With concerns regarding JeffTran's decreasing ridership, Jefferson City hopes to offer discounted public transit rides to local entities.
The Jefferson City Council heard a proposal Monday evening that would allow the city's Public Works director to negotiate a per-ride fee for the bulk sale of transit services. Businesses or schools wanting to provide transit services to their employees or students could enter into a Universal Pass agreement with the Jefferson City Transit Division.
The division and a business or school would negotiate a per-ride cost and length of the service. Once an agreement is reached, individuals with that business or school could ride JeffTran fixed-route buses for free if they have their company or school IDs.
"It would be seamless to the riders," Transit Division Director Mark Mehmert told the News Tribune. "Folks would just show their IDs for x-y-z company and we track that and then we bill the (agency) at the end of the period."
The Transit Division and Lincoln University partnered on a similar pilot program starting in late January, where LU staff and students could show JeffTran drivers their university IDs to ride the JeffTran fixed routes for free. As of July 6, JeffTran gave nearly 3,300 U-Pass rides as part of the pilot program, Mehmert said.
This program is one of many recommendations the Lochmueller Group suggested after conducting a system-wide assessment of JeffTran last fall. The Lochmueller Group believed this program would help increase JeffTran's ridership, Mehmert said.
"When you make things simple, easy and uncomplicated, people are more likely to use the service," Mehmert said. "The more complex, cumbersome services are, the less likely they are to use the service. This is just part of removing barriers to the system."
Along with it benefiting riders, the proposed bill states, it also means the partner agency would have a safe and affordable transportation option for its students or employees, along with a lower need for parking spaces.
Also Monday, the council heard an agreement between the city and Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to provide operating assistance for the air traffic control tower at the Jefferson City Memorial Airport. The agreement runs from Nov. 1, 2017 to Oct. 31.
The air traffic control tower is included in the Federal Aviation Administration Contract Tower Program, which pays 82 percent of the staffing cost while the city covers the remaining 18 percent.
For the 2018 fiscal year, the Missouri Department of Transportation would reimburse the city for half of the 18 percent, along with up to 50 percent of utilities and maintenance costs associated with operating the air traffic control tower.
The city anticipates up to $50,000 in reimbursements.
The City Council will vote on both items Aug. 6.