May 20, 2009 RE: Passenger Notification to Dissolve Solano Paratransit on July 1, 2009 Dear Solano Paratransit Customer:

One Harbor Center, Suite 130 Suisun City, California 94585 Area Code 707 424-6075 • Fax 424-6074 Members:

Benicia Dixon Fairfield Rio Vista Solano County Suisun City Vacaville Vallejo

We are writing to notify you that on July 1, 2009, the Solano Paratransit Service, that has been serving the cities of Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City and Vacaville, and the County unincorporated areas around these cities, will be dissolved. The responsibility for intercity paratransit service for American with Disabilities Act (ADA) eligible individuals will be handled by the local transit operators serving those communities. Solano Paratransit service has been operated by Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) through a contract with the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) since 1996 and it provides both ADA required intercity paratransit service and optional ADA-Plus service for the City of Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City and Vacaville, and the County unincorporated area around these cities. On March 25, 2009, the City of Fairfield, as the operator of FAST, notified the STA of their intention not to operate or participate in Solano Paratransit service effective July 1, 2009 due to budget and funding constraints. In response, a transition plan was developed by STA in partnership with the affected jurisdictions. Based on this transition plan, the STA Board of Directors voted to dissolve the Solano Paratransit (SP) service and to transfer the responsibility for the passengers served by SP to the local transit operators serving the communities in which they reside. Passengers residing within the cities of Fairfield, Suisun City and portions of Vacaville located within ¾ of a mile of the service area of Route 20 will be served by the FAST’s local paratransit service known as DART. ADA passengers located in the City of Dixon will be served by Dixon’s Readi-Ride which will begin new ADA service to Vacaville and Davis. Passengers located in the City of Vacaville will be served by their local paratransit service provided by Vacaville Special Services. For passengers located in the County unincorporated area, the STA is currently working with the County of Solano to identify a replacement service. When the details of this service are known, County clients will be notified. Information will be also be placed on the STA website www.solanolinks.com.

STA Ltr. dated May 20, 2009 RE: Passenger Notification to Dissolve Solano Paratransit on July 1, 2009

Page 2 of 2

FAST’s DART, Vacaville Special Services, Dixon Readi-Ride, and Vallejo’s Runabout are coordinating to provide connections between local paratransit service areas for intercity trips. STA is working with FAST DART, Vacaville City Coach and Dixon Readi-Ride to minimize impacts from this reduction in service. Please forward any questions regarding this transition of service to the individuals on the enclosed reference table. It has been the STA’s pleasure to serve Solano Paratransit riders for the past thirteen years. For further information from the STA, please contact Liz Niedziela, Transit Program Manager at (707) 424-6075 or paratransit@sta-snci.com. Sincerely,

Daryl K. Halls Executive Director Attachment: Summary of Planned Intercity Paratransit Svcs. in Eastern Solano County Cc: STA Board Members and Alternates

Nancy Huston, City Manager, City of Dixon Jeff Matheson, Community Services Director, City of Dixon Sean Quinn, City Manager, City of Fairfield Gene Cortright, Public Works Director, City of Fairfield Wayne Lewis, Assistant Public Works Director, City of Fairfield George Fink, Transit Manager, City of Fairfield Suzanne Bragdon, City Manager, City of Suisun City Laura Kuhn, City Manager, City of Vacaville Rod Moresco, Public Works Director, City of Vacaville Brian McLean, Transit Manager, City of Vacaville Mike Johnson, County Administrator, County of Solano Birgitta Corsello, Resource Management Director, County of Solano Paul Wiese, Engineering Manager, County of Solano

Elizabeth Richards, Director of Transit and Rideshare Services, STA Alix Bockelman, MTC

SUMMARY OF PLANNED INTERCITY PARATRANSIT SERVICES IN EASTERN SOLANO COUNTY

>>>> EFFECTIVE: JULY 1, 2009 <<<<

Resident of Local

Paratransit Service

Transit Contact Service Contact Intercity Travel Destinations

Transfer Locations for Intercity Service

County of Solano

TBD Liz Niedziela, STA Transit Manager @ (707) 424-6075

TBD TBD

Dixon Dixon Readi-Ride

Jeff Matheson, Community Services Director @ (707) 678-7000

Dixon Readi-Ride @ (707) 678-5020

Vacaville

Dixon will transport to Vacaville

Fairfield and points west of Vacaville

Ulatis Community Center in Vacaville, transfer to DART

Fairfield DART George Fink, Transit Manager @ (707) 428-7768

FAST/DART @ (707) 429-2400

Vacaville and points east1

Ulatis Community Center in Vacaville, transfer to VV Special Services or Dixon Readi-Ride

To Vallejo and points west

Solano Community College, transfer to Vallejo RunAbout

To Rio Vista Solano Mall & FTC, transfer to Rio Vista Delta Breeze

Suisun City DART George Fink, Transit Manager @ (707) 428-7768

FAST/DART @ (707) 429-2400

To Vacaville and points east

Ulatis Community Center in Vacaville, transfer to VV Special Services or Dixon Readi-Ride

To Vallejo and points west

Solano Community College, transfer to Vjo RunAbout

To Rio Vista Suisun Amtrak Station, transfer to Rio Vista Delta Breeze

Vacaville VV Special Services

Brian McLean, Transit Manager @ (707) 449-5330

VV/Special Services @ (707) 449-6000

To Fairfield and points west

Ulatis Community Center, transfer to FAST/DART

To Dixon and points east

Ulatis Community Center, transfer to Dixon Readi-Ride

Passengers will pay paratransit local fares on each system.

1 Will directly pick-up and drop-off within ¾ mile of FAST Rt. 20 service in Vacaville and to VV Kaiser Medical Center. 

STA BOARDMAY 13, 2009

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - guarantees people with disabilities the same access to public transportation as people without disabilities.

ADA Paratransit - Service is for people who have disabilities that prevent them from using fixed-route bus system.

Transit operators of fixed- route bus system are required to provide complementary paratransit service within ¾ mile corridor of their fixed routes and the core area.

Vacaville City Coach – Vacaville Special ServicesFairfield and Suisun Transit – DART (Dial-A-Ride-Transit)

Vallejo Transit – Vallejo Runabout

Solano Paratransit is ADA-Plus (meaning it exceeds the ¾ mile service area required by ADA). It is not required.

ADA certified passengers Intercity paratransit service for Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, County unincorporated area between these citiesOperates Mon- Sat Seamless (no transfers) service

Solano Paratransit has been primarily funded by Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds from the cities of Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville and the County of Solano

Prior to 1995, county wide intercity paratransit services was operated by Solano County Economic Opportunity Council, (SCEOC) a non-profit organization

SCEOC operated this service under contract with the County of Solano when STA was part of the County

In 1995, SCEOC was unable to provide the service

STA maintained Solano Paratransit service through a contract with Fairfield and Suisun Transit

Benicia and Vallejo opted to deliver their own service

Solano Paratransit has been operating for over 13 years

STA contracts with FAST to operate Solano Paratransit intercity ADA-plus service through an agreement

Working with FAST and the funding partners, STA coordinates the operating and capital funding for Solano Paratransit

STA owns and secures the vehicles leased to FAST and maintained and operated as part of their DART fleet

STA monitors performance, costs, and customer service

The STA Board approves Solano Paratransit fare adjustments (last one approved was 2006)

Day to day operations such as eligibility, determinations, dispatch, scheduling and delivering passenger trips, and vehicles usage are integrated with DART by FAST staff and their transit provider, MV Transportation

FAST performs the preventative maintenance and keeps the vehicles in good and safe operating condition

FAST collects, analyzes and provides operating reports on performance measures

23% -2%

31%

$100,000

$250,000

$400,000

$550,000

$700,000

$850,000

Cost of Solano Paratransit

The higher cost of operating Solano Paratransit has been a concern for the funding partners for the past two years

The increase in cost was cited by FAST as resulting from a new operator contract, increased fuel and maintenance cost

Higher overhead cost was as a contributing factor as part of the Transit Consolidation Study

Local TDA fund revenues (sales tax driven) have remained flat

State Transit Assistance (STAF) will be unavailable due to elimination by the State beginning in FY2009-10$-

$4,000,000

$8,000,000

$12,000,000

$16,000,000

TDA Revenues

FY2005-06

FY2006-07

FY2007-08

FY2008-09

Operating Cost $499,453 $615,784 $605,397 $792,849

Operating Revenue

Farebox Revenue 21,098 21,250 39,966 35,659

TDA Contributions

Dixon 29,180 36,484 36,781 39,718

Fairfield 191,151 231,925 222,828 273,153

Rio Vista* 9,615 9,691 12,367 1,030

Suisun City 49,683 65,430 66,950 62,863

Vacaville 175,126 218,331 202,938 213,543

County of Solano 27,601 22,403 23,567 24,484

STA 10,000 192,000

*Rio Vista opted out of Solano Paratransit in FY2008-09 and contributed for one month to transition service

From FY2005-06 to FY 2008-09, operating costs increase 60%

The STA Board approved a one-year allocation of $192,000 of State Transit Assistance (STAF) to help offset rising cost

STA Board authorized to fund a study to:

Review how Solano Paratransit delivers serviceLook at alternative options to provide service

PurposeReview how service has been delivered

Evaluate alternative methods to control or reduce cost

A new delivery model to deliver consistent, sustainable service to ADA passengers

Passenger ProfileSeveral hundred ADA passengers use Solano ParatransitSolano Paratransit provides over 6,000 annual tripsThe majority of the trips (90%) are between Fairfield/Suisun and Vacaville

Solano Community CollegeMedical Appointments

Passenger in wheelchairs are 47%Ambulatory passengers are 53%

1. Existing Solano Paratransit Arrangement with Increases in Productivity

2. Scheduled Flexroute Service - Operated by the City of Fairfield

3. Solano Paratransit Delivered through a County of Solano, Vacaville and Dixon Partnership

4. Discontinuation of Solano Paratransit Service with Each Funding Partner Making Their Own Service Arrangements

One March 25, 2009, STA received a letter from the City of Fairfield stating :

STA staff and the consultant met with City of Dixon, City of Vacaville, and the County of Solano

Based on the discussions – Develop a draft Potential Solano Paratransit Service and Preliminary Transition Plan

Concurrently, the transit staff from FAST, Vacaville, Dixon, and Vallejo met

To discuss transferring paratransit passengers between transit operatorsThe agreement among the transit operators is a proposal to deliver required ADA services in their own service areas or city and to discontinue Solano Paratransit (Alternative 4 in the Transition Plan)

The Proposed Service Change

Provided by FASTEffective July 1, 2009

Solano Paratransit intercity service will be replaced with each transit agency establishing transfer locations to transfer the ADA passengers from one paratransit system to the next.

Dixon will utilize $40,000 that would have been contributed to Solano Paratransit to provide intercity paratransit service directly.

Dixon Readi-Ride plans to expand their service to connect Dixon to Vacaville and Davis. First intercity service provided by Dixon.

Dixon Readi-Ride will take their ADA passengers directly to their destination in Vacaville

ADA passengers traveling further than Vacaville Dixon passengers traveling to Vacaville will be paying $.50 less per tripTransfer Location - Ulatis Cultural CenterMultiple TransfersMultiple FaresHigher Combined Fare Cost ($2 - $4 per one-way trip)Longer Travel Time

Fairfield utilizes $335,000 that would have been contributed to Solano Paratransit. May apply this to DART service.

DART will transport the ADA passengers within the ¾ mile of Route 20 (as required) in Fairfield and Vacaville

DART will transport their ADA passengers directly to Kaiser in Vacaville

DART will not provide service outside the required service area

ADA passengers traveling beyond DART service area:Transfer Locations - Ulatis Cultural Center and Solano Community CollegeMultiple TransfersMultiple FaresHigher Combined Fare Cost ($2 - $4 per one-way trip)Longer Travel Time

Vacaville will save over $213,000 that would have been contributed to Solano Paratransit

Vacaville Special Services will continue to transport ADA passengers within their city (as required)

ADA passengers traveling outside cityTransfer Location - Ulatis Cultural CenterMultiple TransfersMultiple FaresHigher Combined Fare Cost ($2 - $4 per one-way trip)Longer Travel Time

The County of Solano may use $24,500 contribution to Solano Paratransit to provide alternative service

Alternatives to providing ADA service is still being explored

Expanded Service for Dixon

For FAST – no financial contributions from other local jurisdictions

Uncertainty of Unincorporated ADA passengers

Less Cost for Vacaville

More Cost for Vallejo Runabout

Transfers Coordination

STA staff is currently working with the County of Solano staff to consider their potential options

Public agency partnershipPrivate contractor

ADA passengers living in the unincorporated areaVacaville staff forwarded a proposal to the County for limited service within one mile of their City Limits

Vehicle Reassignments by the STAFunding sources of the vehicles may limit optionsSTA own nine vehiclesARRA 5311 application for replacement of four vehicles

Notifying Solano Paratransit Riders and The Public

STA has prepared public notices announcing public hearing

Flyers were distributed by STA to each transit operators for distribution

STA added notice on website

STA Informed members of the Paratransit Coordinating Council

Next Steps

Following STA Board action and direction, STA staff will send out notification letters with contact information

STA staff will return to the STA Board for reassignment of Solano Paratransit vehicles

CONDUCT a Public Hearing to consider changes in the provision of Paratransit services:

1. Staff Presentation of the Summary of Potential Service Strategies and Preliminary Transition Plan as shown in Attachments C and D to the staff report

2. Open Public Hearing and receive public comment;3. Close Public Hearing4. Board Consideration of the following proposed actions

a. Dissolve the Solano Paratransit service and transfer the responsibility for the passengers served by Solano Paratransit to the local transit operators serving the communities in which they reside;

b. Authorize the STA to work with the County of Solano to develop a transitional plan for Solano Paratransit riders residing in the County unincorporated area; and

c. Authorize the Executive Director to send out notification of the dissolution of Solano Paratransit to all registered Solano Paratransit passengers providing contact information for each transit agency to address questions and for clarification.