microtransit: partnerships with - calact partnership with tnc gomonrovia...provider, lyft lyft...

MICROTRANSIT: PARTNERSHIPS WITH TNC’SCalACT 2018 Autumn Technology & Shared Mobility Conference

City of Monrovia · November 13, 2018

THE GENESIS OF GOMONROVIA

▪ The development context in Monrovia

▪ 2,200+ proposed multi-family units are in the housing development pipeline

▪ Over 2,000 new jobs added during the past 36 months

▪ The Gold Line boasts nearly 50,000 riders / day!

▪ Need to connect transit with Old Town Monrovia

▪ Development pressures necessitated the development of a plan to address traffic / parking

▪ Demographic trends indicate that Southern California is going to grow by more than 4 million people in the next 25 years!

▪ Real estate prices are rising 3x faster than household income

▪ Unaffordable housing is being driven by a lack of supply

▪ A 1,000 sq. ft. apartment in Monrovia costs nearly $3,000 / month!

HOW DID MOBILITY USED TO WORK IN MONROVIA?

MONROVIA TRANSIT (DIAL-A-RIDE) OVERVIEW

▪ Available to all residents & visitors within the service area

▪ Nine vehicles in City’s fleet, each equipped with ADA-approved wheelchair lift

▪ Reservations allowed up to one week in advance, plus standing reservation service

HOURS OF SERVICE

▪ Mon-Fri, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

▪ Sat-Sun, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

▪ Old Town Station Square shuttle on Friday & Saturday evenings

▪ Closed on major holidays

SERVICE AREA

▪ City of Monrovia

▪ Bradbury

▪ Unincorporated areas adjacent to Monrovia

▪ Target in Duarte (transfer to Duarte Transit)

▪ 24-hour notice for medical appointments at nearby physician’s offices & City of Hope

FARES

▪ Regular (Ages 2+): $1.00

▪ Senior Citizen / Riders with Disabilities: $0.75

▪ Passenger's Aide (16+) / Children Under 2: Free

MONROVIA TRANSIT (DIAL-A-RIDE)

BY THE NUMBERS

ANNUAL BUDGET

~ $1 million / year

OPERATING STATISTICS

Avg. Monthly Riders ~ 3,200

Avg. Annual Riders ~ 38,000

Avg. Monthly Disabled Riders ~ 255

Avg. Trip Length: 1.19 miles

Avg. Cost / Passenger ~ $19.70

IS THERE A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE, CONVENIENT, & RELIABLE WAY TO

PROVIDE EXPANDED TRANSIT OPTIONS FOR OUR GROWING POPULATION?

▪ A public-private partnership with ride-sharing provider, Lyft

▪ Lyft serves as the City’s primary public transit provider for all non-ADA related services

▪ The City operate an integrated transit service to accommodate ADA calls for service

▪ Passengers pay just $0.50 for a shared ride or $3.00 for a classic ride

▪ Bike-share program through a partnership with LimeBike

▪ LimeBike is different from traditional bike-share models

▪ There is no need to deploy expensive docking stations throughout a community with LimeBike

▪ Instead, LimeBike offers bikeshare options utilizing GPS technology to offer dockless bike-sharing

▪ Riders pay $1.00 per 30-minute ride

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

READY…SET…GO!

Initial Mobility Study Session – January 2018

Agreements with Lyft and LimeBike approved - February 2018

Launched GoMonrovia program - March 2018

MONROVIA TRANSITpowered by

LYFT ROLL-OUT DETAILS

▪ Participants apply “GoMonrovia” promo code and discount is automatically applied on eligible trips

▪ Promoting program in partnership with Lyft

▪ Staff training held for Concierge Call Center service

▪ Targeted outreach to existing dial-a-ride users

▪ Advertising at Station Square, Old Town, Library, and City facilities

PROGRAM BUDGET

▪ Initial Program Budget:

▪ $360,000 / year for scaled-back Dial-A-Ride contracted services

▪ $640,000 / year for Lyft services

▪ Our initial Lyft programmatic expectation

▪ At $6.00 / ride, we had enough funding for ~107,000 Lyft rides / year

▪ Previous ridership on Dial-A-Ride was ~ 39,000 / year

BENEFITS RESULTING FROM OUR LYFT PARTNERSHIP

▪ Bridges first mile-last mile connections between transit stops and origin / destination

▪ Significant resident behavioral changes related to mobility have been observed

▪ Substantial savings from prior dial-a-ride service model

▪ Previous subsidy amount: ~$19.70 / ride

▪ Lyft program subsidy amount: ~$5.80 / ride

▪ Savings of ~70% / ride!

▪ More convenient, faster, and personalized public transportation

▪ Reducing parking demand and helps ease commuter parking shortages

▪ Addressed late-night and holiday service interruptions

LIME riding with

LIME ROLL-OUT DETAILS

▪ Non-exclusive agreement with Lime

▪ Limited number of bikes deployed in initial rollout (200)

▪ Increased to 250 in August

▪ Access to usage data through online portal

▪ Partnership warranted more logistical considerations:

▪ Identifying deployment locations

▪ Parking in business vs. residential areas

▪ Safety concerns

▪ Parking etiquette

LIME ROLL-OUT DETAILS

▪ Bikes deployed at key locations in town

▪ Partnered with large employers

▪ Visible locations in downtown corridor

▪ Prominent signage and parking at Metro station transit hub

▪ Outreach to promote safety and awareness:

▪ Partnership developed with Move Monrovia

▪ Helmet giveaways

▪ Community bike ride events

LIME ROLL-OUT DETAILS

▪ Lime hired a Monrovia resident to rebalance

bikes on a daily basis

▪ Designate “preferred parking” zones on the

mobile app

▪ Use of data to identify additional bike rack

locations

INITIAL AREAS OF CONCERN RELATED TO LIME PARTNERSHIP

▪ Where riders will park their bikes

▪ Could result in unsightly piles of bikes in popular areas

▪ Bicyclist may ride on sidewalks creating unsafe pedestrian conditions

▪ Influx of riders inexperienced with following traffic laws with cars

▪ Drivers inexperienced navigating near high number of bicyclists

▪ Underage riders without a helmet

▪ Bikes in residential neighborhoods

▪ Possibility of too many bikeshare providers operating in the City

BIKE & SCOOTER SHARE ORDINANCE

▪ City Council adopted bike share ordinance with Lime agreement

▪ Later amended to add scooter share

▪ Precaution against disorderly or unauthorized use / placement of bikes

▪ Establishes permitting and licensing requirements that regulate bike share companies’ use of City streets and public and private property for their operations

▪ Bike share company must obtain prior authorization before operating in the City or placing a bike rack or bike on City property

MARKETING & OUTREACH

GOMONROVIA LAUNCH PARTYMARCH 17, 2018

COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE

GOMONROVIA MARKETING & OUTREACH

GOMONROVIA MARKETING & OUTREACH

GOMONROVIA MARKETING & OUTREACH

BUT…ARE PEOPLE EVEN USING

GOMONROVIA?

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE SINCE LAUNCH

Since GoMonrovia began on March 17, 2018…

4,921 RIDES

32,827 RIDES

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

20,732 RIDES

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE SINCE LAUNCH

Since GoMonrovia began on March 17, 2018…

4,921 RIDES

32,827 RIDES

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

20,732 RIDES

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE SINCE LAUNCH

Since GoMonrovia began on March 17, 2018…

4,921 RIDES

32,827 RIDES

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

20,732 RIDES

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE

59%

34%

6%1%

Trip Length (Miles)

0-2 miles

2-4 miles

4-6 miles

>6 miles

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE

In May 2018, the City provided a total of 30,671 trips powered by Lyft.

▪ Midday and evening rides most popular time of day

▪ Going out to lunch and after-work errands

▪ 1/5 potentially using for commute

▪ Most rides are for short distances

▪ 30% of rides were 5 miles or less; 83% of rides were 10 miles or less

▪ Rides evenly distributed throughout the week

▪ Sunday least popular day of the week; Tuesday – Friday most popular days

20%

39%

33%

8%

Usage by Time of Day

AM PEAK

MIDDAY

PM PEAK

LATE NIGHT

WHERE ARE PEOPLE RIDING?

49% of total rides are to hot

spots

Old Town MonroviaGold Line StationSanta Anita Mall

Areum ApartmentsCity of Hope

Huntington Oaks CenterHuntington Tech

Corridor

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE

Over have signed up to use Lyft through the GoMonrovia Program, making GoMonrovia

GOMONROVIA LIME USAGE SINCE LAUNCH

Total Number of Rides

▪ 13,342 total rides completed

▪ ~40 rides / day

Total Time Spent Riding

▪ 4,773 hours

Total Number of Riders

▪ 4,282 unique riders

Total Distance Ridden

▪ 10,509 miles ridden

HOW ARE PEOPLE RIDING?

The average user

travels 0.5 mile &

rides for 12 minutes

Fridays & Saturdays

are the most

popular days

HOW OFTEN DO PEOPLE RIDE?

62%

33%

5%

<3 trips

3-15 trips

15+ trips

LIME ONLINE DATA PORTAL

LIME ONLINE DATA PORTAL

THIS SOUNDS GREAT!

BUT HOW DO YOU PAY FOR IT?

RESTRICTED TRANSPORTATION REVENUES

▪ We receive ~$3 million in restricted transportation funds on an annual basis

▪ About ~$1.8 million is reserved for ongoing capital projects / agreements, including with our dial-a-ride operator

▪ This leaves ~$1.2 million in restricted transportation revenues to use toward Lyft program

HOW DOES LA COUNTY PAY FOR TRANSPORTATION?

▪ Los Angeles County has four (4) voter-approved ½ cent sales tax measures for transportation

▪ LA Metro returns a portion of this funding to local municipalities each year (called local return dollars)

▪ Funds must be spent on transportation projects approved by LA Metro

HOW MUCH LOCAL RETURN MONEY IS AVAILABLE IN LA COUNTY?

Total Transportation Tax Revenues (2017)

Prop A $195,700,000

Prop C $162,300,000

Measure R $121,800,000

Measure M $128,000,000

Total $607,800,000

WHAT DOES THE LOCAL TRANSPORTATION SCENE LOOK LIKE IN LA COUNTY?

Among LA County’s 88 cities…

▪ All cities have some transit program for seniors and people living with disabilities

▪ 57 cities operate/contract their own Dial-A-Ride Service

▪ 21 cities have transit partnerships with neighboring cities or LA County

▪ 6 cities have a Dial-A-Cab Service or Taxi Voucher Service

WHAT ARE LA COUNTY CITIES SPENDING ON DIAL-A-RIDE?

City Population Operating Budget (2017)

West Hollywood 34,399 $1,855,302

Manhattan Beach 34,926 $969,988

Monrovia 35,135 $897,221

Claremont 35,477 $827,191

Rancho Palos Verdes 35,558 $648,300

Temple City 36,590 $525,000

Bell Gardens 38,883 $463,200

San Gabriel 39,718 $320,000

Culver City 39,816 $312,867

Bell 41,643 $310,354

La Puente 42,072 $124,600

LOBBYING LA METRO TO SUPPORTNEW MODEL OF SUBURBAN MOBILITY

▪ After ongoing extensive discussions and negotiations with Metro’s CEO, all transportation local return dollars are now eligible for use towards Lyft subsidies

▪ This determination by Metro effectively opens up Prop A, Prop C, Measure R & Measure M local return dollars for use in employing rideshare companies (such as Lyft) as a public transportation services provider

GOMONROVIA LYFT USAGE CONTINUES TO SHOW SUBSTANTIAL GROW EACH MONTH

32,827 RIDES

41,896 RIDES

67,134 RIDES

MAY

JULY

AUGUST

54,047 RIDES

JUNE

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

▪ In May 2018, ridership reached nearly 33,000 rides…close to the ridership we used to provide over the course of a year

▪ Average trip subsidy of $6.00 / ride

▪ We realized if the program continued to grow at such a fast pace, we were going to run into a budget deficit

▪ Program was TOO simple, convenient, and personalized!!

▪ Partnering with Lyft had helped create a new model of suburban mobility

PROGRAM ADJUSTMENTS

To address growing deficit, City Council approved first

price shift…

$0.50 option moved to Shared Rides only

$3.00 option to ride Classic Lyft

Change took effecton Sept. 5

INITIAL RESULTS & NEXT STEPS

▪ Pricing shift successfully slowed ridership growth and lowered costs

▪ Ridership appears to have stabilized ~60-70,000 rides / month

▪ New average trip subsidy of $3.85 / ride

▪ Need additional pricing shift to further reduce average trip subsidy closer to $2.00 / ride

▪ Tentative $1.00 Shared & $4.00 Classic ride effective February 2019

NEED TO BALANCE PRICING AGAINST OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

MetroFoothill Transit

PreviousDial-A-Ride

Regular Fare

$1.75+

Parking at Gold Line Station:

$3:00

$1.25* -$1.50

$1.00

Current:$0.50 Shared

$3.00 Classic Lyft

Proposed:$1.00 - $1.50 Shared

$4.00 Classic Lyft

*with TAP card vs. cash

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW MUCH CUSTOMIZATION

CAN YOU ACTUALLY DEPLOY IN

DESIGNING A LYFT TRANSIT

PROGRAM?

HOW DO YOU PROVIDE LYFT SERVICES TO THOSE WITHOUT A SMARTPHONE?

WHAT IS IT LIKE WORKING WITH LYFT (AND LIME)?

▪ Both companies have been great, and have always followed-through

▪ But…you have to be patient!

▪ Lyft and Lime are both expanding rapidly, and like us, have staffing constraints

▪ For example…Paul Davis is responsible for ALL of the partnership programs engaged by Lyft!

WERE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS DIFFICULT?

▪ Outside of insurance provisions, overall contract negotiations were easy

▪ But…be patient, because Lyft has lawyers too!

IS IT HARDTO GET RIDERSHIP DATA?

SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS

GOMONROVIA PROGRAM RESULTS

▪ Lyft Program

▪ Substantial cost savings per ride compared with dial-a-ride service

▪ Serves to address development concerns related to traffic and parking

▪ Significant program participation within the community

▪ Reduces greenhouse gas emissions! Every Lyft ride is carbon-neutral!

▪ Shared rides count as public transit

▪ Lime Program

▪ Cost effectively adds a visible bike share program into the community

▪ No need for expensive, limited docking stations

▪ On-the-ground Lime team redistributes & maintains bike fleet at no cost to City

WHY HAS THE COMMUNITY RESPONDED SO WELL TO THE GOMONROVIA PROGRAM?

▪ We kept the program design simple

▪ Any ride that starts and ends in the service area is eligible for the discounted ride

▪ But…keep in mind that if a program is too successful at the beginning, it may create challenges if you need to make significant modifications later on

▪ Each community and city organization is different, and it is recommended programs be designed to meet your needs in a way that fits with operational capacities

▪ We really focused on developing and executing an effective GoMonrovia marketing campaign

LIME LESSONS LEARNED

▪ Expensive, limited docking stations not ideal for suburban environment

▪ Cost-effective way to add visible bike-share program in the community▪ Incurred costs to install new bike racks & instructional signage

▪ No ongoing costs to run program

▪ Extensive community outreach & visible marketing improved adoption and reduced frustration

▪ Conservative rollout quantity helped ease concerns while working out kinks

▪ Permitting requirements helped limit competitors entering market

▪ On-the-ground Lime team redistributes & maintains bike fleet ▪ Rocky first few weeks to get the hang of it… be prepared!

▪ Designate City staff member to handle parking concerns from residents▪ Eyes on the street for bikes left in same location more than a few days

FOOD FOR THOUGHT…

EMERGING TRENDS IN THE BIKE / SCOOTER / CARSHARING ECONOMY

WHAT’S NEXT FOR LIME?

WHAT’S NEXT FOR LYFT?

THE FUTURE OF BIKE & SCOOTER-SHARING…

THE FUTURE OF BIKE & SCOOTER-SHARING…

THANK YOU!

Oliver Chi

ochi@ci.monrovia.ca.us

Lauren Vasquez

lvasquez@ci.Monrovia.ca.us

Brittany Mello

bmello@ci.monrovia.ca.us