Use of Discount Debit Cards in Intercity Taxi Card Program Solano Transportation Authority Presented by: Richard Weiner and Debbie McQuilkin November 14, 2018

Solano transportation authority Joint Powers Agreement between eight cities and the County Countywide Transportation Planning managing and providing transportation programs Conduit for Funding to Transit Agencies in Dixon, Vacaville, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Vallejo/Benicia Paratransit and Taxi Programs in each city

ADA Plus: Non-Low Income What is the Intercity Paratransit Taxi Card Program? An “ADA Plus” program – operating in addition to ADA required paratransit services provided by public transit operators Previously reduced intercity taxi fare was available for ambulatory ADA certified passengers only ADA Plus: Non-Low Income $40 for $100 worth of scrip for non-low income patrons ADA Plus: Low Income $20 for $100 worth of scrip for low income patrons

Prior intercity taxi program Taxi Scrip $15 for $100 worth of scrip Companies collect scrip from drivers, bundle and submit to STA Incentives for picking up riders with collapsible wheelchairs Scrip caps vary by city Program Management Sensitivity training Monthly reporting Overseen by Vacaville, then County, then transitioned to STA Hired Nelson\Nygaard 2014 to oversee process

Ridership Information Transition from County to STA (February 1, 2015) First Year at STA New Fare Adoption FY 2013-14 FY 2014-15 FY 2015-16 FY 2016-17 FY 2017-18 Taxi Scrip Sold 4,460 4,728 4,804 4,006 NA Fare Revenue $66,916 $70,935 $71,475 $99,300 Passenger Trips 11,844 12,824 12,408 10,035 9,740 Cost $556,504 $582,585 $588,726 $443,160 $479,164 Farebox Recovery Ratio 12% 22% 15%

Modified Taxi Scrip Program Examined three models MODEL 1 Modified Taxi Scrip Program FEATURES Accessible taxi options Increased fares Replacing scrip with flat fare tickets up to x-value LIMITATIONS Doesn’t address accountability/billing issues Fraud control difficult Challenge of modifying fare structure

Examined three models MODEL 2 Brokerage Model ALTERNATIVE MODEL CUSTOMERS BROKER Examined three models ALTERNATIVE MODEL MODEL 2 Brokerage Model FEATURES Handle all contracting and administrative tasks Assign trip requests No need for processing scrip as each trip pre-approved LIMITATIONS Relatively new concept for Solano County Probably be administered from remote location, lack of familiarity Added contractor costs above existing model

Examined three models MODEL 3 Dedicated Fleet ALTERNATIVE MODEL FEATURES One city/contractor operate program as addition to existing paratransit program Uses simple well-understood model Allows multiple flexible options for cost containment LIMITATIONS High cost per vehicle hour Unclear if any current operators have additional capacity Low trip volumes/long distance trips make efficient scheduling difficult

Taxi Card program elements Low-income subsidy Multiple Transit Agencies Card-Based (versus paper) Accessible Taxi Option Zone-Based Fares Options for Loading Value Multiple Taxi Companies

Phase II for the Intercity Taxi Card Program Phase 1 (February 2010) Phase 2 (October 1, 2018 in Benicia and Vallejo) Intercity taxi based service for ADA qualified, program eligible ambulatory persons Non-ambulatory Intercity transport service for ADA qualified, program eligible persons utilizing a: Wheelchair Mobility Scooter Other service areas to be phased in during FY 2018-19

Phase II: Intercity Taxi Card Program DECEMBER 2017 MAY 2018 September 2018 STA Board approves moving to a pre-paid purchasing card model STA Board approves use of the Prepaid Expense (PEX) Card Public Hearing for proposed change from per mile charge to zone rates for the following reasons: Easier to utilize for both passengers and service providers Greater accountability More transparent cost methodology

The mechanics of the program Design Shaped by Program size No staffing 24/7 STA model fairly low capital costs Two platforms Purchasing and loading value on card Use of card in taking taxi trips More elaborate programs found in large systems too costly No infrastructure in place to adopt San Francisco model

How Poynt program works Point of Sale: Terminal and Register Connects to any merchant bank Cash and charge capabilities “Back Office” ability to view/manage all transit operator locations Multiple peripherals WiFi capability Multiple peripherals Affordable Located in each transit location

Pre-Paid Visa Debit Card How PEX works Pre-Paid Visa Debit Card Limit card transactions to transportation only Spend limit amount can be controlled A STA Card that is given customers No employer/employee relationship necessary Cards use ADA #s instead of customer names

Role of transit agency, call center, and Taxi Driver Transit Agency Role Customer purchases funds at local transit operator Transit staff verifies customer’s taxi fund purchases have not exceeded operator allocation limits by checking the PEX system Transit staff manually enters client data (ADA # and name) into POYNT system upon purchase of taxi funds

Role of transit agency, call center, and Taxi Driver Call Center Role Call Center staff monitors POYNT “back office” for transactions at each transit operator location Call Center staff then calculates correct conversion ($20/$100 or $40/$100) and loads the ITX PEX Visa card on the PEX “back office” Funds are available as soon as these steps are completed

Role of transit agency, call center, and Taxi Driver Taxi Driver Role Customer calls local cab operator to schedule a ride Cab driver calls in charge to dispatch office once customer is in the cab Flat rates No metering charges Client knows exactly how much ride will cost   Travel To/From: Zonal Rates: Dixon – Vallejo/Benicia $90 Dixon – Fairfield/Suisun $55 Dixon - Vacaville $30 Fairfield/Suisun - Vacaville $25 Fairfield/Suisun - Rio Vista $65 Fairfield – Vallejo/Benicia Vacaville – Vallejo/Benicia $80 Vacaville - TAFB Rio Vista - Vacaville Rio Vista - Dixon Rio Vista – Vallejo/Benicia $125 Vallejo/Benicia - Dixon Vallejo/Benicia – Fairfield/Suisun Vallejo/Benicia - Vacaville

Some of the challenges we’ve faced Accessible taxi option Coordination between multiple transit agencies Establishing equitable fares for more costly accessible trips Making the link between the Poynt and Pex platforms Ensuring drivers will take rides based on zone-system Relies heavily on manual data entry

Benefits of current model No need to create database “from scratch” Expected improvement in ability to track trip data Hopeful reduction in fraud Customers may call in to add/purchase taxi funds vs. purchasing in person Flat rates and cost transparency from customer perspective Anticipated reduction in administrative burden to transit operators Accessible vehicle availability

Next steps Evaluation of program effectiveness in early 2019 Expansion to other cities in Solano County Explore potential for incorporating TNCs

Debbie McQuilkin Richard Weiner 415.281.6916 rweiner@nelsonnygaard.com