Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors Meeting - August 28, 2023
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Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors Meeting - August 28, 2023
The Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) Board of Directors held a hybrid meeting on August 28, 2023, chaired by Vice Chair Rick Jennings. The board approved the consent calendar, received presentations on key performance indicators and the mystery rider program, heard the General Manager's report, and took public comments. The meeting adjourned at 6:27 PM.
Consent Calendar
- The board approved items 2.1 to 2.13, with items 2.7 and 2.9 pulled by staff for a future agenda. The vote was unanimous.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jeffrey spoke on non-agenda matters: he raised concerns about new bus accessibility issues (wheelchair securement requiring a left-seat-first change), persistent problems with the Watt I-80 light rail elevator, and requested posting of signage and shuttle service during elevator outages. He also mentioned maintenance contract history.
- Rick spoke on consent calendar items, expressing support for bike rack improvements, fare verification on light rail, and the SB1 gas tax. He advocated for fare enforcement and surveillance at light rail stations.
Discussion Items
Strategic Plan Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – Shelley Valentin
- Deputy General Manager Shelley Valentin presented results for FY23. Overall performance score: 96.35 out of 100 (up from 92.3 last year). Key metrics:
- Ridership: 14.3 million unlinked trips, a 29% increase over FY22. Bus ridership at 85% of pre-pandemic levels; light rail at 67% in July 2023. Student ridership via Ride Free RT program grew 200% over pre-pandemic.
- Customer service: 286,000 calls received, 87% answered within 20 seconds in Q4.
- Safety: crime rate at 0.0007% for serious crimes; fare evasion reduced 22% from prior year.
- On-time performance for bus: reported as 8.5% (though the five-year average was stated as 96.67%, suggesting a possible transcription error).
- Recruitment: average 42 days to fill positions, 259 new hires in FY23; maintained nearly 100% service levels.
- The strategic plan is guided by four pillars: operational excellence, customer satisfaction, community value, and employee engagement.
Mystery Rider Program – Lisa (Chief of Safety)
- Lisa announced the restart of the Mystery Rider Program after a pandemic pause. A new three-year contract will begin in the next few months. Riders (25–50 rides/month, ~30 minutes each) will evaluate 21 factors including operator courtesy, equipment safety, ADA compliance (e.g., wheelchair securement), and schedule adherence. The program will eventually expand to paratransit and microtransit.
Responses to Public Comments
- Watt I-80 Elevator and Station: Starting Tuesday, light duty employees will monitor the elevator; signs have been ordered; security fare blitzes will be conducted at the station. SacRT reaffirmed that all light rail stations are paid-fare zones.
- Bus Seat Design: The new 2200-series buses have a redesigned seating layout for enhanced safety; SacRT will not change the design despite previous public feedback.
- Connect Card on Light Rail: Work is in progress to allow fare loading on trains.
Board Questions and Discussion
- Director Cerna inquired about mystery rider coverage for visually impaired riders. Staff responded that they are working with procurement and the accessible services director to include such testing, and may subcontract with an individual with that disability.
- Director inquired about light rail ridership recovery (56% of pre-pandemic) and implications for new vehicle orders. Henry Li responded that 65–66 new low-floor vehicles are planned; ridership projections show a 2% monthly increase, with a return to pre-pandemic levels expected by summer 2025. The board emphasized the need to remain nimble given uncertainties in return-to-office trends.
- Director noted the importance of regular reporting on ridership growth trends.
General Manager's Report – Henry Li
- Congressman Ami Bera visited the system, toured Del Paso and Royal Oaks stations, and viewed transit-oriented development (TOD) projects.
- Since 2020, over 11,000 housing units have been built within half-mile of SacRT's 53 light rail stations; 86,000 jobs are planned along the corridor.
- A groundbreaking occurred at a 140-unit affordable housing complex across from Broadway Station.
- A new route, 137 Elk Grove-UC Davis Medical Center Express Bus, launches September 5.
- Ride Free RT program now accounts for nearly 25% of all bus and light rail trips; outreach to schools is being accelerated.
- A system-wide free ride day will be held September 7 for International Day of Clean Air.
- Mayor Steinberg's State of the City address proposed a potential 2024 countywide sales tax measure for housing (1/3), public transit (1/3), and roads (1/3).
- Public commenters (Jeffrey and Rick) reiterated support for TOD, requested checklists for development, and suggested using bus-mounted cameras to monitor shelter cleanliness.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent calendar (unanimous).
- Staff will proceed with the Mystery Rider Program contract and implementation.
- Watt I-80 elevator will be staffed by light duty employees; additional signage and fare enforcement blitzes are scheduled.
- No formal votes on other items; the board received information and provided direction.
Meeting Transcript
So it means it's time to officially start the meeting. My name is Rick Jennings. I'm your vice chair today, and I'll be chairing the meeting today. And I want to welcome you all to the August 28th meeting. Okay, I'm gonna put it over there. Thank you. So the meeting of August 28th. Sacramento Region Regional Transit Board of Directors. This is a hybrid meeting, meaning that the members of the public can participate in the meeting either in person or virtually. This meeting is being live streamed, and the slide on the screen shows the information on how you can join the uh the webinar and uh zoom in if you'd like to. You can also call the meeting at 253 215 8782 and the webinar access code is 837 938162. Okay. So with that, I think we will do the pledge of allegiance, and I'm gonna call on my colleague Michael to give us the pledge of allegiance. Would you please stand and salute? Okay, under the vote with liberty and justice call. Okay, we will now move to our roll call. I'd like to have Tabitha do the roll call for the please. Thank you, Director Budge. Director Daniels? Here Director Hume? Here, Director Kozlovski? Here, Director Lilowe. Director Maple? Here. Director Sermon? Here. Director Sing Allen? Here. Director of Alan Zweyland? Here. Chair Kennedy is absent. And Vice Chair Jenny. Here. With that, we have a quorum at 10 votes, and this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on Comcast, consolidated communications and ATTU versed cable systems. This meeting is closed caption and webcast at Metro14 Live.sackCounty.gov. Today's meeting replays Wednesday, August 30th at 2 p.m. and Friday, September 1st at 2 p.m. on channel 14. This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com forward slash metro cable 14. Members of the audience wishing to address the board should fill out a speaker card located at the rear of the room and provide it to myself or Adam. Once the item has been called, additional speaker cards will not be accepted. Individuals will have three minutes to address the board. The timer will chime when you have 30 seconds remaining, and then again when your time is up. Public comment will be taken first from those in the boardroom and then from those joining us by phone or Zoom. If you're participating by foon by phone, please push star nine to indicate a desire to comment. And if you're joining us through Zoom, please push the raise hand button. Be sure to unmute yourself when it is your turn to speak and voluntarily state your name for the record. Okay. Any other business we need to take before we start the agenda. Nope that do you want me to go ahead and call the consent calendar?
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