BACKGROUND
In March of 2019 the City Council approved the Roseville Transit Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP). The SRTP identifies a number of options to improve transit services in Roseville. The SRTP recommendations related to the service changes discussed in this report include: 1) streamlining the C, E, F & G routes as shown on SRTP Figure 32 (Attachment 1); and 2) adding commuter bus service due to the high levels of commuter ridership at that time.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, Roseville Transit, along with transit agencies throughout the nation, experienced significant reductions in transit ridership that ultimately resulted in temporary service reductions. These service reductions were implemented with the hope that the COVID-19 and its ridership impacts would be short-lived and that service would return to pre-COVID conditions soon after implementation. Specifically, the following service changes were implemented:
- Commuter Service: On April 6, 2020, in response to low ridership due to employees working remotely, Roseville Transit temporarily suspended seven Commuter routes. Thirteen remaining Commuter routes did not change.
- Local Service: On May 26, 2020, with Sierra College practicing distance learning, Roseville Transit temporarily suspended the E and G routes and re-allocated those buses to the C and F routes to increase service frequency from every 2 hours to once per hour.
While Roseville Transit ridership continues to slowly increase, ridership remains below pre-COVID-19 levels. Because the service modifications have been in effect for more than a year, Roseville Transit opened up a 30-day public comment period from June 17, 2022 to July 19, 2022 and held a public hearing on July 19, 2022 at the City Transportation Commission meeting to receive comments on continuing some of the previous route changes and returning others to normal operation in a modified form.
Proposed Changes
Commuter Service
Roseville Transit proposes to maintain the existing level of Commuter service which consists of 13 commuter routes (six AM route and seven PM routes). The Commuter Routes AM 1, 6, 7, 10 and PM 3, 4, 8 will remain suspended until ridership warrants additional service.
Staff believes there is adequate coverage with the existing 13 commuter routes to provide service to those areas impacted by the seven suspended routes. Further, current total commuter ridership for the most recent quarter was 4,819 riders. While this number is the highest commuter quarterly ridership total in two years, it is still significantly lower than the 34,497 commuters that rode the quarter prior to COVID impacting ridership numbers. Commuter ridership remains low due to continued teleworking by most State agencies.
Staff will continue to monitor commuter ridership, and when ridership increases to the point where additional service is warranted, additional commuter routes will be added.
Local Service
Roseville Transit proposes a number of modifications for the local routes that were impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In consideration of the SRTP recommendations and continued COVID-19 impacts, The following local service modifications are being proposed on a pilot basis, with an effective date of August 22, 2022.
- Routes C, E, F and G will be restored to service every two hours.
- No route changes are proposed for routes C and F.
- Routes E and G will be modified to provide more direct service between the Sierra Gardens Transfer Point, Galleria Mall, and Sierra College.
- Route E and G will now become one route and will only be referenced as Route E. Route G will no longer exist once these changes are implemented.
Service for the route E and G will be provided every two hours to maintain the interlining with the routes F and C. The proposed modified route will eliminate bus service on Sierra College Boulevard between Rocklin Road and Douglas Boulevard. Routes E and G also previously provided service between Douglas Boulevard and the Sierra Gardens Transfer Point. This area will now only be served by Route L. The modified routes E and G are proposed to provide an out-and-back route between Sierra College and the Sierra Gardens Transfer Point, with a stop at the Galleria Mall. This route is proposed to be renamed Route E, while the Route G will no longer be listed (Attachment 2).
Related to these changes, staff has been working closely with the Sierra College administration, Placer County Transit, and the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency to implement a Sierra College student pass program. While the details are still being finalized, the goal of the student pass program is to provide free rides for all registered Sierra College students. The program is expected to be implemented for the Fall of 2022 semester, which begins August 22, 2022. The proposed modifications for the routes E and G are expected to not only be more appealing to current and future Roseville Transit riders, but also to Sierra College students due to the direct connection to and from Sierra College and the Galleria Mall.
In addition to Roseville Transit providing weekday service every two hours between these destinations, Placer County Transit will also provide service between these two destinations to provide more options for students.
Staff believes that the proposed changes, along with the implementation of the Sierra College pass program will result in increased ridership over the previous underperforming routes.
Public Engagement & Communication for the Proposed Service Changes
Public engagement and communication have been conducted consistent with the previously approved Title VI Plan for Roseville Transit, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) public notification requirements, and City of Roseville best practices. A Public Input Plan was developed to ensure comprehensive and inclusive outreach. These efforts include, but are not limited to:
- Brochures in Spanish and English indicating the proposed Local and Commuter Service changes, and soliciting public input were available on Roseville Transit buses, transit customer service outlets, and at community facilities;
- The same information was also shared with the community via the City of Roseville’s newsletters, website, and social media channels;
- Public hearing notices were published in English and Spanish and displayed on all Roseville Transit buses;
A 30 day public comment period to comment on the proposed changes began June 17, 2022 and ended July 19, 2022. A total of eight comments were received. Comments received during the public comment period are attached (Attachment 3). On July 19, 2022, the City’s Transportation Commission held a public hearing in which one individual spoke about the changes. This individual’s comments are captured as one of the eight public comments received. Following the public hearing, the Transportation Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the proposed service changes as outlined in this Council Communication.