SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

            MINUTES       December 04, 2024

Present              Voting Attendees:  

Cristina Leal                             ARC- Imperial Valley

Gustavo Gomez                        CTSA–ICTC

Kathleen Lang                             Health Net

                        Raul Cordova                           IC Work Training Center

                        Mike Hack                               IC Consumer Senior Citizen

                        Camilo Garcia                          Workforce & Economic Development

Non-Voting Attendees:

Cesar Sanchez                          IVT

Helio Sanchez                          IVT

Jose Guillen                             IVT Medtrans

                         Karla Pacheco                          IVT Access

                        Esperanza Avila                         ICTC 

                          Priscilla Baca                               ICTC

                        Sarah M. Enz                            Imperial County Area Agency on Aging (ZOOM)

1.       Dr. Lang called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. A quorum was present.

2.        Introductions were made.

-          Hybrid meeting.

3.       Minutes were adopted for November 6, 2024 (Cordova, Hack), Motion Carried.

4.       CTSA Reports

Mr. Gomez had the following information

·         We have received the 65% design plans for the countywide bus stop improvements and are awaiting feedback from El Centro, Calipatria, and Westmorland cities. Once we receive their comments, the design team will incorporate them into the 90% plans, which will eventually be finalized into the 100% plans.

·         We have awarded the contract for the Comprehensive Operations Analysis to a consulting firm. The kickoff meeting will take place in the next couple of weeks, and we see this project as a significant opportunity for outreach. In the first few months, we will focus on reaching out to passengers through both in-person engagement and online surveys. Additionally, we will connect with stakeholders to gather their input as we move forward with the project. We believe that SSTAC will play a key role in the development of the Comprehensive Operations Analysis, and we will ensure that many important items are included in this meeting.

·         The  RFP  for the construction of the Calexico ITC project is currently out for bid. We held a mandatory pre-bid meeting that included a walk-through of the project site. Several companies, mostly local companies, have shown interest in the project. We hope to award the contract by January or February of next year, and we would like to start the project as soon as possible, aiming for the ITC to be ready by 2026.

·         We are currently working on a contract for contactless payment. Our team is finalizing the project scope and once completed, we will collaborate with Cal ITP.  Cal ITP is doing a joint procurement for several agencies in California to partner with them to integrate contactless payments into their system.  We plan to integrate contactless payments to the fixed routes as well as our paratransit and potentially our IVT MedTrans system.

This system will consist of a pad that allows users to pay with their credit cards, Apple Pay, or other tap options, eliminating the need to purchase a separate card for payments. Our goal is to implement this payment system within the next year.  There will still be cash payments.

·         We are currently working with a software company to transition the IVT Ride system into a microtransit service. This includes acquiring the necessary software, as well as tablets or phones. Once this process is complete, we will conduct extensive outreach and presentations at nutrition sites, senior centers, and Day Out centers to inform them about the new IVT Ride system and gather their feedback.

·         We will specifically reach out to seniors to introduce the new system we are implementing. With the new system passengers will have the ability to make reservations directly through the app, while also being able to keep making reservations through the phone

·         We will be participating in the El Centro Parade and the Imperial Light Parade. Trandev will be taking some buses, as we will be decorating them for the parade.

·         We recently completed the Stuff a Bus promotion, where participants could bring canned goods or non-perishable items onto the bus and ride for free. We were able to collect over 1,600 pounds of donated food, which we delivered to the Imperial Valley Food Bank. Thank you to all the riders for your generous donations and for helping the community!

 Ms. Baca the following information

·         Jose, Karla, and I participated in a few events together. It was a slow month, but we attended the IVC Fair and the Access to Independence resource fair at the mall. Additionally, I went out to drop off the Riders Guide at IVC and various doctors' offices.

·         Jose and I are scheduling a meeting with the case manager in San Diego County to promote IVT MedTrans.  

·         As Gustavo mentioned, we are participating in the El Centro Parade and Imperial Light Parade. I will be helping Transdev decorate the buses.

5.       UTN Letter to the Hearing Panel Reviews               

Presented Mr. Gomez

·         We wanted to bring up the Unmet Transit Needs (UTN) process, which is fast approaching. This process occurs every year, when we ask the public for feedback regarding any transit needs in their community or county as a whole. The Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) plays a key role in the UTN process.  Currently, the master needs list we have is from last year, and we are open to any comments or changes regarding this list. We believe there were no changes made to the master needs list from the previous year. This master needs list is essential for the SSTAC's input for the county. While we don’t have any changes to propose at this time, we wanted to highlight this for your attention. If you need to discuss this further with your peers, we would appreciate having this item resolved by next month's meeting. We also aim to complete the list and have the necessary letter prepared, in accordance with our priority order for the fiscal year 2025-2026.

·         As you can see, we had a lot of projects last year, and there were requests to update some of our processes and the status of these projects. The list includes comments that indicate where each project currently stands. Some projects have been implemented, while others, like the Transit Mobility Summit, are still pending funding.  We need to update item number 9 to reflect the implementation of the Express route in the evenings from Calexico to IVC. We can modify this item accordingly.  Additionally, item number 11 was implemented in 2021; it was incorporated into the Blue Line circulator in the city of El Centro.

·         We can speak more about the UTN changes in our upcoming meeting in January.

·         We plan to launch our survey at the beginning of January to provide the public with more opportunities to share their comments. Each comment will be considered, as we have already received over 120 comments. Once the survey is live, we will distribute it through our SSTAC email list.

6.       Transit Operator FY 2024-25 Reports:

           Imperial Valley Transit.

           Mr. Sanchez presented the report on the service:

-          The average ridership for Imperial Valley Transit during the first quarter was 160,000 passengers, translating to approximately 1,897 passengers per hour. Additionally, there were over 720 wheelchair users, and more than 2,300 bikes utilized. Our on-time performance was measured at 96.34%. It's important to note that these figures can fluctuate. We experienced delays in Brawley due to ongoing construction on Main Street, which has been in progress for over a year.

-          The Blue Line circulates in El Centro, covering the east and west ends. It serves 753 passengers with an average of 1.77 passengers per hour, accommodates 3 wheelchairs, 7 bikes, and maintains an on-time performance of 100%.

-          Green Line serves the north, east, and west areas of El Centro. We have 903 passengers, averaging 2.5 passengers per hour, 4 wheelchairs, 1 bike, and an on-time performance of 100%.

-          Gold Line is our circulatory line in Brawley, covering the entire city. There are 1,715 total passengers, averaging 3 passengers per hour, with 4 wheelchairs and 23 bikes. The on-time performance (OTP) is 99.43%.

-          As Mr. Gomez mentioned, we held the Stuff a Bus event in November. Additionally, from November 1st to 11th, veterans could present their military ID to the driver for free fare on that day. The food bank was pleased, and our community appreciated the support.

IVT Access

Ms. Pacheco presented the report on the service:

-          IVT Access reported data for the first quarter of July, August, and September: OTP was 96%, passenger per hour was 1.55, with a total passenger count of 4,538. During weekdays, there were 4,365 passengers, while Saturdays had 93 and Sundays had 80. The number of passengers using wheelchairs was 1,276, with 234 no-shows, 6 late cancellations, and 100 non-ADA county passengers.

-          As mentioned in the last meeting, we did not participate in Stuff a Bus because we did not have any veterans.

IVT Ride

Mr. Guillen presented the report on all IVT Ride services:

-          IVT Ride Brawley has an OTP of 97%. We have a passenger count of 431, with a total passenger count of 1,111, including 471 wheelchairs. There were 35 no-shows and 0 late cancellations.

-          IVT Ride Calexico has an OTP of 98%, with a passenger count of 4,713 and an average of 2.8 passengers per hour. There are 4,463 wheelchairs available, and 173 non-shows.

-          IVT Ride El Centro: OTP 96%, Passengers per hour 1.9, Total passenger count 3,428, Wheelchair count 664, and No-shows 146.

-          IVT Ride Heber - Total Passengers: 755, Wheelchairs: 226, No Shows: 37. The City of Heber has opened their nutrition center, and our El Centro buses help transport Heber passengers.

-          IVT Ride Imperial, total passengers 888, wheelchairs 154 and no-shows 39, with this route we also transport passengers from El Centro as well

-          IVT Westmorland had a total passenger count of 155. There were no wheelchairs in the Westshores area, and there was a total of 5 no-shows.

-          Ms. Enz stated that Mr. Guillen made a great transition in taking over the ride. Thank you, Mr. Guillen. Mr. Guillen also thank Ms. Galvan for helping with the transition.

            IVT MedTrans:

             Mr. Guillen presented the report on the service:

-          MedTrans numbers increased in August, with a total of 16 wheelchairs provided. There were 5 no-shows, and the total days of service were 48, resulting in a performance rate of 96%, which is good.

-          We have been traveling to San Diego every day without any issues with passengers. We are anticipating the upcoming snow days in January and February. Last year, we didn't miss any days, and we hope to maintain that schedule this year as well.  Dr. Lang suggested that we can measure passengers per trip instead of per hour. Mr. Guillen said this can be arranged.

7.       General Discussion

-Mr. Hack thanked everyone for electing him as the vice chair of SSTAC.

- Mr. Gomez reminded the members that the next SSTAC Meeting falls on a holiday and asked if they would like to reschedule it. They made a motion to move it to January 02, 2025.

 (Leal, Hack)

8.       Adjournment

-          The meeting adjourned at 10: 38 a.m. (Cordova, Hack)

-          The next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 02, 2025, at the Imperial County Transportation Commission Office, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243.