TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Network Redesign Timeline Update
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving a report on the District's plans and timeline for redesigning the service network.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
Since the onset of the pandemic and ensuing shelter-in-place order in March 2020, a multi-disciplinary team has been working on a plan for service recovery. Providing high-quality, reliable bus service with available resources is the District's core responsibility and this staff report outlines the staff's focus on service recovery in lieu of a network redesign in 2022. This approach reinforces the District's commitment to service recovery and leaves large-scale system planning efforts further into the future when there is more certainty about funding, operator availability, rider levels, patterns, preferences and regional mobility needs. A secondary goal of this approach is engendering Strong Public and Policymaker Support.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
This approach will allow the District to save approximately $200,000 currently budgeted for planning consultant support this fiscal year and allow those funds to be used to support other recovery efforts.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a loss of ridership and revenue significant enough for staff to begin the process of redesigning the network to better match available resources and provide as much service as possible for those who need it most. Staff initially reported this plan for a network redesign to the Board in April 2020 with a timeline of implementing a new network by March 2021. The unpredictable trajectory of the pandemic, necessitated a revised timeline in July 2020 anticipating a June 2021 rollout, and a subsequent revision in February 2021 targeting Summer 2022 implementation.
By late 20...
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