1. Promoting Shared Rides: Where do Transit Agencies Fit?
Fall 2017 CalACT Conference
Monterey, California
November 2, 2017

2. Agenda
Who is Marin Transit?
Who uses our services?
What are our service plans?
How do shared rides fit in our plans?
What does it take to incorporate shared rides?
What’s next?

3. Who We Are…
The Marin County Transit District was formed by a vote of the people in We are a special district, responsible for local fixed route and paratransit service in Marin County. Our agency is small, 14 staff members in our office, and then we provide all of our direct service under contract with Golden Gate Transit, Marin Airporter, MV Transportation, and Whistlestop Wheels. Marin County is home to over 260,000 residents who live in a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas.

4. Public transit services that include:
Local Bus Service
Rural Stagecoach
Novato Dial-A-Ride
Community Shuttles
Muir Woods Shuttle
Marin Access

5. Mobility Management
Mobility management program that ties our services together for our most transit-dependent populations

6. By the Numbers…

7. Who Uses Our Services…
Primary markets are local workers, seniors, and students. Fit next four slides here as discussion points instead?

8. Who Uses Our Services…
Over 50,000 Marin County residents are 65 years of age or older.
The number of Marin County residents over 65 has almost doubled since the year 2000 and is projected to increase an additional 41% in the next ten years.
Marin County’s aging population is growing more than 1.5 times as fast as the rest of California
Marin is the healthiest county in California + Residents of Marin County are also living longer than their peers. Women in Marin County have the longest life expectancy of any county in America, at 85.5 years compared to the national average of 81.2 years. Male life expectancy in Marin County is in the best 10 percent of all counties at 82 years, compared to the national average of 76.5 years. B
Source: 2017 Onboard Survey (fixed route), 2016 Marin Access Mail Survey

9. Aging Population
Source: California Department of Finance Population Projections

10. Who Uses Our Services…
Paratransit riders would require more subsidy/assistance for future services
Source: 2017 Onboard Survey (fixed route), 2016 Marin Access Mail Survey

11. Who Uses Our Services…
Source: 2017 Onboard Survey (fixed route), 2016 Marin Access Mail Survey

12. FY 2016/17 Operating Budget Revenue
More flexibility in our Measure B spending (seniors + people with disabilities)

13. 10-Year Service Levels

14. How do shared rides fit in our plans?
Provide accessible connections to fixed route transit (trunk line buses, regional train, ferry)
Accommodate healthy and active aging population with service less costly than paratransit
Reach isolated populations living in areas difficult to serve with traditional transit
Talk about shared rides in general (carsharing, commuter shuttles, bike sharing, etc.) and elaborate how these points fit in.
Shared rides fit a range of emerging needs. Accessible general public services that fill the gaps, attract new riders from a growing market, towards services that are not as costly as paratransit

15. What tools do we have to promote shared rides?
September 24, 2015
What tools do we have to promote shared rides?
Provide and support flexible first and last mile services
Sit Back and Learn
Modify traditional shuttle services to provide same day service
Medium-Heavy Push
Expand and enhance current services
Small Lift
Go over each and how we can approach them
Continue to provide riders with options
Low-Hanging Fruit

16. Continue to provide riders with options
Low-Hanging Fruit
Continue to provide riders with options
Services to complement fixed route and paratransit $
Volunteer Driver Reimbursement $$
Taxi Discount
Information and Counseling
$$$
Centralized Front Line Staff
*new development of West Marin Commute Alternatives- direct people to 511’s RideMatch Service $
Program Finder Tool $
Travel Training $
Tech Tips for Transportation classes

17. Expand and enhance current services
Small Lift
Expand and enhance current services $$
Extended Paratransit Service Area $
Outreach to More Taxi Providers (market creates limits to this)
$-$$
Enhancing Rider Communication via Technology

18. Modify traditional shuttle services to provide same day service
Medium/Heavy Push
Modify traditional shuttle services to provide same day service
Add technology to reservation process of current program(s)
$$$
$$$$
Contract with a new provider

19. Novato Dial-A-Ride
Novato Dial-A-Ride is designed to fill gaps in Novato's local transit service and provide additional service. You can use the dial-a-ride service to make a complete trip within Novato or connect to fixed route transit service for travel outside of Novato.
Novato Dial-A-Ride provides passengers curb-to-curb pick-up and drop-off service. To use the service you must schedule your trip by calling All trips must start and end within the Service Area. The bus will make stops at any safe location within the eligible service area. Everyone is welcome to use this service.
Limited hours. Only one vehicle. Same productivity on a geographically focused dial a ride service that we are on our paratransit service. When the driver used to take the calls in the morning, it was more efficient and productive than it currently is. More efficeitn use of resources.

20. Provide and support flexible first / last mile services
Sit Back and Learn
Provide and support flexible first / last mile services
Transportation Authority of Marin Pilot with Lyft
Other agencies partnering directly with TNCs/relying on TNCs to provide some or part of service
Integrate fares and trip planning with TNCs

21. Open discussion with our peers to determine what role we play in:
What’s next?
Open discussion with our peers to determine what role we play in:
Adopting/utilizing new technology;
Partnering with or subsidizing private entities utilizing new technology; or
Simply sticking to what we do now.
Design and Pilot services
Test new technology/model to answer key questions:
Who rides?
Who benefits?
How much does it cost and how should it be priced?
What purpose does it serve to the rider?
How far can it go in helping us achieve our goals as a transit agency?

22. Questions? Erin McAuliff Senior Transportation Planner, Marin Transit