REPORT TO THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FROM THE DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Transcription

1 REPORT TO THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FROM THE DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT ON WAIVED OR DISCOUNTED TRANSIT FEES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS April 21, 2016 PURPOSE To establish a Council policy for the approval of waived or discounted transit fares for special events. SUMMARY Historically, event organizers requesting free transit passes for their event would appear as a delegation at a Regular Council meeting. Staff propose Council consider authorizing a Council policy that defines the types of requests that can be approved by Administration. Administration recommends adopting the attached Council policy, which would limit free or discounted transit fares to special events that are open to the community or to those individuals volunteering to help run an event. The policy would allow Administration to authorize free and/or discounted transit for events that are expected to put minimal pressure on the transit system. Any events that require changes to routes or service levels to be accommodated would need authorization by Council and BC Transit, and would be subject to funding availability. RECOMMENDATION: That Council authorize Council Policy No. TS-12, Waived or Discounted Transit Fees for Special Events (Attachment "A"). COUNCIL POLICY There is no applicable Council policy. DISCUSSION Decisions regarding transit fares, routes, and service levels are authorized by Council based on information and planning provided by BC Transit and Administration. 184

2 Page 2 A goal of the Kamloops Sustainability Plan is to reduce automobile usage in Kamloops by increasing the use of alternate modes of travel. One of the strategies to increase transit ridership is to promote it to future riders. This process has been achieved through the Class Rides Free Program, at information booths at events like the Home Show and Clean Air Day, and by providing free transit to key special events. Event organizers requesting free transit for their events are advised to come to a Council meeting as a delegation to request free transit. Over the past several years, the number of requests has increased and there has been an increasing diversity in the type of requests received. On May 14, 2013, Council approved free transit for all customers on Canada Day going forward. The majority of free transit requests have resulted in a decision by Council to support the request; therefore, Administration recommends that Council adopt a policy that delegates the authority to Administration. APPROVED FREE TRANSIT EVENTS IN 2014, 2015, AND 2016 Year Free Transit Event Transit Trips Tim Hortons Brier Curling (volunteers) * Boogie the Bridge (participants) * Canada Day (City-wide) 4,300** Ask Wellness Amazing Race (participants) * Municipal Election (City-wide) * Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth Gathering (participants) * Ribfest (volunteers) * Community Innovation Lab (participants) * Boogie the Bridge (participants) 35 Kamloops Senior Symposium * Canada Day (City-wide) 4,300** Ribfest (volunteers) * Annual Children's Art Festival * New Life Mission Women's & Children's Christmas Social 80 IIHF Women's World Hockey Tournament 1, Boogie the Bridge (participants) *** (as of April 20, 2016) Kamloops Senior Symposium *** Canada Day (City-wide) *** *No data available **Estimated based on 2011 Canada Day transit ridership ***Future event 185

3 Page 3 Under the proposed policy, the administrative process to waive or discount transit fares is as follows: 1. Requests for free or discounted transit are to be submitted, in writing, by the event organizers to the Development and Engineering Services Department; 2. The Development and Engineering Services Director will determine if a waived or discounted transit fare is beneficial to the community, taking into consideration the municipal budget and anticipated promotional benefits to Kamloops transit; 3. Transit fares may be waived or discounted by the Development and Engineering Services Director for events that meet the following conditions: a) The event is not-for-profit and is free for the community to attend, or the request is specifically for the benefit of volunteers who are recognized as a necessary component of a successful event; b) The scale of the request can be adequately accommodated by existing transit routing and schedules; and c) The event organizer recognizes Kamloops Transit as an event sponsor. Note: Free transit will be offered on Canada Day as per Council resolution dated May 14, Free transit should not be provided to events where there is an associated fee to attend, as the cost of the fare is generally not a barrier to travelling on the transit system. For these types of events, Administration is prepared to work with event organizers to build a cost-recovery mechanism into the event ticket price. Suitable mechanisms would be determined on a case-by-case basis; however, the underlying principle is for the event to be cost-neutral to the transit system. Including the cost of the transit fare in the price of an event ticket will serve to promote use of transit to the event as well as make it more convenient for the user. Increasing the number of people using transit for an event has the potential to increase long-term ridership on the system. Additional benefits to the community and event organizers would include a reduction in parking and traffic congestion issues around the event location. If a situation arises where a partnership with an event organizer makes sense, it is proposed that Administration would bring the details forward as a stand-alone item to seek Council's approval. Any changes to routes or service levels required to accommodate an event will be subject to funding and resource availability and may need to be authorized by Council and BC Transit. ALTERNATIVES/OPTIONS Status quo - All free transit fare requests would be directed to a Regular Council Meeting for Council's consideration. 186

4 Page 4 SUSTAINABILITY IMPLICATIONS The Sustainable Kamloops Plan (SKP) envisions a balance between social responsibility, economic vitality, and environmental integrity. The SKP outlines the following transportation goal and targets: Goal Reduce automobile usage in Kamloops, particularly single-occupant vehicles, by increasing the use of alternate modes of travel and integrating land use and transportation planning. Targets Increase to 30% the number of people using other modes of travel to employment, including carpooling, transit, walking, cycling, and other modes by 2020; Increase transit ridership by 50% (compared to base year of 2008) by 2020; and Reduce vehicle ownership to 0.6 vehicles per capita by The recommendations in this report serve to support the goals and help the community achieve the targets set in the SKP. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS It is not anticipated that the recommendations of this report will have any immediate financial impacts as the proposed policy is written to reflect the existing practice regarding free transit. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS The Kamloops Social Plan calls for the City to: Incorporate an understanding of the social issues which overlap with transportation planning into the planning process and implement strategies to improve community accessibility for those most in need (e.g., availability of transit passes). In support of this plan, the City provides the United Way with 7,660 adult and 1,020 student/senior transit tickets per year as part of the Emergency Transportation Assistance Program. The United Way distributes these tickets directly to agencies that serve clients who have a low or fixed income to support these residents in travelling to medical appointments, employment interviews, or social services agencies. The provision of free or discounted transit to events would additionally support the Kamloops Social Plan by improving accessibility to free events for these residents in need. 187

5 Page 5 M. Kwiatkowski, P.Eng. Development and Engineering Services Director Approved for Council Consideration: Author: M. Beaulieu, P.Eng., Assistant Transportation Engineer Reviewed by: D. Matkowski, P.Eng., Engineering Manager MB/dla/lm Attachment 188

6 Attachment "A" City of Kamloops COUNCIL POLICY SUBJECT: FUNCTION: WAIVED OR DISCOUNTED TRANSIT FEES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS GENERAL GOVERNMENT - ADMINISTRATIVE NO. TS-12 DATE: PAGE 1 OF 1 Introduction From time to time, the City provides reduced transit fares or waives the transit fares for significant community events. It is recognized that free transit promotes the transit system and thereby contributes to the continued success of the system, and reduces the number of vehicles on the road during the special event. Also, free or discounted transit supports these events, which leads to the continued health and success of the community. The objective of this policy is to balance the needs of special events, the community, and the transit budget. Policy The administrative process to waive or discount transit fares is as follows: 1. Requests for free or discounted transit are to be submitted, in writing, by the event organizers to the Development and Engineering Services Department; 2. The Development and Engineering Services Director will determine if a waived or discounted transit fare is beneficial to the community, taking into consideration the municipal budget and anticipated promotional benefits to Kamloops transit; 3. Transit fares may be waived or discounted by the Development and Engineering Services Director for events that meet the following conditions: a) The event is not-for-profit and is free for the community to attend, or the request is specifically for the benefit of volunteers who are recognized as a necessary component of a successful event; b) The scale of the request can be adequately accommodated by existing transit routing and schedules; and c) The event organizer recognizes Kamloops Transit as an event sponsor. Note: Free transit will be offered on Canada Day as per Council resolution dated May 14, Limitations Fares will not be waived or discounted for attendees of events where there is an associated admission fee. Any changes to routes or service levels required to accommodate an event will be subject to funding and resource availability and may need to be authorized by Council and BC Transit. S:\DCS\Jobs - LEGS (cp)\council Policies\242048_DRAFT Special Event Transit_POL.docx April 21,