The Boulder (and Boulder County) Experience June 6 th, 2017 RTD s Pass Program Working Group 2 nd Meeting
The Boulder (and Boulder County) Experience This will cover: 1) Eco Pass Revenues to RTD 2) Public Funds Contributions 3) Why Subsidize Eco Pass? 4) Desire to Expand Access
Boulder and Boulder County About 10% of total RTD service 20 bus routes completely within the County 6 bus routes cross County boundary 24% of the Business Eco Passes ~50% of the College Passes
Within the County Crosses County Boundary
Eco Pass/College Pass Revenue to RTD Annual Boulder County fare box revenue: $18.2 Million 47% comes from Eco Pass/ College Pass As a reference, 32% of entire district revenue comes from Eco Pass/ College Pass Primary difference is College Pass 23% of Boulder County revenue from just Eco Pass 21% of entire district revenue comes from Eco Pass (2014 data)
Eco Pass Access Business Eco Passes Neighborhood Eco Passes 9 College Passes 10 Residents with a Pass % of Residents With a Pass City of Boulder Residents 13,170 11,227 25,173 48,074 49% All Boulder County Residents 27,723 14,806 27,690 68,453 23% Removing students who are residents: Business Eco Passes Neighborhood Eco Passes 9 College Passes 10 Residents with a Pass % of Residents With a Pass City of Boulder Residents 13,170 11,227 22,901 23% All Boulder County Residents 27,723 14,806 40,763 14%
Eco Pass/College Pass Revenue to RTD Pass Program Revenue % Total Employer Paid $ 2,385,000 27% Boulder Parking Dist. $ 1,016,000 12% Neighborhood Eco Pass $ 836,000 10% Lyons Eco Pass $ 31,000 0% Nederland Eco Pass $ 85,000 1% CU Boulder Students $ 4,298,000 49% Naropa Students $ 100,000 1% Total $ 8,751,000 100% 2017 data
Historical Public Subsidy Pass Program Total Public $ Employer $ 425,000 Boulder Parking District $ 11,000,000 Neighborhood Eco Pass $ 2,500,000 Boulder County Housing Sites $ 250,000 Lyons Eco Pass $ 180,000 Nederland Eco Pass $ 200,000 Ride Free Longmont $ 700,000 Total $ ~$15,000,000
City of Boulder Neighborhood Support (BBBF): non-profit, independent org. Banking services: Residents in a Eco Pass neighborhood make checks to BBBF If enough money is collected, checks are cashed and BBBF sends a single check to RTD. 34 neighborhoods; $305,000 in annual contracts Starting payment plans for low-income neighborhoods
Why the focus on Eco Pass subsidies? Administration Annual versus monthly (or individual passes) Employers and Neighborhood coordinators Induces more transit ridership Achieves community goals (VMT, mobility and climate)
Eco Pass Boardings vs Route Performance Routes with higher % of Eco Pass boardings: Recover more revenue Have higher boardings per hour Have lower subsidy per boarding Following Charts: Each diamond represents an RTD route Moving right, % of boardings made by EcoPass increases.
Boulder County Communitywide Pass 2015-2016 Initiative Increasingly difficult to sign up new businesses and neighborhoods Those who could most benefit from a pass often to do not have access
Understanding the insurance model As more people are included (and are required to pay), the price per person goes down
Understanding the costs Any new discounted pass program will induce ridership Off-peak: fills empty seats and makes RTD money Peak: leads to over crowing and costs RTD money What routes and when is more service needed?
Each trip (e.g. Weekday 7:22 WB DASH) Estimate increased ridership (elasticity) Over capacity? YES NO Estimate cost to add more service Fills empty seats
Identify Funding Mechanisms Any discounted program must be subsidized by new local funds Pros and cons of various types of funding options Sales Tax Property Tax Employee Head Tax Utility Fees Different communities have different level of transit service
NE Longmont Broadway/ Baseline
What we learned Vast majority of trips have excess capacity Highest increased demand happens off-peak Peak hour commuters are relatively cost insensitive Price sensitive riders use transit mid-day Finding a countywide equitable funding mechanism is difficult
Ride Free Longmont 1. Revenue neutrality 2. Exposure to overcrowded buses 3. Aim for simplicity 4. Local funding, local funding, local funding!