KERN TRANSPORTATION FOUNDATION

Newsletter

DIRECTORS

Donna Carpenter

Chairman Jack Gotcher

CFO

Peter Smith Secretary

Gary Blackburn

Leigh Ann Cook

David Couch

Steve Esselman

Jim Hunter, Mobilization

Ted James

Karen King

Jess Ortiz

Cindy Parra

Larry Pickett

Patricia Poire

Cathy Prout

Howard Silver

John Spaulding

Will Winn, Newsletter

TECHNICAL

ADVISORS

Bob Neath

John Schuler

Ted Wright

KernCOG

June 2015 KTF Newsletter, Issue 12

Kern County Regional Trans-

portation is changing with the times and taking steps to upgrade its service and effi-

ciency, said Bob Neath, Man-ager and supervising engi-neer, as he addressed the

Mojave Chamber of Com-merce last Fall and shared how re-branding efforts and

expanded advertising are transforming what will now be called Kern Transit. Neath, who has twenty-three

years in the transportation field, explained that he head-ed up a comprehensive evaluation of the countys bus service. We had to ask our-selves, what have we found and how are we going to transform it. Staff identi-fied strengths that included financial stability, consistent 10% farebox return rati-os, and a fleet of newer buses with a majority under five years old which is antici-

pated to be 75% by 2016.

On the minus side, dated branding, poor marketing outreach, sub-standard on-time

performance, outdated schedules and fare structures, and abuse of discount fares were deemed significant weaknesses. Basically, nobody knew who we were. We determined that we must market ourselves. The department tackled the brand-ing issue by updating the old poppy logo to a more dynamic image and simplify-ing the agency name to a concise Kern Transit. Beginning in September 2014, new bus stop signs will go up along roadways and provide route and destination in-

formation for each stop, Neath said. Additionally, a streamlined set of bus sched-ule will be developed that replaces the previous confusing guide. The new schedule reduces the prior nineteen separate schedules to just six regional guides. Color-

coded routes on the new updated maps now show all of the bus stops in easy-to-

read timetables.

The new system-wide schedule will vastly improved on-time performance, he re-ported. Our on-time performance is now phenomenalin the eighty to ninety percentile levels We also got rid of the loops, so it is now point to point. And, the new scheduling connects Kern Transit routes with other transit agencies such as

Amtrak , Greyhound and the many local transportation systems that exist in and

around Kern Countys cities and communities,.

THE NEW AND IMPROVED KERN REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM

The Kern

Transportation

Foundation

promotes a

modern, balanced

transportation

system that

enhances the

quality of life and

advances the

economic vitality

of the residents of

Kern County.

Page 2 KTF Newsletter, June 2015

KTF Newsletter June 2015 Page 3

HIGH SPEED RAIL VIADUCT CONSTRUCTION

Tim Sheehan, Fresno Bee

MADERA

Heavy construction work on Califor-nias high-speed rail project formally commenced Tuesday in a dusty field next to a freight railroad line. Work crews are building the first of 16 concrete footings that will become the foundation of a 1,600-foot viaduct, or elevated bridge, over the Fresno River, Highway 145 and Raymond Road. The construction is the first visual that peo-ple can start seeing us building up, said Diana Gomez, Central Valley regional director for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The work is part of the authoritys first construction segment in the state, a 29-mile stretch from the northeast edge of Madera to the south end of Fresno. It comes two years after the agency awarded the $1 billion con-tract for the section. To some people, this seems like its been a long time coming, said Jeff Morales, the authoritys CEO. But now, he added, work will accelerate, expanding to other sites in Fresno and Madera counties. Over the next few months, people will see things happening at about a half-dozen different sites, Morales said. By the end of the summer, you wont be able to go anywhere in the Valley without seeing people in orange vests and green shirts hard at work. As of last week, the authority has pos-session of more than 200 of the 536 parcels it needs in the Fresno-Madera section. It also has about 50 of the 543 parcels for right of way in its second construction segment, a 65-mile stretch from American Avenue at the south end of Fresno to the Tulare-Kern county line.

Gomez said that other major construction expected to get under way this summer are street over- and underpasses. Those include new underpasses at Tulare and Ventura streets in downtown Fresno and a rail crossing under Highway 180 just north of downtown Fresno. The construction sections in the Valley are planned as the backbone of a 520-mile, $68 billion statewide bullet-train line connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles by way of Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield and Palmdale by 2028. Future extensions would run to Sacramento and San Diego. Jeff Morales, CEO CA HSR

KTF

Kern

Transportation

Foundation

Find KTF on Face Book

P.O. Box 417 Bakersfield, CA

93302-0417

Web Page Under Construction

Page 4 KTF Newsletter June 2015

The mission of the Kern

Transportation Foundation is to provide a forum for advancing the

requirements of a

modern, balanced transportation system

that meets the economic

and social needs of the public in Kern County.

The Kern Transportation

Foundation will work to the following:

- Identify and create

public awareness of current and future

transportation needs in

Kern County.

- Investigate solutions to providing a balanced

transportation systems.

- Build the private/public

partnership required to develop a modern,

balanced transportation

system.

Kern Transportation Foundation Mission

Statement

DIRECTLY TO

AIRPORT BUS is now Airport Valet Express The new and improved locally owned bus service to Los Angeles International Airport

from Bakersfield, California is now up and running after a few technical delays. Many

people in the Southern San Joaquin Valley have used this type of service for several

years to find more reasonable fares connected with flights leaving and arriving at LAX.

Departures from Bakersfield to LAX begin everyday at 3 AM and 8 AM, and 3 PM and

6PM. Express buses from LAX to Bakersfield depart at 10 AM and 2:30, 7:30 and 11

PM. Fares are $49 One Way and $89 Round Trip. One bag and a carry-on are includ-

ed. Reasonably priced reserved parking is also provided. All the details and contacts

are given on their new webpage: http://airportvaletexpress.com/

Airport Valet Express

201 New Stine Rd. Suite 120

Bakersfield, CA 93309

661-363-5000