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Council approves short‑range transit plan; staff to seek consultant for route redesign and fare subsidies
Summary
Council approved the city’s short‑range transit plan and staff presentation on ridership, fare subsidies and planned consultant procurement to redesign routes and implement service changes, including microtransit and bus stop improvements.
The City Council approved the short‑range transit plan and heard staff describe ridership trends, upcoming procurement for a service planning consultant and options to sustain low‑cost or free fares for seniors and students.
Shubesh Paul, the city’s transit program manager, outlined current services — the Corona Cruiser fixed routes (blue and red lines), a citywide low‑fare program for seniors and persons with disabilities and a paratransit service complying with ADA — and said the city operates 20 vehicles and seven dedicated fixed‑route vehicles. Paul reported that overall ridership has declined about 10% in the most recent fiscal year, largely due to construction and route interruptions; paratransit (dollar‑ride) demand is growing.
Paul said current fare subsidies — funded with Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funds — provide free fares for seniors, students and persons with disabilities through June of next year. Staff plans to solicit a consultant for transit service planning and implementation with an expected award recommendation to council in August; Paul estimated service changes and new route designs would be implemented within roughly 1.5 to 2 years after consultant resources are on board. Planned work includes microtransit pilots, bus stop amenity standards and a capital program for ITS and zero‑emission buses.
Council action: The council approved the transit plan and associated recommended actions by a 5–0 vote. Staff said they will continue marketing efforts to rebuild ridership and will use consultant support to refine service planning and implementation timelines.
Why it matters: The transit plan guides near‑term investments and service redesigns that affect riders, transit staff and capital spending. Staff flagged upcoming state and federal audits and multiple solicitations that could stretch limited staff bandwidth while the plan is implemented.
