Meeting_Body
REVISED
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
APRIL 28, 2016
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS ANTONOVICH AND KUEHL
April 28, 2016
Metro Partnerships with Rideshare/Ridesourcing Services
A recent American Public Transportation Association (APTA) report, Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit (March 2016), highlighted four key findings regarding the emerging intersection of shared use mobility and public transit.
The key findings are as follows:
• The more people use shared modes, the more likely they are to use public transit, own fewer cars, and spend less on transportation overall
• Shared modes complement public transit, enhancing urban mobility
• Shared modes will continue to grow in significance, and public entities should engage with them to ensure that benefits are widely and equitably shared
• The public sector and private mobility operators are eager to collaborate to improve paratransit using emerging approaches and technology
These findings mirror what is happening in Los Angeles County, as shared use mobility-especially ridesourcing services like Lyft and Uber-has emerged as a first mile/last mile connection to the Metro transit system-notably at Metro Rail stations. According to the APTA report, improving the use of these services will enhance ridership on our rail system and become even more necessary as these services become more prevalent in providing connections to the Metro Rail system.
Furthermore, the need for paratransit services will continue to grow in Los Angeles County, creating a demand for innovative approaches to provide mobility and quality of life for the region’s aging demographic.
In light of APTA’s study and key findings-and to provide our patrons with more options to access our services with greater efficiency, reliability, and convenience-Metro should develop a comprehensive plan that identifies strategies to develop effective partnerships with ridesource companies, including a review of obstacles to partnering with ridesource companies and strategies to overcome those obstacles. As a public agency, Metro should also clearly highlight the public benefit achieved by creating these partnerships on behalf of its patrons.
Title
MOTION by Directors Antonovich and Kuehl that the Metro Board directs the CEO to return to the Board within 120 days with a comprehensive plan that identifies strategies to develop effective partnerships with ridesource companies. This plan will also include an identification of obstacles in partnering with these companies, strategies to overcome these obstacles, and a review of benefit to the public as a result of partnering with these companies.