promising practices in rural public transit: minnesota’s experience
TRANSCRIPT
Promising Practices in Rural Public Transit: Minnesota’s Experience
NADO National Rural Transportation ConferenceCincinnati, OH
December 3, 2014
Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Koochiching
Lake of the Woods
Roseau
Itasca
Beltrami
Cle
arw
ate
r
Marshall
Pennington
Red Lake
Polk
Norman Mahnomen
Clay Becker
Hubbard
Aitkin Carleton
MilleLacs
Morrison
Todd
Kittson
Cass
Crow Wing
Wad
en
a
Otter TailWilkin
Traverse
Grant Douglas
Stevens PopeStearns
Benton
Pine
Kan
abe
c
Ch
isag
o
IsantiSherburne
Wright
Meeker
McLeod
Kandiyohi
Swift
BigStone
LacQuiParle
Chippewa
Renville
Sibley
No County-wide Service
T.C. Metro Area
Nicollet
Blue Earth
Brown
Watonwan
Redwood
Yellow Medicine
Lincoln Lyon
CottonwoodMurray
Pip
est
on
e
Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn
Waseca
LeSueur Rice
Steele Dodge
Mower Fillmore
Houston
WinonaOlmstead
Wabasha
Goodhue
Anoka
Was
hin
gto
n
Ram
sey
Dakota
Hennepin
Scott
Carver
5311 Municipal Only
5307 Small Urban
As of today: 12/03/20141 county with no service
15 multi-county systems17 single counties
8 municipal only7 urban systems7 Metro counties with service
Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Koochiching
Lake of the Woods
Roseau
Itasca
Beltrami
Cle
arw
ate
r
Marshall
Pennington
Red Lake
Polk
Norman Mahnomen
Clay Becker
Hubbard
Aitkin Carleton
MilleLacs
Morrison
Todd
Kittson
Cass
Crow Wing
Wad
en
a
Otter TailWilkin
Traverse
Grant Douglas
Stevens PopeStearns
Benton
Pine
Kan
abe
c
Ch
isag
o
IsantiSherburne
Wright
Meeker
McLeod
Kandiyohi
Swift
BigStone
LacQuiParle
Chippewa
Renville
Sibley
No County-wide Service
T.C. Metro Area
Nicollet
Blue Earth
Brown
Watonwan
Redwood
Yellow Medicine
Lincoln Lyon
CottonwoodMurray
Pip
est
on
e
Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn
Waseca
LeSueur Rice
Steele Dodge
Mower Fillmore
Houston
WinonaOlmstead
Wabasha
Goodhue
Anoka
Was
hin
gto
n
Ram
sey
Dakota
Hennepin
Scott
Carver
5311 Municipal Only
5307 Small Urban
As of 1/01/20151 county with no service
16 multi-county systems14 single counties
8 municipal only7 urban systems7 Metro counties with service
Cook
Lake
St. Louis
Koochiching
Lake of the Woods
Roseau
Itasca
Beltrami
Cle
arw
ate
r
Marshall
Pennington
Red Lake
Polk
Norman Mahnomen
Clay Becker
Hubbard
Aitkin Carleton
MilleLacs
Morrison
Todd
Kittson
Cass
Crow Wing
Wad
en
a
Otter TailWilkin
Traverse
Grant Douglas
Stevens PopeStearns
Benton
Pine
Kan
abe
c
Ch
isag
o
IsantiSherburne
Wright
Meeker
McLeod
Kandiyohi
Swift
BigStone
LacQuiParle
Chippewa
Renville
Sibley
T.C. Metro Area
Nicollet
Blue Earth
Brown
Watonwan
Redwood
Yellow Medicine
Lincoln Lyon
CottonwoodMurray
Pip
est
on
e
Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn
Waseca
LeSueur Rice
Steele Dodge
Mower Fillmore
Houston
WinonaOlmstead
Wabasha
Goodhue
Anoka
Was
hin
gto
n
Ram
sey
Dakota
Hennepin
Scott
Carver
5307 Small Urban
In the foreseeable future12 multi-county systems
7 urban systems7 Metro counties with service
Born out of reaction to proposed budget cuts in the 2011 legislative session
Questions we asked ourselves:• How can we preserve service coverage in the
rural parts of the state?• How much cutting can the transit systems take
and still be viable?
We ended up with no cuts, and we persevered
Why are we proposing changes?
What do we hope to gain?
Improved regional and interregionaltravel
Streamlined administration of transit systems
More efficient fleet utilization
Better FTA compliance
Fewer contracts
Improved regional travel
Things have changed since 2000 census• Aging populations
• New Americans
• Regional Trade Center (RTC) amenities
Next larger RTC may be on the other side of a jurisdictional boundary
Streamlined administration
The transit system’s manager is expected to:• Manage all aspects of daily operations
Scheduling trips, drivers, vehicle maintenance Customer service Public outreach and marketing Coordinate with other transportation providers All finances and reporting Interface with governing board Other duties as directed
• With 100% proficiency
Efficient fleet utilization
Minnesota operates a state-procured multiple award system
Spare ratio possibly reduced
Makes sense to have in house mechanic
Federal compliance
All transit systems are expected to be 100% compliant:• Drug and alcohol rules and regulations• Procurement rules and regulations • Title VI Civil Rights responsibilities• Environmental Justice responsibilities• ADA responsibilities• Service planning experts
State statutes and rules also require expertise
Fewer contracts
Presently approximately 50 operating grant contracts + rolling stock grants + facility grants + ITS grants
So, what do we really hope to gain?
Greater coverage in the most rural parts of the state
Better access to desired regional trade center amenities
Better frequency of service
More efficient use of public funding
Still many challenges
Limited funding: Federal and State
Efficiency vs. effectiveness
Political subdivisions
Regional Development Organizations
Continue to play a large role in rural transit development
Coordinated Human Services Plans (required by FTA for Sec. 5310)
Boots on the ground contact with end users• Research
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Community meetings
• Advocacy
For the foreseeable future
• Work on getting to here
• Develop mobility management strategies
• Coordinate with non-public transit
• Address human services issues, especially non-emergency medical transportation
Contact:
Sarah Brodt LenzGreater MN Public Transit Coordinator
Minnesota Department of TransportationOffice of Transit