SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

            MINUTES       January 02, 2025

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

                          Priscilla Baca                               ICTC

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 December 4, 2024 (Cordova, Hack), Motion Carried.

4.       CTSA Reports

Mr. Gomez had the following information

·         The countywide bus stop improvement project is still in design. The plan is to add amenities to existing bus stops or replace bus stops in poor condition.

·         We are currently reviewing bids for the construction of the Calexico International Trade Center (ITC). Our goal is to reach a decision and award the construction contract at our commission meeting in January. We hope to begin construction in February. The construction timeline is expected to last about a year, so we anticipate being ready to proceed by February or March of next year.

·         We held the kickoff meeting for comprehensive operations analysis two weeks ago, and we will soon begin the outreach phase. Currently, we are sending the requested ridership data to the consultant. Our goal is to reach the largest population of riders by mid-January or early February. This outreach will help us gather more information from the riders.

·         We will ensure that SSTAC is included in the outreach and will provide surveys or questionnaires from our consultant.    

·         The UTN survey will be released this month, possibly by mid-January. It will also be conducted through SurveyMonkey.  We have used it successfully for the past three years, receiving over 120 comments.  We will be sending out a survey through our stack list, managed by Priscilla. From there, you can share it with your department or distribute it to anyone you wish

·         The hearing date for the UTN is likely scheduled for early April or late March. This will provide us with ample time to gather feedback from the public. We will be receiving input through various channels, including mail, fax, phone, and in-person surveys. We will have printed surveys available, and some of our transit staff, along with ICTC staff, will conduct surveys by asking questions directly to the public.

·         We are working on a contactless project and defining the scope. At this stage, we are deciding where to place the tab cards and how many we will need. We hope to complete this work once the scope of the project is finalized. After that, we will select vendors for the payment system. Our goal is to have everything ready by mid-year, which typically involves a process of about four to six months.

 Ms. Baca the following information

·         The El Centro Parade and the Imperial event went well. During my ride along with Jose from IVT Medtrans, we successfully contacted the head RN at Scripps. She then took us to meet with the case managers, and we exchanged emails so I could provide her with detailed information about IVT Medtrans. Additionally, Jose and I visited Rady and Children's Hospital and several doctors' offices in the surrounding areas to share information about IVT Medtrans.

·         I attended a training session on Introduction to Paratransit Management and Operations. This training helped me gain a better understanding of how the operational aspects of transit work. Additionally, I participated in several ride-along in El Centro to familiarize myself with the various routes.

·         I distributed brochures from Calipatria, Westmorland, and Holtville. We are attending several marketing events in February, including the Feria de la Salud y Recursos and the Heart and Online Deaf Resource Fair.

5.       UTN Letter to the Hearing Panel Reviews               

Presented Mr. Gomez

·         To provide some context, last year we did not make any adjustments to the master needs list. SSTAC members requested updates regarding the status of each independent project or item in the right-hand column. We were able to provide some feedback on that. Additionally, on the letter side, we made one modification: we added item number 5 under general comments, which pertained to supporting ideas to expand the "Calexico on Demand" initiative into other cities. You can modify the letter in the needs list as many times as you want. We are unable to make any changes ourselves, but we can discuss the needs list. However, we do need a formal process to proceed. We can follow up on this and make the necessary changes in February.  If you have any questions about any of the items or letters, please feel free to ask if the list is typically what we base our discussions on when we go to the public hearing. At the SSTAC meeting, we demonstrated the needs we have identified in the county, which we then used to draft the letter. This letter is read aloud at the public hearing by Dr. Lang, the SSTAC chair, and is entered into the public hearing record.

·         We currently do not plan to delete any routes and are considering adding new ones. The COA project will help us better understand ridership data. Services marked as "implemented in the demo phase" are operational but will be monitored for potential adjustments in hours.

·         We aim to address that gap with the micro-transit system we want to implement. This service will be available to the public, allowing residents and visitors to navigate within the cities of Imperial, El Centro, Brawley, and Calexico easily.

·         We are currently working on an ongoing project to implement a contactless payment system for public transportation. This system will enable passengers to board and exit buses using options like Apple Pay or contactless credit and debit cards. Caltrans is facilitating this initiative through a program called Cal-ITP, which has established a statewide procurement process. This process assists each independent transit agency in selecting vendors for the system. Several transit agencies have already adopted this approach.

6.       Transit Operator FY 2024-25 Reports:

           Imperial Valley Transit.

           Mr. Sanchez presented the report on the service:

-          We are currently experiencing extensive construction in Brawley, particularly on Main Street. As a result, we've had to implement several detours, but we strive to maintain as many bus stops as possible. Our goal is to work around these detours while still providing service to passengers in the area.

IVT Access

Ms. Pacheco presented the report on the service:

-          Some senior daycares were closed on the 24th, 25th, 31st, and the 1st. We currently have only a few students participating in the winter session, but we expect this number to increase in February and March.

IVT Ride

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

·         The ridership is doing well

·          No complaints.

            IVT MedTrans:

             Mr. Guillen presented the report on the service:

·         Some students went to San Diego, without affecting our drop-off schedule with the clients. “ I hope there’s no snow up in the mountains."

7.       General Discussion

- Mr. Gomez reminded the members that the next SSTAC Meeting on February 5, 2025

8.       Adjournment

-          The meeting adjourned at 10: 36 a.m.

-          The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the Imperial County Transportation Commission Office, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243.