Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Program Reports topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
COPTA reports rising trips, new vehicle awards and streetcar safety training during monthly program updates
Summary
Mobility management reported nearly 140,000 trips last fiscal year and awards of 13 vehicles under 53.10 funding; safety staff described a multi‑week streetcar suspension for demolition support, cross‑training for supervisors and planned full‑scale exercise in February.
Staff delivered program updates at the Oct. 3 meeting highlighting growth in mobility services and ongoing safety and training work.
Mobility management: Marilyn said the authority nearly reached 140,000 trips last fiscal year and has increased services about 63.5% since pre‑COVID. For the first two months of the current fiscal year senior services alone conducted just over 6,000 trips. Marilyn told trustees the agency received more than 85 applications for nonprofit bus pass awards and that 53.10 funding awards are moving forward: the authority will distribute 13 vehicles to subrecipients, fund two computer‑aided dispatch/scheduling projects and provide three preventative maintenance grants to offset 80% of maintenance costs.
Safety, security and training: Eugene Fritz reported that the streetcar was suspended for several weeks to support demolition activity near the Cox Convention Center site; a bus bridge provides replacement service along the streetcar alignment. Staff are cross‑training supervisors to obtain CDL licenses for streetcar operations and expanding internal third‑party examiner capacity to speed operator testing. Fritz also noted staff participation at an FTA conference on safety data collection, ongoing SOP updates, and a roadway protection plan due in early December. A full‑scale safety exercise is planned for February.
Trustees took questions after each report and voted to receive the program reports.
