SBCTAC STAFF REPORT

SUBJECT: Transit Needs Assessment – Summary of Public Input

MEETING DATE: February 11, 2015 AGENDA ITEM: 4

STAFF CONTACT: Andrew Orfila

RECOMMENDATION:

A. Receive summary of unmet transit needs input from SBCAG public hearing and other sources, and discuss next steps.

B. Receive presentation by Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) and City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) on input received from local unmet needs public workshops.

SUMMARY:

SBCTAC is asked today to receive and discuss the input received regarding unmet transit needs. SBCAG is conducting the annual Transit Needs Assessment as required by the California Transportation Development Act (TDA). Transit is the priority use for TDA funds, but claimants may use the funds for streets and roads if the SBCAG Board finds that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet within their jurisdictions. Since the City of Lompoc and unincorporated North Santa Barbara County have indicated they plan to use TDA funds for streets and roads, SBCAG must perform an assessment of regional transit needs and make a determination as to whether or not there are unmet needs that are reasonable to meet within Lompoc and the unincorporated North County before allocating TDA funds.

SBCAG conducted public outreach to assess transit needs. COLT and SMAT held workshops on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, and Wednesday, November 19, 2014, respectively. SBCAG held a public hearing on Thursday, January 15, 2015. SBCAG also accepted public comment by mail, e-mail, and telephone until January 23, 2015.

SBCAG staff will consult with SBCTAC and analyze the requests to determine whether or not there are unmet needs that are reasonable to meet in Lompoc and unincorporated North County. Staff will incorporate the findings into a draft Transit Needs Assessment report, which SBCTAC, TTAC, the public, and the Board will review. Staff will incorporate any necessary revisions into a final Transit Needs Assessment report. The Board must adopt the final report and findings regarding “unmet transit need” and “reasonable to meet” before allocating TDA funds in June.

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DISCUSSION:

Background

The California Transportation Development Act (TDA) provides annual funding for public transportation. Transit is the priority use for TDA funds. TDA Local Transportation Fund (LTF) monies may be used for non-transit purposes (i.e., streets and roads), but only if the SBCAG Board finds that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet.

For FY 2015-16, local agency staff in Santa Barbara County has indicated that only the City of Lompoc and unincorporated North Santa Barbara County plan to request LTF funds for non-transit purposes. Before allocating the funds, SBCAG must perform an assessment of regional transit needs, and make a determination as to whether or not there are unmet needs that are reasonable to meet within the jurisdictions of Lompoc and the unincorporated North County.

Public Input & Consultation

To assess regional transit needs, SBCAG solicits public comment through a public hearing, transit agency workshops, and via mail, e-mail, and telephone. SBCAG consults with SBCTAC on unmet transit needs as required by state law.

SBCAG Public Hearing

Transportation Development Act (TDA) statutes require that SBCAG hold at least one public hearing on unmet transit needs. The public hearing occurred on January 15, 2015. SBCAG held the public hearing at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room in Santa Maria. A Spanish language interpreter was available at the meeting, during which four people commented in Spanish. There were a total of twelve verbal comments received at the public hearing. Attachment 1 summarizes the comments in detail.

Written Comments

SBCAG also accepted public input via mail and e-mail. Between February 24, 20141 and January 24, 2015, SBCAG received 3 letters (see Attachment 2), and 11 e-mails (see Attachment 3). SBCAG did not receive any telephone comments related to this item

Transit Agency Workshops

A prior legal settlement requires that City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) and Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) conduct workshops on unmet transit needs, which they did on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, and Wednesday, November 19, 2014, respectively. The committee will hear a report of input received at the SMAT and COLT public workshops at the February SBCTAC meeting. Memoranda summarizing the input received at the COLT and SMAT workshops are attached to this staff report (see Attachments 4 and 5).

1 February 21, 2014 was the close of public comment for the 2014 Transit Needs Assessment.

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Summary of Comments

The table below summarizes the requests for new or expanded service received as part of the public outreach process. It should be noted that SBCAG received a number of comments that were not related to requests for new or expanded transit service. These are generally designated as operational improvements and will be forwarded to the local and regional transit operators for consideration. As noted above, all public comments received by SBCAG are contained in the attachments to this staff report.

Table 1 – Requests for New or Expanded Transit Service

Request Category Source

Weekend service between communities of Santa Maria, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez

Regional Kenneth Wolf SBCAG Public Hearing; Santa Maria workshop

Discounted fares and/or subsidies for seniors in the Santa Ynez Valley

Paratransit / Dial-a-Ride

James Rhode, President, Solvang Senior Center; Collen Klein, Executive Director, Solvang Senior Center

SBCAG Public Hearing

Expanded Saturday service and new Sunday service between Guadalupe and Santa Maria

Regional Bob Lizalde, SBCAG Board Member (Guadalupe); Doreen Farr, SBCAG Board Member (3rd District Supervisor); Jose Gonzalez, CAUSE; Jose Cedillo, CAUSE; Jorge Acosta, CAUSE; Rosa Ladrada, CAUSE, Rufio Hernandez, CAUSE

SBCAG Public Hearing

Weekend service between Santa Maria and the South Coast and coordinate with SLORTA Route 10

Inter-regional Joseph Collett Letter

Expanded mid-day service between Lompoc and Santa Barbara (additional day)

Inter-regional Linda Byrd Letter

Saturday service between Lompoc and Buellton

Regional Linda Byrd Letter

Commuter service between Goleta and Santa Maria

Reverse Commute

Scott Whiteley E-mail

Commuter service between Santa Barbara and Solvang

Reverse Commute

Eunice Morales E-mail

Mid-day service – Santa Ynez to South Coast

Regional Myrna Heldfond E-mail

Mid-day service – Santa Maria to South Coast

Inter-Regional

Steve Johnson E-mail

Expansion of local COLT service on Saturday

Local Fixed Route

Dixie Pack Phone call with COLT staff

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Next Steps

Using the SBCAG Board-adopted definitions of ‘unmet transit need’ and ‘reasonable to meet’, staff will analyze the requests for new or expanded service within the City of Lompoc and unincorporated North County. Staff will determine if any unmet transit needs exist in these jurisdictions and, if they do, whether or not they are reasonable to meet.

In April, staff will post a draft Transit Needs Assessment report with preliminary findings on ‘unmet transit need’ and ‘reasonable to meet’. SBCTAC and TTAC (Technical Transportation Advisory Committee) will review the report, SBCTAC will provide a recommendation to the SBCAG Board regarding the Transit Needs Assessment findings, and then staff will present it to the SBCAG Board. The Board will hold a hearing on the preliminary findings.

After incorporating any necessary revisions, staff will present a final Transit Needs Assessment report to the Board in May. The Board must approve the final report and findings before allocating TDA LTF funds for FY 2014-15. Only if SBCAG finds that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet within the City of Lompoc and unincorporated North County may these jurisdictions use TDA funds for non-transit purposes.

ATTACHMENTS:

1. SBCAG Public Hearings – Unmet Transit Needs Testimony

2. Letters

a. Joseph Collett

b. Linda Byrd

c. Marc Chytilo on behalf of the Transportation Futures Coalition and the Committees for Land, Air, Water and Species

3. E-Mail Comments – Unmet Transit Needs

4. City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) Annual Transit Unmet Needs Workshop Summary

5. Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) Unmet Transit Needs Workshop Summary

ATTACHMENT 1

SBCAG Public Hearing – Unmet Transit Needs Testimony

Kenneth Wolf – Transit Rider

Increase awareness of the transit systems Request for weekend service on Breeze 200 Request for transit service and connectivity amongst and between airports Santa Maria bus network should resemble more of a “grid style” Buses in North County need more bike racks, three in front and three in back

James Rohde – President, Solvang Senior Center

Aging and transportation issue: members at one point will need to give up DL Accessibility can be difficult for seniors Transportation system should accommodate seniors and those with medical issues, not

just commuters

Colleen Klein – Executive Director, Solvang Senior Center

Affordability is a factor for seniors using transit Suggestion to underwrite senior rides on transit

Jose Gonalez – CAUSE

CAUSE has worked with SMOOTH to request service between Guadalupe and Santa Maria on Saturdays (additional) and Sundays.

CAUSE supports current plans for implementation of the weekend transit service.

Jose Cedillo – CAUSE

Guadalupe Flyer is a vital service for Guadalupe residents Request for expanded Saturday service and service on Sundays between Guadalupe

and Santa Maria

Jorge Acosta – CAUSE

Request for expanded Saturday service and service on Sundays between Guadalupe and Santa Maria

Rosa Ladrada – CAUSE

Guadalupe students use the Flyer to and from school in Santa Maria Vital service for Guadalupe residents

SBCAG Public Hearing – Unmet Transit Needs Testimony

(continued)

Ken Hough – Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN)

Santa Maria has been responsive to suggestions Suggested more comprehensive, targeted outreach in Lompoc and those areas that are

not using 100% of TDA funds for transit

Rufio Hernandez – Transit Rider, Guadalupe

Request for smoother transition/transfer between Guadalupe Flyer and Breeze 200 Request for Sunday service between Guadalupe and Santa Maria

Marc Chytilo – Transportation Futures Committee / Committees for Land, Air, Water and Species

Make those jurisdictions that opt to spend TDA funds for non-transit purposes fund the Transit Needs Assessment planning process

Extend the public comment period and do more targeted outreach in communities that are affected, such as on-bus surveys

Eva Inbar – Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST)

General comments regarding COLT budget and diversion of TDA funds to streets and roads

Christine Nelson-Thuresson

Encouraged better outreach to elderly, handicapped, and youth in areas not spending all TDA funds for transit

Doreen Farr

Request for expanded weekend service in Guadalupe – come back with more information

Salud Carbajal

Encouraged staff to expand outreach

To Whom It May Concern: The items listed below represent the “wish list” of a frequent user of public transit. I believe the wishes are common sensical and apropos to improving transit options in Santa Barbara County. I would like to thank the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments for facilitating this forum. 1. Make transportation services searchable through online services such as Google Transit Trip Planner.

• Especially for the most used services such as SMAT and the Clean Air Express.

2. Provide a weekend bus service from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara

• Based on the Clean Air Express’s ~95% fare box recovery ratio on weekdays, I would guess that lower weekend demand would still justify the service

• The current “best” option is Greyhound busses that happen to go through Santa Maria. On Saturdays, these busses leave at 4:15 AM; 12:55 PM and 6:20 PM, times that are clearly not suited to Santa Maria’s needs.

• Ideally this would coordinate with the existing SLO RTA weekend routes so as to permit public transportation from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara.

3. Find a way to increase the Breeze Bus service’s capacity at peak commuting hours.

• I road the bus regularly from September 2013 to March 2014 and there were often 10 or more passengers forced to stand.

• I realize that the overall farebox recovery ratio for the Breeze bus is a little low, but this is certainly not due to a lack of ridership on the Lompoc – Santa Maria route during commuting hours.

4. Promote the use of fare cards on the Breeze Bus to expedite the payment process.

• Cash payments are excruciatingly slow

• The Breeze service provides little incentive for a monthly pass. o The round trip fare is $4 and the monthly pass is $75. This means the

monthly pass costs the same as 18.75 round trips, whereas the average maximum number of weekday round-trips in a month is 21.72. So the maximum savings is only $12/month, or 13.7%. Add in a few sick days or holidays and that savings disappears.

• On the website it is not mentioned that you can by a “value pass” on the bus itself. I believe few riders are aware of this convenient option.

o The website does list less convenient places of purchase (grocery stores mostly) but not the bus itself.

o The one time I bought one at Vons (before I learned you could purchase one on the bus), it was quite the ordeal due to the unusual nature of the transaction.

5. Pave the Santa Maria River Levee Trail (SMRLT).

• While the SMRLT is technically a Type I bike path, it is unpaved. The loose gravel and dirt make it impassable to anything other than a true mountain bike. Accordingly, it is unsuitable for most touring or long distance bicyclists.

• Paving the path would provide a much better connection for Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo County. Taking the path from the 101 bridge to its terminus on Suey Rd (a good road for biking), riders could than travel south crossing under the freeway on Jones St., which passes by Alan Hancock College. From there they could choose to continue south on either College or Miller, both good streets for bicycling.

6. Put bike shoulders on Jones St. and College as these streets are adjacent to Alan Hancock College, one of the key public transportation hubs.

• On Jones St this would be difficult due to the limited space available, however College has what seem like 20+ foot lanes with plenty of space.

• While Jone St does have very limited street space, there is a wide dirt path along it which could easily be developed into a more formal multipurpose path.

7. Add 3 additional bike rack space to the back of the Breeze buses, for a total of 6 spaces.

• This is the system the SLO RTA buses use.

• Many times I have seen the 3 Breeze Bus spaces filled and a potential rider forced to find other means of transportation.

Thank you, Joseph Collett

LAW OFFICE OF MARC CHYTILO ———————————————————————— ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

MARC CHYTILO P.O. Box 92233 Santa Barbara, California 93190

Phone: (805) 682-0585 Fax: (805) 682-2379 Email: marc@lomcsb.com

January 14, 2015 Mr. Andrew Orfila Chairperson Richardson and Board Members Santa Barbara County Association of Governments 260 North San Antonio Road, Suite B Santa Barbara, CA 93110 RE; 2015 Unmet Transit Needs Dear Mr. Orfila, Chair Richardson and Members of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments: Please accept this letter concerning the assessment process for north county unmet transit needs on behalf of the Transportation Futures Committee and the Committees for Land, Air, Water and Species, organizations concerned with transportation issues in Santa Barbara County. The State of California gives to Santa Barbara County and its cities approximately $13,000,000 each year for public transportation and transit systems that “provide an essential public service” to the whole population, especially the “elderly, handicapped, youth, and citizens of limited means.” Public Utilities Code § 99220(a). The Transportation Development Act (TDA) is a civil rights and environmental justice statute. Today, nearly all California jurisdictions apply all TDA funds to public transportation systems. As you are aware, the TDA allows jurisdictions that have been able to meet all public transportation needs without consuming all TDA funds to undertake an extraordinary demonstration that their jurisdiction satisfies all public transportation needs. Upon making that showing, surplus TDA funds may be used for road purposes. SBCAG is one of those rare jurisdictions that undertakes the unmet transit need process to justify the expenditure of state dollars earmarked for public transportation on roadways. These earmarked funds are diverted for road purposes in two north county jurisdictions. Were TDA funds used for public transportation purposes in Lompoc and northern Santa Barbara County, SBCAG would not need to spend its funds on the unmet transit need process. This process has been repeated so many times that SBCAG simply repeats the same ineffective public outreach process each year, culminating in a regurgitation of the same “Transit Needs Assessment” document annually. In so doing, SBCAG routinely fails to identify the disadvantaged communities that are discriminated against by this pattern and practice.

Mr. Andrew Orfila January 14, 2015 Page | 2 The County and City of Lompoc propose to divert approximately $3,000,000 from the needs of disadvantaged residents in their communities and apply them to road purposes. It is simply preposterous to contend that these communities have adequate public transportation systems. Indeed, these communities have allowed their public transportation systems to become so ineffective that riders no longer try to use them. These communities have been abandoned by their government. Lompoc’s Public Transportation System Has Been Decimated to the Detriment of Transit

Dependent Members of the Community to Divert TDA Funds to Roads Purposes The City of Lompoc, with a large transit dependent community, has dramatically reduced expenditures for the COLT system, allowing the system to whither and soon fail, while coincidentally substantially increasing the amount of their TDA allocation applied to roads. The trend in expenditures is displayed in the 2014 Transit Needs Assessment:

This trend is shown graphically:

Mr. Andrew Orfila January 14, 2015 Page | 3

During this period, ridership on COLT has plunged in a commensurate manner.

Mr. Andrew Orfila January 14, 2015 Page | 4

Not surprisingly, with COLT’s ridership and investment dropping precipitously, and the systems’ unnecessary isolation and literal disconnection from other, more productive and efficient transit systems, farebox recovery ratios are similarly low. It is evident that the City is ignoring the mandate to meet the needs of its least empowered residents, the poor, disabled, and ethnic minority residents. By diverting the core operating and capital funds necessary to keep COLT expanding and on par with the other elements of the County’s interregional transit system, Lompoc has deprived its residents and its economy the benefits of a modern transit system. In light of this obvious problem and pending system failure, it is incumbent upon SBCAG to ensure that the unmet transit need process enjoys a robust public outreach process that can provide the factual nexus between COLT’s performance and the changes that are needed to rebuild the system.

Poorly Managed and Isolated Public Transportation Systems Plague northern Santa Barbara County

These same concerns exist with the County of Santa Barbara’s diversion of Transportation Development Act transit funds to roads purposes. Truncated definitions of transit needs, unrealistic farebox recovery expectations, and the Balkanized public transportation systems of the north county combine to intentionally defeat the provision of adequate public transportation systems in the rural northern Santa Barbara County. As of 2006, this was the structure of north county public transportation system operation and management.

Mr. Andrew Orfila January 14, 2015 Page | 5

While there have been some adjustments, the state of north county transit services remain disjointed, inefficient, and poorly integrated. This is the product of turf battles and an unwillingness or inability to collaborate to create a seamless, integrated set of systems, or a single, internally coordinated system. Were the productive north county regional and intercity transit services pooled and coordinated with intracity systems, farebox recovery ratios would be far higher and the system would provide much better services to north county residents. Instead, north county public transportation is balkanized, with individual jurisdictions attempting to operate transit systems through Public Works Departments and little or no dedicated professional transit system staff, inadequate and disjointed marketing programs, and services that are often inadequate to meet the needs of their respective transit dependent communities.

SBCAG’s Needs Outreach Effort Is Inadequate in the Absence of Active Transit User Surveys and Targeted Outreach to Transit Dependent Communities

The SBCAG unmet transit needs process was not designed and/or implemented to adequately identify and assess the needs of transit dependent and disadvantaged groups, or to detect inadequacies in the existing public transit system that are relevant to the TDA. As such, significant needs have gone undetected and unaddressed. Establishment of new, revised and expanded transit services that address these needs would significantly increase the mobility of

Mr. Andrew Orfila January 14, 2015 Page | 6 various transit dependent/disadvantaged communities; TDA funds earmarked for public transportation must be spent on establishing these needed new, revamped and expanded services. Instead, the process is managed so as to avoid detecting additional new unmet transit needs, such as by failing to conduct on-board surveys of transit users which thwarts the unmet transit needs process and impedes compliance with the legal requirements. SBCAG’s principal means of publicizing the unmet transit needs process is through publication in paid newspapers that few of the target community can afford to buy, and most of which are written in a non-native language. The hearings are conducted in the middle of the work day, when someone would have to miss work to participate. For those that do manage to submit comment, their concerns are routinely rejected on technical grounds. The TDA requires an annual assessment of the size and location of identifiable groups likely to be transit dependent or transit disadvantaged. Public Utilities Code § 99401.5(b)(1). The TDA further requires analysis of the adequacy of existing public transportation services in meeting the transit demands of those identifiable groups. Public Utilities Code § 99401.5(b)(2). To effectuate this mandate, the outreach process must survey riders of existing services and more effectively identify un-served and under-served communities. This was an express recommendation of the SBCTAC after the 2007 process. This year, SBCTAC asked for hearing notices on the busses that people rode. Unfortunately, these recommendations were ignored. The SBCAG process fails to identify the needs of characterized populations, and how those needs are not being met. Existing public transit users were not surveyed, rather had to submit written comments or testify at the public hearing. Those that have testified in the past have seen their concerns ignored or belittled through SBCAG’s miserly definitions that operate to discourage and marginalize good faith efforts of affected communities to participate in this process. The TDA identifies transit dependent or transit disadvantaged groups to include the elderly, the handicapped, and persons with limited means. Individuals in these groups are those individuals least able to attend public hearings or spend the time necessary to write and submit written comments. Due to this fact, it is incumbent on SBCAG to be proactive in identifying the needs of these transit dependent or disadvantaged groups in each and every community where it proposes to allow a jurisdiction to divert TDA Transit funds to roads purposes. The process SBCAG has undertaken is purely reactive to testimony, but structured in a way to encourage less testimony and thus identify less perceived need. When the perceived need is understated in this way, important inadequacies in existing public transportation services go unidentified. This results in large populations and communities being disadvantaged from the improper allocation of TDA funds to roads when people are not having basic mobility needs met. It is part of a recurring cycle of disempowerment and marginalization. In 2003 a community group undertook a pro-active survey of unmet transit needs in northern Santa Barbara County by riding the busses, explaining in other languages what is involved in the unmet transit needs process. Although the report’s data is outdated, that effort demonstrated that more active and aggressive data collection methods could and will result in the identification of additional unmet transit needs.

Attachment 3

Summary of E-Mail Comments on Unmet Transit Needs

From: Scott Whiteley Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2014 5:24 PM

Dear Customer Service,

Is it possible to ride the other way, i.e., Goleta to Santa Maria? I work in SM and commute there every day from Goleta. I was hoping it might be possible to catch a ride on the bus as it returns to SM--and back to Goleta in the afternoon. I'm flexible on timing.

Thanks. Scott Whiteley

From: Eunice Morales Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 8:14 PM

hello I am wondering about any buses this Thursday that go from santa Barbara to solvang in the morning or afternoon? thank you!

From: Jenny Willis Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 11:54 AM

Hello,

I am unable to attend the Transit Hearing on January 15th, so I decided to give you my feedback via email.

Many times my daughter and son have had trouble making it to appointments on time because of the very unorganized bus schedule. Once my daughter was picked up so far past the time the bus should have arrived she ended up being 45 minutes late to her doctor’s appointment. The doctor’s office just told her she was TOO late and told her to reschedule. Why can’t we ever count on the bus being on time and sticking to the schedule? If you need more busses or more staff, hire them or buy them. We pay a fortune as it is, so what are we paying for, bad service?

I can’t tell you how many times my kids have been stranded because a bus has never showed up. I filed many complaints with the General Manager regarding this, it doesn’t seem to help one bit. I hear things like, the bus broke down or it was there (which is a lie). Well why don’t you have properly maintained busses for such an incident? Or when a bus breaks down, where are your back up busses you can drive instead? Or I hear the excuse, someone that was on the bus fell and got injured so we can’t leave the scene until the report is made. Shouldn’t the GM go out on the route in a bus and take care of all the other people who are counting on a timely bus to pick them up? What is your back up plan for when your customers are stranded? Someone needs to come out and take over in situations like that.

It is never convenient to catch a bus from our home if you want to be on time. We live on the far north end of town around Donovan and Broadway in Santa Maria. My kids have to catch a bus from Donavan and Broadway but instead of the bus driving straight down Broadway to the South end of town they get taken to a transit center to transfer busses. There should NEVER be a transfer when a bus drives down a major road like Broadway, Blosser, Miller, College or Bradley. A bus should start from the North end of one of those streets and head straight down without turns or trips to the transit center. Those major road should have a bus running from one end to the other all day long. It shouldn’t take someone 2 hours to get somewhere by bus which only takes 15 minutes by car. The schedule and organization of the bus department is atrocious. And it doesn’t seem like any amount of complaints are doing the trick. The unorganized problem has been going on for years.

And what make all of the above worse is when we call the transit center to speak to the operator they often lie about what is going on and why they are stranded. There is no customer service that I can see, why isn’t that a priority? Either the bus driver is lying to the dispatcher about what is going on and why he/she hasn’t picked people up yet. Or the dispatcher is lying to the customers about why he hasn’t showed up for over two hours? Communication is key on both ends and to the cliental.

And I am not sure if we have enough of a need to run a bus by a stop every 15 minutes, but that is what needs to happen. There shouldn’t be a bus that runs only once and hour. And many people work very early or very late in the day. Why are busses running at 5am or as late as 10pm?

Thank you for listening to my concerns. I hope this helps in resolving the ongoing problems with the transit in North County.

Sincerely, Jenny Willis

From: Myrna Heldfond Sent: Monday, December 15, 2014 6:08 PM

Thank you for your information and I will try to come to the meeting but I am not a "public speaker". I do think it would make a bigger impact than just another letter so I'll try. Do you think it is necessary to be there at 10:00 A.M. sharp? Is there anything on the drawing board for public transportation from the Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara? I don't mean that crazy bus from Solvang that leaves at 6 A.M. and comes back 12 hours later.

Myrna

From: Beth Houston Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 3:49 PM

Oh good okay because I have an issue with the Breeze hours service because what happen is that I had a meeting in Lompoc at 9:30am, so there is no service from between 7am to 8:30am that leave me no choice to get on bus at 6:30am and got in Lompoc at 7:15am and end up sat on bench in the cold for two hours for my meeting at 9:30am. Can they get a better hours such like 7:30 to 8:30am that would be nice?

From: Myrna Heldfond Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 5:24 PM

Saturdays are certain to fail to get riders. What we need is a way to get to Santa Barbara during weekdays for doctors appointments, social engagements, the theatre, a movie, the beach, just because. It is some kind of joke that in 2014-15 there is no public transportation out of the Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara. What are we supposed to do if we don't have a car, a relative? Saturdays are useless. The only way currently is a $100 one way taxi ride. Is that what our government proposes we do. I'm quite angry about this, as you can tell. I have been to so called "third world" countries that have better transportation then Santa Barbara County.

Myrna

From: Myrna Heldfond Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 5:48 PM

So, Andrew, I just received the winter issue of a magazine distributed by the Sansum Clinic and there was a very interesting notice regarding bus transportation. I am going to quote it here. "MTD BUS LINE 3 EXTENDED TO INCLUDE FOOTHILL CAMPUS. Under the formal demand management program, and in an effort to improve access to our facilities, we have worked with MTD to extend the line 3 bus route to include our new Foothill Campus, as of December 15, 2014.

This will be a signature improvement in bus access to Foothill for our patients as there will be an additional 20 stops there per day, Monday through Friday. Please see the map below and visit sbmtd.gov for complete schedules."

Why was this so easy to accomplish when there still will be no transportation to any of the Sansum Clinic locations from the Santa Ynez Valley. Maybe I should just contact Kurt Ransohoff, M.D. and see if he can accomplish what no one else seems to be able to do including SBCAG.

Full disclosure: Sansum is my medical provider and there have been times when I was not able to get there.

Myrna Heldfond

From: Suzanne "Sam" de st. Jean Sent: Friday, January 02, 2015 1:14 PM

I have been riding the Breeze bus to Lompoc from Santa Maria for over four years. Having affordable and reliable transportation is so important to me because it has saved me in gas money and wear and tear on my vehicle. If I had to drive I could not continue to work in Lompoc as I could not afford the gas. Even though the buses have maintenance issues from time to time I can handle those little inconveniences. I need the Breeze Bus to continue its' route from Santa Maria to Lompoc and back. Without it I couldn't pay my bills or take care of my family. Please keep the Breeze Bus and the current schedules. Thank you, Suzanne M. de St. Jean

From: Steve Johnson Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2015 2:41 PM

Bus transit service from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria are poor compared to service from Santa Barbara to Ventura (VISTA).

The only real option is Greyhound, with a standard 1-way fare of $25, and only two trips per day (9 AM and 4:30 PM).

Compare this with VISTA service, which has departures every two hours or less (much less during commute hours) for $1.35 one way with a senior SmartCard.

I recognize the transit time between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara is about an hour, compared to 30 minutes for SB-Ventura.

But the difference in cost and frequency is nearly 10-fold.

A low cost test of demand for bus transit service would be an agreement with Amtrak to allow use of (very much underutilized) Thruway buses without requiring connections to trains.

SBCAG could negotiate a tolerable rate ($10) and sell passes via the web (even bus riders have smart phones in this age).

Steven Johnson

From: Steve Johnson Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2015 7:41 PM

Mr. Orfilia,

The Clean Air Express is a commuter service, not a transit service. It does not provide a practical way for a person living in Santa Barbara to get to Santa Maria and back in a single day (unlike the VISTA service, which is a true transit service). I hope my concerns will be relayed to the SBCAG group considering Unmet Transit Needs.

From: Myrna Heldfond Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 3:02 PM

One hundred years ago there was public transportation to and from Santa Barbara and points beyond, from the Santa Ynez Valley. It was a stagecoach. In 2015 we don't even have a stagecoach. Nothing. What we need is a user friendly (and by that I mean day of week and time of day) bus service to Santa Barbara. There are a lot of us who are either too young or too old to drive or just can't afford the cost of maintaining an automobile. How are we supposed to get to doctor’s appointments, social engagements, the beach, a concert?

I understand there is a plan in the works to offer a bus from Solvang on Saturday. That is not user friendly. The bus that leaves from Solvang at 6 A.M. and returns at 6 P.M. is also, not user friendly.

I understand that Sansum Clinic has arranged with the Santa Barbara transit authority to add several additional trips a day to the new, Foothill Road clinic. Those of us who live in the Santa Ynez Valley can't get there at all unless by the kindness of others.

If any of you do not think this is important I suggest you come reside in the Santa Ynez Valley for six months without a car.

Myrna Heldfond