September 12, 2023
Library and Community Services
DATE: September 12, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager
Denée Evans, Project Manager
Subject:
Clean Mobility Options Electric Shuttle Calstart Funding Agreement Amendment 1
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Funding to cover the $450,000 Nomad Transit, LLC (dba Via Transportation, Inc.) contract will come from the
additional $500,000 awarded from the State of California Air Resources Board (CARB) Clean Mobility Options
Project Voucher Pilot Program. The remaining $50,000
from the CARB grant will support EV infrastructure.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 6, 2021, April 5, 2022, and December 6, 2022
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
City staff is requesting City Council approval for the first amendment of the State of California Air Resources
Board Clean Mobility Options Project Voucher Pilot
Program funding agreement and a third contract
amendment between the City of Richmond and Via
Transportation, Inc.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a first amendment to the funding agreement
between the City of Richmond and the State of California Air Resources Board (CARB) Clean Mobility Options
Project Voucher Pilot Program to increase the funding
agreement by $500,000, for a total agreement amount
not to exceed $1,500,000, in support of the expansion of the Richmond Moves shuttle program; ACCEPT and
APPROPRIATE $500,000 from CARB; and APPROVE a
third contract amendment with Nomad Transit, LLC (dba
AGENDA
REPORT
September 12, 2023
Via Transportation, Inc.) adding an amount of $450,000, for a total amount not to exceed $2,100,731, to expand
the Richmond Moves shuttle operations through July 7,
2024 – Community Services Department, Transportation
Division (LaShonda White 510-620-6828/Denée Evans
510-621-1718).
DISCUSSION:
On July 6, 2021, the Richmond City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a funding agreement between the City of Richmond and the State of California Air Resources Board (CARB) Clean Mobility Options Mobility (CMO) Project Voucher Pilot Program for $1,000,000, and also approved a three-year service contract with Nomad Transit, LLC (dba Via Transportation, Inc.) in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 to develop and operate the Richmond Moves shuttle service.
On June 15, 2023, Richmond Transportation staff received notification that CARB awarded the City an additional $500,000 in CMO funds to support the Richmond Moves service expansion plan. City staff plan to use $450,000 of the $500,000 CARB award to fund the Nomad Transit, LLC (dba Via Transportation, Inc.) contract amendment in support of the Richmond Moves expansion. The remaining $50,000 from the CARB grant will support EV infrastructure.
The CMO Voucher Program provides direct reimbursement for all eligible program costs (outreach to implementation) during the five-year funding term. CMO funded projects must be fully operating for at least four years from the date of Operation Launch with requirements for awardees to furnish plans to operate and financially sustain the program during years three and four of the agreement term.
To recap, the CMO Voucher Agreement Term is five years, which entails up to one year for project design, planning and construction, and a minimum of four years of service operation of which three of the four years allow grant reimbursements (see Figure 1 below). The Richmond Moves program is currently within the second year of project operation. Per the terms of the grant, Transportation staff continues to seek additional funds to sustain the Richmond Moves shuttle program beyond the CMO grant term.
September 12, 2023
On April 5, 2022, the Richmond City Council approved the first contract amendment with Via Transportation, Inc. to provide wheelchair accessible vehicle service to support the CMO project with a cash match in the amount of $338,231 for a total not to exceed amount of $1,338,231.
On December 6, 2022, the Richmond City Council authorized a resolution for staff to accept and appropriate $250,000 from the Federal Transit Administration Enhancing Mobility Innovation funds (FTA EMI) and the required ECIA grant match of $62,500.
The FTA funds would be used to allow the R-Transit program to use the Via software to improve ridership scheduling and to expand vehicle service hours that will allow local R-Transit riders to use the Richmond Moves shuttle for local trips. City Council also approved a second contract amendment with Via Transportation, Inc. to incorporate the $250,000 in FTA EMI funds, and the ECIA grant match of $62,500 which increased the contract (the second contract amendment) in the amount of $312,500 for a total not to exceed amount of $1,650,731 to comingle Via software and services to improve scheduling and ridership inefficiencies within the R-Transit program.
Since the April 2022 launch of the Richmond Moves shuttle program, both the ridership as well as community requests for expansion have significantly increased. As of March 2023, Richmond Moves had 314 unique riders per month and provided individuals with 2,571 rides. However, expansion has been previously limited due to the lack of funds needed to support additional operations.
In March 2023, CARB announced that the CMO Program Administration Team had set aside up to $500,000 in additional plus-up funding for the first round CMO awardees to support their projects. The Richmond Moves on demand shuttle project is a first round CMO program awardee and the first and only project that has been in operation over a year. Richmond Transportation submitted justification for expansion and an application for consideration to receive the full amount of plus up funds.
On June 15, 2023, Richmond Transportation staff received an email stating that CARB approved the City’s request to receive the full $500,000 in CMO plus up funds to support the Richmond Moves service expansion plan as illustrated in purple in Figure 2.
September 12, 2023
Figure 2. Richmond Moves Service Area and Expansion Plan
If approved by City Council, the receipt of the additional $500,000 in CMO funds will be used to add two shuttle vans, which includes $50,000 for electric vehicle charging service equipment and installation expenses that will enable the Richmond Transportation Department to expand rides outside of the existing Richmond Moves service area.
The proposed additional funds require increasing the funding agreement between the City of Richmond and CARB for a total not to exceed amount of $1,500,000, as well as require a third contract amendment between the City of Richmond and Via Inc. in the amount of $450,000 for a total amount not to exceed $2,100,731.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – CARB CMO Funding Agreement
Attachment 2 – CARB CMO Funding Agreement Amendment 1
Attachment 3 – Via Transportation, Inc. Contract & Amendments 1 and 2 Attachment 4 – Via Transportation, Inc. Contract Amendment 3