CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
July 7, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Anita D. Scott, City Manager
Submitted By: Meg McWade, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: PRICE CHANGE FOR CITY-PROVIDED GET ABOUT TICKET BOOKS RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following action:
Approve a price and subsidy increase for the City-subsidized Get About ticket books from the current $5.00 a book (City subsidized $5.00) to $14.00 a book (City to subsidize $13.50) and modify the number of books sold per resident from the current two per month per resident to one per month per resident.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Pomona Valley Transportation Authority (PVTA), which provides transportation services to seniors and people with disabilities in Pomona and its member cities, has experienced significant cost increases in its service contracts, totaling several million dollars. As a result, changes to the City’s ticket book subsidy program for the Get About transportation service are necessary. Effective July 1, 2025, the resident price for a ticket book (12 ride tickets) will increase from $5 to $14, reflecting a substantial rise in the City’s purchase cost from $10 to $27.50 per book. Despite the increase, the City will continue to subsidize each book by $13.50 using Proposition A funds. To help manage fiscal impact and align with budget constraints, residents will also be limited to purchasing one ticket book per month, reduced from the previous limit of two.
SB1439/GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLICABILITY:
☐ When this box is checked, it indicates the agenda item is subject to the Levine Act SB1439 requirements. Councilmembers are reminded to check their campaign contributions and determine whether they have received a campaign contribution of $500 or more that would require disclosure and/or recusal from discussing or acting on this agenda item. Campaign contributions of $500 or more made 1) by any person or entity who is identified in the agenda report as the applicant or proposer or 2) on behalf of the applicant or participant, including a parent, subsidiary or otherwise related business entity, or 3) by any person who has a financial interest in the agenda item requires a councilmember to comply with SB1439.
FISCAL IMPACT:
As of the preparation of this staff report, the City has purchased 1,200 ticket books for Fiscal Year 2024–25 at a net cost of $6,000. This reflects a purchase price of $10 per book and a subsidized resale price of $5 to residents.
To remain within budget and reduce fiscal impact, it is recommended to limit sales to one (1) ticket book per customer per month, compared to the previous limit of two (2) books. This adjustment reduces the total number of books purchased from 1,200 to 600 over the fiscal year, the projected additional cost to Fund 216-2506-52648-68023 is approximately $2,200. The City will limit sales of books to 600 per year to remain in budget.
DISCUSSION:
The Cities of Claremont, La Verne, Pomona, and San Dimas established the PVTA on October 5, 1977, to provide funding for expanded transportation services to senior and disabled individuals in the area known as the Pomona Valley. The PVTA provides these services through Get About, San Dimas Dial-A-Cab, Claremont Dial-A-Ride, Pomona Group, Ready Now, and One Step Over the Line.
The Get About service is the most widely used service in Pomona due to its convenience and low cost to residents. The cost to passengers of Get About has been $1 per one way trip, and this cost has remained constant for over thirty years.
Staff provided an analysis and presentation on the Get About program and price increases due to a multimillion dollar increase to the contract with Transdev, PVTA’s operator. With these increased costs, it was necessary to make cuts to the number of rides available and increase costs per trip. The changes approved by the PVTA Board at its June 4, 2025, meeting were as follows Reduction in service hours with hours per City based on % share of budget Elimination of ride services on Sundays
Elimination of One Step Over the Line service – Out of County rides Increase in fare from $1.00 per ride to $2.75 per ride
The City currently provides white Get About ticket books with 12 tickets per book at City Hall at a cost to residents of $5.00 per book. The City pays $10.00 a book to purchase from PVTA using Proposition A funding. Each ticket provides for a one-way ride at a subsidized rate of less than $0.50 a ride. Residents can purchase two books per month, and the City sells, on average, approximately 89 books per month. As of July 1, the unsubsidized price of ticket books will go from $10 a book to $27.50 a book. Due to this price increase, and limited Proposition A funding, it is necessary to increase the price from $5.00 a book to $14.00 a book and limit books to one per customer per month.
PVTA also provides the Cities with pink Get About tickets for free that provide for transportation to nutrition services. Staff has received approximately 1,200 of these a year and distributes them at senior centers. The City of Pomona does not pay for these pink tickets directly, although they contribute to Get About hours, which the City does pay for annually. Residents, in turn, have been receiving these at no cost. Given that daily Get About availability will be cut in half beginning July 1, as noted in the presentation and staff report from May 19, Staff will need to monitor usage of these tickets and potentially reduce the number distributed. At the same time, PVTA is working to better consolidate trips to senior centers for senior lunches so that this service might still be offered.
The City is working with PVTA to come up with strategies to reduce costs in ways that will less negatively affect residents. PVTA is working on contract amendments with Transdev that should help to save costs. They are implementing new software to track rides effectively so that each City stays within a daily allotment of rides so that the number of rides available are equitably spread out over the year. They are also applying for additional Federal 5310 funding for Get About, something that had previously not been available to utilize for Get About. They have also applied for Federal CMAQ funding, which, if awarded, would fund Get About in 2026-27 at the same level residents have been accustomed to.
Prepared by:
Shandy Dittman, Public Works Fiscal and Project Manager ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Staff Report “Receive and File Pomona Valley Transportation Authority Get About Service Reduction Discussion.” May 19, 2025 Attachment 2 – Presentation from May 19, 2025
Price Change for City-Provided Get About Ticket Books