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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.15.23 Transit Board Staff ReportPlease contact the Transit Advisory Board at TAB@ci.oshkosh.wi.us with any questions or concerns TRANSIT ADVISORY BOARD STAFF REPORT March 15, 2023 PUBLIC COMMENT APPROVAL OF MINUTES OLD BUSINESS 1. Subcommittee to study Board & Commission - The Common Council has a subcommittee currently studying boards and commissions. Their study should be complete in April. Currently, the Transit Advisory Board has one vacancy. NEW BUSINESS 2. Welcome new Transit Board Member 3. Inter-City Route Update - A Micro Transit pilot program has been agreed upon by and funded by Winnebago County. The one year pilot will replace the current Route 10 route. The new program will provide rides to and from the Oshkosh Transit Center and Neenah Transit Center during regular operating hours via a shared ride taxi for a flat $5 one-way fare. This change is being publicized by local media and via GO Transit social media venues. 4. Transit Development Plan - We have partnered with the East Central Regional Plan Commission on a grant for an updated Transit Development Plan (TDP). The TDP is generally updated approximately every 5 years and serves as a strategic plan for the system. A RFP (Request for Proposal) was recently issued in order to solicit proposals for consultants to work on the plan. We plan to look at service hours, schedules, routes, fares and the feasibility of micro transit in some areas. We anticipate a steering committee will be formed and the plan will probably take at least a year to complete. STAFF STATEMENTS 5. Ridership Update 6. Free Student Ride Program - The current “free” student ridership program ends on June 30th of this year. We have not heard where the School District and Council are on this partnership; although it sounds like there is support for it to continue. Possibly, they will be taking this issue up again after the elections. The program had its ups and downs and we hope to iron out more of the bumps if a new contract is entered into for the next school year. 7. Staffing – We have hired a couple part-time Operators over the last few months and have a new Operator starting at the end of the month to replace one that went to Valley Transit. Valley Transit was offering a $5000 sign-on bonus which lured the Operator and they are currently offering the bonus again. We have done an analysis and GO Transit pays better over time although the bonus can be tempting. All transit agencies are struggling to find qualified drivers at this time. FUTURE AGENDA REQUESTS ADJOURNMENT