Thread by @shayshinecastle

That meant quite a few cuts for Boulder, or not restoring services that ceased during COVID. We did see more post-COVID service restoration than anticipated in Boulder, Guissinger says.

boulderbeat.news/2022/03/19/bus…

Guissinger going over the rail study. RTD approved $8M for a 2-year study late last year to look at "peak service" — 3 morning trips Longmont to Denver, 3 pm trips the other direction.

Dang she moved through those quickly. Slides are pretty informative; check them out.

We're gonna do qs from council now.

Apparently Guissinger and Yates are neighbors. Not relevant, but honestly how many of my tweets are?

I love a fun fact. Or a boring one.

Yates: I'm hearing from the community concerns about crime at the Table Mesa Park-N-Ride: car thefts, car part thefts. Boulder PD would like to have cameras there. What are the chances of that?

Guissinger: It's a CDOT property. I need to check with RTD's chief of police on this. They're stilling catalytic converters; "it takes about 14 seconds. It's a hard thing to catch."

The numbers are going down, though, Gussinger says. 89 or something last year. Right now it's 3 a month.

BoCo Commissioner Claire Levy just had her catalytic converter stolen, apparently.

As did Yates, he says. At that very Park-N-Ride

We've increased patrols, Guissinger says.

Yates pushes again: Our cops want CCTV. Let us know what that will take. "If it's a money issue, let us know."

Guissinger: Was yours stolen at Table Mesa Park-N-Ride?
Yates: Last week, yes
Guissinger: I'm sorry

Yates: We've had many Boulder residents email us about this. This is not bc I'm the victim of a crime.

True: The last police update mentioned all the catalytic converter thefts at this spot

Speer: I did talk to RTD's chief of police recently about this. I heard there were convos about cameras, but the pandemic interrupted those. They started talking about it again recently.

Guissinger: You need to have the cameras monitored and have someone respond quickly bc it is so quick.

Speer: They're having staffing challenges, so that seems to be one of the hang ups.

Winer: "I'm not leaving my car at that Park-N-Ride; I'm just not doing it. I'm driving my car to the airport" and leaving it there. "I feel we're losing a lot of ridership."

Guissinger: I will def follow up. "I hate to think we're losing riders because of the Park-N-Ride."

Winer: "Some people have said to me that, rather than leave their cars at the Park-N-Ride, they literally walk their suitcase down Table Mesa."

Well, what's wrong with that? Less driving!

Unless it's, say 101 degrees outside or something. Just hypothetically.

Winer: "We have to have secure parking garages or people will not be motivated" (to take the bus).

Friend: I will back up Winer and Yates in terms of what we're hearing from our constituents. They are using the buses less bc they don't feel safe, either leaving their cars or at the other end, at Union Station.

"People should feel safe," Friend says.

Friend: "Is ridership down bc ppl don't want them, or because the routes aren't there?" Are buses full? Is this a chicken-and-egg thing?

A bit of both, Guissinger says. "Right now, it's all about workforce and having enough people to be able to drive those buses. It's also trying to get ridership back up. There is a chicken-and-egg: If you don't bring the routes back, you're not going to get the ridership."

Folkerts has a q about the fare-free month: What do we know about expected outcomes? Are we gonna gather data for that and will it be shared with us?

Guissinger: Salt Lake saw increased ridership. I don't know if it was sustained. rtd-denver.com/zerofare

Michael Davies: We got a grant from the Colorado Dept of Energy for this, and we are required to submit a full, public report by Dec. 1. There will be customer counters, of course, and surveys as well.

Davis is gov't relations for RTD

Folkerts: Can you also discuss what it would take for municipalities to have a free line, or all-free citywide transit?

Guissinger: Staff has looked at that. Idk that will be part of our upcoming fare and equity study, but some of that data exists.

Folkerts: My understanding was some of that data was fairly old. But I'll check on that.

Winer: Can you talk a little bit about the rail? I know a lot of constituents are upset bc we paid taxes for something we didn't get, correct?

Gussinger: Yes and no. The Flatiron Flyer bus, which "has been hugely successful in terms of moving people" was paid for with that tax.

But, yes, 4 stretches of rail have not been completed, Guissinger says (including the one that would have served Boulder).

Guissinger: The study is for a trainon existing tracks. It's full-on commuter rail, not light rail. It will have one stop at Boulder Junction.

Winer: Is that def going to happen?
Guissinger: "It's not definitely going to happen."

We're looking at it now because there's funding for it (the study) and some opportunities, Guissinger says.

Winer: Is there going to be another tax involved in the alleged train?

Guissinger: "That's the issue. RTD can't provide the ... long-range, doesn't have the funding to provide the expanded transit service."

A tax is one option, Guissinger says. Other states fund public transit more heavily, so we're hoping from more support from the state.

It just depends on how much transit this area wants. It's up to the jurisdiction.

Guissinger: "RTD, as we look at the future, we're looking at all sorts of options. We have to look at whatever options are out there to try and meet the goals.

"We don't have any tax we're moving forward right now."

Boulder County is taking on more transit services, Guissinger notes. I don't want outlying areas to have to do it themselves while Denver gets the services, but partnerships are another option we have to look at.

That's all from Lynn right now. I'll leave this thread open so I can tweet what I missed when I catch up later.

Jumping back in to thread the parts I missed. So chronologically a little off, but I've done my best to tie everything together. Hopefully.

Five-year plan adopted in 2021. It’s called Strategic Priorities, but “it could just as well be called RTD challenges," Guissinger said.

No. 1, according to Guissinger: Staffing shortages. RTD is struggling to fill every position, from cleaners to mechanics to drivers. “Currently, in my opinion, it’s our biggest issue. It’s the thing that’s keeping us from bringing back more service.”

A new union contract was approved recently, and there’s been an uptick in trainings, so hopefully things will improve by the fall, Guissinger says.

Next priority: financial success. “Right now we’re doing pretty well,” Guissinger says, which is “an unusual report.”

65% of RTD’s funding is sales and use tax, which has rebounded nicely
Federal funding is 24%. Lots of stimulus dollars coming in.

RTD’s current customers are generally happy, Guissinger says, but the community at large isn’t. “We need work.”

That matters bc getting new riders is so important. Hopefully fare-free August will help.

Also highly unlikely RTD could get more $$ from voters that it needs, though they’re not trying for a tax right now, Guissinger says.

(I feel weird using "says" vs. "said" bc this is not a live recap, but that's how I typed it out in my notes as I was listening. Sorry for the inaccuracy!)

Lots of challenges during the pandemic, when ridership dropped 70% in March 2020. Services were reduced by 40% the next month

Ridership in Boulder has still not fully recovered. The Flatiron Flyer, the v popular bus to Union Station, had 13,000 riders per weekday pre-pandemic (holy crap that’s a lot) is at just 4,000 per weekday now.

That’s actually where it was in January, Guissinger says, and numbers always drop during the summer, so it could indicate a rebound. She expects them to pick back up a bit once school starts

SKIP, on the other hand, has about 26 customers a day; again, will increase during school time, as a lot of school kids use this. The frequency on that is going back to 10 min (5 in some cases) vs. the current 15.

This is the Broadway corridor bus, btw.

RTD as a whole is at about 70% of pre-pandemic service (in terms of routes/frequency)

The goal for the new plan (discussed above) is 85% systemwide within 5 years

Guissinger: “It’s not a happy goal; it’s not where I want to be, it’s not where many of us want to be. Given the workforce issues and financial issues, that’s the goal we’re at now.”

City of Boulder will get to 84% service restoration under the plan, much more than originally proposed. Boulder County will be 82%.

Four Flatiron Flyer routes will be restored, including one at Boulder Junction. An airport line will be restored there, too.

One of the things we need to do is work on a partnership plan with local gov’t to figure out how to provide some of these services when RTD can’t, Guissinger says.

OK, I think that’s where I started earlier this evening, so that’s a wrap on this one!

@threadreaderapp please unroll. Thanks!