited same-day ride availability. Program participants pay $4 per ride; the subsidized portion of the ride is determined by the amount of time the vehicle is in service for a given ride.
The City contracts with MV Public Transportation, Inc. to provide Wheelchair Accessible Van Services
4. Group Trips (Measure B/BB Direct Local Distribution funding) The City provides group transportation for social and recreational outings to Fremont-based community organizations serving seniors and people with disabilities.
Program participants pay $2 per ride; the subsidized portion of the ride is determined by the amount of time the vehicle is in service for a particular group trip.
The City contracts with MV Public Transportation, Inc. to provide the vehicles and drivers needed for Group Trips.
5. Taxi Service (Measure B/BB Direct Local Distribution funding) The City provides same-day, subsidized taxi rides for seniors and people with disabilities residing in Fremont, Newark and Union City. Rides within the Tri-City area are available seven days a week, from 8 am to 6pm. There are currently no wheelchair-accessible taxis that are permitted in the Tri-City area. The City subsidizes $16 for each of taxi trip taken and program participants pay $4; participants are responsible for any additional fare above the City’s $16 subsidy.
The City contracts with Siddiq, Inc., a Fremont-based taxi company, to provide taxi services.
Staff Report (ID # 4631) Meeting of June 7, 2022
Updated: 6/2/2022 3:36 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3
6. Ride-Hailing Service (Measure B/BB Direct Local Distribution funding) In the Fall of 2019, the City launched a pilot project to provide subsidized rides on ride-hailing platforms for seniors and people with disabilities in Fremont, Newark and Union City. Subsidized ride-hailing is available from 8 am to 6 pm, seven days a week. Program participants pay the first $4 of their ride and the City subsidizes up to an additional $16 of trip costs. Program participants are responsible for any additional fare above the City’s $16 subsidy. The pilot project also provides a limited number of subsidized rides to program participants who have medical appointments outside of the Tri-City area (such as Stanford Medical Center, UCSF, Palo Alto VA Clinic) and who have no other means of transportation to and from those appointments.
The City contracts with Lyft to provide discounts on rides for program participants who reserve trips directly on Lyft’s ride-hailing app on their smartphones.
To accommodate program participants who do not have smartphones, the City also contracts with GoGo Technologies, Inc. to operate a call center to take ride reservations by phone and enter those reservations into web-based ride- hailing platforms.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: As our local community has moved through the COVID-19 pandemic, transportation service demand has steadily increased over the past several months. In order to meet projected demand in a reliable and administratively efficient manner, staff recommends the City amend an existing agreement and enter into new agreements with its current transportation service providers. The City maintains the right to reevaluate and terminate service agreements prior to the end of the agreement term.
Wheelchair Accessible Van Service and Group Trip Agreement: Staff recommends the City Council delegate authority to the City Manager or her designees to execute an agreement with MV Public Transportation, Inc. for FY 2022/23, with an amount not to exceed $700,000.
MV Public Transportation, Inc. Agreement
Fiscal
Year
Not to Exceed
Amount
2022/23 700,000
Total: $700,000
Taxi Service Agreement: Staff recommends the City Council delegate authority to the City Manager or her designees to execute an agreement with Siddiq, Inc. for three fiscal years, FY 2022/23 – 2024/25, with a not-to-exceed yearly amount of $225,000.
Siddiq, Inc. Agreement
Staff Report (ID # 4631) Meeting of June 7, 2022
Updated: 6/2/2022 3:36 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 4 Fiscal
Year(s)
Not to Exceed
Amount
2022/23 225,000
2023/24 225,000
2024/25 225,000
Total: $675,000
Ride-Hailing Service Agreements: Ride-Hailing Services provided through Lyft have increased over 200% now that COVID-19 vaccines are widely available. Consequently, staff projects demand for services will exceed the current FY 2020/21 – FY 2021/22 contract amount of $75,000.
Staff recommends the City Council delegate authority to the City Manager or her designees to amend the current agreement with Lyft, Inc. to increase the current not to exceed amount by $45,000 and extend the term for three fiscal years, FY 2022/23 through 2024/25, with a not to exceed yearly amount of $225,000 per year.
Lyft Agreement
Fiscal
Year(s)
Annual
Agreement Amendment
Not to Exceed
Amount
2020/21 -2021/22 75,000 45,000 120,000
2022/23 225,000 225,000
2023/24 225,000 225,000
2024/25 225,000 225,000
Total: $75,000 $720,000 $795,000
Staff also recommends the City Council delegate authority to the City Manager or her designees to execute an agreement with GoGo Technologies for three fiscal years, FY 2022/23 – 2024/25, with a not to exceed yearly amount of $30,000.
GoGo Technologies Agreement
Fiscal
Year(s)
Not to Exceed
Amount
2022/23 30,000
2023/24 30,000
2024/25 30,000
Total: $90,000
Staff Report (ID # 4631) Meeting of June 7, 2022
Updated: 6/2/2022 3:36 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 5 FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact on the City’s General Fund. Program costs and project staffing for all components of Ride-On Tri-City!, including the Wheelchair Accessible Van, Taxi and Ride-Hailing Services, are funded through Measure B/BB direct local distribution funding and competitive grant funding. The City of Fremont receives reimbursement for transportation services provided to Newark and Union City as specified in the yearly Task Orders to the Joint Powers Agreements that the City of Fremont has executed with each city.
All funding for the Ride-On Tri-City! Program, including the Wheelchair Accessible Van, Taxi and Ride-Hailing Services, has been included in the City’s FY 2022/23 Operating Budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to, without limitation, CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2), (4) and/or (5), and/or 15061(b)(3) as an administrative or fiscal activity that has no potential to cause a significant effect on the environment, directly or indirectly, each of the foregoing providing a separate and independent basis for CEQA exemption.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Authorize the City Manager or her designees to:
1. Execute an amendment with MV Public Transportation, Inc., for wheelchair accessible van services, not to exceed $700,000, through June 30, 2023,
2. Execute an agreement with Siddiq, Inc. for taxi services, not to exceed $225,000 annually, through June 30, 2025,
3. Execute an amendment with Lyft, Inc. for Ride-Hailing Services, increasing the current not to exceed amount by $45,000 and extending the term through June 30, 2025, not to exceed $225,000 annually, and
4. Execute an agreement with GoGo Technologies, Inc. to operate a ride-hailing call center, not to exceed $30,000 annually, through June 30, 2025.