Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Transit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County’s El Paso Transportation Authority outlines expansion plans; Mass Transit Board approves contracts and interlocal agreement
Summary
The El Paso Transportation Authority reported fleet growth, new paratransit service and a pilot for electric buses at a combined Mass Transit Department / City Council session; board approved maintenance and interlocal items and discussed $20 million in federal grants.
The El Paso Transportation Authority (ETA) presented an update Tuesday to the Mass Transit Department Board and the City Council on ongoing expansion of countywide transit services and cooperation with Sun Metro.
Javier Banales, interim director of ETA, described program growth since 2010: the county fleet increased from eight buses to 28 and fixed routes expanded. Banales said ETA has introduced a paratransit program (curb-to-curb service with fares equal to City LIFT), is building more than 30 bus shelters and is piloting electric-bus charging stations at the Rincon transfer center on the city’s West Side. He reported ETA had secured more than $20 million in federal grants for facilities, vehicles and program expansion.
County Commissioner Jackie Butler, chair of ETA’s Local Government Corporation, told the board the LGC’s objective is a connected, efficient regional transit network; officials said the county and Sun Metro are coordinating transfer-center operations, paratransit transfers and fuel/charging interlocal agreements.
At the Mass Transit Department Board meeting the board approved several items: a three‑year contract for overhead contact-system repair and maintenance with Cattery Powerline Solutions LLC for streetcar overhead repairs, and a resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement to allow the South Central Regional Transit District access to certain local transit funds. Those items passed the board by recorded motions.
Public comment at the joint session included criticism of on‑demand paratransit service. A resident said Sun Metro’s paratransit (the LIFT program) sometimes arrives more than an hour late and urged the city and ETA to prioritize reliability before further expansion.
Board and county officials said ETA plans to receive six electric buses for West Side service once charging infrastructure is installed; ETA expects a new transit facility and additional staff as grants are implemented. ETA’s interim director said a permanent executive director will begin in May.
