SR-1000-001-02 (9)
BBB:SN:JS:PC:f:\trans\admin\council\bruingo03.doc
Council Meeting: March 11, 2003 Santa Monica, California
TO:Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Approval of Big Blue Bus Fare Agreement with
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Transportation Services
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that the City Council approve a decreased average charge on the
monthly invoice issued to UCLA Transportation Services of $.61 for local service and
$1.56 for express service for each recorded boarding by UCLA students, faculty and
staff. The period of this agreement would be for three academic years, comprising fall,
winter and spring quarters, effective September 2002. If approved, the new rate would
be applied to monthly invoices to UCLA, issued by Big Blue Bus with credit given for
invoices issued since September 2002.
BACKGROUND
The BruinGO! transit program began, at the request of UCLA, in September 2000 as a
one-year pilot program with the goal of reducing the demand for parking on campus.
Under this program, any UCLA student, faculty or staff member may board a Big Blue
Bus and swipe a “Bruin” identification card in the electronic farebox. The card has a
magnetic stripe encoded with an ID number. This number is read and then recorded by
the farebox. The driver observes on the farebox display screen that the UCLA card has
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been scanned and that the boarding has been electronically recorded. The BruinGO!
Program has resulted in a 50 percent increase in UCLA student, faculty and staff
passenger boardings since the first year of the program. Average monthly program
ridership is now 250,000 passengers.
DISCUSSION
Each swipe was to have been billed at the regular Metrocard fare rate of $.70 during the
current academic year. However, in the fall of 2002, UCLA notified the Big Blue Bus that
the cost of the program, which is mainly financed by campus parking revenue, was
increasing more than they had projected, putting the future of the program in jeopardy.
UCLA requested that Big Blue Bus consider a new fare that would be based on the
average of what each BruinGO! rider would pay as an individual. The university ID card
does not indicate whether the holder is eligible for Big Blue Bus discounted fares
authorized by Council for seniors, people with disabilities or for college students 20
years of age or younger.
Staff analyzed demographic data of BruinGO! program participants that was provided
by UCLA and determined that the average fare per passenger for local trips would be
$.64 if the discounted fare structure were applied to eligible riders. The fare for Line 10
using the same methodology would be $1.56 (the under-21 college fare is not available
on Line 10). These average fares are consistent with the fare structure approved by
Council. An additional one-cent reduction to $.63 for local service is warranted, based
on the percentage of rides that are within our allowable free transfer parameters.
Apparently, many students do not ask for a free transfer when they could.
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An additional two-cent reduction per trip to $.61 for local service and $1.54 for express
service is recommended based on observed time savings achieved by using the swipe
function rather than other fare media such as cash, the Metrocard or the college punch
card. UCLA also bears the cost of producing, distributing and promoting the Bruin card.
The program relieves the Big Blue Bus of the $.45 cost of each Metrocard, staff time
processing cash, and revenue lost by farebox malfunction.
UCLA is considering a modification in the program for the 2003-2004 academic year
whereby program participants would co-pay part of the fare with $.25 in cash at each
boarding. If co-payment were implemented, the efficiencies of the pure electronic
transaction would be lost and the Big Blue Bus would no longer apply the additional
two-cent reduction to the average fare on the monthly invoices.
FINANCIAL/BUDGETARY
The proposed additional two-cent reduction in average fares would result in an
estimated revenue decrease of $43,000 to the Big Blue Bus in FY2003-04; however, the
reduction will allow us to maintain a significant cash revenue stream through FY 2004-
05 because UCLA agrees to continue the program for the 2003-04 and 2004-05
academic years at the new lower fares. The revenue account impacted by this
reduction is 4162.402000. If approved, this change will be incorporated into the FY
2003-04 budget.
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve an average charge on the monthly
invoice issued to UCLA Transportation Services of $.61 for local service and $1.54 for
express service for each recorded boarding by UCLA students, faculty and staff.
Prepared by: Stephanie Negriff, Director of Transit Services
Janeene de Martinez, Assistant Director of Transit Finance and
Business Services
Joe Stitcher, Manager of Customer Relations
Paul T. Casey, Senior Transit Programs Analyst
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