Federal regulation may stop JTA shuttles to stadium next year

[jtwestside]

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-01-26/story/stadium_bus_service_in_doubt_for_2009

Stadium bus service in doubt for 2009
Federal regulation might prevent JTA from providing shuttles
By Larry Hannan Story updated at 7:42 PM on Monday, Jan. 26, 2009

A year-old federal regulation could prohibit the Jacksonville Transportation Authority from continuing bus service to football games at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and lead to higher bus fares under a private company.

The JTA has been providing bus service to Jaguars games since the team’s first season in 1995. It also offers service to the college games.

Although JTA interim mass transit director Bill Powell said the service loses money â€" he couldn’t say how much â€" JTA wants to continue offering it as a public service that lessens congestion on the roads and makes it easier for people to get to the games.

But a Federal Transit Administration regulation that went into effect in May 2008 required private companies to run bus services for sporting events and other special events.

The regulation shut down specialized city bus services last year in Miami, Seattle and Nashville that took people to Dolphins, Seahawks and Titans games.

FTA spokesman Paul Griffo said the purpose of the regulation was to encourage private industry over publicly funded transportation. The penalty for not complying with the regulation is the loss of all federal transportation funding.

Powell said his understanding of the federal regulation is that JTA will be barred from offering bus service if a private company steps up â€" even if that company charges much higher rates. But he doesn’t expect any charter company can make money when JTA can’t.

Griffo said transit companies are required to notify private charters that they can take over the bus service. That must happen before the public transit company gets a waiver to operate the buses, and he said JTA was not granted a waiver for 2008.

Spokesman Mike Miller said Monday that JTA continued operating the service in 2008 because no private company expressed an interest in taking over. Later Monday, he said JTA never contacted private companies and wasn’t required to because it didn’t technically seek a waiver.

Miller said that instead JTA received permission from a regional FTA administrator to operate the service as an extension of its regular daily service. Griffo said late Monday the FTA was reviewing the permission letter.

If a private company is interested, it needs to contact either JTA or the Jaguars, Miller said.

In 2008, it cost $56 for a season pass and $7 for a single game for passengers who boarded the buses from the downtown lots at the Prime Osborn Convention Center and the Kings Avenue parking garage.

A season pass from three suburban lots was $96, or $12 for a single game.

In 2008, 66,481 people rode the bus to 13 events at a cost to JTA of $602,706. To 14 events in 2007, 84,983 people rode at a costs of $562,522. About 80-100 buses are used for each game.

JTA could not say how much revenue had been generated via fares in 2008 but conceded that the service was a significant money loser since it began.



larry.hannan@jacksonville.com

(904) 359-4470

[Ocklawaha]

Powell said his understanding of the federal regulation is that JTA will be barred from offering bus service if a private company steps up â€" even if that company charges much higher rates. But he doesn’t expect any charter company can make money when JTA can’t.

I read it the same way and don't think we have a local company with capacity to do it.

OCKLAWAHA

[Lunican]

Maybe school bus operators?

[civil42806]

I don't understand this, the regs went into effect in early 2008.  I know the titans bus service and others stopped, but JTA still ran the service in 2008.  Why the change now?   

[Ocklawaha]

Maybe school bus operators?

Oh my Gosh man, Talk about SUPERBOWL opportunities... CAN YOU IMAGINE?

200 Yellow school buses deliver the crowds to Superbowl 99 in Jacksonville!

YEE HAW Y'ALL - In a league of our own, no other city is even close.

DAMN!

JUST DAMN!

OCKLAWAHA

[civil42806]

Maybe school bus operators?

Oh my Gosh man, Talk about SUPERBOWL opportunities... CAN YOU IMAGINE?

200 Yellow school buses deliver the crowds to Superbowl 99 in Jacksonville!

YEE HAW Y'ALL - In a league of our own, no other city is even close.

DAMN!

JUST DAMN!

OCKLAWAHA

I've rode on some school buses during the jaguars game and is no big deal, but much more enjoy the city buses

[Lunican]

[Ocklawaha]

LUNICAN, Your photo of the school buses made me wish we could one-up the crowd and go with a first class Coach Line.... Y'all know that JTA does have a handful of over-the-road coaches right? They are the cheap MCI version with NO perks, but still first class next to a city bus or school hay wagon.



OCKLAWAHA

[JeffreyS]

Real private solutions would have a creative company saying you do it one way hear is how we can do it better. Not just saying give us a bad quote we will take it just to say it is private.

[Ocklawaha]

In our system of things, and with the FTA ruling, any private company that pony's up to the bar gets the green light.

The idea is sound enough, don't let the entire US Government, State or City compete against the small guy. JTA is the big dog in this and any little dog is going to get the bone. If JTA plays it keepers, then the citizens are going to get taken for a ride with damages in some courtroom.

OCKLAWAHA

[Joe]

Honestly, the regulation does make a lot of sense.

Using public transit to provide game day only service is a pretty blatant subsidy. Especially since the service runs at a loss. It's certainly not the taxpayer's job to provide a cheap ride for the customers of one specific private company. Mass transit is supposed to serve the general population and have stable consistent routes. Many would argue that the government already gives far too much subsidy to sports franchises anyway.

I'm sure the regulation might seem frustrating to someone who is interested in seeing any kind of expanded mass transit. However the regulation is a good long-term measure against fiscal abuse. A real bus route past the stadium that served anyone (regardless of whether it was game day or not) will always be allowed

[jtwestside]

Joe is correct. Why should we subsidize these routes by letting them run at a loss? If the city wants to get people to the stadium they could come up with some better alternatives.

Skyway?
Trolleys (cable car)?

I realize that isn't going to get people into downtown from other parts of town, but isn't that the bigger issue with our mass transit anyway?

Maybe people could get up bright and early and ride the regular city bus routes into the city then take a trolley from the hub to the stadium. All told I'm sure it wouldn't take more than 4 to 6 hours to get there and 6 to 8 hours to get home.

[Ocklawaha]

The IDEAL WAY to do a stadium shuttle would be with our 184 MILLION DOLLAR Stadium shuttle...

The one we never finished.

Skyway with Streetcar on 5 minute headways and close headway regular transit buses would take a huge bite out of this traffic jam.

OCKLAWAHA

[fsujax]

But, Ock we would still be running those services at a loss....should we really be provding any service at a loss?

[thelakelander]

Well public transportation, like the library, parks, etc. typically operates at a loss.  However, I think we all agree, these things are important for the community's quality of life.  In the long term, with proper planning, one would hope that a fixed transportation system could at least spur infill development along the route.  Having development on properties like the Shipyards and current courthouse site would then do a couple of things:

1. It makes the existing transit system more viable.

2. Adds millions to the tax rolls.

3. Makes downtown a more livable and attractive special events.

4. When designed to work first for the community, in general, the extra benefit will be that it can serve special events at JMS, Metropolitan Park, Kids Kampus, the ballpark and the arena when necessary.

If this is done, the cost to implement and maintain is more than offset by the income the community brings in with economic development.  With JTA undergoing a system redesign, this conflict provides a good opportunity for the community to really examine the need for a true integrated mass transit system.