1. Paratransit Service Design

This study looks at the merits of five paratransit service options for Metropolitan Area Transit, popularly referred to by the acronym MAT, to deliver transportation solutions to eligible paratransit riders in the communities of Dilworth and Moorhead, Minn., and Fargo and West Fargo, N.D. The first section looks at four issues: MAT's existing paratransit service and the need for service alternatives; a brief note on complementary paratransit service and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); the benefits of having a consistent service policy; and service in similar-sized communities. It is followed in the next section by the analysis of each of the five service alternatives. Here the data and methodology are described and the assumptions, numerical results, and pros and cons of each service discussed. In the final section, the alternatives are compared, long term considerations presented, and SURTC's recommendation for future service made.

1.1 MAT Paratransit Service

MAT currently provides paratransit service at a fare of $2 a ride, twice the fixed-route fare, to the communities of Fargo and West Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead and Dilworth, Minn. This includes the elective delivery of service to parts of these communities more than three-quarters of a mile from fixed-route where service is mandated by the ADA. The paratransit fare is limited by ADA to twice that of the fixed-route fare for service within three-quarters of a mile of fixed-route lines, but it is unrestricted for trips beginning or ending beyond that distance. Thus, MAT does not have the ability to increase its fare for rides originating or terminating within three-quarters of a mile of fixed-route service unless the fixed-route fare was increased.

For 2004, the cost of delivering paratransit service by Fargo and Moorhead was $14.28 per ride. This cost was covered by fares, federal, state, and local funds. West Fargo currently has an agreement with the City of Fargo to provide it with public transportation service, including paratransit. In exchange for paratransit service equivalent to that available to Fargo residents, West Fargo pays Fargo $12, in addition to the $2 fare. This $12 fee, paid with local funds, is meant to cover the operating, capital, and administrative costs of delivering service to West Fargo. No such agreement exists between Dilworth and Moorhead. The passenger local contribution by community is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Fares and Costs for 2004 MAT Paratransit Service

MAT receives section 5307 formula grants based on the population and population density of the Fargo-Moorhead Urbanized Area which includes parts of Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo and Dilworth. The area, defined in 2002 in conjunction with the 2000 Census, is presented in Figure 1. The urbanized area includes most of the four cities, except the industrial areas in northwest Fargo and north West Fargo.

For the week beginning March 16, 2005, 34 of the 719 (about 4.7 percent) of MAT's paratransit trips originated or terminated further than three-quarters of a mile away from any fixed-route line. A graphical presentation of this information is presented in Figure 2. This proportion can be expected to increase dramatically given the population growth in areas beyond that distance, particularly those in the southern parts of Fargo and West Fargo.

MAT paratransit ridership by community for the years 2000-2004 is presented in Table 3. Though the behavior is not constant across the communities or across time, there has been a marked increase in MAT paratransit ridership from 2000 to 2004. This is especially true in Moorhead and West Fargo where ridership nearly doubled over the five year period.

Table 3. Paratransit Ridership by Community

Table 4 presents operating expense estimates for the delivery of paratransit service to West Fargo and Dilworth in 2004. The estimated cost of service is a function of the number of rides delivered. The 20 percent and 50 percent shares are included to present the approximate amount of the cost covered by state and federal funds, respectively. West Fargo has a higher fare box operating ratio than Dilworth, .12 versus .10. The basis for this difference is quite intuitive as the delivery of service to Dilworth, which is relatively more expensive than other trips due to location, is subject to the same fare of $2 as trips to or from West Fargo.

Table 4. Dilworth & West Fargo 2004 Operating Expense Estimates

1.2 Complementary Paratransit and the ADA

Though the economics of the service and the quality of the riders' experience are important, the starting point of all considered service options is compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. MAT's current operations policy embodies the relevant ADA regulations regarding complementary paratransit service (49CFR37.121-155). As a result, the need to reiterate them here would be redundant. It should be noted that the fare for complementary paratransit service within three-quarters of a mile of fixed-route line is limited to twice the fixed-route fare.

Those with greater interest in the topic are referred to the federal code or MAT's operations policy. In short, the primary intent is to ensure that eligible individuals, those with handicaps that prevent them from using fixed-route service, are provided comparable paratransit service. All service options considered in the analysis comply with ADA regulations.

In the event of the alteration of service by MAT, it is recommended that public participation be allowed. This could include actively soliciting participation by various members of the community, consulting with individuals with disabilities, providing a mechanism for public comment, or holding a public input meeting. Similar activities are required by the ADA during the initial design of complementary paratransit service. The benefits of ensuring that a particular service policy meets a community's needs are as relevant to expansion as they are to its initial design.

1.3 The Benefits of Uniform Service

The service alternatives in the study vary only by service boundaries and fares charged. All other aspects of MAT's paratransit service policy are expected to remain in present form. The primary motivation for maintaining a single operations policy is that it will allow MAT to benefit from a relatively high level of uniformity throughout its system and over time. It will also help MAT guard against any community or legal criticisms that may arise. The benefits of relatively uniform service can be classified by the following subjects:

1.3.1 Service development

As the current MAT Paratransit Operations Policy complies with ADA regulations, it will not need to be altered due to the expansion of service with the exception of the addition of an explanation of service zones and fare structure.

1.3.2 Understanding and awareness of MAT service

A single service policy will aid MAT drivers and staff in both explaining policies and delivering consistent service to its customers. This will help the community, including non-riders, understand and better utilize the services MAT provides.

1.3.3 Vehicles and equipment

A consistent platform for delivery of service with regard to vehicles and equipment will provide MAT the ability to commingle its vehicles and drivers between areas within and outside ADA boundaries. This will also ease the contracting and procurement process.

1.3.4 Expansion of fixed-route service

Continued growth of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area in both physical size and population may necessitate the expansion of fixed-route service. This new service would expand the three-quarter mile service area required to be ADA complaint.

The importance of uniformity takes on an added dimension in the case of MAT. As service is provided to four communities located in two states, uniform service across jurisdictions is important to riders. Uniformity in local funding, which is not the presence case, would also be beneficial.

1.4 A Note on Service to Dilworth

Currently one stop just inside Dilworth city limits is serviced by fixed-route while the entire city, some of which is located more than three-quarter miles from this stop, is provided paratransit service delivered in the same manner and at the same fare as other parts of the metropolitan area. In the past fixed-route service extended further into the city. Given the importance of equitable funding, the knowledge of the availability of a mechanism to compel the City of Dilworth to provide some level of funding to compensate for the services provided was desired.

No specific information on this question was located in either the Code of Federal Regulations or case law. It should be noted that regardless if fixed service is provided to Dilworth or not, MAT may be required to provide service to the part of the community within three-quarter miles of existing MAT fixed-route service. As MAT currently has legal authority to provide service to Dilworth it may be required to provide paratransit service even though it is outside of its jurisdictional boundaries (49CFR37.131). For a more formal response, legal counsel should be retained.

Sec. 37.131 Service criteria for complementary paratransit.

(3) Jurisdictional boundaries. Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, an entity is not required to provide paratransit service in an area outside the boundaries of the jurisdiction(s) in which it operates, if the entity does not have legal authority to operate in that area. The entity shall take all practicable steps to provide paratransit service to any part of its service area.

1.5 Case Studies of Four Similar Systems

As part of the study, the service policies and experiences of four similar transit systems were reviewed. The agencies included the Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) which provides service in Duluth and Proctor, Minn., and Superior, Wis.; City of Rochester Public Transportation in Rochester, Minn.; St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission (Metro Bus), which provides service to St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park, Minn., and Bis-Man Transit in Bismarck and Mandan, N.D. The aim was to use the lessons learned from these agencies' experiences to help guide the latter portion of the study. Although none of the four transit agencies contacted has recently or plans to revisit their paratransit service policy, there is value in comparing both MAT's current service and potential service policy to these other agencies.

Superior, Wis., which is serviced by the Duluth Transit Authority, is the only community where the ADA minimum three-quarter mile service boundaries are used. Two transit agencies, Bis-Man Transit and Metro Bus in St. Cloud, allow the commingling of ADA eligible and non-eligible riders. A commingling alternative for MAT paratransit service was discussed, but its pragmatic value was discounted as the operation of such a system while ensuring compliance with ADA is extremely demanding.

Metro Bus generates a significant amount of its local funding with a local property tax. This tax is assessed at the same rate for each of the four cities, St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park. The presence of equitable local funding provides each of the communities a voice in the design and operation of Metro Bus transportation services.

Bis-Man Transit is the only agency of the four systems studied to use a tiered fare system where the geographical distance traveled affects the fare charged. In this case, there is a higher fare for intercity travel and a per mile charge for trips to locations outside city limits. For example, a rider traveling to a location three miles outside of Bismarck pays both the standard fare of $1.50, plus $1.50 for each of the three miles between the destination and the city limits, for a total cost of $6.

A premium fare structure similar to Bis-Man's could also be used to charge for MAT paratransit trips to locations outside the three-quarter mile service area. In the case of MAT, a rider located on the east side of Dilworth, one mile from the three-quarter mile service boundary, could be charged a premium per-mile charge in addition to the $2 paratransit fare. If the per-mile fare were $2, the total cost of the one-way trip would be $4.

A summary of each transit agencies' paratransit service policy including hours and location of service, fare information, and operating statistics can be found in Appendix I.