RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager or his designee to execute a reimbursement agreement with the Sierra Joint Community College District for Roseville Transit to receive partial reimbursement for providing free fares to Sierra College students during a three-year pilot program running through June 30, 2025.
| BACKGROUND
Beginning in 2019, Roseville Transit coordinated with the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA), Placer County Transit (PCT), Auburn Transit, and Sierra College to develop a free fare program for Sierra College students. The free fare program consisted of students fees covering the costs for free fares and was to be voted on by the student body in March of 2020. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vote was cancelled and the plans were put on hold.
In 2021, Roseville Transit staff began discussions again with PCTPA, PCT, Auburn Transit, and Sierra College to establish a revised pilot program with funding participation from Sierra College. A revised Sierra College free fare plan has now been developed in which Sierra College will reimburse Roseville Transit, PCT, and Auburn Transit 50% of the cost of lost fare revenue for providing free boardings to Sierra College students. If approved, the program will begin at the start of the Fall 2022 semester on August 22, 2022 and will end on June 30, 2025. Sierra College is budgeting approximately $200,000 per year to support this program.
In an effort to support this Sierra College free fares program, staff is proposing, under a separate Council Communication, to modify Roseville Transit’s Sierra College bus service to provide more direct bus service between the Sierra Gardens Transfer Center, Galleria Mall, and Sierra College’s Rocklin campus. This bus service (routes E and G) was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19, but is scheduled to begin operating again on August 22, 2022. Staff believes that these proposed changes, along with the implementation of the Sierra College pass program, will result in increased ridership over the previous underperforming routes.
The attached Sierra College Fareless Student Transit Pilot Program Reimbursement Agreement has been reviewed by both the City and Sierra College. The content of the agreement has been approved. However, as a public agency, Sierra College is unable to sign the agreement until after approval at the August 9, 2022 Board of Trustees meeting.
| FISCAL IMPACT
Under the assumption that ridership returns to pre-pandemic levels, plus additional ridership induced by free fares for students, total average fares per year associated with this program is estimated to be $51,606. The proposed agreement obligates Sierra College to pay Roseville Transit 50% of these costs, which would total $25,803 per year based on current estimates. The remaining $25,803 would be absorbed by Roseville Transit’s operations budget. Roseville Transit will use existing Federal Transit Administration funding from different Coronavirus relief packages and, if necessary, Local Transportation Funds, to cover the loss in fare revenue. This proposed action will not impact the FY2022-23 Roseville Transit budget and does not require additional hours of service. There is no impact to the General Fund.
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ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed actions are administrative activities for funding and are therefore not projects pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378 and are exempt under section 15061(b)(3). The proposed actions are also statutorily exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080(b)(10).
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CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN/OVERARCHING GOALS
Goal C - Maintain a safe and healthy community
Goal E - Deliver exceptional city services
| Respectfully Submitted,
Ed Scofield, Alternative Transportation Manager
Jason Shykowski, Public Works Director | | | 
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Dominick Casey, City Manager
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