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Promising Practices in Rural Public Transit: Minnesota’s Experience
- 1. Promising Practices in Rural Public Transit: Minnesota’s Experience NADO National Rural Transportation Conference Cincinnati, OH December 3, 2014
- 2. Cook Lake St. Louis Koochiching Lake of the Woods Roseau Itasca Beltrami Clearwater Marshall Pennington Red Lake Polk Norman Mahnomen Clay Becker Hubbard Aitkin Carleton Mille Lacs Morrison Todd Kittson Cass Crow Wing Wadena Wilkin Otter Tail Traverse Grant Douglas Stevens Pope Stearns Benton Pine Kanabec Chisago Isanti Sherburne Wright Meeker McLeod Kandiyohi Swift Big Stone Lac Qui Parle Chippewa Renville Sibley T.C. Metro Area No County-wide Service Nicollet Blue Earth Brown Watonwan Redwood Yellow Medicine Lincoln Lyon Murray Cottonwood Pipestone LeSueur Rice Waseca Steele Dodge Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn Wabasha Mower Fillmore Houston Olmstead Winona Goodhue Anoka Washington Ramsey Dakota Hennepin Scott Carver 5311 Municipal Only 5307 Small Urban As of today: 12/03/2014 1 county with no service 15 multi-county systems 17 single counties 8 municipal only 7 urban systems 7 Metro counties with service
- 3. Cook Lake St. Louis Koochiching Lake of the Woods Roseau Itasca Beltrami Clearwater Marshall Pennington Red Lake Polk Norman Mahnomen Clay Becker Hubbard Aitkin Carleton Mille Lacs Morrison Todd Kittson Cass Crow Wing Wadena Wilkin Otter Tail Traverse Grant Douglas Stevens Pope Stearns Benton Pine Kanabec Chisago Isanti Sherburne Wright Meeker McLeod Kandiyohi Swift Big Stone Lac Qui Parle Chippewa Renville Sibley T.C. Metro Area No County-wide Service Nicollet Blue Earth Brown Watonwan Redwood Yellow Medicine Lincoln Lyon Murray Cottonwood Pipestone LeSueur Rice Waseca Steele Dodge Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn Wabasha Mower Fillmore Houston Olmstead Winona Goodhue Anoka Washington Ramsey Dakota Hennepin Scott Carver 5311 Municipal Only 5307 Small Urban As of 1/01/2015 1 county with no service 16 multi-county systems 14 single counties 8 municipal only 7 urban systems 7 Metro counties with service
- 4. Cook Lake St. Louis Koochiching Lake of the Woods Roseau Itasca Beltrami Clearwater Marshall Pennington Red Lake Polk Norman Mahnomen Clay Becker Hubbard Aitkin Carleton Mille Lacs Morrison Todd Kittson Cass Crow Wing Wadena Wilkin Otter Tail Traverse Grant Douglas Stevens Pope Stearns Benton Pine Kanabec Chisago Isanti Sherburne Wright Meeker McLeod Kandiyohi Swift Big Stone Lac Qui Parle Chippewa Renville Sibley T.C. Metro Area Nicollet Blue Earth Brown Watonwan Redwood Yellow Medicine Lincoln Lyon Murray Cottonwood Pipestone LeSueur Rice Waseca Steele Dodge Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn Wabasha Mower Fillmore Houston Olmstead Winona Goodhue Anoka Washington Ramsey Dakota Hennepin Scott Carver 5307 Small Urban In the foreseeable future 12 multi-county systems 7 urban systems 7 Metro counties with service
- 6. Why are we proposing changes? 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
- 7. What do we hope to gain? Improved regional and interregional travel Streamlined administration of transit systems More efficient fleet utilization Better FTA compliance Fewer contracts
- 8. 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
- 9. 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
- 10. Efficient fleet utilization Minnesota operates a state-procured multiple award system Spare ratio possibly reduced Makes sense to have in house mechanic
- 11. 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
- 12. Fewer contracts Presently approximately 50 operating grant contracts + rolling stock grants + facility grants + ITS grants
- 13. 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
- 14. Still many challenges Limited funding: Federal and State Efficiency vs. effectiveness Political subdivisions
- 15. 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
- 16. 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
- 17. Contact: Sarah Brodt Lenz Greater MN Public Transit Coordinator Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Transit sb.lenz@state.mn.us 651-366-4177
Editor's Notes
- We surmised that if we could consolidate some of the programs we could preserve the amount of available service hours by reducing administrative costs and sharing vehicles. After the 2011 legislative session we did not experience the cut and actually got a little extra. We had already started down the path of examining consolidation so we just kept going. We set aside funds to assist transit systems in the transition costs for embarking on any of the initiatives. We’ve branded the program “Transit for our Future.” We were legislatively mandated to “meet 80% of the need by 2015.” The Investment Plan stated that it was __________
- Ability to cross jurisdictional boundaries to access regional trade center services Revising routes to orient to corridors rather than absolute boundaries All transit managers, regardless of system size, are required to be completely proficient in ALL ASPECTS of federal and state regulations Potential to reduce number of vehicles when fleets are interchangeable within a reason Some level of convenience at the state level in terms of contract administration
- Since the 2000 census Jurisdictional boundaries hampered travel
- Transit managers, especially those in smaller systems, need to have expertise in all of these areas. And some managers are doing transit part-time! The result is attention can sometimes be diverted from the main purpose of our business which is to get more Minnesotans where they need to go. With expanded transit systems it is more feasible to hire assistant manager to do the inside work to free up the general manager to do the outside work.
- Currently studying this situation in light of the expected Asset Management guidance.
- Dire consequences when found to be out of compliance including withholding payments and other sanctions. With recent proposed FTA ADA circular the design of routes and services to more equitably serve people with disabilities is becoming more prominent.
- Assists in closing federal grants in a more timely manner.
- Includes both coverage, or access, and service span. Even shared “deadheading” improves both participants’ efficiency. Is weekly service in and out of a town of 500 to the nearest WalMart too much or not enough service? Is once a month enough? Example: Arrowhead’s 2X month scheduled trips compared to actual delivery of about 18 trips per year. In larger RTCs, e.g. with routes is there enough frequency so passengers can do errands in a convenient time frame? We must come to accept that there are some areas that cannot be served in the traditional deviated route or demand response methods.
- Ask Noel