Resolution R2001-04

SOUND TRANSIT

RESOLUTION NO. R2001-04

A RESOLUTION of the of the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority adopting and authorizing the Executive Director of Sound Transit to implement the ST Express 2001 Service Implementation Plan.

WHEREAS, a regional transit authority ("Sound Transit") has been created for the Pierce, King, and Snohomish County region by action of their respective county councils pursuant to RCW 81.11.030; and

WHEREAS, on November 5, 1996, Central Puget Sound area voters approved local funding for Sound Move, the ten-year plan for regional high-capacity transit in the Central Puget Sound Region; and

WHEREAS, Sound Move called for new high-speed ST Express Bus routes to offer frequent two-way service throughout the day, serving major regional centers and destinations and providing connections to other transportation components of Sound Move; and

WHEREAS, Sound Move included $361 million (1995$) to fund ST Express Bus service and associated capital investments; and

WHEREAS, Sound Move represented Sound Transit’s preferred system based on extensive system-level planning and public involvement conducted to date; and

WHEREAS, on July 8, 1999, by Resolution No. R99-15, the Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted the 1999 Service Implementation Plan; and

WHEREAS, on June 8, 2000, by Resolution No. R2000-06, the Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted the 2000 Service Implementation Plan; and

WHEREAS, Regional Express routes will be implemented in a phased manner, and provide a program for route implementation and service increases over time which meets the commitment in Sound Move in a cost-effective manner; and

WHEREAS, the Sound Transit Board has further determined it is in the best interest of the citizens of the region to adopt the ST Express 2001 Service Implementation Plan.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the of the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority hereby adopts and authorizes the Executive Director of Sound Transit to implement the ST Express 2001 Service Implementation Plan.

ADOPTED by the of the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority at a regular meeting thereof held on the day of
2001.

_____________________________

David Earling
Board Chair

ATTEST:

______________________________

Marcia Walker
Board Administrator

STAFF REPORT

SOUND TRANSIT

Resolution No. R2001-04

Adoption of the 2001 ST Express Bus Service Implementation Plan

Meeting:	Date:	Type of Action:	Staff Contact:	Phone:
Finance Committee Executive Committee Board	05/03/01 05/04/01 05/10/01	Discussion/Possible Action to Recommend Board Approval Discussion/Possible Action to Recommend Board Approval Action	Agnes Govern, Director, Regional Express Mike Bergman, Regional Bus Project Manager Gloria Overgaard, Deputy Director, Regional Express	(206) 398-5037 (206) 398-5358 (206) 689-4909

PROPOSED ACTION

Adoption of Resolution No. R2001-04 by the Sound Transit Board approving the 2001 Service Implementation Plan (SIP) and the adoption of Option 5 as outlined in Attachment A (attached) to address the South King County subarea budget shortfall. Option 5 would replace the service deferred option (Option 2) included in the 2001 SIP.

KEY FEATURES
Highlights of Proposed Action:

Recommends approval of the Mobility Initiative Program and its funding from the Regional Mobility Fund with the remaining funds allocated to ST Express services.
Defines the four new routes and service revisions slated for start up in September 2001 and 2002, which will bring the total number of ST Express routes to 19, one more than outlined in the 2000 SIP.
Explains the creation of a Spot Improvement Program for small non-capital bus stop zone improvements funded within the 10% reserves.
Explains the inclusion of ongoing operations/maintenance costs for Sound Transit facilities owned and operated by Regional Express within the 10% reserves.
Presents options, including the service deferral option outlined in the SIP, for the Board’s consideration in addressing the South King County subarea budget shortfall.
Maintains 3.4 million platform hours through 2006. The 2001 SIP has a program budget of $386.7M in 1995 dollars compared to the Adopted 2001 Budget of $386.9M in 1995 dollars.

DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED ACTION

SIP Background:

Sound Move established a conceptual network of 20 ST Express bus routes including the corridors and major centers to be served, a timeline for phasing in service, general service characteristics, and flexibility for Sound Transit to make changes as conditions and technologies changed. The first SIP was adopted in 1998 with a detailed implementation and financial plan. The 1999 SIP refined the network to 18 routes and incorporated detailed route descriptions and service improvements made by the partnering transit agencies. The Board determined two routes in Sound Move (Puyallup to Bellevue and Lakewood to Tacoma) would be served by extending other ST Express routes instead of implementing new routes. The Board also determined that the South Hill to Dupont route would be deferred until the construction of a cross-base highway is complete.

The 2000 SIP introduced the Lynnwood Feeder and the Tacoma downtown connector services. The Board allocated $24.5M (1995$) from unanticipated revenues from the East King County subarea to offset the budget shortfall in the operations/maintenance budget for the bus service and to create schedule maintenance hours in East King County.

The SIP financial plan was developed using the consumer price index (CPI) as the single annual inflation factor for costs. However, the hourly rates from the transit partners have exceeded the estimated Sound Transit annual percentage increase. Should this trend continue there would be an impact on the overall program delivery. Staff will be working with the transit partners through the summer to review the current cost allocation methodology and report back to the Board on the outcome.

Background on service:

Currently Sound Transit has 14 routes operating. The 2001 SIP defines four additional routes that will be implemented in 2001 and 2002.

The 2001 SIP further defines the service phasing through 2006 and, based on Board direction thus far, includes a service deferral of $2.6M as one option in addressing the budget shortfall in the South King County subarea. Other options to address the shortfall are included in this report (Attachment A) and staff is recommending Option 5.

In January 2001, the Board approved additional service on Route 574 to meet anticipated demand based on the number of flexpasses being provided to airport employers. Staff was directed to explore other funding options and report back during the SIP process. Currently, staff is working in partnership with King County Metro to secure a $75,000 grant from the State to offset a portion of the 2001 costs. Staff is also working with the Port of Seattle to explore funding partnerships as directed by the Board.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR 2001 SERVICE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Changes implemented in February 2001:

Pierce County/South King County

Service Enhancement – Added three trips on Lakewood-SeaTac Express (Route 574) to meet anticipated demand. The Board approved the change which added $1.0M to the South King County subarea shortfall and directed staff to explore joint funding opportunities for this service with the Port of Seattle (Motion No. M2000-128). See previous paragraph for an update.

Proposed changes for September 2001:

Snohomish County

Service enhancement – To address service duplication between Lynnwood and Everett during low-ridership times, staff proposes elimination of Route 531 connecting Everett Mall, Lynnwood, Bothell, and Bellevue and replacing it with Route 535 connecting Lynnwood, Bothell, and Bellevue. At nights and on weekends, passengers traveling north of Lynnwood would transfer at Alderwood Mall to the Everett-Seattle Express (Route 512). This change includes enhancing the Sunday schedule on Route 512 to provide a longer span of service. This change is cost neutral.

East King County

New route – Implement daily, all day service between Issaquah Park-and-Ride Lot and downtown Seattle on the Issaquah-Seattle Express (new Route 554). This route would be funded by deferring future phases of the Issaquah-Northgate Express (Route 555) and schedule maintenance hours.
New route – Implement weekday, peak-hour service connecting Issaquah, Eastgate, Bellevue, Evergreen Point, Montlake, and Northgate on the Issaquah-Northgate Express (new Route 555).
Service enhancement – To address service duplication between Lynnwood and Everett during low-ridership times, staff proposes elimination of Route 531 connecting Everett Mall, Lynnwood, Bothell, and Bellevue and replacing it with Route 535 connecting Lynnwood, Bothell, and Bellevue. At nights and on weekends, passengers traveling north of Lynnwood would transfer at Alderwood Mall to the Everett-Seattle Express (Route 512). This change includes enhancing the Sunday schedule on Route 512 to provide a longer span of service. This change is cost neutral.
Service enhancement – King County and a private developer are building a new park-and-ride lot in downtown Renton which may alleviate overcrowding at the South Renton Park-and-Ride Lot. The Bellevue-SeaTac Express (Route 560) and the Federal Way-Bellevue Express (Route 565) will serve the new park-and-ride lot and operate along Park Avenue thus improving service reliability. These routes will no longer serve the South Renton Park-and-Ride Lot.

South King County

Service enhancement – Implement enhanced midday service on the Lakewood-SeaTac Express (Route 574) as described in the 2000 SIP.

Pierce County

New route – Start weekday, peak-hour service connecting Bonney Lake, Sumner, Puyallup, and Tacoma on the Bonney Lake-Tacoma Express (new Route 582). This route replaces the Tacoma Dome-Auburn Express described in the 2000 SIP and is $2.3M more expensive. The additional costs are funded from schedule maintenance hours.
Service enhancement – Implement enhanced midday service on the Lakewood-SeaTac Express (Route 574) as described in the 2000 SIP.

Changes proposed for February 2002:

Snohomish County

Service enhancement – Modify Routes 505, 506, 510, 512, and 513 to serve the new Everett Multi-modal Station.

East King County

Service enhancement – Combine Redmond-Seattle Express (Routes 545 and 546) to operate as one route (Route 545) when the NE 40th Street Transit Center opens as was approved by the Board in Resolution No. R2000-06. The route would be extended to the Bear Creek Park-and-Ride Lot using the savings from the route combination together with schedule maintenance hours.

Changes proposed for June 2002:

Pierce County

Service enhancement – Extend the Lakewood-Seattle Express (Route 592) to the Dupont Park-and-Ride Lot. Sound Transit is able to advance the proposed opening of the Dupont Park-and-Ride Lot to June 2002 from September 2004. Staff had planned a service increase in the Seattle Express service in September 2002 in the 2000 SIP. Staff now recommends extending Route 592 to the Dupont Park-and-Ride Lot when it opens in June 2002 and funding this extension from schedule maintenance hours.

Changes proposed for September 2002:

Pierce County

New route – The Pacific Avenue Express (Route 586) would connect Tacoma, Parkland, Spanaway, and the Roy "Y" Park-and Ride Lot.Staff is looking at the possibility of grant funding that may supplement the operating funds currently budgeted for Route 586.

In conclusion, the staff recommends Board approval of the above service changes and new routes, minus the service deferrals, described in the 2001 SIP. This option has 3,548,298 total program platform hours. The 2001 SIP with service deferrals has 3,463,604 total program platform hours.

BUDGET - all in constant 1995 dollars

Subarea	Budget for Subarea (A)	Proposed 2001 SIP ⁽¹⁾ (B)	Impact on Budget (A-B)
Snohomish County	$54.8	$54.8	$0
East King County	$168.8	$168.7	$0.1
South King County	$41.0	$40.9	$0.1
Pierce County	$122.3	$122.3	$0

All figures shown are in 1995 dollars in millions.

(1) Based on 2001 Service Implementation Plan (SIP).

Snohomish County

Community Transit’s hourly rate is anticipated to be less expensive than the modeling assumptions in Sound Move and as a result there are 46,738 scheduled maintenance hours. Snohomish County’s overall costs match the Adopted 2001 Budget of $54.8M and the subarea’s $2.7M operations/maintenance surplus is used to offset the subarea’s $2.7M capital shortfall. Differences in the methodology Sound Transit and Community Transit use to calculate units of service resulted in a decline in the platform hours from 606,407 in 2000 to 520,590 in 2001. However, service levels increase slightly due to the improved schedule efficiency.

East King County

Sound Transit estimated 2001 hourly rates for King County Metro, and negotiations for the 2001 hourly rates are in progress. The estimated plan has overall costs of $168.7M, which is $100,000 less than the Adopted 2001 Budget of $168.8M. There are 50,145 scheduled maintenance hours in the program total. The funding for the new Issaquah/Seattle Route 554 comes from schedule maintenance hours, operating the new Issaquah-Northgate Route 555 during peak periods only, and deferring peak period improvements on Route 540 from 2005 to 2006. The total platform hours for East King County increased from 1,397,729 in 2000 to 1,407,149 in 2001. The capital budget includes funding to replace the 20 leased Breda buses with articulated coaches in 2004.

South King County

Sound Transit estimated 2001 hourly rates for King County Metro and negotiations for the 2001 hourly rates are in progress. The estimated plan has overall costs of $40.9 M which is $100,000 less than the Adopted 2001 Budget of $41.0M and includes 17,149 scheduled maintenance hours. The SIP includes an option for a $2.5M in service deferrals to offset the budget shortfall. The total platform hours for South King County decrease from 399,461 in the 2000 SIP to 388,945 in the 2001 SIP if the deferrals are approved. The Board will have various options to consider in addressing the shortfall including service deferrals, the $1.5M addition to the Adopted 2001 Budget and/or the regional mobility fund. See Attachment A for a description of the options.

Pierce County

Pierce Transit’s hourly rate is anticipated to be less expensive than the modeling assumption in Sound Move and allows for 4.9% schedule maintenance hours as a percentage of the total hours. The platform hours decreased from 1,197,532 in 2000 to 1,146,920 in 2001 due to the deferral of the extension of the Lakewood/Auburn Route 585 to address the budget shortfall in the South King County subarea. Pierce County’s overall costs match the Adopted 2001 Budget of $122.3M and the subarea’s $8.9M surplus in operations/maintenance is used to offset the $8.9M shortfall in capital.

New Programs – all in constant 1995 dollars

Regional Mobility Fund

On May 11, 1999, Sound Transit sent a letter to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) notifying them that ST Express met the characteristics of commuter bus service and thus did not require a paratransit component. This decision was a result of the staff analysis of the ADA regulations, consultation with local and federal staff from FTA, and the concurrence of the Executive Committee. At the May 7, 1999, Executive Committee meeting, the members approved an approach where staff would develop a sustainable and affordable Mobility Initiative Program. Staff has developed a $6M program using input from the transit partners, the ST Citizens Accessibility Advisory Committee, and information received during the outreach process for the 2001 SIP. Staff is recommending the $6M program be funded from the Regional Mobility fund. Staff is also recommending that the $24.9M remaining in the fund be transferred to ST Express service thereby increasing regional mobility for all. (Described in Attachment B.)

Spot Improvement Program

Sound Transit is creating a Spot Improvement Program to improve passenger convenience and increase accessibility at ST Express bus zones. The $550,000 program is to be funded within the 10% reserves.

Ongoing Facilities Maintenance/Operations

No funding was identified in Sound Move for Regional Express for ongoing maintenance/operations of facilities built, owned, or expanded through the capital projects program for ST Express use, or to be managed by ST Express. Staff has developed an estimated operations/maintenance cost for these future facilities and recommends that these costs be funded from the 10% reserves.

Alternatives

Staff reviewed the alternatives for the 2001 SIP with the partner transit agencies, in public meetings, outreach events with the communities most directly affected by the proposed alternatives, and with interested planning/civic organizations. Each route offered different trade-offs and options for the communities and transit partner agencies. The alternatives selected by staff for recommendation to the Board alters the 2000 SIP but stays within the guidelines of Sound Move by providing service to new markets, working with transit partner agencies to integrate services, and meeting the service needs of the current and potential customers.

Consequences of Delay

Staff has been working closely with the transit partner agencies on planning and start-up activities. A significant delay in adopting the 2001 SIP would negatively affect the implementation of service in 2001 and the integration of ST Express with local transit services.

Regional Partnership and Cooperation

Sound Transit Regional Express staff worked closely with staff from Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, affected local jurisdictions, and other stakeholders. When public meetings were held in their counties, representatives from the transit partner agencies attended and answered questions about how Sound Transit proposals would affect their service.

Public Involvement

Fourteen formal public meetings/open houses were held in Everett, Sumner, Parkland, Tacoma, Redmond, Renton, Mercer Island, Downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Issaquah, and Northgate. Riders were met where they ride, live, and work with visits to park-and-ride lots, malls, stores and Employment sites.

A publication called Regional Transit News outlining the proposed changes and options was distributed at outreach events and about 40,000 copies were mailed. The Regional Transit News contained a survey card, which the public could mail or go on-line to share their comments and suggestions. Sound Transit received a total of 1,283 comments. A summary of the public outreach responses is included in the 2001 SIP.

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