Council adopts 2025 transit program of projects; staff outlines broad RFP for operations including BRT

The Rochester City Council on Aug. 18 adopted a resolution authorizing the filing of the city’s 2025 transit Program of Projects, which lists federal capital and operating projects and allows staff to submit grant applications to the Federal Transit Administration. The council vote passed with a numerical tally summarized by staff as 6‑2‑1.

Iya Shiong, the city’s Transit and Parking Director, introduced the annual FTA hearing and said the Program of Projects includes federal apportionments used for operations and capital, as well as local match sources such as fare revenue, advertising and state funds. Shiong said Rochester Public Transit receives no city tax levy for operations and that the city had not requested levy support.

Councilmembers pressed staff about falling ridership and plans for cost effectiveness. Shiong and staff described ridership figures that fell from about 2 million annual rides before 2020 to lower levels after the COVID‑19 pandemic: roughly 2.1 million in 2019, a sharp decline in 2020 and a figure of about 650,000 in 2024. Staff said pandemic impacts, the increase in remote and hybrid work, and changes in downtown parking patterns have all affected ridership and that a transit development plan update and service optimization work are planned to address efficiency and routing.

The council also heard an extended staff briefing on a planned competitive request for proposals to select a private operator for transit services. The RFP will seek a single contractor to provide fixed‑route service, paratransit, and Bus Rapid Transit operations with an option to bring vehicle maintenance in-house, though proposers may subcontract elements of the work. Staff said the intention is to post the RFP later in the year, evaluate proposals next year, and return to council with a recommended contract award in 2026; the proposed new contract term would be five years with options to extend up to 10 years.

Staff described the transit fleet and capital status: four large electric buses are already in service from earlier grants and 12 new electric buses for the BRT have been procured; one of the new BRT‑spec buses had been delivered and was in vehicle acceptance testing. Staff briefed council on the need for additional paratransit vehicles and described current funding constraints for additional vehicle purchases.

Performance metrics that will be included in the RFP were summarized by staff: trip completion rate, on‑time performance, service disruption reporting, customer complaint response and paratransit efficiency ratios among others. Councilmembers asked about disaggregating on‑time performance and reliability for high‑priority commute corridors and ensuring the contractor can meet strict standards for BRT service reliability. Staff said those requirements would be reflected in the RFP and that the city would evaluate proposers’ staffing plans and contingencies.

Councilmember Palmer asked whether BRT should be bid separately; staff said the technical rationale for a single procurement includes shared technology (CAD/AVL, automated passenger counters and other systems) and operational integration, though proposers could present subcontracting approaches. Councilmembers asked staff to return with refined procurement language and acknowledged the council would see the recommended contract award before any contract is signed.

The council approved the 2025 Program of Projects resolution by motion of Councilmember Dohring and second by Councilmember Miller; the clerk recorded the final tally as summarized by staff.