El Paso Mass Transit Department Board Meeting - September 1, 2026
El Paso Mass Transit Department Board Meeting - September 1, 2026
The El Paso Mass Transit Department Board convened on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 11:35 a.m. in council chambers. Board Chair Johnson presided, with members Chavez Acevedo, Maldonado Rocha, Nino, Fierro, Limon, and Canales present. Board member Boyar Trejo was excused. The board unanimously approved all agenda items, including consent agenda items, a purchase order for ticket vending machine parts, a grant application for paratransit software, and a grant application for fuel compressor station replacement.
Consent Calendar
- The board approved the consent agenda (items 1–4, including the excusal of board member Boyar Trejo) unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Patricia Osman, a member of the public, expressed strong criticism of the Sun Metro transit app, stating that it is "utterly useless" for route planning and that the app is not properly maintained. She also raised safety concerns about bus drivers operating too close to bicyclists, referencing recent bus accidents. Osman compared El Paso's transit system unfavorably to systems in Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, and San Diego, and accused the board of not caring about "the least of us."
Discussion Items
- Item 5 (Purchase Order for Ticket Vending Machine Parts): The board discussed and approved a motion to authorize the director of purchasing and strategic sourcing to issue a purchase order to Genfair LLC for sole-source ticket vending machine parts and fare box parts for a three-year term at an estimated cost of $225,000. No additional discussion.
- Item 6 (Grant Application for Paratransit Software): Deputy Transit Officer Charity Muro presented a request to apply for a Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 grant (Enhanced Mobility for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities) through the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization. The grant would fund paratransit software for the LIFT service, which took over 224,000 trips in 2025. The request is for $212,800 per year (total $425,600 for FY2026-2027), with a local match of $53,200 per year (total $106,400). The board approved the motion unanimously.
- Item 7 (Low or No Emission Grant Program Application): The board discussed and approved a resolution to apply for a FTA Low or No Emission grant program for FY2026 in the amount of $5,555,000, with a local match of $1,388,750. The funds would replace aging fuel compressor stations (installed around 2012-2014) at the transit operations center. Anthony Coser, Director of Public Transportation, emphasized the importance of such grants in reducing local taxpayer burden and noted that the compressors are causing fueling difficulties. The board approved the motion unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent agenda (items 1–4) unanimously.
- Approved item 5 (purchase order for ticket vending machine parts) unanimously.
- Approved item 6 (grant application for paratransit software) unanimously.
- Approved item 7 (grant application for low/no emission grant program) unanimously.
- All votes were taken with a motion and second, and no opposition was recorded.
Meeting Transcript
And the regular city council meeting is in recess at 11 35 a.m. in order to conduct the mass transit department board. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. This is a meeting of the El Paso Mass Transit Department Board for Tuesday, September 1st. It is 11 35 a.m. Present and presiding is Board Chair Johnson, also present in council chambers. Our board members Chavez Acevedo, Maldonado Rocha, Nino, Fierro, Limon, and Canales. Rep uh board member Boyar Trejo has requested to be excused. And we do have one member of the public signed up to speak on public comment, and that's Miss Patricia Osman. And her topic is issues with transit service and the app. Okay. So I'm sure most of you have never written the bus other than for a PR stunt on the trial. I unfortunately had to because I caught a flat on my e but and I realized the app does not work. For the most part, you can pull it up, you can buy a ticket. But if you want to look for a route, utterly useless. So whoever you are paying to create that, or if it's the IT in house IT is not properly maintaining that app. Okay. Um also if we are going to be a bike city, you might want to let your bus drivers know because whilst on the bus on Montana and other streets, some of these bus drivers were less than a card length away from people on bicycles on the road. In the fact that just recently we had two bus accidents, doesn't surprise me at all. The fact that a lot of your bus drivers, one very few are very helpful. Um the information a lot of your I realize that I've honestly haven't taken the bus since I was a teenager. It's almost 40 years, right? At least more than 40 years. And it just surprised me how bad it is because I have I've been on the team in Boston. Taking the tea, taking subway in Washington, in New York, San Diego. I mean, the the transit system in California, great. Up and down the coast on either the tram or by bus. Wonderful. You can use all of their apps. In fact, I still have the Boston app for the Boston T for the Metro, if you don't know what that is. On my phone. And this is the thing is that we spend a lot of money in mass transit. In the very aspect that y'all have gone from, you know, there's hardly any information, it's all electronic at your little station, and you make people rely on this app. That it is incorrect. You cannot get your bus routes right. Is really appalling, but it's another example of how you don't care about the least of us. As long as those people putting donations in your uh discretionary fund in your campaigns, do that so that you can hand out contracts. Thank you, Ms. Osman. I believe that brings us to the consent agenda. All matters listed listed under the consent agenda will be considered by Mass Transit Department Board to be routine and will be enacted by one motion unless separate discussion is requested by board members. Prior to the vote, members of the audience may ask questions regarding items on the consent agenda when the vote has been taken. If an item has not been called out for separate discussion, the item has been approved. The Mass Transit Department Board may, however, reconsider any item at any time during the meeting. And that would be items one and then two to include the excuse of board member Boy Artrejo, items three and four. Okay. Okay, there's motion as there second. Second.
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