Cerritos to stop fixed‑route Cow service and keep Dial‑A‑Ride for seniors after cost review
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Summary
Staff recommended and council approved continuing only the Dial‑A‑Ride demand‑response service for seniors and people with disabilities, citing declining Cow ridership and Prop A/C funding limits; council asked staff to study expanding eligibility and to work with other transit providers and Metro about alternative uses of surplus funds.
The Cerritos City Council voted Jan. 12 to continue a demand‑response Dial‑A‑Ride service for seniors and residents with disabilities and to discontinue the fixed‑route Cerritos On Wheels (Cow) service as the city evaluates long‑term funding and declining ridership.
Advanced planning manager Sabrina Chan told the council that the city receives about $1.9 million annually in restricted Proposition A and C local return funds administered by Metro, and those funds currently support both Cow and Dial‑A‑Ride. Chan said proposals to preserve both services under the scope previously directed would cost an estimated $2.1 million to $3.8 million and therefore would require ongoing general‑fund supplementation.
Staff proposed a narrower approach—Option 3—keeping Dial‑A‑Ride only, which would cost an estimated $1.5 million to $1.9 million and could be covered by Proposition A/C funds without using the general fund. Chan said cost drivers include vehicle acquisition, rising wages and insurance, facility leasing and maintenance.
Council members asked how the change would affect riders and staffing. Chan clarified that the city’s Dial‑A‑Ride serves seniors 55 and older and people with disabilities and that contracting for operations means drivers are employed by the operator, not the city. Council member Pulido confirmed that contracts have been competitively bid in the past and that the current contractor has been operating on a month‑to‑month basis.
After discussion the council voted 5–0 to continue Dial‑A‑Ride service (Option 3). The council asked staff to return with an analysis of whether expanding Dial‑A‑Ride eligibility to residents 50 and older is feasible and what demand that change would create. The council also directed staff to continue working with other regional transit providers and to coordinate with Metro on alternative uses for any surplus Prop A/C funds should such funds be available.
