Paul Nelson, government affairs officer for the Regional Transportation Commission, briefed Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board members on Dec. 2 about RTC operations, recent gains in ridership and planning work that will affect Ward 3.

Why it matters: RTC’s projects shape local traffic, safety and transit access in Reno neighborhoods. Several initiatives discussed have multi-year timelines and construction impacts.

What RTC reported: Nelson said RTC recorded nearly 6,000,000 trips in the last 12 months and cited sustained ridership growth (transcript referenced 37–39 straight months of increase). He described a mixed fleet that includes about one-third electric buses, hybrid vehicles and recently acquired hydrogen fuel-cell buses, plus a federal grant to replace older vehicles with new hybrid models.

Programs and plans: Nelson outlined programs including RTC Ride, FlexRide microtransit, TaxiBucks for seniors, EdPass for college students and the Youth Ride Free pilot (around 2,300 sign-ups at the time of the meeting). Planning work includes the federal-required regional transportation plan and neighborhood network plans; Ward 3 is scheduled in an upcoming implementation phase. Local projects mentioned included Mill Street reconstruction (utility undergrounding, an added lane), mini-BRT-to-BRT upgrades, the Biggest Little Bike Network corridors (Virginia, Vine, Lake/Evans and 5th Street) and Pembroke Drive capacity and safety work.

Funding and scale: Nelson said funding sources include local fuel taxes, federal funds and regional road impact fees (RIF), and cited recent RTC investments that created roughly 2,700 construction jobs. He noted Sun Valley Boulevard rehabilitation could cost about $85 million, heavily driven by drainage needs.

Board questions: Board members asked about service to the airport, whether youth free rides apply to FlexRide zones (Nelson said Youth Ride Free covers fixed-route service only), options for pamphlets and outreach for senior programs, and whether projects would become truck routes. Nelson said airport service had low ridership previously and that outreach for materials is available through RTC customer service at 1105 Terminal Way and online resources.

Next steps: RTC staff invited follow-up questions and said they would bring additional details in future meetings and provide printed materials on transit programs when available.

Quote: "We should be getting new buses here in about a year," Nelson said of fleet replacements under a low-emissions grant.

Ending: RTC’s plans will continue to move through design and funding phases; some Ward 3 projects are approaching construction in the coming years.