HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Meeting Supplemental October 2019 - RVTD PresentationAshland Transportation
Commission
October 17th, 2019
Rogue Valley Connector (RVC) -Ashland
•Service will be available to any passenger within the city limits of Ashland
•Fare on the Ashland RVC will be $2 for full fare and $1 for reduced fare.
•Upon request a free transfer will be given to allow a passenger to board the fixed
route system
•Trips will be allowed to begin and end at any address in a residential
area within city limits.
•In non-residential areas, passengers must be picked up or dropped
off at “preferred stops”
•If a passenger desires to travel to a destination outside of the city of
Ashland, they will be dropped off at the nearest preferred fixed route
stop to their origin.
Booking a Trip
•RVC Ashland will allow for same day booking of trips. Trips can be booked through an app,
website, or by calling an RVTD dispatcher.
•Prior to booking a passenger will be given the estimated wait time to their vehicle and will be
able to choose whether to accept that trip or not.
•Once a trip is accepted, passengers will be able
to pay their fare through the app or choose to
pay once the vehicle arrives.
•The app will give walking directions to the
pickup location or a passenger’s destination and
will also show the vehicle’s estimated time of
arrival as well as real-time physical location
Software
•The software’s robust backend creates a system that routes the vehicle in
real-time to maximize pickup opportunities for passengers while keeping
trip times short.
•The driver interface requires little to no interaction which
ensures drivers are not getting distracted while driving.
•RVTD staff is able to generate various reports on standard
service metrics as well as passenger activity which can help to
improve the service model over time.
•While on the vehicle other passengers may be picked up but
only if the extra pickup does not increase the original travel time
by more than 1.5x.
Vehicles
•Two active vehicles, one spare.
•Service uses Ford Transit Hybrid vehicles.
•Seating capacity of 7 with one wheelchair space and
13 with no wheelchair space.
•Vehicles will be equipped with child safety seats and bus
doors for easier boarding.
•TouchPass readers and secure cashboxes will be installed
on all vehicles.
•Drivers utilize mounted and ruggedized tablets to accept
trips and view driving directions.
Demonstrated Need
•The physical geography and existing street network of Ashland have inhibited the expansion of additional
fixed route service.
•RVTD’s analysis has found that large amounts of the city’s population are not currently served by transit.
The MicroTransit model which utilizes smaller vehicles will be able to access neighborhoods and
destinations that have previously been unavailable due to the size of traditional fixed route vehicles.
•RVTD was successful in their application to receive competitive grant funding for this pilot project. State
funding for this pilot project will continue until the grant expires on June 30th, 2021.
•Oregon House Bill 2017 established dedicated funds for transit agencies across the state to improve or
expand public transportation using a state payroll tax equal to one-tenth of 1 percent.
•90 percent of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) are distributed to agencies
across the state as formula funds, while 9 percent of the remaining is allocated to a competitive
grant process.
Impact to Valley Lift
•The Ashland RVC will operate as a general public demand response service, not a paratransit
vehicle.
•Existing paratransit services will continue to operate normally for passengers in Ashland.
•In the spirit of equitable transit, RVTD will be expanding the boundary for Valley Lift to mirror
the service area for the MicroTransit system. The Valley Lift service will now be expanding to
include the Mountain Meadows and Skylark communities.
Timeline
•RVTD is anticipating the service to begin in late December of 2019 or early January of 2020.
•The service will continue in its pilot stage with grant funding through June 30th, 2021.