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Transit agency reports improved ridership, stable fuel costs and plans in-bus displays and Wi-Fi
Summary
Officials told the advisory meeting that year-to-date finances are roughly on track, fuel expenses are down from prior years, community-route June ridership was the best on record, and the agency plans to install Yodeck displays using Pepwave GPS/Wi-Fi units; rural service first rider was delayed to July 22.
Transit staff presented a midyear financial and operational update at the July 9 Transit Advisory meeting, saying budgets are generally on track, community-route ridership is strong and several in-bus technology upgrades will be deployed. "We've got everything business as usual," a transit staff member said, summarizing the midyear position.
The presenter said the agency is a little over six months into the 2025 budget cycle with "about 47% left," citing one-off upfront costs for Pepwave GPS/Wi-Fi routers and a past backpayment for CB radio service that increased near-term spending. The router purchase included a one-year upfront payment for Wi-Fi and GPS telemetry that staff said drove much of the extra cost.
Staff described specific cost lines: annual service-contract spending was described in the transcript as between $12,000 and roughly $18,000 with the Pepwave routers and Wi-Fi options added; fuel spending is tracking lower than some prior years and staff estimated the annual fuel bill will be closer to $35,000 this year versus near $50,000 in previous years; vehicle repairs and maintenance categories were said to have roughly 25% of budget remaining.
On ridership, staff said Red Cedar and Doorstop services posted June performance comparable to 2019 and that the community route had its best June since records, second only to a free-service month in 2023. "Community route ridership, the best month of June that it's had," the staff member said.
The presentation covered near-term service items. Rural service: a planned first rider from the Wheeler area was delayed because of health issues and was rescheduled for July 22. Staff said a scheduled shopper trip from Wheeler to town and Walmart remains planned.
Technology and customer information: staff recommended installing Yodeck digital-display units on buses, using the Pepwave/GPS/Wi-Fi units to wirelessly update content. The presenter said the vendor currently has a promotion that reduces the initial hardware cost if a one-year subscription is purchased, and that the units are compact and can connect via HDMI to in-bus displays. "It's a good time to put it in place now that we have the Pepwave," the staff member said.
Route operations and staffing: staff reviewed a community-route alignment change that added stops at the CVTC campus, the government center and the library at 30 minutes past the hour; they said the schedule buffer provided by returning to the traditional Tainter alignment helps keep drivers on time. The agency reported a flexible, mainly part-time driver pool (about 11 drivers) and said driver retention averages more than five years for many employees. Staff also reported adding a full-time driver, Ron Kisner.
No formal votes were recorded on the finance or technology items; the presentation concluded with staff direction to continue implementation and training for the Yodeck units with Krista and Jake and to monitor summer payroll savings as fewer buses run during summer months.
The meeting included discussion about specific stop locations and safety when buses stop in travel lanes; board members urged clear hazard-light protocols and identified crosswalks and cutouts as longer-term options.
The advisory body scheduled the next meeting for Aug. 13, when staff said they will provide updates on procurement and operations.
