NORTHERN NAPA VALLEY TRANSIT STUDY

Transcription

1 NORTHERN NAPA VALLEY TRANSIT STUDY Draft Final Recommendations Report Submitted by: June 5, 2007

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary... i ES-1 Project Objectives and Approach... i ES-2 Current Service Performance... ii Mobility Needs Met Basic Life Line Services... ii Mobility Need Shortfalls... ii Transit Service Performance Issues...iii ES-3 Northern Napa Valley Transit Demand Forecasts and Mobility Needs... iii Demand Forecasts... iv Mobility Needs from Outreach Efforts... iv ES-4 Service Plan Recommendations... v ES-5 Financial Implications... x 1. Introduction Existing Conditions Profile General Overview of Area Population Growth Demographic Profile Existing Transportation Alternatives Napa County Transportation Planning Agency (NCTPA) Services Other Options Northern Napa Valley Transit Study Findings Demand Analysis Performance of Existing Services Mobility Needs Met Basic Life Line Services Mobility Need Shortfalls Transit Service Performance Issues Northern Napa Valley Transit Travel Patterns Outreach Needs Summary Service Alternatives VINE Route 10 Enhancements VINE Route 11 Reductions St. Helena VINE Shuttle Service Changes Calistoga HandyVan Service Changes Enhanced Service Between Calistoga and the St. Helena Hospital...36 ii

3 4.6 VINE Go Service Alternative Mobility Options Funding Source Analysis Current Financing Financial Impact of Operation Concepts Recommendations Proposed Implementation Schedule TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 2-1: Study Area...3 Figure 2-2: Northern Napa Valley Population Projections...4 Figure 2-3: VINE Route 10 Fare Structure...7 Figure 2-4: VINE Discount Passes / Special Passes...7 Figure 2-5: VINE Route 11, St. Helena VINE Shuttle, and Calistoga HandyVan Fare Structure...8 Figure 2-6: VINE Go Fare Structure...8 Figure 3-1: Service Area Population Projections...10 Figure 3-2: Population Change by Age Group...11 Figure 3-3: Rider Profiles...12 Figure 3-4: VINE Route 10 Service Area Population and Ridership Projections ( )...14 Figure 3-5: VINE Go Service Area Population and Ridership Projections ( )...16 Figure 3-6: VINE Route 11, Calistoga HandyVan, and St. Helena Shuttle Service Area Population and Ridership Projections ( )...18 Figure 3-7: VINE Route 10 Performance Summary (FY 2002/03 FY 2005/06)...21 Figure 3-8: VINE Route 11 Performance Summary (FY 2004/05 FY 2005/06)...22 Figure 3-9: St. Helena VINE Shuttle Performance Summary (FY 2002/03 FY 2005/06)...23 Figure 3-10: Calistoga HandyVan Performance Summary (FY 2002/03 FY 2005/06)...24 Figure 3-11: VINE Route 10 Key Destinations...28 Figure 3-12: VINE Go Trip Distribution...29 Figure 3-13: St. Helena VINE Shuttle Weekday Origin/Destination Patterns...30 Figure 3-14: Calistoga HandyVan Weekday Origin/Destination Patterns...31 Figure 5-1: Community Shuttle Budget (FY 2006/2007)...40 Figure 5-2: Potential Annual NCTPA Cost to Fund Northern Napa Valley Service Concepts...43 Figure 7-1: Proposed Northern Napa Valley Transit Plan Implementation...52 iii

4 Executive Summary ES-1 Project Objectives and Approach The purpose of the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study is to assess current and future public transit needs in Northern Napa Valley and to develop sustainable service strategies to meet those needs, especially in the communities located away from the Highway 29 corridor. The Napa County Transportation Planning Agency (NCTPA) has been successful in consolidating the operation and management of transit service in Napa over the past six years. However, the type of transit service provided in Northern Napa Valley remains diverse and reflects local community desires and needs. Transit services include: VINE Route 10 a regional fixed route with hourly headways serving destinations along the Highway 29 corridor and in Vallejo VINE Route 11 a regional fixed route service operating between St. Helena, Calistoga and Santa Rosa (2005 start up) Calistoga HandyVan a general public dial-a-ride service within the City of Calistoga St. Helena VINE Shuttle a fairly new community shuttle service operating within the City of St. Helena and serving the St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park (2002 start up) VINE Go ADA and non-ada paratransit operated throughout Napa County The Northern Napa Valley Transit Study analyzed transit service currently operated in light of established objectives, evaluated latent demand for transportation in the rural areas east of Highway 29, and has proposed solutions to improve transportation alternatives for Northern Napa Valley residents. The study process included the following tasks: 1. Review of Background Documentation Transit service management reports, the current SRTP, the Napa Community-Based Transportation Plan, transit operations agreements, land use plans and population projections. 2. Transit Demand and Community Needs Assessment Develop transit demand forecasts based on population projections and per capita ridership out to Identify met and unmet mobility needs through stakeholder interviews and on-board passenger surveys. 3. Inventory of Transit Providers Develop an inventory of existing transit services available in Northern Napa Valley through the review of existing documentation, site visits and operator interviews and surveys. A 100% weekday VINE Route 10 ridecheck was conducted between March 14 and March 16, Evaluation of Existing Services in Relation to Identified Transit Needs Focused on the evaluation of how well existing services were performing and how well they met the identified mobility needs identified in Tasks 1 though Transportation Plan Development Focused on the development of transportation service strategies to meet the identified mobility needs. 6. Service Recommendations and Funding Source Assessment Development of practical recommendations to meet Northern Napa Valley mobility needs, and the identification of potential funding sources to meet recommended services not covered under current funding. i

5 ES-2 Current Service Performance Over the years, transit services in Northern Napa Valley have evolved to balance community mobility needs with both Napa County public transit funding capacity and the requirement to achieve California mandated farebox recovery ratio minimums. Northern Napa Valley transit services provide a fundamental mix of regional intercity and local life line services, designed primarily for transit-dependent Valley residents. To this end, the existing services meet basic community mobility needs. The minimum systemwide fixed route minimum farebox requirement is 16%. VINE Route 10 must be sufficiently productive to not bring the systemwide VINE farebox recovery below this 16% minimum. The minimum farebox recovery requirement for St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan is 10%. In the case of the two community shuttles, agreements have been established with St. Helena and Calistoga to make up the difference between the actual farebox recovery and the 10% minimum with local contributions. Mobility Needs Met Basic Life Line Services VINE Route 10 is the regional backbone of the VINE fixed route system. It provides a single seat ride between Calistoga and Vallejo. In Northern Napa Valley it serves as a daily life line service connecting Calistoga and St. Helena with Napa and regional destinations and transit connections in Vallejo. Connections with other local VINE routes are also possible in Napa. VINE Route 11 provides a more limited, four day-a-week life line service between Santa Rosa and the Northern Napa Valley communities of St. Helena and Calistoga. Santa Rosa stops include Kaiser Hospital, Coddingtown Mall and Downtown Santa Rosa. Local and regional transit connections are available at both Coddingtown Mall and Downtown Santa Rosa. St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan serve as community shuttles enabling access to local goods, services and activities; providing connections with the two VINE intercity routes; and, in the case of Calistoga HandyVan, connections with Lake Transit s Route 3. St. Helena VINE Shuttle is operated Monday through Friday, while Calistoga HandyVan is operated Monday through Saturday. VINE Go is available in the Northern Napa Valley service area during VINE Route 10 hours of operation. Mobility Need Shortfalls Built Up Areas Outside Core Service Area: Populations along the Silverado Trail or east of the Valley, including PUC, Angwin, and the Lake Berryessa developments are not served by public transit. Travel Needs Outside Core Service Hours: VINE Route 10 does not serve weekday travel needs before 5:45 am and after 8:30 pm, Saturday travel needs before 6:30 am and after 7:30 pm or Sunday travel needs before 10:30 am and after 5:00 pm. VINE Route 11 service is limited to three round trips Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. St. Helena VINE Shuttle does not serve travel needs on Saturday or Sunday, or before 7:40 am and after 5:00 pm on weekdays. Calistoga HandyVan does not serve travel needs on Sunday, before 8:15 am and after 5:00 pm on weekdays, or before 9:00 am and after 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Calistoga HandyVan service is also not provided between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm on weekdays. ii

6 Farm Worker Employment Trips: Trips to and from agricultural work sites are not served. Latino Farm Worker Family Travel: May be limited by cultural isolation and language barriers. Trips to St. Helena Hospital: There is no direct VINE service to St. Helena Hospital. Lake Transit Route 3 operates two round trips between Calistoga and St. Helena Hospital on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This service is not used by Calistoga residents because of the long wait for an afternoon return trip from the hospital. VINE Shuttle service between St. Helena and the St. Helena Hospital is limited to four round trips on weekdays. Transit Service Performance Issues A number of transit service performance issues were identified in the analysis of services. These include both productivity and reliability issues: VINE Route 10 Productivity: VINE Route 10 productivity of 11.6 passengers per hour almost meets the 12 passenger minimum established by NCTPA for VINE Route VINE Route 10 Reliability: Because of VINE Route 10 s long length and the increasing traffic congestion, there is a significant schedule adherence problem. VINE Route 11 Productivity: VINE Route 11 is an unproductive route. It currently carries 1.2 passengers per hour. At this level, farebox recovery is 4.49%, well below the minimum 16% requirement established by MTC for NCTPA s urbanized area services. VINE Route 11 Reliability: There is insufficient data on this relatively new service to conduct a formal assessment of on-time performance. Schedule adjustments were made following implementation to correct any initial issues. St. Helena VINE Shuttle Productivity: This service currently carries approximately 3.36 passengers per revenue hour. Based on revenue data, farebox recovery is below 1% and the fare collected per passenger is approximately $0.11. St. Helena VINE Shuttle Reliability: The service is established as a deviated fixed route service with 10 formal stops and scheduled timepoints. However, the majority of trips appear to be booked as doorto-door, making it difficult to run according to the fixed route schedule. ES-3 Northern Napa Valley Transit Demand Forecasts and Mobility Needs Demand for public transit in Northern Napa Valley is currently limited and will continue to remain limited over short and long term planning horizons because of high automobile ownership and low population growth. 1 NCTPA has established a 12 passengers per hour productivity benchmark for VINE Route 10 due to length of the route and the distances individuals generally travel on the route. iii

7 As is the case throughout North America, automobile ownership in Northern Napa Valley is high. Approximately 93.5% of Northern Napa Valley households own at least one vehicle. While this is slightly lower than the Napa County average of 93.8%, it is higher than the California average of 90.5%. Overall population growth will be slow because of high real estate costs and limitations on urban expansion in the Valley. Northern Napa Valley population is projected to grow from 22,437 in 2005 to 22,831 in 2015 (less than 2%). Of the 2005 population, 25% are aged 19 years and younger and 16% are aged 65 years and older. Both youth and seniors are traditional transit-dependent markets (prelicensed youth for school and recreation trips, and seniors for shopping, medical and recreation trips). Youth and elderly transit market populations are also expected to remain relatively flat over this timeframe. School age youth populations are actually projected to decrease slightly between 2005 and These decreases will be most evident in St. Helena and Calistoga as maturing households are not replaced by young families. School enrollment in both communities will decline. Demand Forecasts Demand forecasts were generated for VINE Routes 10 and 11, VINE Go, St. Helena VINE Shuttle, and Calistoga HandyVan based on population growth, demographic breakdowns and per capita ridership rates. Given the limited population growth in the study area, demand for transit for the period 2005 and 2030 is assumed to be relatively stable, increasing at a fairly slow rate. In some cases, because of a decline in the population age groups using VINE Route 10, VINE Go and the St. Helena VINE Shuttle, demand will actually drop slightly. Findings from the demand analysis include: In the study area portion of VINE Route 10, ridership is expected to decrease by an average of 30 trips annually. VINE Route 11 is expected to increase ridership by approximately 12 passengers per year. VINE Go s Northern Napa County ridership is expected to decrease by approximately two passengers per year. Calistoga HandyVan is expected to increase ridership by almost 75 passenger per year from Ridership on the St. Helena VINE Shuttle will decrease by an estimated annual average of five passengers per year from The estimated changes are too small to have an impact on the planning of service changes. Single vehicle households are a potential market for public transit. This is especially true if the household s single vehicle is being used by one member for the work commute trip. Other household members may generate a need for public transit to support work or non-work related trips when the household s vehicle is already in use. Approximately 37% of Northern Napa Valley households own one vehicle. As vehicle operating costs increase, more households could reduce vehicle ownership to a single household vehicle. Mobility Needs from Outreach Efforts Met and unmet mobility needs were identified through the following methods: 15 individual stakeholder interviews were conducted; a small group stakeholder meeting was held at Pacific Union College; and onboard passenger surveys were conducted on VINE Route 10, St. Helena VINE Shuttle, and Calistoga HandyVan. Additional information was gathered from operator and dispatcher interviews, the VINE Route 10 operator survey and from informal discussions with passengers on ride-alongs. The following mobility needs were identified: Role of Transit: The role of transit for Northern Napa Valley was identified as providing affordable and user-friendly transportation for all county residents. A more specific identified role was to provide people who do not have transportation with a way of getting around. A potential congestion management role was also identified. iv

8 Key Transit Markets: Seniors, youth including students, low-income households and farm workers and their families. Key Regional Destinations for Northern Napa Valley: Throughout the service area, regional centers including Napa, Vallejo, and Santa Rosa were identified for medical, shopping and work trips. Local St. Helena Destinations: St. Helena Hospital, VINE Route 10 connections at City Hall, Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, St. Helena High School, Safeway and neighboring stores and services, Bank of America, West American Clinic, Citibank, the Library, and Napa Valley College (Upper Valley Campus). Local Calistoga Destinations: CalMart, doctor s office on Washington, Post Office, Rancho de Calistoga and Chateau Calistoga, and St. Helena Hospital. Pacific Union College Destinations: Access to St. Helena on Friday evenings for social trips and Napa on Saturdays for shopping. Access to Oakland and Sacramento Airports for trips home. Barriers to Transit Use: The most common factors discouraging or limiting VINE Route 10 use included: infrequent service (60 minute frequency too low), poor on-time performance (reliability), service hour span (limits early work or Napa Valley Collage class commuting), and cultural insulation (Latino isolation and language barriers). Infrequent service on VINE Route 11 and on St. Helena VINE Shuttle s service to the St. Helena Hospital was also identified as barriers to more frequent transit use. The fact that there is no transit service to communities east of the Highway 29 corridor was also identified as an issue. Suggested Improvements: The range of suggested improvements included: improved access to schedules and public transit information; more frequent fixed route service; start and end service earlier in the morning and later in the evening; express services and park and ride lots; and limited fixed route service to Angwin and PUC. Transit Demand Trends: Stakeholders felt that demand for transit will increase as population grows and ages (especially for those on low or limited fixed incomes), and as vehicle operating costs continue to increase. ES-4 Service Plan Recommendations The provision of publicly subsidized transit services in Northern Napa Valley is challenging because of low ridership. Infrequent service and limited service coverage are not the key factors affecting ridership levels for transit in Northern Napa Valley. Simply put, the density of demand is not there to support or justify increased capacity, expanded service area coverage, or an expanded service hours coverage span. Future demand projections do not suggest sufficient increases in ridership to support service expansion. Current service levels are appropriate to the size of the population and nature of the transit markets. Service is also appropriately focused along the Highway 29 corridor and in the communities of St. Helena and Calistoga where the Northern Napa Valley population is concentrated. With limited demand for transit in Northern Napa Valley, service should continue to be limited to the Highway 29 corridor and within the communities of St. Helena and Calistoga. Public transit cannot efficiently or effectively serve populations along the Silverado Trail or east of the Valley, including PUC, Angwin, and the new Lake Berryessa development. Other, more efficient mobility options are recommended for these populations. With low and limited potential ridership, it is not practical to continue v

9 operating VINE Route 11. Again, a more cost-effective, community-based option is recommended for transit-dependent residents of St. Helena and Calistoga to access medical facilities in Santa Rosa. Transit operating costs will continue to increase at a rate higher than the Consumer Price Index. Increases in service productivity will be critical to keep total operating costs in check while serving new demand in the entire County. Demand for VINE Route 10, VINE Go, and other potential community shuttles will grow at a faster rate in the rest of Napa County compared to Northern Napa Valley. Demand for local VINE services in the City of Napa will grow at a faster rate than demand for public transit in Northern Napa Valley. The following recommendations outline a strategy that does not require additional funding for public transit service expansion, and mobility alternatives that could be implemented at the community or institution level with potentially minimal NCTPA contribution from traditional transit funding sources. The following recommendations reflect an assessment of the mobility needs in Chapter 3 and the consideration of the service concepts in Chapter 4. The overall service strategy developed for Northern Napa Valley: Recognizes the limited demand for traditional public transit services in Northern Napa Valley. Reduces public transit hours in the area to free up transit funding for other areas of the County where demand increases warrant service expansion or enhancements. Recommends transit service enhancements that do not require additional revenue hours. Recommends mobility alternatives that could be implemented at the community or institution level with potentially minimal NCTPA contribution from traditional transit funding sources. Recommendation 1: NCTPA consider splitting VINE Route 10 into two shorter routes as a longer term strategy to improve on-time performance. NCTPA is addressing the on-time performance issue through scheduling changes that include additional revenue hours and an additional bus. This will improve recovery time and schedule adherence. As congestion along the Hwy 29 corridor and south of Napa continues to increase through time, more hours and buses will be required to address this program in the future. Splitting the route into two separate segments may minimize the additional hours and buses required to keep VINE Route 10 on-time. Split VINE Route 10 into two separate routes at the Pearl Street Transit Center, with one route serving the segment between Calistoga and Downtown Napa and the other route serving the segment between Downtown Napa and Vallejo. Southbound buses would short turn at the Pearl Street Transit Center. This would effectively shorten the Northern Napa Valley portion of this route and facilitate improved on-time performance. By shortening the route, there would be less potential to run behind schedule. vi

10 Recommendation 2a: NCTPA reduce VINE Route 11 service from four to one day a week because of low current and projected future ridership. VINE Route 11 began operation in April Productivity has remained below 1.30 passengers per revenue hour, and farebox recovery has remained below 5.00%. The service currently costs approximately $63.55 per passenger trip. This is significantly higher than the VINE Route 10 cost per passenger trip of $5.62. Future population projections suggest an almost flat demand trend with insignificant growth to increase productivity. The VINE Route 11 cost per passenger will continue to increase as operating costs increase annually. The reduction to one day a week would reduce the annual VINE Route 11 revenue hours from approximately 2,097 2 to 524 and an annual cost savings of approximately $120,850. Current regular life line ridership would be concentrated to a single day of service. Assuming that 60% of the approximate 2,600 annual passenger trips are regular and would still be carried on a reduced service for medical appointments and occasional shopping trips, hourly productivity would be increased to 3.00 passengers per revenue hour and farebox recovery would increase to 11%. The operating cost per passenger would decrease from $63.55 to $ Westbound Scheduling Adjustments Eliminate the timepoints at Kaiser and Coddingtown Malls (but not the stops). Passengers are getting off at these stops and not boarding on the westbound trip. By eliminating the timepoints the operator could proceed without waiting for the scheduled departure time, getting the downtown destined passengers to their stops earlier. This would also allow additional recovery time for lunch and a comfort break at the Federal Building terminus, assuring an eastbound on-time departure. Eastbound Scheduling Adjustments Only do the eastbound loop through Calistoga serving Chateau Calistoga Mobile Home development if there is a passenger that needs to be dropped off. With VINE Route 10 and HandyVan service there is no one to pick up for local Calistoga service or service to St. Helena. This would reduce travel time into St. Helena for passengers going south and would likely improve the connections with the VINE Route 10 (at City Hall), eliminating the need to hold back the VINE Route 10 for the VINE Route 11. Recommendation 2b: If VINE Route 11 productivity does not increase sufficiently to achieve a minimum 10% farebox recovery ratio within a year of reducing the service to one day a week, NCTPA should discontinue the service completely. The full discontinuation of VINE Route 11 service would result in an annual reduction of approximately 2,097 revenue hours and an annual cost savings of approximately $161, Passengers currently using the service for shopping trips could still access a wide range of retail outlets in the City of Napa via VINE Route 10. VINE Route 10 will be more reliable once schedule adherence 2 FY 2005/06. 3 FY 2005/06 costs. vii

11 issues are addressed. Focusing shopping trips on the City of Napa also keeps retail sales tax revenues within Napa County. Service should be replaced by a community-based NEMT volunteer driver reimbursement program (see Recommendation 8). Recommendation 3: NCTPA restructure St. Helena VINE Shuttle from a deviated fixed route to a pulsed dial-a-ride service. Recommendation eliminates the majority of fixed bus stops. Currently, the majority of trips are demand-response, making it difficult to maintain the fixed route schedule. Some bus stops are missed on certain trips, which makes the fixed route portion of the service unreliable. The restructured service would operate on a 60-minute pulse from City Hall based on the VINE Route 10 schedule. City Hall or the bus stop across the street would serve as a timepoint for walk-on passengers. In the morning, service would be pulsed to meet the southbound VINE Route 10; in the afternoon, it would be pulsed to meet the northbound VINE Route 10. This will formalize the service as a VINE Route 10 feeder. There would be a requirement to book the service by telephone. To minimize telephone bookings, passengers could board the bus at City Hall without reserving by telephone. Passengers could also arrange return dial-a-ride trips directly with the driver, who could give an estimated pick-up time. The four daily St. Helena Hospital trips would be operated on a scheduled basis as they are now. Hospital trips would only be made if a passenger makes a request for a trip to or from the St. Helena Hospital. Recommendation 4: NCTPA restructure Calistoga HandyVan service from full dial-a-ride to a pulsed zonal service. Service would be pulsed every 30 minutes from CalMart, providing a southbound sweep each hour serving Chateau Calistoga and a northbound sweep each hour serving Rancho de Calistoga. The CalMart stop will serve as a scheduled timepoint. In the current travel pattern, most trips originate or end at these locations. On weekdays, establish a single trip to St. Helena Hospital in the late morning to complement Lake Transit Route 3 service, reducing passenger wait times for return trips from appointments. Recommendation 5: NCTPA coordinate with Lake Transit to effectively market Lake Transit s Route 3 to better serve Calistoga residents with St. Helena Hospital service. Lake Transit s Route 3 currently serves Calistoga and St. Helena Hospital with two round trips on weekdays (three round trips on Tuesdays). Calistoga residents have been reluctant to use Route 3 service to the hospital because of generally long wait times between the 9:00 am hospital-bound trip and the second return trip at 2:35 pm. The proposed Calistoga HandyVan late morning trip should correct this problem. viii

12 Recommendation 6: NCTPA establish Volunteer Transit Ambassador Program for Northern Napa Valley Latino transit riders. The program would be aimed at potential Latino transit riders who may be reluctant to try VINE Route 10, the St. Helena VINE Shuttle or the Calistoga HandyVan because of cultural or language barriers. While transit is not effective for farm worker job-related trips, transit is an important mobility option for farm worker families for school, shopping, medical and personal business travel. In some cases, illiteracy may be the barrier and the provision of transit information in Spanish may not be enough. A transit ambassador program would train volunteers to effectively use transit so that they in turn could accompany new riders on one or more initial transit trips to acquaint the new riders with how to effectively use the services. Recommendation 7: NCTPA maintain current VINE Go operational strategy in Northern Napa Valley. VINE Go service effectively accommodates Northern Napa Valley demand by structuring morning and afternoon runs around medical appointment and development program times. This efficient approach should be continued. During regular service hours, St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan will accommodate local ADA eligible trips within St. Helena and Calistoga. VINE Go will accommodate local Northern Napa Valley travel by ADA eligible residents during VINE Route 10 service hours that are outside the local community shuttle hours. To avoid VINE Go deadheading on long longer haul trips, ADA eligible Northern Napa Valley residents can be transferred from local community shuttles or locally operating VINE Go services to VINE Route 10 service for travel outside the Northern Napa Valley service area. This assumes that the ADA registrants are able to transfer to fixed route service and that the VINE Go vehicle dispatched to serve the initial trip is still required for other trip requests within the North Napa Valley service area. Recommendation 8: If VINE Route 11 is discontinued (Recommendation 2b), a community-based organization could establish a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) volunteer driver program to transport St. Helena and Calistoga residents to Santa Rosa medical facilities. A NEMT volunteer driver reimbursement program would be intended to transport eligible St. Helena and Calistoga residents to medical appointments and treatment in Santa Rosa in the event that VINE Route 11 service is discontinued. Currently the Kaiser Hospital and neighboring Kaiser medical facility are key VINE Route 11 destinations. A volunteer driver program could be organized through a local community host such as the St. Helena Senior Center Board, Calistoga Senior Association, or Calistoga Recreation and Community Services. The host organization would serve as the central trip coordinator and assume administrative responsibilities for the program. A small budget would be required for driver mileage reimbursements and administrative ix

13 overhead to cover ride coordination, insurance, record keeping and the processing of reimbursement checks. If successful, the program could be expanded to include both other areas of Northern Napa Valley not served by transit and NEMT trips beyond Napa County. Recommendation 9: NCTPA work with Napa County Vintner s Association or the Napa County Farm Bureau to determine interest and need to develop a farm workers vanpool program. Conduct initial meetings to determine need and interest in organizing vanpools. If there is an expression of industry interest, provide staff or consulting resources to develop a small scale application on a demonstration project basis. It is assumed that the industry would take the lead coordination and administration role for a farm worker vanpool program. Recommendation 10: NCTPA work with PUC to establish a ride share mobility club to meet PUC student travel needs to and from the Angwin campus. A mobility club is essentially a registry of volunteer drivers and persons who need to travel. A mobility club is a low cost grassroots mobility solution that could effectively travel needs to St. Helena on Friday evenings for social trips and Napa on Saturdays for shopping. A mobility club registry could be established through the PUC website. Students willing to participate would register online as potential volunteer drivers and post any upcoming travel plans. Students wishing a ride would post a request online or select a driver with travel plans that match their requirements. There would be no requirement for NCTPA funding assistance. The program would operate on a user pay basis. ES-5 Financial Implications Split VINE Route 10 and Discontinue VINE Route 11 Recently all fixed routes schedules were evaluated and adjusted to improve on-time performance. Additional running time was added to the VINE Route 10 schedule to improve on-time performance while retaining the same service spans and frequencies. This required some route streamlining in Vallejo, 2,500 additional revenue hours a year, and the elimination of VINE Route 7. The VINE Route 10 schedule improvements will be seen in the fall and represent an increase in the number of revenue hours as well as an increase in reliability. The additional cost of the route rescheduling will be further offset with the discontinuation of VINE Route 11. Maintaining the quality and service level of the VINE Route 10 trunk route from Calistoga to Vallejo is key, and will require increases in the budget over time as operating costs rise and traffic conditions worsen. The full discontinuation of VINE Route 11 will result in a savings approximately 2,097 revenue hours and an annual cost savings of approximately $161, FY 2005/06 costs. x

14 Restructure St. Helena VINE and Calistoga HandyVan Restructuring the community service from dial-a-ride to pulsed zone in Calistoga, and deviated fixed route to pulsed dial-a-ride in St. Helena will improve operating efficiency and be more attractive to riders, thus increasing fare revenues. This may only serve to offset normal increases in the cost of service; however, it may also lessen the obligation of the Cities. Lake Transit Coordination and Volunteer Transit Ambassador Program Neither of these service recommendations has operating costs associated with them; however, NCTPA staff will need to be dedicated to two tasks: coordinating with Lake Transit to effectively market their Route 3, and maintaining a Latino ambassador program. The administration budget would need to allow for staff time, minor expenses for training and small perks for the volunteers. The Ambassador Program s expenses would not be expected to exceed $2,000 a year. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) to Santa Rosa Assuming that a local community organization takes on the role of host and that volunteer drivers can be found, the only cost for this program will be for volunteer vehicle mileage reimbursement. Volunteers would be reimbursed by the mile, and funding for this account would be in part from the fare or passenger contribution. The remainder could be supported using TDA funds or City general funds. An annual budget would have to be established based on funding capacity. An annual trip ceiling would be based on funding capacity. Farm Worker Vanpool If a farm worker vanpool program is solely an employer initiative, there would be no operating or capital cost requirements for NCTPA. However, if NCTPA participated in a project with one or several employers, NCTPA could procure the van(s) and lease them to the program sponsors for a nominal fee. Costs and charges would be refined after consultation with Solano Napa Commuter information (SNCI). It is anticipated that if NCTPA purchased several vans and provided administrative support 5, a one time cost of $150,000 would be necessary. Pacific Union College Mobility Club The College mobility club is envisioned as a ride match service provided via the internet by the College administration at no cost to the NCTPA. Some up-front administration effort would be necessary to get the website up and running, but after that students match up with each other. A formal mileage reimbursement method could be developed, or this aspect could be left between the students as informal. If, after implementation of the ride match service, there appear to be a shortage of drivers and a surplus of rides needed, a carshare program might be developed. A pool of cars would be available for drivers who are members of the carshare program and those reserving the car would pay a cost per mile for its use. Cost components of this more expensive version would include the purchase of some cars and the ongoing administration of membership fees, use fees (per mile charge) and reservations. The program as envisioned would be a user pay system. If vehicles are provided, then sources of funding might include the College, the Church, and the Angwin Community Council. 5 Administrative support may be required from NCTPA to help coordinate the preparation of grant applications for the procurement of the initial vans and eventual replacement vans. xi

15 1. Introduction The purpose of the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study is to assess current and future public transit needs in Northern Napa Valley and to develop sustainable service strategies to meet those needs, especially in the communities located away from the Highway 29 corridor. The Northern Napa Valley study area included Napa County north of and including Oakville. The Northern Napa Valley Transit Study analyzed transit service currently operated in light of established objectives, evaluated latent demand for transportation in the rural areas east of Highway 29, and has proposed solutions to improve transportation alternatives for Northern Napa Valley residents. The study process included the following tasks: 1. Review of Background Documentation Transit service management reports, current SRTP, Napa Community-Based Transportation Plan, transit operations agreements, land use plans and population projections. 2. Transit Demand and Community Needs Assessment Develop transit demand forecasts based on population projections and per capita ridership out to Identify met and unmet mobility needs through stakeholder interviews and on-board passenger surveys. 3. Inventory of Transit Providers Develop an inventory of existing transit services available in the Northern Napa Valley through the review of existing documentation, site visits and operator interviews and surveys. 4. Evaluation of Existing Services in Relation to Identified Transit Needs Focused on the evaluation of how well existing services were performing and how well they met the identified mobility needs identified in Tasks 1 though Transportation Plan Development Focused on the development of transportation service strategies to meet the identified mobility needs. 6. Service Recommendations and Funding Source Assessment Development of recommendations to meet Northern Napa Valley mobility needs, and the identification of potential funding sources to meet recommended services not covered under current funding. Three background documents were produced for the study. Task 2: Existing Conditions Overview (March 2, 2007) provided a demographic and economic profile of the study area and a summary of the current public transportation services available to the Northern Napa Valley population. Task 3: Demand Projections (April 27, 2007) summarized the methodology for and findings from the estimation of demand for public transportation in Northern Napa Valley. Community Outreach (May 3, 2007) provided a summary of the public outreach process and findings. The following Northern Napa Valley Transit Study Final Recommendations Report is laid out as follows: Chapter 2 A brief overview of the service area and the existing public transportation mix. Chapter 3 A summary of the study findings. Chapter 4 An overview and assessment of possible service alternatives to efficiently and effectively meet the mobility needs identified in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 An analysis of potential funding sources. Chapter 6 A summary of Northern Napa Valley Transit Study recommendations. 1

16 Chapter 7 An Implementation Timeline. 2

17 2. Existing Conditions Profile 2.1 General Overview of Area Figure 2-1 provides a map of the Northern Napa Valley study area. Northern Napa Valley is geographically similar to the rest of the County, but differs in terms of population and development. The Napa Valley and Highway 29 provide a spine for circulation and settlement in an otherwise rugged area of the region. The study area in the Northern Napa Valley is defined as the area of Napa County north of Oakville Cross Road, which lies just two miles south of the intersection of Highway 128 and Highway 29. The majority of the County s settlement has occurred in the southern portion in the cities of Napa and American Canyon, which combined make up 68% of the County s total population. Only two incorporated cities, Calistoga and St. Helena, are located in this northern portion of the County. These two cities combine to make up only 9% of the County s total population. Figure 2-1: Study Area 3

18 Aside from the incorporated cities of Calistoga and St. Helena, this portion of the County also contains the communities of Oakville, Rutherford, Deer Park, Angwin, Pope Valley and Lake Berryessa. Oakville and Rutherford are small communities along Highway 29 in the southern portion of the study area. Deer Park is located three miles east of St. Helena and contains one of the two hospitals within Napa County. Angwin is a small community eight miles east of St. Helena that is home to Pacific Union College, the County s only four-year college. Three miles to the east of Angwin lies Pope Valley, a primarily rural but affordable community. The final areas of development are located around the manmade Lake Berryessa, approximately 20 miles to the east of St. Helena. This area contains a mixture of permanent houses and seasonal units. 2.2 Population Growth Figure 2-2 provides five year population projections for Napa County, Northern Napa Valley, St. Helena and Calistoga from 2005 to a 2030 horizon. While Napa County s population is projected to increase by approximately 8% between 2005 and 2015, Northern Napa Valley s population will almost remain flat, increasing by less than 2%. Over this period, St. Helena s and Calistoga s populations will only increase by 200 persons (100 persons per city). Figure 2-2: Northern Napa Valley Population Projections Population 1990* 2000* 2005** 2010** 2015** 2020** % Change Calistoga 4,468 5,190 5,200 5,200 5,300 5, % St. Helena 4,990 5,950 6,100 6,100 6,200 6, % Northern Napa Valley 12,218 14,725 14,986 14,989 15,220 15, % Napa (County) 110, , , , , , % California (State) 29,760,021 33,871,648 NA 39,246,767*** NA 43,851,741*** 29.5% * Source: 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census ** Source: 2005 ABAG Projections *** Source: State of California Department of Finance 2.3 Demographic Profile Key transit markets in service areas similar to Northern Napa Valley are generally transit-dependent segments of the population including seniors, youth, members of low-income and households that do not have access to a private vehicle. While greater demographic detail is provided in Task 2: Existing Conditions Overview (March 2, 2007), the following provides a summary of key demographic indicators relative to transit planning: Senior population Approximately 18% of the Northern Napa Valley population is aged 65 years or older, compared to 15% and 11% of Napa County s and California s populations, respectively. 4

19 Youth Approximately 25% of the Northern Napa Valley population is aged 19 years or younger, compared to 27% and 30% of Napa County s and California s populations, respectively. Household income Approximately 7% of Northern Napa Valley household incomes are below the Poverty Line, compared to 8% and 14% of Napa County and California households, respectively. Vehicle ownership Approximately 93.5% of Northern Napa Valley households own at least one vehicle compared with 93.8% and 90.5% of Napa County and California households, respectively. 2.4 Existing Transportation Alternatives Napa County Transportation Planning Agency (NCTPA) Services Detailed profiles of the NCTPA services are provided in Task 2: Existing Conditions Overview (March 2, 2007). NCTPA has been successful in consolidating the operation and management of transit service in Napa over the past six years. However, the type of transit service provided in Napa County remains diverse and reflects local community desires and needs. The transit mix is made up of local and regional fixed route service, community shuttles operated using deviated fixed route and door-to-door type scheduling, and ADA and non-ada paratransit service. Transit service operated in Northern Napa Valley exemplifies this diversity and includes: VINE Route 10 is the backbone of NCTPA s fixed route system. It services the majority of the north-south Napa Valley corridor. VINE Route 10 connects the Napa County communities of Calistoga, St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, Yountville, Napa, and American Canyon with Vallejo. VINE Route 10 connects with Lake Transit Route 3, VINE Route 11 and Calistoga HandyVan in Calistoga; VINE Route 11 and St. Helena VINE Shuttle in St. Helena; Yountville Shuttle in Yountville; VINE Routes 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, and 7 as well as the Napa Downtown Trolley at the Pearl Street Transit Center (providing transit service throughout the City of Napa); American Canyon Transit at various shared bus stops in American Canyon; and local and regional Vallejo Transit services at the Vallejo Downtown Transit Center and the Vallejo Ferry Terminal. VINE Route 10 operates in the Northern Napa Valley on weekdays from 6:28 am to 8:57 pm southbound, and from 5:57 am to 8:25 pm northbound. On Saturdays, VINE Route 10 operates in the Northern Napa Valley from 7:20 am to 8:17 pm southbound, and from 6:33 am to 7:54 pm northbound. On Sundays, VINE Route 10 operates four southbound trips in the Northern Napa Valley southbound at 10:05 am, 12:40 pm, 3:20 pm and 5:40 pm, and four northbound trips at 9:49 am, 11:31 am, 2:47 pm and 4:33 pm. VINE Route 11 provides a more limited, four days-a-week life line service between Santa Rosa and the Northern Napa Valley communities of St. Helena and Calistoga. Santa Rosa stops include Kaiser Hospital, Coddingtown Mall and Downtown Santa Rosa. Local and regional transit connections are available at both Coddingtown Mall and Downtown Santa Rosa. VINE Route 11 operates on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Westbound trips depart St. Helena City Hall at 8:50 am, 12:45 pm and 4:15 pm. Return trips depart Downtown Santa Rosa at 10:35 am, 2:30 pm and 5:55 pm. 5

20 VINE Route 11 connects with VINE Route 10 and the St. Helena VINE Shuttle in St. Helena, and with VINE Route 10, the Calistoga HandyVan, and Lake Transit Route 3 in Calistoga. VINE Go services the paratransit needs of Napa County. VINE Go is a door-to-door ADA and senior service, serving Napa Valley from Calistoga to American Canyon and into portions of the City of Vallejo along the VINE Route 10 service. VINE Go does not serve Angwin, Pope Valley or Lake Berryessa and other smaller communities of Napa County. In the City of Vallejo, VINE Go provides service with ¾ mile on either side of the VINE Route 10 service. Eligibility for the service is determined on a case by case basis to those who are determined incapable of using regular bus and rail transit. Those over the age of 65 automatically qualify for the service. VINE Go operates in the Northern Napa Valley when VINE Route 10 is operated. Transfers with other NCTPA services are possible through the NCTPA service area. St. Helena VINE Shuttle offers general public local fixed route and route deviated service in St. Helena with three daily trips to the St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park. St. Helena VINE Shuttle operates on 60-minute headways Monday through Friday between 7:40 am and 4:40 pm. The service connects with VINE Routes 10 and 11 northbound in front of St. Helena City Hall and southbound across the street from City Hall. Calistoga HandyVan is a general public, on-demand dial-a-ride operating within the city limits of Calistoga. Service is operated Mondays through Fridays from 8:15 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Calistoga HandyVan connects with Vine Routes 10 and 11 and Lake County Transit Route 3 in Calistoga. (NCTPA) Service Fare Structure Figure 2-3 summarizes the VINE Route 10 fare structure. Figure 2-4 details VINE s discount and special passes. Figure 2-5 summarizes the VINE Route 11, St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan fare structures. Figure 2-6 details the VINE Go fare structure. 6

21 Figure 2-3: VINE Route 10 Fare Structure From / To Fare Type Zone 1 - North* Calistoga/ St Helena/ Rutherford/ Oakville Zone 2 - Central** Yountville/ Napa Zone 3 - South *** American Canyon/ Vallejo Zone 1 - North Calistoga/ St Helena/ Rutherford/ Oakville Adult (age 19-64) Youth (age 6-18) Senior 65+/Disabled Medicare Cardholder $1.25 $1.00 $0.60 $0.60 $2.00 $1.50 $1.00 $1.00 $2.75 $2.00 $1.35 $1.35 Zone 2 -Central Yountville/ Napa Adult (age 19-64) Youth (age 6-18) Senior 65+/Disabled Medicare Cardholder $2.00 $1.50 $1.00 $1.00 $1.25 $1.00 $0.60 $0.60 $2.00 $1.50 $1.00 $1.00 Zone 3 - South American Canyon/ Vallejo Adult (age 19-64) Youth (age 6-18) Senior 65+/Disabled Medicare Cardholder $2.75 $2.00 $1.35 $1.35 $2.00 $1.50 $1.00 $1.00 $1.25 $1.00 $0.60 $0.60 Children age 5 and younger (limit 2 per paying adult) are free. Additional children are carried for $1.00 per child. * Zone 1 North ends just North of Yount Mill Road/Central Napa. Anything to the north of Yount Mill Road (with the exception of VINE Route 11) is considered Zone 1 North. ** Zone 2 Central begins at the flag stop at Yount Mill Road and ends just south of Airport Road. *** Zone 3 South begins just south of Airport Road and encompasses the entire service area south of that point. Figure 2-4: VINE Discount Passes / Special Passes Punch Pass Monthly Pass Day Pass Adults (age 19-64) $23 $40 $4 Youth (age 6-18) $18 $30 $3 Seniors (age 65+) $11 $20 $2 Disabled $11 $20 $2 Medicare Card Holder $11 $20 $2 Seniors age 90 with Lifetime Pass FREE *Transfers are issued free at the time of boarding only, and are honored only at valid transfer points to complete a one way trip not served by a single route trip. Transfers are good for date and time punched only. 7

22 Figure 2-5: VINE Route 11, St. Helena VINE Shuttle, and Calistoga HandyVan Fare Structure VINE Route 11 Fixed Route St. Helena VINE Shuttle Door-to- Door Calistoga HandyVan Adult (age 19-64) $4.00 $0.50 $1.00 Students (age 6-18) $3.00 FREE $0.50 Seniors (age 65 +) $2.00 FREE $0.50 Disabled $2.00 FREE $0.50 Medicare Card Holder $2.00 FREE $0.50 $2.50 $1.00 with punch pass Children 5 and under (limit 2/adult) FREE FREE FREE Additional Children $3.00 FREE FREE ADA Complementary Paratransit Service $8.00 Figure 2-6: VINE Go Fare Structure To / From Calistoga St. Helena Deer Park Yountville Napa American Canyon Vallejo Calistoga $2.00 $2.50 $2.50 $3.50 $3.50 $4.50 $4.50 St. Helena $2.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.50 $3.50 $4.50 $4.50 Deer Park $2.50 $2.50 $2.00 $3.50 $3.50 $4.50 $4.50 Yountville $3.50 $3.50 $3.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.50 $3.50 Napa $3.50 $3.50 $3.50 $2.50 $2.00 $3.50 $3.50 American Canyon $4.50 $4.50 $4.50 $3.50 $3.50 $2.00 $2.50 Vallejo $4.50 $4.50 $4.50 $3.50 $3.50 $2.50 $2.00 VINE GoPunch Pass - Cost $17 (The actual value is $20 in travel dollars, sold at a 15% discount) 8

23 2.4.2 Other Options Lake County Route 3 provides service Monday through Friday from Lake County to the community of Calistoga and the St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park. Three round trip, daily services are available that connect to VINE Routes 10 and 11 in Calistoga. Angwin Volunteer Driver Service is provided on an informal basis to Angwin seniors for medical and hair appointments in St. Helena. The program is supported with limited Angwin Community Council funding and there is no formal arrangement for driver reimbursement. Taxi service is currently the only nighttime form of public transportation in the County. The region is serviced by five companies: Black Tie Taxi, Napa Valley Cab, North Bay Taxi, Taxi Cabernet, and Yellow Cab. Taxi Cabernet is based out of St. Helena and primarily serves the upper valley portion of the County. Fares on most taxis are approximately $2 per mile with a $2 flag drop charge. Aside from local taxi service, Evans Transport provides regional taxi service that links the major international airports to the region. Airport shuttles, wine tours and charter services are available on a for-hire basis for trips within Napa County and to destinations beyond the County. Seven charter bus/limousine services are listed in Napa County. 9

24 3. Northern Napa Valley Transit Study Findings Chapter 3 provides a summary of the demand analysis, an assessment of current services, and findings from the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study public outreach process. 3.1 Demand Analysis The demand projection methodology is based on the ages of those who currently use the service and how the population of these age groups is expected to change. A breakdown of current users by age group allows a trip index to be created for each user based upon their current usage. This current user index can then be applied to future populations to estimate future ridership. The population projection data used in the forecasting was provided by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and done in five-year increments from ABAG s population projections were given by Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) and then grouped for the analysis based upon the coverage areas of the various transit services. These grouped projections are shown in Figure 3-1. The projections were then grouped again, this time by age, to account for the variance in use by rider age for the different services. These breakdowns for the four service areas are shown in Figure 3-2. To determine the ages of those currently using each of the various transit services, rider profiles were obtained. These profiles and their sources are shown below in Figure 3-3. Figure 3-1: Service Area Population Projections Service Area Estimated Population of Service Area % Change Napa County 134, , , , , , % Northern Napa County 22,437 22,442 22,831 22,845 23,003 23, % City of St. Helena 6,100 6,100 6,200 6,200 6,300 6, % City of Calistoga 5,200 5,200 5,300 5,300 5,300 5, % 10

25 Figure 3-2: Population Change by Age Group Year Pop < 19 % Change Napa County Pop % Change Pop 65+ % Change Pop < 19 % Change Service Area (Total) Pop 19- % 64 Change Pop 65+ % Change ,896 78,105 21,099 5,609 13,321 3, , % 81, % 23, % 5, % 12, % 3, % , % 82, % 26, % 5, % 12, % 4, % , % 81, % 30, % 5, % 12, % 4, % , % 80, % 33, % 5, % 12, % 5, % , % 78, % 37, % 5, % 11, % 5, % Year Pop < 19 % Change Calistoga (Total) Pop 19- % 64 Change Pop 65+ % Change Pop < 19 % Change St. Helena (Total) Pop 19- % 64 Change Pop 65+ % Change ,355 2, ,636 3,460 1, , % 2, % % 1, % 3, % 1, % , % 2, % % 1, % 3, % 1, % , % 2, % 1, % 1, % 3, % 1, % , % 2, % 1, % 1, % 3, % 1, % , % 2, % 1, % 1, % 3, % 1, % 11

26 Figure 3-3: Rider Profiles Transit Service Source of Profile % of users age < 19 % of users age % of users age 65+ VINE Route Transit Ridership Profile 33% 59% 8% VINE Route 11 User fares from 05/ / % 43% 27% VINE Go 2003 Transit Ridership Profile 54% 40% 6% St. Helena VINE Shuttle Calistoga HandyVan Driver manifest analysis from 01/2007 Driver manifest analysis from 01/ % 5% 46% 0% 20% 80% A user index was then assigned to each of these age cohorts as a ratio of the number of the estimated users to the corresponding total population. For instance, in 2005, there were an estimated 20,476 trips produced by those over the age of 65 (8% of trips times 255,952 trips). From the population data, we know there were 19,086 people over 65 in the VINE Route 10 service area (Napa County). Using this information, we can calculated the user index, or the number of trips per person in a certain age group, is equal to 1.07 (20,476 trips divided by 19,086 persons). This simple methodology can be used for those services that are completely contained within the service area, such as the Calistoga HandyVan and the St. Helena VINE Shuttle. For these, we assume that the population that will use the service lives within the city limits; thus ridership is dependent upon the changes in this population. Services such as VINE Route 10 and VINE Go are a bit tricky because they extend across Napa County, but for the purposes of this study, we are only concerned with the riders along the northern portion of the service. To account for this mismatch, we first project ridership based upon the full service area population. Using this estimated ridership for the whole route, we incorporate the population shifts that will affect the ridership. For example, VINE Route 10 as a whole is expected to increase ridership due to a Napa County population that is increasing in all age cohorts. However, the northern areas of the service are increasing only slightly, and the number of those under age 65 (who make up the majority of the VINE Route 10 riders) is expected to decrease. Applying these multiple factors to the systemwide VINE Route 10 ridership estimates results in a decrease in ridership for Northern Napa Valley. Figure 3-1 shows that Napa County s population is expected to grow by nearly 15% over the 25 year period, while population in the other three areas in the Northern Napa Valley are expected to grow only 3-4% over the same time period. The age breakdowns in Figure 3-2 show that areas in Northern Napa Valley will also have aging populations compared to that of Napa County. Northern Napa Valley as a whole, Calistoga, and St. Helena are each expected to lose population in the age groups below 65 over time. This relatively slow growth and shift in population has significant impacts on the future ridership of the transit services in Northern Napa Valley. The following is a breakdown of the expected future ridership on each service. VINE Route 10 Systemwide, VINE Route 10 is expected to increase ridership by an average of 1,800 trips per year through 2030 (Figure 3-4). This projection is based on countywide population increases for all of the various age groups. Since population trends differ for Northern Napa Valley, the projected ridership on 12

27 VINE Route 10 differs for this area of the service. Based on the population trends in the northern portion of the service area, ridership is expected to decrease by an average of 30 trips annually. This trend is due primarily to a decreasing population under the age of 65 in Northern Napa Valley over the next 25 years. These ages currently make up 92% of all trips on the route. 13

28 350,000 Figure 3-4: VINE Route 10 Service Area Population and Ridership Projections ( ) 300, , , , , , ,952 Population / Passenger Trips 250, , , , , , , , , ,400 50,000 45,969 45,808 46,074 45,629 45,404 45,235 22,437 22,442 22,831 22,845 23,003 23, Year Napa County Population Northern Napa County Population Route 10 Trips (Napa County) Route 10 Trips (North County) 14

29 VINE Go The systemwide VINE Go projections showed similarly strong increases in ridership (Figure 3-5). Using the countywide population data, the VINE Go system is expected to increase an average of approximately 220 trips per year through However, the difference in population changes in Northern Napa Valley is expected to slightly decrease VINE Go trips annually over the same time period. 15

30 180,000 Figure 3-5: VINE Go Service Area Population and Ridership Projections ( ) 160, , , , , , , ,400 Population / Passenger Trips 120, ,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 34,193 37,468 38,338 39,040 39,487 39,716 20,000-22,437 22,442 22,831 22,845 23,003 23,129 6,020 6,049 6,108 6,080 6,007 5, Year Napa County Population Northern Napa County Population VINE Go Trips (Napa County) VINE Go Trips (North County) 16

31 VINE Route 11 The VINE Route 11 ridership projection was based on the population changes for the Northern Napa Service area. Since VINE Route 11 ridership is primarily from St. Helena and Calistoga, Santa Rosa population changes were not considered in the demand forecast 6. Using these population projections and the rider profile from their user fares, VINE Route 11 is expected to increase ridership slightly, by approximately 12 passengers per year (Figure 3-6). This low growth is due to a population that is expected to increase by only 3% over a 25-year period. Calistoga HandyVan The Calistoga HandyVan ridership projections were based on the estimated population change for the city of Calistoga and the rider profile taken from one day s worth of fare types recorded on drivers manifests in January Based on these projections and profiles, the HandyVan is expected to increase ridership by an average of nearly 75 passenger per year from (Figure 3-6). This relatively high increase in ridership is due to a high percentage of older passengers, an age group that is expected to grow during this 25 year time period. St. Helena VINE Shuttle The St. Helena VINE Shuttle ridership projections were based on the estimated population change for the city of St. Helena and the rider profiles taken from one day s worth of fare types recorded on drivers manifests in January of These projections and profiles estimate that the ridership on the service will decrease by an estimated annual average of five passengers per year from (Figure 3-6). This slight decrease in population is due to high percentage of students who currently use the service. These students fall within an age group that is expected to decrease in numbers over the 25-year projection period. 6 The consideration of Santa Rosa population changes would unrealistically inflate Route 11 ridership projections. 17

32 9,000 Figure 3-6: VINE Route 11, Calistoga HandyVan, and St. Helena Shuttle Service Area Population and Ridership Projections ( ) 8,158 8,000 7,180 7,106 7,122 7,082 7,465 Estimated Annual Ridership 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 6,318 6,201 6,590 6,964 7,127 7,052 2,000 2,610 2,643 2,748 2,805 2,863 2,916 1, Route 11 Calistoga Handy Van St. Helena Shuttle 18

33 Caution must be exercised when reading the ridership projections for a number of reasons. Although demand projection on any level is not an exact science, the follow list highlights some considerations that should be observed that may directly impact the projections for these four NCTPA services: Passenger profiles for the VINE Route 10 and VINE Go services are systemwide and may not accurately reflect the users in the study area. Even though the population projections show an aging population in the study area, the future senior population may not utilize transit like the current senior population does. The ridership projections are based on census population data which does not always account for all those who live or temporarily live in the study area. Future environmental concerns may increase overall transit use. Ridership may be generated by those who actually do not live in the service areas, such as tourists or temporary workers. If this is the case, population projections would not impact ridership, making the estimates invalid. Demand Assessment Conclusions With those stipulations in mind, an analysis of the demand projection data allows a conclusion to be drawn based on the low projected ridership increases in the various services: In the study area portion of VINE Route 10, ridership is expected to decrease by an average of 30 trips annually. VINE Route 11 is expected to increase ridership by approximately 12 passengers per year. VINE Go s Northern Napa Valley ridership is expected to decrease by approximately two passengers per year. Calistoga HandyVan is expected to increase ridership by almost 75 passenger per year from Ridership on the St. Helena VINE Shuttle will decrease by an estimated annual average of five passengers per year from The estimated changes are too small to have an impact on the planning of service changes. Demand for public transit in Northern Napa Valley is currently limited and will continue to remain limited over short and long term planning horizons because of high automobile ownership and low population growth. As is the case throughout North America, automobile ownership in Northern Napa Valley is high. Approximately 93.5% of Northern Napa Valley households own at least one vehicle. While this is slightly lower than the Napa County average of 93.8%, it is higher than the California average of 90.5%. Single vehicle households are a potential market for public transit. This is especially true if the household s single vehicle is being used by one member for the work commute trip. Other household members may generate a need for public transit to support work or non-work related trips when the household s vehicle is already in use. Approximately 37% of Northern Napa Valley households own one vehicle. As vehicle operating costs increase, more households could reduce vehicle ownership to a single household vehicle. Overall population growth will be slow because of high real estate costs and limitations on urban expansion in the Valley. Northern Napa Valley population is projected to grow from 22,437 in 2005 to 22,831 in 2015 (less than 2%). Of the 2005 population, 25% are aged 19 years and younger and 16% are aged 65 years and older. Both youth and seniors are traditional transit-dependent markets (prelicensed youth for school and recreation trips, and seniors for shopping, medical and recreation trips). Youth and elderly transit market populations are also expected to remain relatively flat over this 19

34 timeframe. School age youth populations are actually projected to decrease slightly between 2005 and These decreases will be most evident in St. Helena and Calistoga as maturing households are not replaced by young families. School enrollment in both communities will decline. 3.2 Performance of Existing Services Over the years, transit services in Northern Napa Valley have evolved to balance community mobility needs with Napa communities public transit funding capacity and the requirement to achieve Californiamandated farebox recovery ratio minimums. Figure 3-7 provides a summary of VINE Route 10 performance trends. Figure 3-8 provides a summary of VINE Route 11 performance. Figure 3-9 provides a summary of St. Helena VINE Shuttle performance trends and Figure 3-10 provides a summary of Calistoga HandyVan performance trends. With the exception of VINE Route 11, performance is summarized for the period FY 2002/03 to FY 2005/06. Since VINE Route 11 was introduced in April 2005, performance data for this service is only available for FYs 2004/05 and 2005/06. For FY 2004/05, data is only available for April through June. 20

35 Figure 3-7: VINE Route 10 Performance Summary (FY 2002/03 FY 2005/06) Operating Data FY 2002/03 FY 2003/04 FY 2004/05 FY 2005/06 % Change FY 2002/03 to FY 2005/06 Passengers Carried 244, , , , % Total Revenue Miles* n/a 421, , , %**** Total Revenue Hours** 16,033 21,883 21,992 21, % Operating Costs*** $965,187 $1,290,659 $1,367,682 $1,437, % Performance Data Passengers Carried/Revenue Mile Passengers Carried/Revenue Hour Operating Cost/Passenger Operating Cost/Revenue Mile Operating Cost/Revenue Hour n/a % % $3.95 $5.19 $5.61 $ % n/a $3.06 $3.12 $ %**** $60.20 $58.98 $62.19 $ % *Revenue miles for FY 2003/2004 includes estimates for the months of July and February ** Revenue hours for FY 2003/2004 includes estimates for the months of July and February ***Operating costs for the VINE Route 10 where estimated based on a systemwide cost per revenue hour value. The calculated values for costs per revenue hour used were: $60.20 (FY2002/2003), $58.98 (FY2003/2004), $62.19 (FY2004/2005), and $65.40 (FY2005/2006) **** % change from 2003/04 to 2005/06. 21

36 Figure 3-8: VINE Route 11 Performance Summary (FY 2004/05 FY 2005/06) Operating Data FY 2002/03 FY 2003/04 FY 2004/05* FY 2005/06 % Change FY 2004/05 to FY 2005/06 Passengers Carried 445 2,610 n/a Total Revenue Miles 7,651 40,652 n/a Total Revenue Hours 423 2,159 n/a Operating Costs $77,326 $165,858 n/a Farebox Revenues $1,002 $7,446 n/a Performance Data Farebox Recovery Ratio 1.30% 4.49% n/a Average Fare/Passenger $2.25 $2.85 n/a Passengers Carried/Revenue Mile Passengers Carried/Revenue Hour n/a n/a Operating Cost/Passenger $ $63.55 n/a Subsidy** Cost/Passenger $ $60.69 n/a Operating Cost/Revenue Mile Operating Cost/Revenue Hour * Only operated April, May, and June of FY 2004/05 ** Subsidy - The operating cost per passenger trip not covered by the passenger fares Source: NCTPA Staff, provided November 2006 $10.11 $4.08 n/a $ $76.83 n/a 22

37 Figure 3-9: St. Helena VINE Shuttle Performance Summary (FY 2002/03 FY 2005/06) Operating Data FY 2002/03 FY 2003/04 FY 2004/05 FY 2005/06 % Change FY 2002/03 to FY 2005/06 Passengers Carried 8,574 5,912 6,024 7, % Total Revenue Miles 16,868 19,348 16,014 18, % Total Revenue Hours 1,753 1,974 1,938 2, % Operating Costs $117,921 $124,136 $121,371 $133, % Farebox Revenues $993 $988 $1,299 $ % Performance Data Farebox Recovery Ratio Average Fare/Passenger Passengers Carried/Revenue Mile Passengers Carried/Revenue Hour Operating Cost/Passenger Subsidy* Cost/Passenger Operating Cost/Revenue Mile Operating Cost/Revenue Hour 0.84% 0.80% 1.07% 0.57% % $0.12 $0.17 $0.22 $ % % % $13.75 $21.00 $20.15 $ % $13.64 $20.83 $19.93 $ % $6.99 $6.42 $7.58 $ % $67.29 $62.89 $62.63 $ % * Subsidy - The operating cost per passenger trip not covered by the passenger fares. Source: NCTPA Staff, provided November

38 Figure 3-10: Calistoga HandyVan Performance Summary (FY 2002/03 FY 2005/06) Operating Data FY 2002/03 FY 2003/04 FY 2004/05 FY 2005/06 % Change FY 2002/03 to FY 2005/06 Passengers Carried 9,053 7,686 6,422 6, % Total Revenue Miles 16,665 15,062 11,855 11, % Total Revenue Hours 2,256 1,953 2,004 1, % Operating Costs $100,426 $137,546 $141,172 $141, % Farebox Revenues $8,970 $8,463 $6,211 $4, % Performance Data Farebox Recovery Ratio Average Fare/Passenger Passengers Carried/Revenue Mile Passengers Carried/Revenue Hour Operating Cost/Passenger Subsidy* Cost/Passenger Operating Cost/Revenue Mile Operating Cost/Revenue Hour 8.93% 6.15% 4.40% 3.22% % $0.99 $1.10 $0.97 $ % % % $11.09 $17.90 $21.98 $ % $10.10 $16.79 $21.02 $ % $6.03 $9.13 $11.91 $ % $44.52 $70.43 $70.45 $ % * Subsidy - The operating cost per passenger trip not covered by the passenger fares. Source: NCTPA Staff, provided November 2006 Northern Napa Valley transit services provide a fundamental mix of regional intercity and local life line services, designed primarily for transit-dependent Valley residents. To this end, the existing services meet basic community mobility needs. The minimum systemwide fixed route farebox requirement is 16%. VINE Route 10 must be sufficiently productive to not bring the systemwide VINE farebox recovery below this 16% minimum. The minimum farebox recovery requirement for VINE Route 11, St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan is 10%. In the case of the two community shuttles, agreements have been established with St. Helena and Calistoga to make up the difference between the actual farebox recovery and the 10% minimum with local contributions. 24

39 3.2.1 Mobility Needs Met Basic Life Line Services VINE Route 10 is the regional backbone of the VINE fixed route system. It provides a single seat ride between Calistoga and Vallejo. In Northern Napa Valley it serves as a daily life line service connecting Calistoga and St. Helena with Napa and regional destinations and transit connections in Vallejo. Connections with other local VINE routes are possible in Napa. VINE Route 11 provides a more limited, four days-a-week life line service between the Northern Napa Valley communities of St. Helena and Calistoga and Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa stops include Kaiser Hospital, Coddingtown Mall and Downtown Santa Rosa. Local and regional transit connections are available at both Coddingtown Mall and Downtown Santa Rosa. St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan serve as community shuttles enabling access to local goods, services and activities; providing connections with the two VINE intercity routes; and, in the case of Calistoga HandyVan, connecting with Lake Transit s Route 3. St. Helena VINE Shuttle serves a student market for morning school trips. St. Helena VINE Shuttle is operated Monday through Friday, while Calistoga HandyVan is operated Monday through Saturday. VINE Go is available in the Northern Napa Valley service area during VINE Route 10 hours of operation. Lake County Route 3 provides weekday access to St. Helena Hospital from Calistoga. Route 3 also provides access to various locations in Lake County with VINE Route 10 and Route 11 connections in Calistoga. Two trips are operated on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and three trips are operated on Tuesday Mobility Need Shortfalls Built Up Areas Outside Core Service Area: Populations along the Silverado Trail or east of the Valley, including PUC, Angwin, and the new Lake Berryessa development are not served by public transit. Travel Needs Outside Core Service Hours: VINE Route 10 does not serve weekday travel needs before 5:45 am and after 8:30 pm, Saturday travel needs before 6:30 am and after 7:30 pm or Sunday travel needs before 10:30 am and after 5:00 pm. VINE Route 11 service is limited to three round trips Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. St. Helena VINE Shuttle does not serve travel needs on Saturday or Sunday, or before 7:40 am and after 5:00 pm on weekdays. Calistoga HandyVan does not serve travel needs on Sunday, before 8:15 am and after 5:00 pm on weekdays, or before 9:00 am and after 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Calistoga HandyVan service is also not provided between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm on weekdays. Farm Worker Employment Trips: Trips to and from agricultural work sites are not served. Latino Farm Worker Family Travel: May be limited by cultural isolation and language barriers. Trips to St. Helena Hospital: There is no direct VINE fixed route service to St. Helena Hospital. Lake Transit Route 3 operates a limited service between Calistoga and St. Helena Hospital on weekdays. This service is not used by Calistoga residents because of the long wait for an afternoon return trip from the hospital. St. Helena VINE Shuttle service between St. Helena and the St. Helena Hospital is limited to four round trips on weekdays Transit Service Performance Issues A number of transit service performance issues were identified in the analysis of services. These include both productivity and reliability issues: VINE Route 10 Productivity: Twelve passengers per hour has been established as the minimum productivity benchmark for VINE Route 10. VINE Route 10 is slightly below the minimum benchmark with a current 25

40 productivity of 11.6 passengers per hour. Assuming a farebox return of $1.10 per passenger, VINE Route 10 is achieving a 17.20% farebox recovery ratio (slightly above the VINE fixed route minimum benchmark of 16%). It should be noted that the majority of passengers board and alight from the VINE Route 10 on the route segments outside the Northern Napa Valley. Approximately 75% of weekday boardings and 77% of weekday alightings occur south of Oakville. VINE Route 10 Reliability: Because of its long length and increasing traffic congestion along the VINE Route 10, there is a significant schedule adherence problem. From the VINE Route 10 ridecheck conducted between March 14 and March 16, 2007, 80% of northbound trips arrive late at Oakville and 93% arrive late in Downtown Calistoga, and 67% of southbound trips depart Downtown Calistoga late and arrive at Oakville late. This is far below the 90% on-time performance goal established in the current Short Range Transit Plan. From the ridecheck findings, northbound service began running behind after 8:30 am as buses arrived late in Oakville. This in turn resulted in late arrivals in Calistoga and late southbound departures from Calistoga. Once the service starts running late it is often not feasible to recover lost time and get back on schedule. On-time performance was a reliability issue identified as discouraging regular transit use. VINE Route 11 Productivity: VINE Route 11 currently carries 1.2 passengers per hour. At this level, farebox recovery is 4.49%, below the minimum 16% requirement established by MTC for NCTPA s urbanized area services. At $2.85 collected per passenger carried, VINE Route 11 must carry 4.84 passengers per revenue hour to achieve a 16% farebox recovery ratio. VINE Route 11 Reliability: There is insufficient data on this relatively new service to conduct a formal assessment of on-time performance. Schedule adjustments were made following implementation to correct any initial issues. Field observations made in conjunction with this study suggest there is sufficient running time in the overall schedule to stay ontime. Schedule adjustments to the westbound service are included in the VINE Route 11 recommendations in Chapter 6. St. Helena VINE Shuttle Productivity: This service currently carries approximately 3.36 passengers per revenue hour. Based on revenue data, farebox recovery is below 1% and the fare collected per passenger is approximately $0.11. This would suggest a high percentage of seniors, youth and persons with disabilities riding at the free discounted fixed route fare. However, the majority of trips appear to be door-to-door with a discounted fare of $0.50. There may be a fare collection issue where door-to-door passengers are being charged fixed route fares. St. Helena VINE Shuttle Reliability: The service is established as a deviated fixed route service with 10 formal stops and scheduled timepoints. However, the majority of trips appear to be booked as doorto-door, making it difficult to run according to the fixed route schedule. During the field ride-along, the fixed route schedule was not followed each trip and some less frequently used bus stops were not always served. If the service is regularly missing bus stops, passengers could be discouraged from using the service. 26

41 3.3 Northern Napa Valley Transit Travel Patterns VINE Route 10 From an analysis of ridecheck data from the NCTPA Short Range Transit Plan, approximately 75% of weekday boardings and 77% of weekday alightings occur south of Oakville. Key VINE Route 10 travel destinations from a 2003 NCTPA Transit Rider Survey are summarized in Figure While these findings reflect countywide ridership findings, the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study on-board passenger questionnaires specifically surveyed passengers riding the VINE Route 10 in Northern Napa Valley. Based on 90 completed passenger survey questionnaires: 33% of the trips originated in Calistoga. 29% of the trips originated in the City of Napa. 18% of the trips originated in St. Helena. 14% of the trips 7 originated in Oakville (2%), Rutherford (1%), Yountville (3%) and other 8 (8%). 37% of the trips ended in St. Helena. 27% of the trips ended in Calistoga. 21% ended in Napa. 13% of the trips 9 ended in Yountville (3%), Rutherford (2%) and other 10 (8%). These findings suggest the importance of travel within the more immediate Northern Napa Valley for passengers riding the VINE Route 10 within the service area. 7 The remaining 6% of the respondents indicated two or more trip origins. 8 Of those indicating other for their trip origin, one respondent indicated Lake County, one respondent indicated Marin County, three indicated Santa Rosa, and three indicated Vallejo. 9 The remaining 2% of the respondents indicated two trip destinations. 10 Of those indicating other for their trip destination, three respondents indicated Vallejo, three indicated Santa Rosa, one indicated San Francisco and one indicated American Canyon. 27

42 Figure 3-11: VINE Route 10 Key Destinations Route Key Destinations City Service Days Downtown Calistoga Weekday/Sat/Sun Bothe State Park Calistoga Weekday/Sat/Sun Downtown Rutherford Weekday/Sat/Sun Downtown Oakville Weekday/Sat/Sun Veterans Home Yountville Weekday/Sat/Sun Kaiser Permanente-Napa Napa Weekday/Sat/Sun 10 Queen of the Valley Hospital Napa Weekday/Sat/Sun South Napa Marketplace Napa Weekday/Sat/Sun Napa Valley College Napa Weekday/Sat Wal-Mart Napa Weekday/Sat/Sun BelAire Plaza Napa Weekday/Sat/Sun Downtown American Canyon Weekday/Sat Kaiser Permanente-Vallejo Vallejo Weekday/Sat Ferry Terminal Vallejo Weekday/Sat/Sun Source: 2003 NCTPA Transit Rider Survey VINE Go Figure 3-12 provides a summary of the VINE Go passenger trip distribution analysis, which was based on a review of weekday VINE Go operator manifests for the period 01/08/07 to 01/12/07. Findings from this analysis are summarized in Figure Over 91% of all VINE Go trips originate and end outside the Northern Napa Valley service area. Less than 1% of VINE Go trips originates and ends within the Northern Napa Valley service area. Generally, trips that originate and/or end within the study area are subscription trips related to medical treatment or developmental programs located in the City of Napa. 28

43 Figure 3-12: VINE Go Trip Distribution VINE Go Trip Distribution Origin Outside Study Area, Destination Inside Study Area 3.5% Origin Inside Study Area, Destination Inside Study Area 0.3% Origin Inside Study Area, Destination Outside Study Area 4.6% Origin Outside Study Area, Destination Outside Study Area 91.6% St. Helena VINE Shuttle Figure 3-13 provides a summary of St. Helena VINE Shuttle travel patterns from an analysis of operator manifests for the period 01/08/07 to 01/12/07. The patterns illustrated in Figure 3-13 reflect regular local travel patterns suggesting the importance of Napa Valley College, the St. Helena Hospital and the downtown. 29

44 Figure 3-13: St. Helena VINE Shuttle Weekday Origin/Destination Patterns 30

45 Calistoga HandyVan Figure 3-14 provides a summary of Calistoga HandyVan travel patterns from an analysis of operator manifests for the period 01/08/07 to 01/12/07. The patterns illustrated in Figure 3-14 reflect regular local travel patterns suggesting the importance of CalMart, Chateau Calistoga, and Rancho de Calistoga. Figure 3-14: Calistoga HandyVan Weekday Origin/Destination Patterns 31

46 3.4 Outreach Needs Summary Met and unmet mobility needs were identified through the following methods: 15 individual stakeholder interviews were conducted; a small group stakeholder meeting was held at Pacific Union College; and onboard passenger surveys were conducted on VINE Route 10, St. Helena VINE Shuttle, and Calistoga HandyVan. Additional information was gathered from operator and dispatcher interviews, the VINE Route 10 operator survey and from informal discussions with passengers on ride-alongs. Northern Napa Valley Community Outreach (May 3, 2007) provides a summary of the public outreach process and findings. The following mobility needs were identified: Role of Transit: The role of transit for Northern Napa Valley was identified as providing affordable and user-friendly transportation for all county residents. A more specific identified role was to provide people who do not have transportation with a way of getting around. A potential congestion management role was also identified. Key Transit Markets: Seniors, youth including students, low-income households and farm workers and their families. Key Regional Destinations for Northern Napa Valley: Throughout the service area, regional centers including Napa, Vallejo, and Santa Rosa were identified for medical, shopping and work trips. Local St. Helena Destinations: St. Helena Hospital, VINE Route 10 connections at City Hall, Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, St. Helena (Grayson) High School, Safeway and neighboring stores and services, Bank of America, West American Clinic, Citibank, the Library, and Napa Valley College (Upper Valley Campus). Local Calistoga Destinations: CalMart, doctor s office on Washington, Post Office, Rancho de Calistoga and Chateau Calistoga, and St. Helena Hospital. Pacific Union College Destinations: Access to St. Helena on Friday evenings for social trips and Napa on Saturdays for shopping. Access to Oakland and Sacramento Airports for trips home. Barriers to Transit Use: The most common factors discouraging or limiting VINE Route 10 use included: infrequent service (60 minute frequency too low), poor on-time performance (reliability), service hour span (limits early work or Napa Valley Collage class commuting), and cultural insulation (Latino isolation and language barriers). Infrequent VINE Route 11 service and St. Helena VINE Shuttle service to the St. Helena Hospital were also identified as barriers to more frequent transit use. The fact that there is no transit service to communities east of the Highway 29 corridor was also identified as an issue. Suggested Improvements: The range of suggested improvements included: improved access to schedules and public transit information; more frequent fixed route service; start and end service earlier in the morning and later in the evening; express services and park and ride lots; and limited fixed route service to Angwin and PUC. Transit Demand Trends: Stakeholders felt that demand for transit will increase as the population grows and ages (especially for those on low or limited fixed incomes), and as vehicle operating costs continue to increase. 32

47 4. Service Alternatives The provision of publicly subsidized transit services in Northern Napa Valley is challenging because of low ridership. Infrequent service and limited service coverage are not the key factors affecting ridership levels for transit in Northern Napa Valley. Simply, the density of demand is not there to support or justify increased capacity, expanded service area coverage, or an expanded service hours coverage span. Future demand projections do not suggest sufficient increases in ridership to support service expansion. With the exception of VINE Route 11, current service levels are appropriate to the size of the population and nature of the transit markets. Service is also appropriately focused along the Highway 29 corridor and in the communities of St. Helena and Calistoga where the Northern Napa Valley population is concentrated. In the case of VINE Route 11, too much service is provided for the current or anticipated future ridership. With limited demand for transit in Northern Napa Valley, formal transit service should continue to be limited to the Highway 29 corridor and within the communities of St. Helena and Calistoga. Public transit cannot efficiently or effectively serve populations along the Silverado Trail or east of the Valley, including PUC, Angwin, and new Lake Berryessa development. Other, more efficient mobility options should be considered for these populations. With low and limited potential ridership, it is not practical to continue operating VINE Route 11 at its current level. VINE Route 11 service should be reduced or discontinued. In the event of service discontinuation, a more cost-effective, community-based option is recommended for transit-dependent residents of St. Helena and Calistoga to access medical facilities in Santa Rosa. The need to access medical care in Santa Rosa is recognized. Transit operating costs will continue to increase at a rate higher than the Consumer Price Index. Increases in service productivity will be critical to keep total operating costs in check while serving new demand in the entire County. Demand for VINE Route 10, VINE Go, and other potential community shuttles will grow at a faster rate in the rest of Napa County compared to Northern Napa Valley. Demand for local VINE services in the City of Napa will grow at a faster rate than demand for public transit in Northern Napa Valley. The following mix of service concepts provides both a strategy that does not require additional funding for public transit service expansion, and a number of mobility alternatives that could be implemented at the community or institution level with potentially minimal NCTPA contribution from traditional transit funding sources. 4.1 VINE Route 10 Enhancements Based on current and potential ridership levels, 60-minute headways are appropriate for VINE Route 10 service in Northern Napa Valley. On-time performance and service reliability are critical issues that must be addressed. Strategies include: Increasing Revenue Hours and Adding an Additional Bus to the VINE Route 10 Pullout. In a recent VINE fixed route scheduling initiative, additional running time and an additional bus have been recommended to address the VINE Route 10 schedule adherence problem. VINE Route 10 is an exceptionally long route that serves two distinct service areas Northern Napa Valley and the connection between the City of Napa/American Canyon and the regional medical facilities and transit connections in Vallejo. Traffic congestion south of the City of Napa has a significant impact on VINE Route 10 schedule adherence. Ridecheck data suggests that VINE Route 10 running time problems generally occur initially with northbound buses before they reach Oakville. Currently buses that arrive late northbound in Oakville continue to run late northbound and southbound in Northern Napa Valley. The proposed increase in VINE Route 10 recovery time and adding an additional bus to the VINE Route 10 may reduce lateness in the short term. However, as traffic congestion continues to increase, additional revenue hours and buses may be required to correct the recurring problem over the long term. 33

48 Splitting the VINE Route 10 into Two Routes A suggested longer term solution to the VINE Route 10 on-time performance issue is to split the VINE Route 10 into two separate routes connecting at the Pearl Street Transit Center (or at the new Napa Transit Center when relocated). One route will serve the segment between Calistoga and Downtown Napa, and the other route will serve the segment between Downtown Napa and Vallejo. This would effectively shorten the Northern Napa Valley portion of this route and facilitate improved ontime performance. By shortening the route, there would be less potential to run behind schedule. Timed transfers would be required at the Pearl Street Transit Center to facilitate good connections for Northern Napa Valley residents traveling south of Napa or returning home. By splitting the VINE Route 10, a separate schedule could be developed for the Northern Napa Valley segment, based more closely on when commuters need to be at work in the City of Napa or in class at the Napa Valley College (Upper Valley Campus) in St. Helena. Draft schedules should be created to see if this recommendation is workable with the existing VINE Route 10 bus pullout and revenue hours. Interlines with other local VINE routes could be examined to reduce long layover times. The splitting of the VINE Route 10 assumes no route or service span changes. If split, the route serving the Northern Napa Valley will be less productive and have a lower farebox recovery ratio than the route serving the segment between the City of Napa and Vallejo. Given the rural character of the Northern Napa Valley segment, a 10% farebox recovery goal may be more appropriate for this portion of the route. 4.2 VINE Route 11 Reductions VINE Route 11 began operation in April Productivity has remained below 1.30 passengers per revenue hour, and farebox recovery has remained below 5.00%. The service currently costs approximately $63.55 per passenger trip. This significantly higher than the VINE Route 10 cost per passenger trip of $5.62. Future population projections suggest an almost flat demand trend with insignificant growth to increase productivity. The VINE Route 11 cost per passenger will continue to increase as operating costs increase annually. Two VINE Route 11 reduction strategies are considered: Reduce Service to One Day Per Week VINE Route 11 is a life line service. Primary use is by St. Helena and Calistoga residents for medical trips to the Kaiser and Sutter medical facilities in Santa Rosa, as well as shopping in downtown Santa Rosa. The reduction to one day a week would reduce the annual VINE Route 11 revenue hours from approximately 2, to 524 and concentrate the current regular ridership to a single day of service. Assuming that 60% of the approximate 2,600 annual passengers are regular and would continue using a reduced service for medical appointments and occasional shopping trips, hourly productivity would be increased to 3.00 passengers per revenue hour and farebox recovery would increase to 11%. The operating cost per passenger would decrease from $63.55 to $ FY 2005/06. 34

49 Discontinue VINE Route 11 Service The full discontinuation of VINE Route 11 service would result in an annual reduction of approximately 2,097 revenue hours and an annual cost savings of approximately $161, Passengers currently using the service for shopping trips could still access a wide range of retail outlets in the City of Napa via VINE Route 10. VINE Route 10 will be more reliable once schedule adherence issues are addressed. Focusing shopping trips on the City of Napa also keeps retail sales tax revenues within Napa County. A community-based non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) volunteer driver program could be established to transport St. Helena and Calistoga residents to and from medical appointments in Santa Rosa. (See Section 4.7 for further details.) 4.3 St. Helena VINE Shuttle Service Changes Currently, the majority of trips are demand-response, making it difficult to maintain the fixed route schedule. Some bus stops are missed on certain trips, which makes the fixed route portion of the service unreliable. Given the demand characteristics, the following service recommendation is suggested: Restructure St. Helena VINE Shuttle from a Deviated Fixed Route to a Pulsed Dial-A-Ride Service. This recommendation eliminates the majority of fixed bus stops. The restructured service would operate on a 60-minute pulse from City Hall based on the VINE Route 10 schedule. City Hall or the bus stop across the street would serve as a timepoint for walk-on passengers. In the morning, service would be pulsed to meet the southbound VINE Route 10. In the afternoon, it would be pulsed to meet the northbound VINE Route 10. This will formalize the service as a VINE Route 10 feeder. The four St. Helena Hospital trips and lunch break would have to be adjusted around the VINE Route 10 connections. Trip pick-ups would be organized into geographic sweeps of the City, starting and ending at the City Hall timepoint on a 60-minute pulse. Depending on the pattern, the bus could start with an initial sweep of the south side of town, making its way north to Safeway etc. before making a sweep of the north side. The organization of trips into zones will reduce deadheading, passenger trip lengths, and improve service productivity. To minimize telephone bookings, passengers could board the bus at City Hall without reserving by telephone. Passengers could also arrange return dial-a-ride trips directly with the driver, who could give an estimated pick-up time. School trips could continue to be arranged in the morning on a fixed stop, school bus-type run prior to bell times. Summer swimming pool runs could be organized on a similar basis. Assumes no change in service hours span. The existing fare structure would apply. However, discounted free fare service would be limited to walkon passengers at City Hall or other fixed stops that may be introduced. This will improve farebox recovery. If demand warrants, additional fixed stops could be established at Safeway and Napa Valley College. 4.4 Calistoga HandyVan Service Changes Strong travel patterns between CalMart and Chateau Calistoga (southeast) and Rancho de Calistoga (north side) have been established. These patterns set the stage for a structured flex route service: 12 FY 2005/06 costs. 35

50 Restructure Calistoga HandyVan Service from a Full Dial-A-Ride to a Pulsed Zonal Service. Service would be pulsed every 30 minutes from CalMart, providing a southbound sweep each hour serving Chateau Calistoga and a northbound sweep each hour serving Rancho de Calistoga. The CalMart stop will serve as a scheduled timepoint. In the current travel pattern, most trips originate or end at these locations. All pick-ups and drop offs south of Lincoln will be accommodated in the southbound sweep, and all pick-ups and drop offs north of Lincoln will be accommodated in the northbound sweep. An additional timepoint will be established at the VINE Route 10 bus stop on the south side of Lincoln by the bridge. Calistoga HandyVan schedules will be pulsed to the arrival of the northbound VINE Route 10 to formalize the Calistoga HandyVan as a VINE Route 10 feeder. Passengers will be able to board the Calistoga HandyVan at CalMart or the VINE Route 10 bus stop without making a trip reservation by telephone. On weekdays, establish a single trip to St. Helena Hospital in the late morning to complement Lake Transit Route 3 service, reducing passenger wait times for return trips from appointments. Lunch breaks and the proposed St. Helena Hospital run would have to be adjusted around the VINE Route 10 connections. Assumes no change in service hours span. Existing fare structure would apply for in-town service. A $3.00 fare (equal to Lake County s cash fare for service in Napa County) should be considered for the proposed service to St. Helena Hospital. Changes are proposed to improve productivity, make the service easier for passengers to use, and establish Calistoga HandyVan as a VINE Route 10 feeder. A reduction in the requirement to make telephone requests for trips from timepoints may make the service more attractive to Calistoga residents not currently using the service. 4.5 Enhanced Service Between Calistoga and the St. Helena Hospital Lake Transit s Route 3 currently serves Calistoga and St. Helena Hospital with two round trips on weekdays (three round trips on Tuesdays). Calistoga residents have been reluctant to use Route 3 service to the hospital because of generally long wait times between the 9:00 am hospital-bound trip and the second return trip at 2:35 pm. The proposed Calistoga HandyVan late morning trip (see Section 4.4) should correct this problem. In recognition of the potential benefits to Calistoga residents, NCTPA should approach Lake Transit to coordinate the marketing of Route 3 as a regional service between Calistoga and the St. Helena Hospital. NCTPA should also try to negotiate a fare structure for this service that is more in keeping with the VINE Route 10 adult cash fare for service within NCTPA s Zone 1 North. If service is formally established, NCTPA should market the service as part of their ongoing service promotion and public information. Under a joint marketing arrangement, Lake Transit will continue to be responsible for 100% of the Route 3 operating and capital costs. 4.6 VINE Go Service VINE Go service effectively accommodates Northern Napa Valley demand by structuring morning and afternoon runs around medical appointment and development program times. This efficient approach should be continued. During regular service hours, St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan will accommodate local ADA eligible trips within St. Helena and Calistoga. VINE Go will accommodate local Northern Napa Valley travel by ADA eligible residents during VINE Route 10 service hours that are outside the local community shuttle hours. 36

51 Wherever feasible, ADA eligible Northern Napa Valley residents will be transferred from local community shuttles or locally operating VINE Go services to VINE Route 10 service for travel outside the Northern Napa Valley service area. 4.7 Alternative Mobility Options Fixed route services (like VINE Routes 10 or 11) or community shuttles (like St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan) cannot effectively serve all mobility needs in Northern Napa Valley. These services need minimum demand density to support productivity levels to achieve minimum farebox recovery requirements. Mobility needs beyond the Highway 29 corridor, St. Helena or Calistoga can be more effectively served by community-based volunteer driver programs or vanpool programs. These options are better suited to low-density populations, low demand corridors, and scattered trip origin and destination patterns. The following concepts are suggested for the replacement of unproductive VINE Route 11 service between St. Helena and Santa Rosa and to address PUC student regional travel needs: NEMT Volunteer Driver Reimbursement Program A NEMT volunteer driver reimbursement program would be intended to transport eligible St. Helena and Calistoga residents to medical appointments and treatment in Santa Rosa in the event that VINE Route 11 service is discontinued. Currently, the Kaiser Hospital and neighboring Kaiser medical facility are key VINE Route 11 destinations. Volunteer driver programs are widespread and have had a long history throughout North America. Several programs have been formalized in Northern California counties as part of the counties transportation mix to effectively meet NEMT needs in areas where it is not efficient to provide public transit. Examples of volunteer driver programs in Northern California exist in Trinity 13, Tehama 14 and Glenn 15 Counties. An informal volunteer driver program already exists in Angwin to transport seniors to medical and hair appointments in St. Helena. A volunteer driver program could be by a local community host such as the St. Helena Senior Center Board, Calistoga Senior Association, or Calistoga Recreation and Community Services. The host organization would serve as the central trip coordinator and assume administrative responsibility for the program. A small budget would be required for driver mileage reimbursements and administrative overhead to cover ride coordination, insurance, record keeping and the processing of reimbursement checks. General characteristics of a volunteer driver program include: A central trip coordinator will be responsible for driver recruitment and screening. Drivers would have to have a valid California license and vehicle registration and be fully insured to operate a private vehicle in California. Any vehicles provided would have to meet minimum standards including functional heating and ventilation systems, clean interior, accessible seatbelts, functional doors and windows, an accurate speedometer, windows that are crack free, functioning interior lights, two side mirrors, safe tires, winter chains, and fully functional headlights, turn signals and windshield wipers. Efforts should be made to recruit a pool of bilingual drivers. The central ride coordinator will maintain records of all trips, mileage charges, sponsoring agencies, trip origins and destinations, appointment times, driver and passenger names and the number of persons carried on each trip. The central trip coordinator is responsible to produce 13 Contact John Jelicich, Trinity County Planning Director, at or jjelicich@trinitycounty.org. 14 Contact Barbara O Keeffe, Transit Manager, at or Barbara@pobox.tco.net. 15 Contact Gloria Ponciano, Transit Supervisor, at or gponciano@countyofglenn.net. 37

52 monthly management reports and billing statements, as well as maintain copies of driver s licenses and insurance polices. The host organization will be required to maintain insurance coverage including Comprehensive General Liability, Business Auto Liability (as a secondary policy to the volunteer driver s primary coverage), and Umbrella/Excess Liability. In the case of an accident or injury claim, the volunteer driver s insurance provides the initial coverage and the host s insurance acts as a secondary policy to cover any claims above the volunteer driver s coverage. Eligibility for rides will be based on demonstrated need. The program should be open to households or individuals without access to a roadworthy or registered automobile. Pre-registration may be required. Trip purposes should be limited to NEMT trips to medical trips to Santa Rosa. Reimbursement should be based on currently approved mileage rates for public servants in Napa County. All mileage claims will be verified by the central trip coordinator, who would establish maximum distance standards for travel between St. Helena and Calistoga, and Santa Rosa. Mileage claims will be based on these maximums. Based on the California Government approved mileage reimbursement rate of $0.34/mile, a single one way passenger trip 16 between: St. Helena and Santa Rosa would be $ Calistoga and Santa Rosa would be $9.35. These costs compare quite favorably with the current VINE Route 11 cost per one way passenger trip of $ The volunteer driver costs per passenger could be reduced even further through ride sharing and the requirement for a passenger contribution (potentially based on current VINE Route 11 fares). If successful, the program could be expanded to include other areas of Northern Napa Valley not served by transit and for NEMT trips beyond Napa County. Farm Worker Vanpools Although farm worker transportation needs were not strongly identified in the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study public outreach, farm worker commute trip needs were identified in the Napa Community- Based Transportation Plan. In keeping with the latter study, the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study recognizes that traditional transit services cannot effectively serve farm worker travel patterns. The workplace can change from day to day and the morning drop off and afternoon pick-up locations can change as work crews travel from field to field. Employer-sponsored and coordinated vanpools are suggested to address this need. Individual vintners could pool their efforts through an organization such as the Napa County Vintner s Association or the Napa County Farm Bureau and purchase or lease the required number of vans. A vanpool coordinator would be required to organize the van assignments according to the changing work shifts and locations. Crew leads could be assigned as drivers routes would be structured based on farm worker residences and actual work sites. Twelve to 15 passenger vans are required. The fleet size is dependent on the size of the work force and the number of spatially dispersed work sites. If a farm worker vanpool program is solely an employer initiative, there would be no operating or capital cost requirements for NCTPA. However, if NCTPA were interested in co-initiating a pilot project with one or several employers, NCTPA could procure the van(s) and lease them to the program sponsors for a 16 Assumes a 10% overhead charge for trip coordination. 38

53 nominal fee. Planning advisor assistance could be solicited from Solano Napa Commuter information (SNCI). PUC Mobility Club A mobility club is essentially a registry of volunteer drivers and persons who need to travel. A mobility club is a low cost grassroots mobility solution that could effectively serve travel needs to St. Helena on Friday evenings for social trips and Napa on Saturdays for shopping. Currently PUC has a registry of students with vehicles. This registry could be built on to establish a PUC mobility club through the PUC website. Students willing to participate would register online as potential volunteer drivers and post any upcoming travel plans. Students wishing a ride would post a request online or select a driver with travel plans that match his or her requirements. Registration would be limited to PUC students, faculty and staff. With an interactive website there would be no need for a staff ride coordinator. Complaints could be monitored by PUC Public Safety. Reimbursement could be based on a per mile rate established annually by PUC administration and a student committee. There would be no requirement for NCTPA funding assistance. The program would operate on a user pay basis. Although PUC would essentially be an arm s length sponsor, PUC would still be a required to maintain insurance coverage including Comprehensive General Liability, Business Auto Liability (as a secondary policy to the volunteer driver s primary coverage), and Umbrella/Excess Liability. In the case of an accident or injury claim, the volunteer driver s insurance provides the initial coverage and PUC s insurance acts as a secondary policy to cover any claims above the volunteer driver s coverage. Potential organizational advisory assistance could be solicited from SNCI. 39

54 5. Funding Source Analysis 5.1 Current Financing Community Shuttle Funding Funding for the City transit services in Northern Napa Valley is primarily from Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds, which are allocated to NCTPA based on population and collected from sales tax revenues. In addition, the NCTPA has agreements with the Cities of Calistoga and St. Helena whereby they guarantee that 10% of the operating cost will be covered by fares and/or City contributions. Figure 5-1: Community Shuttle Budget (FY 2006/2007) Calistoga EXPENSE $181,000 REVENUES Farebox Calistoga HandyVan $5,400 Calistoga Farebox Contribution $12,700 TDA, Art 8 Operations $161,800 Miscellaneous Income $100 Interest $1,000 TOTAL REVENUE: $181,000 St. Helena EXPENSE $165,000 REVENUES Farebox St. Helena VINE $3,000 St. Helena Farebox Contribution $13,500 TDA, Art 8 Operations $147,400 Miscellaneous Income $100 Interest $1,000 TOTAL REVENUE: $165,000 VINE Fixed Route Funding Funding for VINE routes that serve Northern Napa Valley (VINE Routes 10 and 11) is captured in the overall VINE budget; the funding for VINE Go services is likewise captured in the VINE Go budget. The VINE service is funded from a variety of sources, including Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 funds (the second-largest source, after TDA). State Transit Administration (STA) funding also plays a substantial role in the funding picture. These primary sources of financing are expected to grow slightly over the next 10 years, but the increase will only offset the growth in operating expenses and not allow for service expansion. The FY Short Range Transit Plan indicates that over time, the funds available for the capital program diminish as a result of operating program growth. VINE Go Funding VINE Go is currently funded using TDA and STA funds, which are estimated to grow at a moderate rate; however, this growth will only be sufficient to offset increased operating costs. 40

55 5.2 Financial Impact of Operation Concepts Split VINE Route 10 and Discontinue VINE Route 11 Recently all fixed routes schedules were evaluated and adjusted to improve on-time performance. Additional running time was added to the VINE Route 10 schedule to improve on-time performance while retaining the same service spans and frequencies. This required some route streamlining in Vallejo and required 2500 additional revenue hours a year despite the elimination of VINE Route 7. The VINE Route 10 schedule improvements will be seen in the fall and represent an increase in the number of revenue hours as well as an increase in reliability. The additional cost of the route rescheduling will be further offset with the discontinuation of VINE Route 11. Maintaining the quality and service level of the VINE Route 10 trunk route from Calistoga to Vallejo is key, and will require increases in the budget over time as operating costs rise and traffic conditions worsen. Restructure St. Helena VINE and Calistoga HandyVan Restructuring the community service from dial-a-ride to pulsed zone in Calistoga, and deviated fixed route to pulsed dial-a-ride in St. Helena will improve operating efficiency and be more attractive to riders, thus increasing fare revenues. This may only serve to offset normal increases in the cost of service; however, it may also lessen the obligation of the City. Lake Transit Agreement and Volunteer Transit Ambassador Program Neither of these service concepts has operating costs associated with them. However, NCTPA staff will need to be dedicated to two tasks: negotiating an agreement with Lake Transit, and maintaining a Latino ambassador program. The administration budget would need to allow for staff time, minor expenses for training and small perks for the volunteers. The Ambassador Programs expenses are not expected to exceed $2,000 a year. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) to Santa Rosa Assuming that a local community organization takes on the role of host, and that volunteer drivers can be found, the only cost for this program will be for volunteer vehicle mileage reimbursement. Volunteers would be reimbursed by the mile, and funding for this account would be in part from the fare or passenger contribution. The remainder could be supported using City general funds. Based on a reimbursement of $0.30 a mile and a one way trip distance of 20 miles, a volunteer driver would be reimbursed $6.00 for a one way trip and $12.00 for a round trip. If we assume that the rider will pay $2.00 each way (since most demand will be from seniors), then the net shortfall per trip will be $4.00. We can estimate ridership based on current VINE Route 11 demand; 1.1 passengers per revenue hour for approximately 2,080 revenue hours per year. The resulting 2,288 annual riders is a high estimate for the NEMT program, but if all these riders came over, the reimbursement amount shortfall would be $9,200. Farm Worker Vanpool If a farm worker vanpool program were solely an employer initiative, there would be no operating or capital cost requirements for NCTPA. However, if NCTPA participated in a project with one or several employers, NCTPA could procure the van(s) and lease them to the program sponsors for a nominal fee. Costs and charges would be refined after consultation with Solano Napa Commuter information (SNCI). It is anticipated that if NCTPA purchased several vans and provided administrative support, a one time cost of $150,000 would be necessary. Administrative support would include setting up contracts with the employers and conducting the purchase of the vans. At approximately $40,000 per van, the start-up amount should fund three vans. Ongoing administrative support would be funded from the lease payments and would likely entail maintaining employer agreements and monitoring the program. Pacific Union College Mobility Club The College mobility club is envisioned as a ride match service provided via the internet by the College administration at no cost to the NCTPA. Some up-front administration effort would be necessary to get the website up and running, but after that students match up with each other. A formal mileage reimbursement method could be developed so that all the students complied with the same formula. One 41

56 idea would be to set the reimbursement amount for routine trips and post it on the ride match website. This aspect could also be left between the students as informal. If, after implementation of the ride match service, there appear to be a shortage of drivers and a surplus of rides needed, a carshare program might be developed. A pool of cars would be available for drivers who are members of the carshare program and those reserving the car pay a cost per mile for its use. Cost components of this more expensive version would include the purchase of some cars and the ongoing administration of membership fees, use fees (per mile charge) and reservations. The program as envisioned would be a user pay system. If vehicles are provided, then sources of funding might include the College, the Church, and the City of Angwin. 42

57 Figure 5-2: Potential Annual NCTPA Cost to Fund Northern Napa Valley Service Concepts Transit Ambassador Program - Latino $2,000 $2,060 $2,122 $2,185 $2,251 $2,319 $2,388 $2,460 $2,534 $2,610 $2,688 $2,768 $2,852 $2,937 $3,025 $3,116 $3,209 $3,306 $3,405 $3,507 $3,612 $3,721 $3,832 Non-Emergency Medical Transportation $9,200 Farm Worker Vanpool - Vehicles $120,000 $140,000 $163,000 $189,000 $220,000 Farm Worker Vanpool - Administrative $30,000 $2,060 $2,122 $2,185 $2,251 $2,319 $2,388 $2,460 $2,534 $2,610 $2,688 $2,768 $2,852 $2,937 $3,025 $3,116 $3,209 $3,306 $3,405 $3,507 $3,612 $3,721 $3,832 Total $161,200 $4,120 $4,244 $4,371 $4,502 $144,637 $4,776 $4,919 $5,067 $5,219 $168,376 $5,537 $5,703 $5,874 $6,050 $195,232 $6,419 $6,611 $6,810 $7,014 $227,224 $7,441 $7,664 Annual Inflation Rate = 3% 43

58 6. Recommendations The following recommendations reflect an assessment of the mobility needs in Chapter 3 and the consideration of the service concepts presented in Chapter 4. The overall service strategy developed for Northern Napa Valley does the following: Recognizes the limited demand for traditional public transit services in Northern Napa Valley. Reduces public transit hours in the area to free up transit funding for other areas of the County where demand increases warrant service expansion or enhancements. Recommends transit service enhancements that do not require additional revenue hours. Recommends mobility alternatives that could be implemented at the community or institution level with potentially minimal NCTPA contribution from traditional transit funding sources. Recommendation 1: NCTPA consider splitting VINE Route 10 into two shorter routes as a longer term strategy to improve on-time performance if running time problems are not corrected through scheduling adjustments. Poor schedule adherence is a critical service reliability issues that may be discouraging ridership. NCTPA is addressing the on-time performance issue through scheduling changes that include additional revenue hours and an additional bus. This will improve recovery time and schedule adherence. As congestion along the Hwy 29 corridor and south of Napa continues to increase through time, more hours and buses will be required to address this program in the future. Splitting the route into two separate segments may minimize the additional hours and buses required to keep VINE Route 10 on-time. Split VINE Route 10 into two separate routes at the Pearl Street Transit Center, with one route serving the segment between Calistoga and Downtown Napa, and the other route serving the segment between Downtown Napa and Vallejo. The VINE Route 10 currently serves two distinct service corridors the one north of the City of Napa and the other south of the City. Southbound buses would short turn at the Pearl Street Transit Center. This would effectively shorten the Northern Napa Valley portion of this route and facilitate improved on-time performance. By shortening the route, there would be less potential to run behind schedule. Assumes no route or service span changes. Recommendation 2a: NCTPA reduce VINE Route 11 service from four to one day a week because of low current and projected future ridership. VINE Route 11 began operation in April Productivity has remained below 1.30 passengers per revenue hour, and farebox recovery has remained below 5.00%. The service currently costs approximately $63.55 per passenger trip. This is significantly higher than the VINE 44

59 Route 10 cost per passenger trip of $5.62. VINE Route 11 must carry 4.84 passengers per revenue hour to achieve a 16% farebox recovery ratio. Future population projections suggest an almost flat demand trend with insignificant growth to increase productivity. The VINE Route 11 cost per passenger will continue to increase as operating costs increase annually. The reduction to one day a week would reduce the annual VINE Route 11 revenue hours from approximately 2, to 524 and an annual cost savings of approximately $120,850. Current regular life line ridership would be concentrated to a single day of service. Assuming that 60% of the approximate 2,600 annual passenger trips are regular and would still be carried on a reduced service for medical appointments and occasional shopping trips, hourly productivity would be increased to 3.00 passengers per revenue hour and farebox recovery would increase to 11%. The operating cost per passenger would decrease from $63.55 to $ Westbound Scheduling Adjustments Eliminate the timepoints at Kaiser and Coddingtown Malls (but not the stops). Passengers are getting off at these stops and not boarding on the westbound trip. By eliminating the timepoints the operator could proceed without waiting for the scheduled departure time, getting the downtown destined passengers to their stops earlier. This would also allow additional recovery time for lunch and a comfort break at the Federal Building terminus, assuring an eastbound on-time departure. Eastbound Scheduling Adjustments Only do the eastbound loop through Calistoga if there is a passenger that needs to be dropped off. With VINE Route 10 and HandyVan service there is no one to pick up for local Calistoga service or service to St. Helena. This would reduce travel time into St. Helena for passengers going south and would likely improve the connections with the VINE Route 10 (at City Hall), eliminating the need to hold back the VINE Route 10 for the VINE Route 11. Recommendation 2b: If VINE Route 11 productivity does not increase sufficiently to achieve a minimum 10% farebox recovery ratio within a year of reducing the service to one day a week, NCTPA should discontinue the service completely. The full discontinuation of VINE Route 11 service would result in an annual reduction of approximately 2,097 revenue hours and an annual cost savings of approximately $161, Passengers currently using the service for shopping trips could still access a wide range of retail outlets in the City of Napa via VINE Route 10. VINE Route 10 will be more reliable once schedule adherence issues are addressed. Focusing shopping trips on the City of Napa also keeps retail sales tax revenues within Napa County. Service should be replaced by a community-based NEMT volunteer driver reimbursement program (see Recommendation 8). 17 FY 2005/ FY 2005/06 costs. 45

60 Full discontinuation should be held until volunteer driver program is in place. As an interim step service could be reduced to one day per week. Current riders should be polled to determine most appropriate service day. Recommendation 3: NCTPA restructure St. Helena VINE Shuttle from a deviated fixed route to a pulsed dial-a-ride service. Recommendation eliminates the majority of fixed bus stops. Currently, the majority of trips are demand-response, making it difficult to maintain the fixed route schedule. Some bus stops are missed on certain trips, which makes the fixed route portion of the service unreliable. The restructured service would operate on a 60-minute pulse from City Hall based on the VINE Route 10 schedule. City Hall or the bus stop across the street would serve as a timepoint for walk-on passengers. In the morning, service would be pulsed to meet the southbound VINE Route 10; in the afternoon, it would be pulsed to meet the northbound VINE Route 10. This will formalize the service as a VINE Route 10 feeder. The four St. Helena Hospital trips and lunch break would have to be adjusted around the VINE Route 10 connections. Trip pick-ups would be organized into geographic sweeps of the City, starting and ending at the City Hall timepoint on a 60-minute pulse. Depending on the pattern, the bus could start with an initial sweep of the south side of town, making its way north to Safeway etc. before making a sweep of the north side. The organization of trips into zones will reduce deadheading and passenger trip lengths, and improve service productivity. To minimize telephone bookings, passengers could board the bus at City Hall without reserving by telephone. Passengers could also arrange return dial-a-ride trips directly with the driver, who could give an estimated pick-up time. The four daily St. Helena Hospital trips would be operated on a scheduled basis as they are now. Hospital trips would only be made if a passenger makes a request for a trip to or from the St. Helena Hospital. School trips could continue to be accommodated on a fixed stop, school bus-type run. Assumes no change in service hours span. Existing fare structure would apply. However, discounted free fare service would be limited to walk-on passengers at City Hall or other fixed stops that may be introduced. This will improve farebox recovery. If demand warrants, additional fixed stops could be established at Safeway and Napa Valley College. Service changes would be implemented with new service contract cycle beginning July 1,

61 Recommendation 4: NCTPA restructure Calistoga HandyVan service from full dial-a-ride to a pulsed zonal service. Service would be pulsed every 30 minutes from CalMart, providing a southbound sweep each hour serving Chateau Calistoga, and a northbound sweep each hour serving Rancho de Calistoga. The CalMart stop will serve as a scheduled timepoint. In the current travel pattern, most trips originate or end at these locations. All pick-ups and drop offs south of Lincoln will be accommodated in the southbound sweep, and all pick-ups and drop offs north of Lincoln will be accommodated in the northbound sweep. An additional timepoint will be established at the VINE Route 10 bus stop on the south side of Lincoln by the bridge. Calistoga HandyVan schedules will be pulsed to the arrival of the northbound VINE Route 10 to formalize the Calistoga HandyVan as a VINE Route 10 feeder. Passengers will be able to board the Calistoga HandyVan at CalMart or the VINE Route 10 bus stop without making a trip reservation by telephone. On weekdays, establish a single trip to St. Helena Hospital in the late morning to complement Lake Transit Route 3 service, reducing passenger wait times for return trips from appointments. Assumes no change in service hours span. Existing fare structure would apply for in-town service. A $3.00 fare (equal to Lake County s cash fare for service in Napa County) should be considered for the proposed service to St. Helena Hospital. Changes are proposed to improve productivity, make the service easier for passengers to use, and establish Calistoga HandyVan as a VINE Route 10 feeder. A reduction in the requirement to make telephone requests for trips from timepoints may make the service more attractive to Calistoga residents not currently using the service. Service changes would be implemented with new service contract cycle beginning July 1, Recommendation 5: NCTPA coordinate with Lake Transit to effectively market Lake Transit s Route 3 to better serve Calistoga residents with St. Helena Hospital service. Lake Transit s Route 3 currently serves Calistoga and St. Helena Hospital with two round trips on weekdays (three round trips on Tuesdays). Calistoga residents have been reluctant to use Route 3 service to the hospital because of generally long wait times between the 9:00 am hospital-bound trip and the second return trip at 2:35 pm. The proposed Calistoga HandyVan late morning trip should correct this problem. NCTPA and Lake Transit could coordinate the marketing of this service to Calistoga residents. NCTPA and Lake Transit should also try to negotiate a fare structure for this service that is more in keeping with the VINE Route 10 adult cash fare for service within NCTPA s Zone 1 North. 47

62 NCTPA should not cost share with Lake Transit for the continued operation of this service. Increased ridership on the Route 3 will improve Lake Transit s farebox recovery. Recommendation 6: NCTPA establish Volunteer Transit Ambassador Program for Northern Napa Valley Latino transit riders. The program would be aimed at potential Latino transit riders who may be reluctant to try VINE Route 10, the St. Helena VINE Shuttle or the Calistoga HandyVan because of cultural or language barriers. While transit is not effective for farm worker job-related trips, transit is an important mobility option for farm worker families for school, shopping, medical and personal business travel. In some cases, illiteracy may be the barrier and the provision of transit information in Spanish may not be enough. A transit ambassador program would train volunteers to effectively use transit so that they in turn could accompany new riders on one or more initial transit trips to acquaint the new riders with how to effectively use the services. A volunteer program should be organized at the community level with individuals trusted by the Latino community. Possibilities include St. Helena Catholic Church, Napa County Hispanic Network, or Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (Calistoga). Recommendation 7: NCTPA maintain current VINE Go operational strategy in Northern Napa Valley. VINE Go service effectively accommodates Northern Napa Valley demand by structuring morning and afternoon runs around medical appointment and development program times. This efficient approach should be continued. During regular service hours, St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan will accommodate local ADA eligible trips within St. Helena and Calistoga. VINE Go will accommodate local Northern Napa Valley travel by ADA eligible residents during VINE Route 10 service hours that are outside the local community shuttle hours. Wherever feasible, ADA eligible Northern Napa Valley residents will be transferred from local community shuttles or locally operating VINE Go services to VINE Route 10 service for travel outside the Northern Napa Valley service area. Recommendation 8: If VINE Route 11 is discontinued (Recommendation 2b), a community-based organization could establish a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) volunteer driver program to transport St. Helena and Calistoga residents to Santa Rosa medical facilities. A NEMT Volunteer driver reimbursement program would be intended to transport eligible St. Helena and Calistoga residents to medical appointments and treatment in Santa Rosa in the event that VINE Route 11 service is discontinued. Currently the Kaiser Hospital and neighboring Kaiser medical facility are key VINE Route 11 destinations. 48

63 A volunteer driver program could be initially organized by NCTPA through a local community host such as the St. Helena Senior Center Board, Calistoga Senior Association, or Calistoga Recreation and Community Services. The host organization would serve as the central trip coordinator and assume administrative responsibilities for the program. A small budget would be required for driver mileage reimbursements and administrative overhead to cover ride coordination, insurance, record keeping and the processing of reimbursement checks. Reimbursement should be based on currently approved mileage rates for public servants in Napa County. All mileage claims will be verified by the central trip coordinator, who would establish maximum distance standards for travel between St. Helena and Calistoga, and Santa Rosa. Mileage claims will be based on these maximums. The cost per passenger would be significantly lower than the current VINE Route 11 cost per passenger trip. If successful, the program could be expanded to include other areas of Northern Napa Valley not served by transit and for NEMT trips beyond Napa County. Recommendation 9: NCTPA work with Napa County Vintner s Association or the Napa County Farm Bureau to determine interest and need to develop a farm workers vanpool program. Conduct initial meetings to determine need and interest in organizing vanpools. If there is an expression of industry interest, provide staff or consulting resources to develop a small scale application on a demonstration project basis. It is assumed that the industry would take the lead coordination and administration role for a farm worker vanpool program. May be a requirement for NCTPA capital funding commitment to procure vans for lease-back to vanpool coordination body. Demonstration project should operate up to 18 months to properly evaluate. Continuation and evaluation should depend on conclusions and recommendations drawn from evaluation period. Recommendation 10: NCTPA work with PUC to establish a ride share mobility club to meet PUC student travel needs to and from the Angwin campus. A mobility club is essentially a registry of volunteer drivers and persons who need to travel. A mobility club is a low cost grassroots mobility solution that could effectively serve travel needs to St. Helena on Friday evenings for social trips and Napa on Saturdays for shopping. A mobility club registry could be established through the PUC website. Students willing to participate would register online as potential volunteer drivers and post any upcoming travel plans. Students wishing a ride would post a request online or select a driver with travel plans that match his or her requirements. Registration would be limited to PUC students, faculty and staff. With an interactive website there would be no need for a staff ride coordinator. Complaints could be monitored by PUC Public Safety. 49

64 Reimbursement could be based on a per mile rate established annually by PUC administration and a student committee. There would be no requirement for NCTPA funding assistance. The program would operate on a user pay basis. Although PUC would essentially be an arm s length sponsor, PUC would still be a required to maintain insurance coverage including Comprehensive General Liability, Business Auto Liability (as a secondary policy to the volunteer driver s primary coverage), and Umbrella/Excess Liability. In the case of an accident or injury claim, the volunteer driver s insurance provides the initial coverage and PUC s insurance acts as a secondary policy to cover any claims above the volunteer driver s coverage. Potential organizational advisory assistance could be solicited from SNCI. 50

65 7. Proposed Implementation Schedule Figure 7-1 provides a suggested timeline for the implementation of the Chapter 6 recommendations. It assumes approval of an action plan in July Implementation of the St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan will have to be timed on or after the July 1, 2008 beginning of the next service operating contract cycle. 51

66 Figure 7-1: Proposed Northern Napa Valley Transit Plan Implementation Task FY 2007/08 FY 2008/09 FY 2009/10 J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J 1 Approve Northern Napa Valley Transit Action Plan 2 Monitor Route 10 Schedule Changes 3 Split Route 10 If Required to Correct On-Time Performance 4 Reduce Route 11 Service to One Day/Week 5 Organize and Implement NEMT Volunteer Driver Program for St. Helena and Calistoga (if necessary) 6 Discontinue Route 11 Service (if necessary) 7 Develop Revised Service Strategy for St. Helena VINE Shuttle & Calistoga HandyVan 8 Revise NCTPA Service Agreements with St. Helena & Calistoga 9 Revise Service Operating Contract Specifications to Reflect St. Helena & Calistoga Changes 10 Call for Service Contract Proposals & Select Contractor 11 Implement St. Helena VINE Shuttle & Calistoga HandyVan Service Changes 12 Develop and implement Transit Ambassador Program 13 Establish Lake Transit Route 3 Agreement 14 Market Lake Transit Route 3 Service to St. Helena Hospital 15 Develop & Implement Farm Worker Demonstration Project 16 Develop & Implement PUC Mobility Club 17 Montor Service Changes & Correct Problems

67 NORTHERN NAPA VALLEY TRANSIT STUDY Appendix: Community Outreach Submitted by: May 3, 2007

68 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Stakeholder Interviews Stakeholders Contacted Stakeholder Survey Findings City Planners and Administrators Findings St. Helena Calistoga Pacific Union College Operator Surveys/Interviews Route 10 Operator Survey Route 11 Operator Interview St. Helena VINE Shuttle Operator Interview Calistoga HandyVan Operator Interview Passenger Surveys Route 10 Passenger Survey St. Helena VINE Shuttle Passenger Survey Calistoga HandyVan Passenger Survey...23 Appendix A: Stakeholder Interview Questions Appendix B: Passenger Survey Questionnaires Appendix C: Operator Survey Questionnaires i

69 1. Introduction The purpose of the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study is to assess current and future public transit needs in North County and to develop sustainable service strategies to meet those needs, especially in the communities located away from the Highway 29 corridor. Met and unmet mobility needs were identified through a series of public outreach initiatives, including stakeholder interviews and meetings, passenger surveys, and driver interviews. The outreach initiative provided a series of snapshots of needs, service priorities, how the services are currently being used, and potential areas for improvement. The findings from the community outreach are incorporated in the development of service concepts, goals, and strategies in the Northern Napa Valley Transit Study. Final service concepts reflect, where practical, public input from the community outreach. 2. Stakeholder Interviews Stakeholders were interviewed in three ways: phone surveys were conducted of community leaders, a stakeholder meeting was held at Pacific Union College to address issues relating to that community, and in-depth interviews were done with government planning staff. 2.1 Stakeholders Contacted NCTPA staff developed a list of 21 Northern Napa Valley stakeholders, and provided it to the consultant to conduct a stakeholder survey. Fifteen stakeholders were successfully contacted and completed the phone survey; the remaining six individuals did not respond to repeated telephone messages. The following is a list of those community leaders, government staff, and business representatives who filled out stakeholder surveys. A sample survey can be found in Appendix A. Community Leaders: Diana Carr (Secretary to Monsignor Brinkle, St. Helena Catholic Church) Sara Cakebread (Executive Director, St. Helena Family Resource Center) Maria Pena (Director of Patient Relations, St. Helena Hospital) Janelle Ross (Director, Woodbridge & Silverado Orchards) Frank Satelli (Boys and Girls Club) Pat Dell (Vineyard Valley) Grace Kistner (Vineyard Valley) Government Staff: Frank Difede (Superintendent, Calistoga Recreation and Community Service) Charlene Gallina (Planning and Building Director, City of Calistoga Planning) Jonathon Goldman (Public Works Director, City of St. Helena Public Works) Nancy Levenberg (Executive Director, St. Helena Chamber of Commerce) Lisa Montanez (Records Coordinator, Napa County Health and Human Services Agency) Patricia Orr (Public Health Coordinator, Napa County Health and Human Services Agency) Carol Poole (Planning Director, City of St. Helena) 2

70 Business Representatives: Ed Matovcik (Vice President, Fosters Wine Estates [Beringer]) 2.2 Stakeholder Survey Findings Stakeholder responses are listed below by question. Frequently repeated answers and I don t knows have been condensed. Question 1: First, what would you say is the role of public transportation in Napa County? To provide transportation services. To coordinate with the City transit service needs. It s a very vital service for the workers and people who don t have transportation. For example, farm workers. It s the backbone of Napa. I think you are doing a good job. Particularly for seniors. I see them picking up a lot of our people. Their role is to transport people without vehicles. To provide public transportation. To provide people who don t have transportation with a way to get around. To serve the needs of the people. We have seniors in our assisted living spaces, and they need to get to various places. To decrease cars on the road. To allow more people access to the places they need to get to. To get people from one place to another in a convenient time. Well, in Calistoga it is to get people back and forth to work. Gosh, I don t think it has a role. It is better than 20 years ago, but it leaves a lot to be desired. It never runs on-time and we have only two bus-runs a day. It s primarily to provide bus service. To coordinate with the regional planning agency. As far as having the buses in town, scheduling and getting people to and from places. I think they are to make improvements to roads. To help with congestion of the traffic. To provide affordable and user-friendly transportation for all County residents. Efficient and safe transportation corridors. Question 2: Thinking specifically about the people your organization serves, what destinations do they need to get to? To Santa Rosa, Napa, Lake County and Calistoga. Mostly work, shopping and doctor services. A lot of health services at St. Helena Hospital. To get to Napa Valley Colleges. To get to Santa Rosa s Kaiser. To the mall in Santa Rosa and the outlets in Napa. To get to Up Valley and Napa. No specific locations, just the City. They go to St. Helena Hospital, the Women s Center, Safeway and all grocery stores in town. All the schools in the City of St. Helena, public and private schools. They go to the hospitals. It depends on whom the individuals get their services from. They go to St. Helena Hospital. They go shopping. They go to any store, like grocery stores. Safeway, for example. 3

71 They need to get up and down the valley. We are in St. Helena and folks need to get to Calistoga and Napa. Well, we are in St. Helena and they need to get to Napa. Or 4th Street Cope Family Center is where we send them. Seniors who go to the doctor, or want to go to St. Helena, or into Napa. Shopping or doctors offices, which are all up and down the valley. The City of Napa, and downtown Santa Rosa for the malls and movies. We are recreational, and we have people who need to get to the college, veteran home, and to the swimming pools. They need to get to our hospital, St. Helena Hospital and then get back home. Doctors offices, County offices on Old Cinema Road, County offices on Elm Street, drug and alcohol programs, Child Protective services, and women, infant and children classes on Elm Street. To doctor s appointments, including dentist. Patients can be located on Claremont Drive in Napa. Cope on 4th Street and Hope on 4th Street in Downtown. Boys and Girls Club on Pueblo Ave. Community resources on West Street. Food Bank on Industrial Way. Salvation Army on Main Road and WIC on Old Sonoma Road. The Napa Airport Cooperative Region. Beringer Vineyards in St. Helena. Question 3: And which ones of them need or want to use public transportation to get to these destinations? The elderly and low-income. There is a lot of Hispanics, and a lot of youth. Everyone in our organization. Everyone who comes here. Well, I think the people who aren t able to drive. People who don t want to pay for gas. Anybody who has no other way to get there. Get to Napa, Solano and Calistoga. They are lower-income Latinos or homeless people, and the buses are the only way they have to get around. We have seniors who need to go into St. Helena to go shopping or to Calistoga. About 25% of my people need transportation. These people are all over 55 and are not driving for many reasons, and need to go into Calistoga and other places in this area. The school age kids. The 7th graders to 12th graders. Our seniors, low-income people, and children to go swimming and to physical treatment. People who need to see a doctor, take x-rays, and get medical care. Students, seniors and people who don t work. Women with children, elderly, and some mental health clients. In my specific unit there are mothers, fathers, and children that are of childbearing ages that have childcare needs for families. Public health nursing is our unit. Families with health needs are our target population. 4

72 Employees and customers. For the Napa airport region, 50% employees and 50% customers. Question 4: What are their reasons for needing or wanting to use public transportation? Recreational services for the youth, shopping and doctors services are what I hear at the council meetings. They have no vehicles. A lot of people aren t able to drive. It helps the environment. Not a lot of people on the road burning a lot of gas. The same answer. Anybody who has not other way to get there. Decrease car traffic, car emission, and stop pollution. We are a resource center, and they need to get to Napa for the services that we send them to. We send them for food assistance, housing, or job referrals. Some can t drive or do not have anyone to take them. Our driver is only here for a limited time, and our seniors need to be able to make their appointments. They are not able to drive due to medical reasons or have no one to take them, and public transportation is doing a very good job. To get to recreational activities that are not offered in St. Helena or Calistoga. They don t have cars and are low-income. Cab fare is about fifty dollars from Napa. There are only two bus-runs a day. There are some who don t drive or don t want to drive, because they are up in age and don t drive anymore. There are people who want to get to where they are going without having to deal with traffic. It s the only way they can get to and from their destinations because they don t have any other form of transportation. Meeting their healthcare needs and accessing services like going to the medical offices. If it were available, they may use it to save time and gasoline. Question 5: What challenges do they face in accessing or using public transportation? The times they are available and the frequency of the buses. The bus being on-time. Being time adherent to schedules. They have to be able to figure what s available to them and be able to make connections. To know the schedules and changing routes. There isn t much. We have very little. Our people need to know that the buses get them where they need to go on-time. We could use more bus stops since things are widespread out here. Need information on how to get to the bus and when it runs. It would be nice if someone could set a schedule for us and come out here to share this information. At this time I must say the public transportation is doing a very good job. They run often and into the later evening, so the seniors are able to get around. 5

73 Appropriate times of availability. Kids wanting to get to a movie in Santa Rosa. Having it available at an early enough time where they can get there and back before it gets too dark. They don t have buses that run often enough. The buses are not available when needed. We need more runs to the Hospital. Scheduling, finding out information on buses. There needs to be better public outreach. Lack of park and ride parking lots. The bus stop locations. They are too far apart. They have to walk a ways. They need maps so they know the schedule. They may need to get the right resources to help them get around to learn how to use the resources. Those who live in Up Valley are challenged because they live in remote areas. Sometimes there are areas that are more difficult to get to. It can take all day sometimes. Their funds are limited and can t afford the bus fare. Their biggest difficulty is that it s confusing, especially if they are not English-speaking. There is congestion on the road, and there are no buses or trains. Question 6: What seems to work well in terms of public transportation in the County, both generally and for the people you serve? The ease of getting the passes. Being able to buy them at City Hall. The maps that we provide are convenient for them. They are carpooling like crazy. Networking with other people to get to places. They pick them up in front of their homes. They go to a lot of communities and pick them up. It gets them to Napa when they need to go. It gets them there on-time generally. The bus to Calistoga runs often and my clients are able to get into town to go to the doctors or do their shopping. As far as access to Napa, it does not work, but here in St. Helena is a little better. Napa is further away and it is only good for getting home to St. Helena. I think the service around Downtown Napa seems to work well. I don t think the buses in Up Valley are working well. I don t know what s working now, but I would think they need a consistent scheduling or there needs to be a shuttle of some sort to get people to and from work. That there is a plan in place. It s considered affordable, although some can t afford it. Question 7: And why do you say that? It s close to where they live and they recognize the City Hall as a place to stop and get information. It s working because you see it. You see tons of carpools. I think because some of these people can t get out any other way. They take them wherever they need to go. We need to have public transportation. We don t have enough. We need more. 6

74 I just don t have contact with the buses. It would be nice if someone would contact us and share route and time information. We need more buses to run. That s the main point. The service is not frequent enough. There needs to be a better scheduling of more buses to Up Valley. I know some people who carpool because they don t drive. I m sure there is a certain time the buses stop, and there is a need for later buses. It offers a sound alternative to using a personal car. Question 8: What needs improvement (in terms of public transportation in the County, both generally and for the people you serve? Providing more frequent access to information about schedules and so forth. Better roads. Better vehicles. More pick-ups at prime times of the day. For example, early morning and late afternoons. Better service, being on-time. Need a lot more of it. We need something to bring people more frequently. Express buses, park and ride, and airport shuttle to Sacramento and Oakland. We don t have one. The buses could run more on-time and make more stops. Just getting us the information and to better serve our seniors. We have 92 assisted living people, and they could really use the public service. More routes and more bus stops. More bus runs, later runs, and weekend runs. We need to focus on getting people out of their cars. We need to focus on getting better commuter bus services. Without knowing the times, there needs to be earlier and later buses, and to take a look at the bus routes and seeing that it s covering areas that are needed. They need to see where the bus stops are located, and maybe see if we need to move some of them as the city grows or add more stops. I think a network that doesn t require all day travel. Someway that some of the more remote areas could be serviced. There needs to be more access to public transportation. Question 9: And why do you say that? Because when I am in Napa I see a drop in numbers from the planning board. Because there aren t a lot of routes at the time people need them, and they aren t ontime. Keep people off the roads. We have a major traffic problem here with tourists coming in and out. We lack these services. We have people who would want to go to San Francisco and can t. They want t to go to Solano, Napa or Calistoga more often, but can t. Those are the reasons. 7

75 There are not enough bus runs. Because it s clear that the traffic jams, especially on Highway 29, are because of lack of park and ride, and there are too many stops. We need a commuter bus that will get them to Up Valley quicker. Because I don t see any buses or trains servicing the areas between the Bay Area and Napa Airport. Question 10: What local programs and services do you feel would benefit form improved public transportation? The doctor s office, colleges, and shopping malls. Every local program, everyone. I think the merchants downtown. The people at the senior center because they will be able to socialize more. Work, more people could get to work. People would get out for leisure time. Well, families would benefit. They would have transportation to get where they need to go when they need to. Our seniors can shop more, get to their appointments, visit friends or go into Calistoga or St. Helena. The city as a whole benefits. The citizens have use and the service runs all the time. They can go shopping, to the doctors, or community events. They can get to the Veterans home and go shopping. We just need to get people to and from their jobs in St. Helena in general. I work for government, so I don t know. I can t think of any. The people we work with need to get their EBT cards and MediCal so however they get here they do. Napa County Health and Human Services. Question 11: In the future, do you see the need or desire for public transportation among the people you service, increasing decreasing, or remaining about the same? Increasing (most respondents answered with some variant of Increasing ). It would increase because less people would drive. We would go green and help car emission. It will increase because fewer people would want to drive, but they need dependable transportation. The reasons vary as to why they may not drive or choose to drive. Increasing because the gas prices are so high and public transportation is inexpensive. Remaining the same. Question 12: And why do you say that? Because of the increase in gas prices. Because of the governor s executive order to have local government and other government to find ways to reduce vehicle travel. Because I see it all the time. People waiting just to get a bus to come. 8

76 Because the cost of gas is going up. The environment, it will keep people off the road. Because the economic and traffic pressures are going to continue, and it will drive people further and further to use public transportation. We need a greener America. We need a sure way to get to and from. I would support mass transportation. We can also cut down on pollution, and help the environment to be safe and clean. Because they are at the age where they can t drive, so they will need some form of public transportation to get there. And the population is not going to increase anymore, so the City will not do anything else about it. Gas is going higher, and people can t afford to drive. I think more and more people come to the hospital, and they need a way to get here because they are mainly low-income. Because the future of this earth depends on getting people out of their automobiles. Because of global warming, we need to decrease the carbon dioxide in the environment. We keep getting bigger. Hiring more people and opening more programs. Because we are seeing an increase in that socio-economic population. Just with the population growing and congestion on the streets. Question 13: Is there anything you would like to add? No, my feelings are that we need to continue the bus service. It is helping our seniors to live active lives. I am not using public transportation, but as the community grows, having the most used languages signs, pamphlets or announcements on the bus to make sure it s diverse. Having room for the mothers to carry their child, and the seniors that can t move around as quickly. Consider making provisions for unpleasant things like the elderly taking time to get on the bus. I am just very glad that this effort is being made because it is very, very important. 2.3 City Planners and Administrators Findings More in-depth interviews were conducted with two groups of people: City planning staff in Calistoga and St. Helena; and stakeholders at Pacific Union College. Their views on the role of and need for transit in the study area are summarized below St. Helena The consultant conducted interviews with City planning staff on July 18, Representing the City were Carol Poole, Planning Director and Jonathon Goldman, Public Works Director. They had the following views on transit s role and the challenges therein: The role of transit in their opinion is to provide service to the transit-dependent population and to reduce traffic congestion in town. Commute trips were discussed. They d like to see more express service and shorter travel times on Route 10. Parking downtown was an issue. There are no planned park and ride lots. The City Council and Planning Department don t get complaints about lack of transit service. 9

77 Currently there is a problem at the south end of town crossing Highway 29. The high school is located here and the Route 10 bus stop serving students is dangerous to access because there is no safe crossing. Wilson Daniels (a local business) offered to pay for a bus shelter but bureaucracy has stymied the project. There is a need for bus shelters in town. Signalization on the south side of town (Highway 29 and Dowdell and Grayson) considered a big need for pedestrian, auto, transit safety. They understand that Caltrans is the key player here. The City expects slow growth with virtually no change in the senior population. Major destinations in town include the Napa Valley College (satellite facility), Main Street shopping, and the high school. The culinary institute is a residential school. They suggested it would be nice to reduce traffic by having a park and ride lot, with a shuttle bus loop to the wineries, perhaps a contract with Evans for operation. This would reduce the drive around and search method of winery tourist driving that results in U turns, traffic on inappropriate streets and general getting lost. Youth group trips were another area of possible demand for transit that was mentioned. Kathy Carrick is the recreation department manager responsible for these type offerings. Bike lane right of way (ROW) issues were discussed. Evidently there is a dedicated ROW on Highway 29. A continuous bike lane here and on the Silverado Trail will require more striping and ROW purchase. A comprehensive master plan would help Calistoga The consultant conducted interviews with City planning staff on July 18, Representing the City was Charlene Gallina, Planning and Building Director. She had the following views on transit s role and the challenges therein: The City is in the process of creating a new Urban Design Plan. They expect lots of growth in the future. The adopted growth management plan allows for 28 residential units per year (1.35% growth = 70 people = 28 units) and commercial development not to exceed 8 acre feet of water a year. The current population is 5,200. The waste water treatment plant, although recently improved, is one of the most limiting factors for new growth. The Urban Design Plan will address the issue of what land uses to put where. If zoning is revised then the General Plan will be revised to match. Growth was held back and now the gate is open. New projects within next 5 years: Auberge du Soleil new sister spa Solage : 1.3 acres, 24 units, on site housing units - they will also have a shuttle service for their visitors. Palisades Resort: 89 new units. Calistoga Village Inn being torn down and replaced with Roman Spa Resorts. Several other large well known spas (Doc Wilkenson s, and Silver Rose) are doing major upgrades to their spa properties. Gilder airport site available for development expect hotel and mixed use commercial here applications coming in for up to 100 units. Calistoga bottling plant (on Silverado Trail) expansion plan. New community pool near fairgrounds. Development agreements being requested to mitigate compliance with the 8 acre feet per year water issues, and housing needs. Project staging and provision of on-site housing have been strategies deployed. 10

78 Redevelopment is slated for Washington Street where many of the City s Hispanic residents live. Major transit destinations include the fairgrounds, the spas and hotels for workers and guests. It s a resort town. They have workers from Santa Rosa and Lake County coming in to work in the spas and hotels. It takes about 45 minutes from Kelseyville and 25 minutes from Middleton (Lake County) to get to Calistoga. Hotel workers would need offhour transportation. Saturday and Sunday and evening transit service would be necessary to meet their needs. The closest doctor offices are in Santa Rosa, about 30 minutes drive away. In Calistoga there are 3 mobile home parks for seniors 55 and older but only one pharmacy in town. Most residents go to Santa Rosa for doctor and shopping trips as it is closer than going to Napa. Councilman Jingles has been a proponent of the new Calistoga to Santa Rosa transit service stating let s use it before we lose it. The City has worked to stimulate ridership on this new route. Bus stops: The parking lot for the Oat Trail could be used as a park and ride lot. Parking structures built by the resorts could also be used as park and ride lots. Population of seniors expected to remain about the same but they are seeing a decline in the number of families and a drop in school enrollment. Need transportation for kids to activities in the summer. Suggest pool, movies, etc. in Santa Rosa Pacific Union College A stakeholder meeting was held by the consultant at Pacific Union College (PUC) on May 26, The following stakeholders were in attendance: Matthew Garcia, Safety Chief, PUC Barbara Spellitich, President, Angwin Council Virgil Morris, Member, Angwin Council Brittany Collins, student representative, PUC Phyllis Smith, Angwin senior volunteer Duane Cronk, Angwin senior volunteer The stakeholders had the following views on the need for transit in the area: Barbara Spellitich started off the meeting introducing the town and her sense of the transportation need. She envisions fixed route service coming 2 times a day. Angwin has a population of 3,500. Issue of developer wanting to build 2,000 units but currently in agricultural preserve so not likely. Senior volunteers take calls for rides to town (St. Helena) for doctor, dentist, and beauty appointments. Duane (he s 86) often a driver they provide their own gas, no method for reimbursement. Used to get some $ from the Council for a Christmas party and cost reimbursement for the volunteer drivers. Barbara Spellitich put it on the next council agenda, was unaware of the need. Last year, senior volunteers provided approximately 100 trips (assume 1 trip equals going and returning). Most for specific appointment times that would be tough to serve with fixed route. Duane was particularly opposed to using tax money for bus service (he wants road improvements), but warmed up to the idea of flexible/demand-responsive type service. Thought it would be OK if there were specific performance standards, so if it wasn t used, it wouldn t keep running. 11

79 Spent some time talking about how to get the information out to people. They see this as a problem if a new bus service were established. People would use it if we could get the word out. Ideas for information dissemination included: manning a table outside the market (this worked well for getting out the vote); putting information in the Angwin reporter (Angwin Reporter.com); and placing it on the Angwin website sponsored by the fire department. Students can be reached through , the PUC website, the PUC newspaper, and voic . Matt has augmented their PUC website to include more about how students can make transit connections to get to regional destinations from St. Helena. PUC student representative Brittany Collins thought that those with the biggest need were the international students who lived on campus and didn t get home on weekends and holidays and often don t own cars. Evidently Matt has the statistics on who owns cars and who doesn t 45% of the students don t have access to a car. Biggest need would be to get into town on Friday after school ends (around noon) and get back before Vespers (8 pm). Also thought being able to access shopping in Napa (Target mentioned) would be popular as they don t have many options in Angwin. Matt explained that his boss had set him on a mission to improve access for students to the airports at school start and end dates. This sounds like a twice-a-year problem. Oakland and Sacramento are the most utilized airports. I explained about the charter conflict regulations. Matt also felt that it was important to bring together all the resources (school, church, NCTPA, and council) in developing and funding the service. Sounds like there is the opportunity to get buy in financially from PUC, the Church, and Angwin Council. Several different service scenarios were outlined by the consultant during the meeting including: Use the senior volunteer model but expand it to include the general public and students. Maybe getting public funding for gas reimbursement, driver training, and vehicles. Maybe students can be drivers. Demand-responsive service to St Helena grouping of trips (if no demand, the bus wouldn t run). Fixed route type service with a stop in front of the market. I explained that it would be expensive and likely overkill to have 3 round trips a day, every day (example: Santa Rosa to Calistoga not meeting goal). They thought a fixed route going in on Friday afternoon for the students would definitely get enough riders to justify this type of run. Also some consensus that fixed route service that ran 3 days a week would be a good compromise. Friday afternoon party bus to St. Helena and Saturday shopping trip to Napa driven by student. Conclusion: Council members and students like a fixed schedule as it adds quality to the whole community and isn t too tricky to figure out. Service designed around specific demand, such as demand-response or volunteer demand response type service, will be more cost-effective. 12

80 3. Operator Surveys/Interviews Operator survey questionnaires were drafted for Route 10, Route 11, St. Helena VINE Shuttle and Calistoga HandyVan. Copies of the operator questionnaires are provided in Appendix C. Responses were received from Route 10 operators. In addition, interviews were conducted with operators on Route 11, the St. Helena VINE Shuttle, and the Calistoga HandyVan while conducting field work. 3.1 Route 10 Operator Survey Four Route 10 operators completed the survey. The key findings were as follows: Day on duty and shift times were: Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday 9:35 am and 3:55 pm Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday 11:35; Saturday 4:40 8:41 Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday-Saturday 3:05 NB 5:45 Peak passenger loads occurred at the following times: 10:50 am (Downtown Vallejo) 3:55 pm (Downtown Pearl) Monday-Friday, 3-6 pm Monday, 11:45 am (College) Saturday, 6:50 pm (Napa, Pearl) Same loads day to day Peak loads occurred at the following locations: Downtown Pearl Downtown Vallejo College Pearl Transit Center Wal*Mart Albertsons Bellaire Redwood & Sonoma (Vallejo) Vets Home Passenger overload problems occurred in the following situations: Kaiser Road bus is full by 4:10 pm Around school hours and 5 pm The busiest stops between Calistoga and Oakville were: Calistoga City Hall St. Helena City Hall 13

81 St. Helena 76 station Calistoga bridge The key trip origins and destinations along Route 10 south of Oakville were: Pearl Transit Center College Southern Napa Rio Del Mar & Highway 29 American Canyon City Hall Sereno Ferry Terminal York & Marine Jefferson & Trancas Lamplighter Redwood & Solano Veterans Home Ranch Market Madison & Washington St. Helena Calistoga Those key trip origins and destinations located between Calistoga and Oakville included: St. Helena St. Helena City Hall Calistoga The group that rode Route 10 the most were: Disabled adults (four responses) Seniors (three responses) College students (three responses) High school and junior high students (two responses) Employed adults (two responses) Unemployed adults (one response) The following percentages of daily riders got on and off between Calistoga and Oakville: 30% Most 14

82 The following percentages of daily riders traveled to and from destinations south of Oakville: 70% Most The following trips run consistently late: 3:55 pm (traffic in Vallejo) 3:55 pm southbound (traffic, busy bus) 4:55 pm southbound (traffic, busy bus) 11:00 am northbound (lots of wheelchairs) 3:05 pm (driver falls behind in Napa to Vets Home, makes up time from Vets Home to Calistoga southbound, but when he gets in to Napa, he falls behind again) Operators felt that routing should change to better serve their passengers in the following area: on the way back coming from Vallejo, don t need to stop on Sereno and Kaiser. Suggestions for improvement from operators and their passengers included: Better bus stop placements would help We need new buses!! No flag stops hard to find at night Stop going through college late on Saturday night when school is closed More time on Saturday run to Vallejo More time in Napa for traffic and bus stops 3.2 Route 11 Operator Interview An informal interview was conducted with the Route 11 operator during a ride-along on March 20, The following summarizes the feedback from this discussion: Key Markets Seniors and youth. Two to three passengers per day. Key Destinations Kaiser Medical and Downtown Santa Rosa. Key Trip Purposes Medical and shopping. Operations Additional layover time required at Federal Building in downtown Santa Rosa for operator comfort break and/or lunch. 3.3 St. Helena VINE Shuttle Operator Interview An informal interview was conducted with the St. Helena VINE Shuttle operator during a ridealong on Thursday morning, September 21, The following summarizes the feedback from this discussion: Key Markets Service is primarily used by retired persons from lower or limited fixed income households. Approximately 14 elementary and high school students are carried on a 7:40 am school run, and seven middle school students are carried on a 7:55 am school run. The Latino population uses the service to access shopping, Route 10 connections at City Hall, the St. Helena Hospital and 15

83 classes at Napa Valley College (Upper Valley Campus). There is a swimming pool run operated in the summer months for children. Key Destinations Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, St. Helena High School, Safeway and neighboring stores and services, Bank of America, West American Clinic, Citibank, Library, and City Hall (Route 10 connections). Key Trip Purposes Shopping, banking, education, medical and personal business. Operations Although the service is intended as a fixed route service with route deviations for demand-response service, the majority of trip requests are for route deviation service. The service has difficulty operating according to its fixed schedule because of the large number of route deviation requests. When it is running late, some timepoints are missed on specific trips. 3.4 Calistoga HandyVan Operator Interview An informal interview was conducted with the Calistoga HandyVan during a ride-along on Thursday afternoon, September 21, The following summarizes the feedback from this discussion: Key Markets Retired persons from lower or limited fixed incomes. Lower income adults and Latino residents living in Calistoga. Service accommodates approximately 25 one way trips per day. Key Destinations CalMart, doctor s office on Washington, Post Office. Majority of trips are from Rancho Calistoga and Chateau Calistoga. Key Trip Purposes Grocery shopping and medical. Operations Operates as a demand-response service. No problems with schedule adherence. Trip patterns have established an informal circle route Rancho Calistoga Northwest side to CalMart (downtown) to Chateau Calistoga back to CalMart and back to Rancho Calistoga. 16

84 4. Passenger Surveys An onboard passenger survey was administered on Route 10 by project surveyors in conjunction with the Route 10 ridecheck on March 14 and 15, Passenger surveys were distributed and collected by operators on Route 11, the St. Helena VINE Shuttle and the Calistoga HandyVan between March 20 and March 29, No Route 11 surveys were returned. Copies of the surveys are provided in Appendix B. 4.1 Route 10 Passenger Survey Encompassing 101 self-administered questionnaires, the survey was implemented on every run of Route 10 during the two-day period. Of the 101 riders who responded, 90 completed the entire survey; the remainder completed at least a portion of it before they had to get off the bus. The following findings were revealed by the survey: Most trips on Route 10 start in Calistoga (33%) or Napa (29%). Most riders (69%) walk to the bus stop where they get on the bus. Most trips end in St. Helena (37%), Calistoga (27%), or Napa (21%). Most riders (77%) plan to walk from the bus stop to their final destinations. The main purpose of trips on Route 10 is to go to work (48%). This is followed by going to school or college (13%). By far the majority of riders (90%) do not have cars available to them for the trips they take on Route 10. Most riders (70%) pay cash. The second largest group uses an adult pass (18%). The largest groups of Route 10 riders have been riding either between a year and just under two years or more than five years (24% each). The majority (63%) have been riding a year or more. Mean ratings of various aspects of the service on Route 10 on a four-point scale (where one equals poor and four equals excellent) are presented in Table 1 below. Somewhat over half of these ratings (56%) are at or above the level of good (mean value of 3.00); the remaining ratings are below that level. Most highly rated are buses stopping for passengers and availability of seats ; receiving the lowest ratings are time spent waiting for the bus and on-time arrival. 17

85 Table 1: Ratings of the Service on Route 10 Mean Availability of Schedule Information 3.08 Availability of Route Information 3.14 Walking Distance to the Bus Stop 2.85 Time Waiting for the Bus 2.56 Safety at the Bus Stop 3.13 On-Time Arrival 2.64 On-Time Departure 2.81 Buses Stopping for You 3.37 Availability of Seats 3.39 Convenience of the Route 3.19 Travel time on the Bus 2.80 Cleanliness of the Bus Outside 3.00 Cleanliness of the Bus Inside 2.91 Safety on the Bus 3.31 Courtesy of the Driver 3.34 Bus Fare 2.98 What people like about riding Route 10 has been transcribed verbatim and is presented below, with duplicate answers and I don t knows omitted: Bus Performance On-Time, Routing: Runs every day Functional I like the 11 bus. I like to visit Santa Rosa Frequency of bus Conveniently gets me to classes and is generally on-time Runs pretty much on-time Takes me to school on-time 18

86 That it will practically take you anywhere It gets me where I need to go and the people that work at this are very nice I like the hours for the bus, but I don't like waiting a long time for the bus Consistent It gets me to where I want to go and the stops are right there That it's not late and I can get to school on-time It gets me to work in a timely manner The schedule The different routes that take you as far as Santa Rosa and Vallejo Opens route through Napa Valley On-time, convenient locations for me Availability They come at a good time That it's clean and you can go everywhere That it's every hour I like how the VINE goes all over Napa Bus Performance Other: I feel safe Interest in improving standards They have a lot of routes The effort put into improving the quality of the system Everything is very good Great service and to and from Napa County It s a good service Air conditioning, security Drivers: Convenience, courteous drivers Friendly people and conductors Everyone is nice The drivers have a helpful attitude in showing me where to go The bus drivers are very nice Friendly drivers The size allows the drivers to be human 19

87 The drivers are generally nice and personable I like some of the bus drivers The drivers Some of the drivers were more friendly The drivers treat better Friendliness Advantages of Transit: It's cheaper than a car It gets me where I need to go Price Less money, more safe Inexpensive, scenic valley Saves money, reduces air pollution, allows me to save car miles The bus fare Gets me to St. Helena and back to Napa, saves gas money Convenience I can read on the way up to St. Helena and not have to concentrate on driving Ways in which riders would like to see The VINE to improve have also been transcribed and are provided here in redacted form: Bus Performance On-Time, Routing: Perhaps a Route 10 stop that is further down Highway 29 in Calistoga More scheduled stops Make the Santa Rosa bus run every day Go to Sonoma Be more prompt Increased routes to Santa Rosa, later transit hours (11 pm) Up Valley, later Sunday hours. More frequent buses during the rush hour times, maybe each 1/2 hour. From Nutzi to Lincoln Later hours I like to improve the schedule Time it takes to cross the valley Get to bus stop more on-time Arriving more on-time Every 1/2 hour, later pick-up from Napa depot Would like better connection with ferry boat, we need to coordinate with ferry. More buses late in the evening. Airport run not needed, adds too much time. Better buses. 20

88 More runs on weekends and holidays I'd take the bus to Santa Rosa much more if it ran on weekends More buses and run later in the evening The VINE bus really needs to have good connections with the Vallejo Ferry and the ferry bus. It does not. This makes it very difficult and inconvenient for many, with long waits. Please coordinate with Baylink Ferry and Baylink buses at Vallejo Ferry Terminal. Please have more VINE buses on weekends. More buses on Sunday Week long service to and from Santa Rosa Bus 10 is never on-time for pick-up in St. Helena Later buses on Sunday pm Get a bus that goes to Angwin 10 every 1/2 hour Route to Sequoia Square not Santa Rosa. More routes with less wait time Shorter gaps on Route 10. Bus on weekends and longer hours on Sunday. More Sunday service, separate service for Vets home, and cleaner during commute hours Not go too many places More punctual, and a more flexible schedule I would like that there is more service on Saturdays and Sundays I would like for it to stop in Silverado More punctual for the schedules That sometimes it wouldn't come before the time I would like for the bus that comes by at 3:40 to come at 4 A bus stop that goes farther down Highway 29 would be great, nearby Arco and Home Plate Cafe Bus Performance Other: More comfortable More seat availability It's one bus that has very dirty seats. Please clean. Newer insides I was given faulty info on-time of trip from your info operator and will miss my bus in Calistoga I had an ipod stolen on this bus and the camera could have caught whoever stole it. I called VINE which was not helpful. Stop signs in different locations 21

89 Better maintenance Cleaner Seatbelts Cheaper There is never a Route 10 schedule on the Route 10 bus Better seats Drivers: Some drivers need manners training. Should all be like Brian. At this time the driver is nice, but some drivers are so rude. Not to be rude Getting rid of all the drivers Respondent Characteristics A slight majority of respondents (51%) are male. The largest groups of respondents live in zip codes (37%), (19%), and (15%). The majority of respondents (58%) are aged 34 or younger; those aged 18 to 34 represent over two-fifths of the responding population (43%). The largest respondent group is Hispanic or Latino (46%); the second largest group is Caucasian or white (41%). Most respondents (71%) completed the survey in English. 4.2 St. Helena VINE Shuttle Passenger Survey The St. Helena VINE Shuttle passenger surveys were handed out and collected by drivers from March 20 to March 29, A copy of the survey is provided in Appendix B. The total number of responses was six. The surveys revealed the following: The most popular trip purpose was doctor/dentist (33%), followed by work, shopping, personal business/errands, and other (all 17%). Respondents were picked up at the following trip origins: Vineyard Valley Safeway 727 Hunt Ave Pope and Chiles Main St and Fulton Main St and Madrona Respondents were dropped off at the following trip destinations: Hair Salon by Safeway 22

90 Sylvaner and Spring 1490 Library Lane and Adams 999 Adams (two responses) Pope and Chiles None of the respondents had a car available for the trip. If Dial-A-Ride were not available, 50% of respondents would not have made the trip, 33% would have walked, and 17% would have gotten a ride in a friend s or family member s car. Most respondents ride the St. Helena VINE Shuttle 1-2 days/week or 3-4 days/week (40% each); 20% ride the Shuttle every day (5 days/week). Half of the respondents have been riding the Shuttle 1-3 years; 33% have been riding more than 3 years, and 17% have been riding it less than 1 year. Most respondents use VINE fixed route bus service (83%). Of those respondents, 40% ride it 2-4 days/week, 40% ride it 1-3 times/month, and 20% ride it 1 day/week. Most respondents also use VINE Go service (83%). All of those respondents report using it less than once/month. Most respondents had a valid, current driver s license (83%). All of the respondents were 71 years or older. Most respondents (67%) were female. Half of the respondents used a mobility aid. Of those, all reported using a cane, crutches, or walker. Respondents had the following additional comments about the service: Couldn t ask for better service because of Andy the driver. He s so polite and considerate. I could go on and on about Andy! You re fortunate to have him. I am thankful too. Nuff said. Andy is an excellent, thoughtful driver very punctual too! Wish the bus ran til 5:30 on Wednesdays (movies let out too late to catch the bus). Excellent service. Keep the driver, Andy, happy. We don t want to lose him. Service is excellent 2 hour call time is sometimes not practical. I tell everyone Try the Vine, you will love it. We need this so we can get out of the house!! 2 hour window is inconvenient. Often no answer at 6:00 a.m. Driver is great Andy makes me feel safe. Thank you. Andy is a wonderful driver my walker is always waiting for me good service. Calling 2 hours early really doesn t work. Sometimes things happen and one has to get a ride now. How about some newspaper publicity? 4.3 Calistoga HandyVan Passenger Survey The Calistoga HandyVan passenger surveys were handed out and collected by drivers from March 20 to March 29, A copy of the survey is provided in Appendix B. The total number of responses was 13. The surveys revealed the following: The most popular trip purpose was shopping (62%), followed by personal business/errands and work (15% each), and doctor/dentist and other (8% each). 23

91 Respondents were picked up at the following trip origins: Dentist CalMart (3 respondents) Rancho Springs (2 respondents) Rancho Chateau (2 respondents) Lincoln Fairway Wisteria Respondents were dropped off at the following trip destinations: Bus stop Burgundy Lincoln CalMart (4 responses) Chateau Hair Spa Pharmacy Cedar Rancho Post Office None of the respondents had a car available for the trip. If the Calistoga HandyVan were not available, most respondents would have walked (54%), 31% would have gotten a ride in a friend s or family member s car, and 15% would not have made the trip. Most respondents ride the Calistoga HandyVan 1-2 days/week (77%); 23% ride it 3-5 days/week. Most respondents have been riding the Calistoga HandyVan more than 3 years (77%); 15% have been riding it 1-3 years; and 8% of respondents have been riding it less than 1 year. 62% of respondents also use VINE fixed route bus service. Of those respondents, 40% use it 2-4 days/week, 40% use it less than once/month, and 20% use it 1 day/week. None of the respondents use VINE Go service. None of the respondents use Lake County Route 3 to get to and from the St. Helena Hospital. Most respondents have a valid, current driver s license (62%). Most respondents are 71 years or older (85%); the remaining 15% are years old. Most respondents were female (85%). 24

92 Most respondents use a mobility aid (70%). Of those, all report using a can, crutches, or walker. 25

93 Appendix A: Stakeholder Interview Questions NAPA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AGENCY NORTHERN NAPA VALLEY TRANSIT STUDY SURVEY OF KEY INFORMANTS ASK FOR RESPONDENT BY NAME. Mr./Ms., this is YOUR FULL NAME calling on behalf of the Napa County Transportation Planning Agency. We are doing brief interviews with community leaders about the role and future of the public transportation in the Northern Napa Valley and would like to include your opinions. I only need about five minutes of your time. 1. First, what would you say is the role of public transportation in Napa County? 2. Thinking specifically about the people your organization serves, what destinations do they need to get to? (PROBE FOR SPECIFIC DESTINATIONS FOR EXAMPLE, NAME OF SCHOOL RATHER THAN JUST SCHOOL ; SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAM NAME AND LOCATION.) 26