TO: Burnis Morris
FROM: Katie Quinonez
March 31, 2011
RE: Story Outline: Tri-State Transit Ridership Increase
Subject: TTA ridership increased due to high gas prices.
Scope: I can look at TTA ridership for the past five years and see how it has fluctuated.
Need: High gas prices affect everyone in the country, particularly people who live in remote areas, such as various towns in the state of West Virginia, and have to travel great distances to get to work or school.
Methods: I can compare TTA ridership over the last five years and see how it has fluctuated with gas prices.
Sources: I can talk to Paul Davis, the CEO of TTA, to get information about TTA funding and get ridership statistics. I can also talk to people who ride the TTA and learn about their experiences, as well as bus drivers.
Presentation: This can be a two-part presentation. It first can be about the testimonials of individuals who ride the bus and the bus drivers. The second could be about TTA funding and what a lack of funding could mean for TTA riders.
Follow-up: When the continuing resolutions that fund the TTA after the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act expired in fiscal year 2009, I can talk to Davis about TTA funding. I can talk to him about potential layoffs and contingency plans. Davis has already said layoffs will occur as a last resort after higher bus fares and cut routes, which clearly affects TTA riders.
Showing posts with label tta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tta. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
TTA ridership up with higher gas prices
BY KATIE QUINONEZ
The Tri-State Transit Authority's bus ridership is up 17,913 trips for year to date, a .03 percent increase.
Ridership for the month of January 2011 showed an additional 3, 112 customers boarded TTA's buses and Dial-A-Ride vans, according to the performance report. General manager and CEO Paul Davis said the increase in ridership is due to the recent increase in gas and diesel costs.
Davis said TTA continues to remain under the three dollar budget allocated for diesel prices. He said though this may change with increasing gas prices, unless gas prices spike to at least five dollars, TTA will remain under the budget.
Davis recently attended the American Public Transit Association's legislative conference in Washington, D.C. where the following topics were discussed:
During the March board meeting, members briefly discussed layoff contingency plans. Davis said in the event layoffs would occur, they would most likely happen over a three-year period. Davis said layoffs would be a last resort and that the agency would most likely increase bus fares or eliminate less productive bus routes first.
The Tri-State Transit Authority's bus ridership is up 17,913 trips for year to date, a .03 percent increase.
Ridership for the month of January 2011 showed an additional 3, 112 customers boarded TTA's buses and Dial-A-Ride vans, according to the performance report. General manager and CEO Paul Davis said the increase in ridership is due to the recent increase in gas and diesel costs.
Davis said TTA continues to remain under the three dollar budget allocated for diesel prices. He said though this may change with increasing gas prices, unless gas prices spike to at least five dollars, TTA will remain under the budget.
Davis recently attended the American Public Transit Association's legislative conference in Washington, D.C. where the following topics were discussed:
- Re-authorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, the transportation bill that expired in fiscal year 2009. When it expired Congress passed a Continuing Resolutions to fund the program until April 2011. The resolution eliminates the Federal Railroad Administration's program that helps railroads pay for new safety technology, which would cut $6 billion from the current budget.
- TTA's proposition of combining several grant programs to reduce the administrative duties required to manage these grants. This would reduce costs by lessening the burden on transit personnel.
- The urbanized area issue regarding Charleston and Huntington. TTA recommended the two cities be exempted from the Census Bureau's plan to combine the areas.
During the March board meeting, members briefly discussed layoff contingency plans. Davis said in the event layoffs would occur, they would most likely happen over a three-year period. Davis said layoffs would be a last resort and that the agency would most likely increase bus fares or eliminate less productive bus routes first.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Attending TTA board meeting tomorrow
I will be attending the Tri-State Transit Authority's monthly board meeting tomorrow morning. Attending the board meeting and speaking to TTA CEO Paul Davis will give me the information I need to complete my sidebar for the fifth major assignment. I will ask Davis about the budget over the past three fiscal years and whether or not there was an increase/decrease. I will also ask what the major plans are for the TTA over the next fiscal year.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
TTA Board Meeting
BY KATIE QUINONEZ
The Tristate Transit Authority conducted Wednesday its monthly meeting of the board.
Paul Davis, CEO and general manager of the TTA, said ridership for the month of December was down by 582 customers and fare box revenue was down by $1,000.76.
Davis also said Dial-A-Ride ridership was down by 442 customers.
"Considering the weather conditions we have had tis winter, that is not too bad," Davis said.
According to the performance report, bus ridership is up by 10, 163 trips, or .02 percent, and Dial-A-Ride is down by 980 trips, or .1 percent.
The iT bus to Charleston carried an average of 22 people per day during the month of January with a total of 470 passengers.
Board members breathed a sigh of relief when Senate Bill 493 died Wednesday morning. The bill would have allowed the Department of Health and Human Resource to create a request for proposal in order to establish a brokerage system for Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation, said Jennifer Woodall, assistant manager of the TTA.
Operating revenues were about $4,000 more than expected during the month and the 7.4 percent favorable variance was a result of the continued growth of the NEMT revenues, according to the February 2011 chief financials officer's report. Woodall predicts the agency will receive $15,000 or more in NEMT revenue this year.
The 18 transit authorities that make up the West Virginia Public Transit Association were opposed to this bill because it did not allow the participation of WVPTA in the design of the RFP for brokerage services, Woodall said.
TTA received two new Dial-A-Ride vans, both of which exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for lift capacity. The vans can carry three wheelchairs at a time.
TTA board members and transit agencies across the state will attend Transit Day March 7.
Davis and another board member attended the Annual American Public Transportation Association's CEO and General Manager's Seminar in San Diego, Calif. in June 2010. Davis said the seminar provided many networking opportunities. The trip caused TTA corporate expenses for Jan. 26 to Feb. 22, 2011 to be $1,616.93.
The Tristate Transit Authority conducted Wednesday its monthly meeting of the board.
Paul Davis, CEO and general manager of the TTA, said ridership for the month of December was down by 582 customers and fare box revenue was down by $1,000.76.
Davis also said Dial-A-Ride ridership was down by 442 customers.
"Considering the weather conditions we have had tis winter, that is not too bad," Davis said.
According to the performance report, bus ridership is up by 10, 163 trips, or .02 percent, and Dial-A-Ride is down by 980 trips, or .1 percent.
The iT bus to Charleston carried an average of 22 people per day during the month of January with a total of 470 passengers.
Board members breathed a sigh of relief when Senate Bill 493 died Wednesday morning. The bill would have allowed the Department of Health and Human Resource to create a request for proposal in order to establish a brokerage system for Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation, said Jennifer Woodall, assistant manager of the TTA.
Operating revenues were about $4,000 more than expected during the month and the 7.4 percent favorable variance was a result of the continued growth of the NEMT revenues, according to the February 2011 chief financials officer's report. Woodall predicts the agency will receive $15,000 or more in NEMT revenue this year.
The 18 transit authorities that make up the West Virginia Public Transit Association were opposed to this bill because it did not allow the participation of WVPTA in the design of the RFP for brokerage services, Woodall said.
TTA received two new Dial-A-Ride vans, both of which exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for lift capacity. The vans can carry three wheelchairs at a time.
TTA board members and transit agencies across the state will attend Transit Day March 7.
Davis and another board member attended the Annual American Public Transportation Association's CEO and General Manager's Seminar in San Diego, Calif. in June 2010. Davis said the seminar provided many networking opportunities. The trip caused TTA corporate expenses for Jan. 26 to Feb. 22, 2011 to be $1,616.93.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tristate Transit Authority board meeting on Wednesday
I will be attending a board meeting for the Tristate Transit Authority Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. I was unable to attain an agenda for the meeting. Paul Davis, the CEO of the TTA, said there have not been any new developments on the horizon for the TTA so I am interested to see what the meeting will consist of and what topics will be discovered. I anticipate them discussing extending the service of the TTA to KineticPark due to the new business that will be opening up there, an orthodontic office.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Expired bill brings halt to further development of TTA
BY KATIE QUINONEZ
There are not many new developments on the horizon for the Tristate Transit Authority.
Paul Davis, the general manager and CEO of the TTA, said since the expansion of TTA routes into Lawrence County, Ohio two years ago, there have been no new initiatives. The TTA previously received funding through a transit bill that recently expired. Davis said without the transit bill, there are no opportunities for expansion.
Davis said the TTA is currently supported by a property tax levy, which has provided steady funding.
Davis said there will be new developments at KineticPark, a commercial area that has not seen business developments since 2009, in Huntington, W. Va. Davis said the TTA will be working to enhance its service in order to provide routes that go to Kineticpark.
There are not many new developments on the horizon for the Tristate Transit Authority.
Paul Davis, the general manager and CEO of the TTA, said since the expansion of TTA routes into Lawrence County, Ohio two years ago, there have been no new initiatives. The TTA previously received funding through a transit bill that recently expired. Davis said without the transit bill, there are no opportunities for expansion.
Davis said the TTA is currently supported by a property tax levy, which has provided steady funding.
Davis said there will be new developments at KineticPark, a commercial area that has not seen business developments since 2009, in Huntington, W. Va. Davis said the TTA will be working to enhance its service in order to provide routes that go to Kineticpark.
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