Calaveras Transit Intercity Service Feasibility Study

Draft Alternatives

Presented by: Gordon Shaw, PE, AICP and Genevieve Evans, AICP LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc.

Study Purpose• Address needs to provide transportation for

Calaveras County residents to goods and services outside of the County.

• Study the feasibility of connecting Calaveras County residents to the “urban intercity bus network” such as Greyhound and Amtrak.

• Recommend new Calaveras Transit route(s) which primarily provide meaningful connections to Greyhound and Amtrak, but may also meet out-of-county medical needs for human service agency clients and effectively serve commuters.

Funding• FTA 5311(f) Intercity Transportation with Transportation

Development Credits (“Toll Credits”) Local Match▫ Alternatives which meet the following criteria are eligible for

grant funding through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA): Limited stops (no more than 3 beyond intercity stops) Connect two or more areas greater than 15 miles apart Capacity for transporting baggage Provide “meaningful connections” and reasonable lay-over

times▫ If Calaveras Transit is awarded this grant for intercity transit

service, operating costs could be paid for in full

Stockton Alternatives• Stockton Intercity Services▫ Intercity Combination

Morning/Afternoon Longer Runs (5 days/week) Arrive in Stockton at 8:45 AM and 3:00 PM Designed to provide good connections with Greyhound and Amtrak Greater potential to serve Delta College students, medical

appointments, and shopping. Less potential to serve commuters.

Morning/Evening Express Runs (5 days/week): Arrive in Stockton at 8:45 AM and 5:45 PM Designed to provide good connections with Greyhound and Amtrak Potential to also serve some commuters, Delta College students,

medical appointments, and shopping

Fare: $5.00 per one-way trip with monthly passes available (20% discount)

Stockton Intercity Combo Route Map

Stockton Alternatives▫ Commuter Service Five Days a Week

Arrive in Stockton at 7:45 AM and 5:15 PM Bus stops include: San Joaquin RTD Downtown Transit

Center and a few other employment locations within a small radius.

Greater potential to serve commuters. Lesser potential to serve Delta College Students, medical appointments and shopping.

Some meaningful connections to Greyhound/Amtrak but not as attractive as other alternatives.

Fare - $5.00 per one-way trip with discounted monthly passes available.

Stockton/Lodi Alternatives• Stockton/Lodi Non-Emergency Medical Transportation

(NEMT)▫ Shared ride demand-response type service▫ One day a week service alternating between Stockton and

Lodi ▫ Pick up at designated stops in San Andreas at around 8:00 AM,

curbside drop-off in Stockton/Lodi, return to San Andreas by 5:00 PM

▫ Doctors appointments must be made between 10:00 AM an 2:00 PM.

▫ Reservations required 4 days in advance▫ Fare of $10.00 per one-way trip, no discounts▫ Not eligible for FTA 5311(f)

Lodi Alternatives• Lodi Intercity/Commuter (5 days/week)

▫ Arrival at Lodi Station at 7:45 AM. Afternoon departure from Lodi Station at 5:15 or 5:30 PM

▫ Small loop around Lodi Station to serve more employment locations

▫ Limited Amtrak/Greyhound connections

Jackson/Sutter Hill/Sacramento Alternatives

• Improve connections to Jackson, Sutter Hill, and Sacramento

▫ Less demand for intercity service to Sacramento than Stockton or Lodi

▫ Provides connection to Sacramento International Airport ▫ Provide and advertise direct service to Sutter Hill Transit

Center One run per day to connect with Sacramento Express at

3:30 PM Currently provide route deviation to Sutter Hill Transit

Center

Jackson/Sutter Hill/Sacramento Alternatives

▫ Provide for a round trip to Sacramento - San Andreas in one day. Amador Transit may provide 2 additional round trips per

day between Sutter Hill and Sacramento. Coordinate with Amador Transit to ensure existing Route

3 runs connect with new Sacramento Express Service If Amador Transit provides only 1 additional round trip:

Calaveras Transit could operate 1 more San Andreas – Sutter Hill round trip to connect with early morning or late evening Sacramento run.

Likely low ridership. Don’t need a round trip if traveling to the airport.

Not eligible for FTA 5311(f) funding

Sonora Alternatives• Direct Service to Sonora

▫ Community surveys indicated Sonora is the top out-of-county destination for medical appointments

▫ Route 4 to Columbia College has timed connections with Tuolumne County Transit to Sonora

▫ 2 additional round trips per day Angels Camp – Sonora would improve connectivity for non-students

▫ Not eligible for FTA 5311(f) funding

Modesto Alternatives• Reviewed potential intercity connection in Modesto

▫ Tuolumne County residents have no intercity transportation connections

▫ Longer trip for Calaveras County residents▫ Connections with Greyhound and Amtrak are not better than

in Stockton▫ Future potential for YARTS intercity service from Sonora –

Modesto – Manteca▫ Not evaluated further

Joint Intercity Service with Tuolumne County

• Partner with Tuolumne County Transit to provide intercity service to Stockton▫ Two counties could jointly prepare FTA 5311(f) grant

application▫ Tuolumne County Transit (TCT) operated scenario:

TCT operates 2 round trips, five days a week Sonora – Stockton

Calaveras Transit operates 2 additional round trips to Copperopolis to transfer passengers to TCT bus.

▫ Calaveras Transit operated scenario: Calaveras Transit operates 2 round trips, five days a week

San Andreas – Angels Camp – Sonora - Stockton

5.8

6.2

5.8

1.8

4.6

4.7

2.4

3.8

2.4

2.9

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0

Stockton - Commuter

Stockton - Morning/Evening Combo

Stockton - Morning/Afternoon Combo

Stockton/Lodi - NEMT

Lodi Intercity/Commuter Service

Direct Service to Sutter Hill 1X/Day

1 New Run to Sutter Hill

Sonora - 2 RT Per Day

Sonora-Stockton, Connection in Copper

San Andreas-Sonora-Stockton

FIGURE 2: Passenger-Trips per Vehicle-Hour of Service

$11.41

$10.00

$10.44

$18.00

$14.29

$19.85

$29.51

$19.16

$25.22

$25.42

$0 $5 $10 $15 $20 $25 $30 $35

Stockton - Commuter

Stockton - Morning/Evening Combo

Stockton - Morning/Afternoon Combo

Stockton/Lodi - NEMT

Lodi Intercity/Commuter Service

Direct Service to Sutter Hill 1X/Day

1 New Run to Sutter Hill

Sonora - 2 RT Per Day

Sonora-Stockton, Connection in Copper

San Andreas-Sonora-Stockton

FIGURE 3: Subsidy per Passenger-Trip

Public Input

What do you think?

Next Steps• Incorporate public and staff comments into a Draft

Plan

•Present Draft Plan to Calaveras Council of Governments Board (CCOG) in February.

THANK YOU!

Contact: Genevieve Evans genevieve@lsctahoe.com 530-583-4053