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Transit staff proposes fare-free option and bus-stop improvements; committee asks for action plan
Summary
City transit staff presented an analysis showing fare collection costs may exceed fare revenue and proposed going fare-free if the department eliminates one administrative position; the committee asked staff to return with an action proposal and costed options for bus-stop shelters, signage and ADA upgrades.
Transit staff told the Infrastructure Committee that the department’s long-serving administrative assistant plans to retire in June and that an internal analysis shows the cost of administering fares (staff time, fare boxes, printing, coin-counting and bank deposits) approaches or exceeds fare revenue. Staff presented the costs and said several operating efficiencies could be realized by eliminating the position and moving to a fare-free model.
Staff said ancillary duties performed by the administrative assistant — grant reimbursements, DBE reporting and DOT/FTA reporting — can be absorbed by the city’s grant administrator and by other staff; departments would still need to perform ridership tracking required by NMDOT and FTA. Staff described a small list of one-time capital savings if fares were eliminated (no fare boxes, fewer printing costs, lower credit-card processing fees) and said paratransit obligations under federal rules would not be eliminated by a fare-free change.
Committee members supported the idea of exploring fare-free service but asked staff to bring the proposal back as a formal action item with detailed operating and budget projections, including the effect on grant matching rules and on the city’s status as a "rural" transit system (staff noted that surpassing a certain revenue or ridership threshold could change funding treatment).
The committee also discussed bus-stop signage and shelters. Staff outlined design criteria that would be needed before procurement: an inventory of existing stops (approximately 215 stops), identification of stops that are static versus flexible, ADA compliance status for each stop, cost estimates for multiple shelter/bench options and maintenance considerations (materials that resist vandalism and do not require frequent repainting). Committee members asked staff to bring a map and a short menu of 4–6 shelter designs and costings, plus ADA status for each stop, to the next meeting so the committee can adopt design criteria.
Ending Staff will prepare a formal action proposal for the fare-free option (including whether to eliminate the administrative FTE), present ridership and matching impacts for grant-funded operating assistance, and provide an inventory, map and costed options for bus-stop signage and shelters at the next committee meeting.
