SUBJECT:
Title
A Resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Erie Adopting the Flex Ride Service Plan for Flex Ride Operations
Body
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
Department
PRESENTER(S): Miguel Aguilar, Senior Transportation Planner
First Name Last Name, Title
POLICY ISSUES:
The Erie Flex Ride Service Plan supports the Council’s legislative agenda by establishing an operations plan that will increase transit access and transportation options in the Town.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Adopt the Erie Flex Ride Service Plan for Flex Ride Service Operations.
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Increasing transit access and transportation options is a Council priority identified in the 2024 Legislative Agenda. To increase transit access, staff applied for a grant through the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), as well as the Human Services Transportation Set-aside. The Town received grants for a total of $1,600,000 to operate Flex Ride service.
Prior to the funds becoming available, staff developed a draft service plan to define Flex Ride service operations. The service plan is now complete and is ready for review and direction from the Town Council.
Flex Ride
Flex Ride is a form of microtransit that supplements existing fixed-route services, such as those provided by the Regional Transportation District (RTD). Where RTD routes cannot service portions of the Town, Flex Ride can fill in the transit gaps and bring transit closer to residents. Flex Ride functions similar to Uber or Lyft services, providing turn-key service where residents can schedule a trip to be picked up at their location and dropped off at their destination.
As currently outlined, the service will be open to all persons traveling within the Town of Erie, fares will be free, operations will be Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and trips can be placed through either an app, a phone call, or online.
The grant funding will cover all costs for years 2025 and 2026, except for the Town’s 10% match. Staff will include the appropriation for the match funding in the 2025 budget, when we anticipate the service will begin operations. Staff anticipates the program will have slow demand and therefore low costs initially, but will increase over the first year. We anticipate rolling over any unused funding from the first year to the following year. Our intent is to have this be a permanent transit program. Staff will use ridership data from this initial service period to seek grant funding through the DRCOG forums (where the existing grants came from) to continue operating the service after 2026. The next call for projects with DRCOG will occur in 2026 for years 2027-2031 funding. If awarded, the funding would cover the costs for the next several years.
COUNCIL PRIORITY(S) ADDRESSED:
ü Attractive Community Amenities
ü Engaged and Diverse Community
ü Prosperous Economy
ü Well-Maintained Transportation Infrastructure
ü Safe and Healthy Community
ü Environmentally Sustainable
ü Fiscally Responsible
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. A Resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Erie Adopting the Flex Ride Service Plan for Flex Ride Operations
2. Erie Flex Ride Service Plan