In a memorandum to Committee, Principal Planner Ron Downing, Director of Planning Alan Zahradnik and General Manager Celia Kupersmith provided a staff recommendation to operate the third year of the Muir Woods Shuttle Bus Demonstration Project (Project). The report stated that the District received a request from the County of Marin (County), to operate the demonstration shuttle bus service to the Muir Woods recreation area in southern Marin County, following two successful demonstrations in the summer seasons of 2005 and 2006. The Board of Directors, by Resolution Nos. 2005-034 and 2006-019, approved the first year and second year, respectively, for the Project, which has been fully funded by the County with monies from a federal grant.

The report stated that for the 2007 summer season, the County has requested that several modifications be made to the Muir Woods shuttle bus service agreement, as follows:

1. Provide service every 20 minutes on peak summer season weekends and holidays between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend to mitigate the need to provide backup service;
2. Provide service every 30 minutes on weekends from May 5 to May 20, 2007, and from September 8 to September 30, 2007; and,
3. Provide a direct connection to Muir Woods on weekends and holidays between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend for passengers traveling on the Sausalito ferry.

The report stated that the County will fully reimburse the District for all costs for the Project. The total Project cost for the 2007 summer season is estimated at $249,475, which includes operating costs, vehicle lease costs and expanded marketing/promotional program costs. The report noted that operating costs were estimated using the appropriate hourly rates from the five-year agreement with the Marin County Transit District that went into effect on May 1, 2006. The portion of the service that will operate during FY 06/07 will cost $103.86 per hour, and the portion that will operate during FY 07/08 will cost $109.05 per hour. The report stated that fares will be collected in the westbound direction only; $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for seniors, youths and persons with disabilities.

The report also stated that because of the steep grades and winding roads along the shuttle bus route, the District will have to lease four small, 35-foot long transit buses as was done for the Muir Woods shuttle bus service in 2005 and 2006. The report further stated that in order to have the service operational by May 5, 2007, final policy-level approvals must occur prior to March 15, 2007. Staff recommends that the District authorize execution of an agreement with the County to operate the third year of the Project. The Marin County Board of Supervisors will take up this matter at its meeting on February 27, 2007.

The report noted that the continuance of the Muir Woods shuttle bus service in future years will be determined by the County’s ability to identify funding sources to sustain this Project. A copy of the report is available from the Office of the District Secretary and on the District’s web site.

At the meeting, Celia Kupersmith summarized the staff report, noting that the County of Marin has requested that the District operate the Muir Woods shuttle bus service for a third summer season.

Staff recommended and the Committee concurred by motion made and seconded by Directors COCHRAN/MIDDLEBROOK to forward the following recommendation to the Board of Directors for its consideration:

RECOMMENDATION

The Transportation Committee recommends that the Board of Directors authorize execution of an agreement with the County of Marin Department of Public Works to operate the third year of the Muir Woods Shuttle Bus Demonstration project, beginning Saturday, May 5, 2007, through Sunday, September 30, 2007, at an approximate cost of $249,475, with the understanding that the County of Marin will reimburse the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District for providing said service.

Action by the Board – Resolution
NON-CONSENT CALENDAR

The monthly report on activities related to the Marin Local Service contract with the Marin County Transit District (MCTD) was furnished to the Transportation Committee. The report included the following elements:

1. A spreadsheet from the Planning Department outlining GGT bus service performance of both District regional routes and MCTD local routes, providing statistics regarding riders per hour, revenue per hour, cost per hour, fare recovery and deficit per passenger for the two types of bus service, for the months of November and December 2006; and,
2. A spreadsheet from the Auditor-Controller outlining the history of payments made to date by MCTD to the District for intra-county bus transit services in Marin County, under the new five-year Agreement with the MCTD for Marin Local Bus Service, which became effective on May 1, 2006.

Due to the high volume of agendas and minutes from Marin County agencies related to this item, hard copies of those items were not provided to the Committee. Instead, electronic versions of the following items were posted on the District’s web site:

1. Agenda of the January 22, 2007, meeting of MCTD;
2. Agenda of the December 12, 2006, meeting of MCTD;
3. Minutes of November 14, 2006, meeting of MCTD;
4. Agenda of the January 25, 2007, meeting of the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM);
5. Agenda and minutes of the December 14, 2006, meeting of TAM;
6. Agenda and minutes of the November 16, 2006, meeting of TAM;
7. Agenda of the October 26, 2006, meeting of TAM;
8. Agenda of the December 14, 2006, meeting of the TAM Executive Committee; and,
9. Minutes of the November 8, 2006, meeting of the TAM Executive Committee

Copies of all of the above-listed items are available in the Office of the District Secretary and on the District’s web site.

Action by the Board – None Required

There was no public comment.