Public Transportation

Joe GalloConor HouseAnd Some Kid, We Barely Know His Name

Why Do We Need It?• There currently is no public transit system in place in New

Canaan• Public Transportation will cut down traffic in town• It will also cut down the carbon emissions which will benefit the

environment.• Approximately 38 percent of the nation's rural residents live in

areas without any public transit service, and another 28 percent live in areas in which the level of transit service is negligible, according to the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA).

• Since we already have a contract with Dattco busses it would be very convenient and inexpensive.

• If a public transit system is brought in we could get state and federal aid to run it.

Problems That Could Occur?• 1. Funding Issues

– Taxes• 2. Operational Issues

– Such as schedules and employment• 3. Legal Issues

- Various acts

• 4. Safety Issues- certain regulations a vehicle must pass

Funding Issues• Buses would have to have a set wage or bus pass to have the

town come close to breaking even• 75,000 for each bus used for school hours, buses charge per

hour so it would be a lot more to use around the clock.• Gas for the wide range of areas the buses cover• Bus drivers need to be paid, drivers have their own contracts

instead of being under contract of the bus company• The buses would have to sit about 50 people to be able to have

a successful business

Funding Solutions• Use less drivers and only go through main routes• Only get 2 contracted buses.• Get sponsors from the community such as the Outback to pay a

portion of the extra hours needed to operate. A teen organization such as this would be interested because it would also benefit teens with safe rides close to home during the later shift

• Community survey shows that in a population of about 20,000, we would have enough seats filled on each bus to be able to break even and maybe even make a small profit through this plan.

Operational Issues• If Dattco backs out what would happen and would the program

continue?• How would labor be distributed to drivers and would the bus

company set this up or would the people in charge of the busing through the town be in charge of this.

• Vehicle Availability, due to the fact school busses are being used how would these buses be available and at what times.

• Windy streets in New Canaan, makes it inconvenient for buses• Wide diameter makes routes hard to negotiate.• Bus hours- how to make it so the hourly cost of buses does not

cost as much.

Operational Solutions• Third party companies will buy out rights to operate in New

Canaan if Dattco does not want to participate• The town would have to hire the bus drivers under a separate

contract• Vehicle availability would be Monday-Saturday anytime between

7 am and 9 pm• Main roads would be the only roads used for the routes• Two buses and have two routes east side to town and west side

to town• Bus passes could be implemented and as well as that a fare of

3.00 if no pass is obtained• Stops would have to be at designated area at a designated non

changing time

Legal Issues• Many states have laws against having anyone on school buses

other than the driver, students and bus monitors• Federal transit regulations limit the type of school transportation

service that can be provided with FTA-funded vehicles, in an effort to protect private operations

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that new public transit vehicles be accessible and have specified door height. Student transportation regulations do not require that every bus be accessible.

• Driver screening and training, routing, the location of school bus stops, loading and unloading practices, and limiting the extent to which older and younger students ride at the same time. Is essential to safety.

Legal Solutions• In the state of Connecticut other people other then monitors,

students and drivers are allowed on the school bus.• With the fact that the FTA wants to protect private companies

we would have to be very limited with our hours (can’t have it running for 12 hours straight)

• The only wheelchair accessible buses used by the school are the vans

• Driver screening and route planning goes through Dattco and this is protocol for all the drivers hired by Dattco

Safety Issues• Laws about public transportation provide that any bus above

10,000 pounds must have protection through compartmentalization meaning the seats are close together with energy absorbing materials if there were to be a crash. Transit vehicles must have ways to accommodate people with disabilities.

• All drivers must have a clean criminal record and are required to take drug tests and also must be certified for CPR and first aid training.

• Drivers need a Commercial drivers license• Safety precautions are different for different ages of people• Risk insurance for unlikely injuries such as slipping• The possibility of having people with criminal records that

parents do not want their kids riding with• Possible violence on bus

Safety Solutions• Conveniently our buses already have the compartmentalization

feature so the buses are legal in that category• Would have to install wheel chair systems such as ramps or

electric elevators to be able to support the needs of disabilities.• Hire bus drivers from a union of drivers that has already

successfully tested all drivers to make sure they are legal and have a commercial drivers license already

• Studies of a Californian organization shows that compartmentalization is a safe method for all ages of riders

• Pay a set wage of insurance per mile • Background checks on anyone who purchases a bus pass so

parents are reassured that it is safe• Volunteer monitor or if no volunteers/ ask for support from

NCPD and have them put a cop on the bus

Community Opinions

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would it benefit nc? would it be convienent? would it save money? would you use it? would you let your kids use it?

YesNo

Similar Situations• Gillete, Wyoming- Campbell County School District operates a system

of buses during the week and then they charge organizations to rent them out to travel to nearby towns during the weekend. The organization then pays a fee of .25 cents per mile so that they can fall under the same insurance circumstances of the school bus system.

• Idlewild, Michigan- The Yates Dial-A-Ride transit system has a fully integrated system between the general public and students. They ride on fixed routes together in the morning and then in the afternoon and evening hours the buses are used to provide general public transit.

• Minot, North Dakota- City of Minot does not provide conventional school bus transportation, instead it operates an integrated fixed route public transit service that focuses on student transportation in the morning through late afternoon. During midday they focus on senior citizens and people with disabilities. This service is also always open to the general public

Our Plan: The Route • We will use two buses, one from the west side of town to the

train station, one from the east side of town to the train station.• The main state highways such as 123, 124 and 106 will be

where the main stops are. • We will have 3 stops on each main road so it is more convenient

for people to walk to stops closer to their homes.

Our Plan: Finances• Bus Drivers get paid 20.00 per hour for there services not only

that but we would have to pay for wear and tear on the bus insurance and cost of fuel

• We believe implementing a daily fare would be the most beneficial for making a profit for the town of New Canaan

• If Dattco were to pull out a third party company would love to jump in and take the risk on the bus system.

• With Dattco or another company in charge it could cost more money due to the fact they would want to make a profit as well

• Pay for a set fare of risk insurance per mile to stop things such as phony law suits and accidents.

Our Plan: Operations• We believe that the most successful hours would be early in the

morning and dusk• This is because a lot of people wouldn’t have to park there car

at the train station• So the shifts would be 6-7am, 7-8am, 530-630pm,630-9 pm• Since they would only be available 5.5 hours a day there would

not be a large cost for operation

Our Plan: Safety• Due to the fact a lot of people could be using this service safety

needs to be the top priority• All bus drivers will go through background checks and have a

commercial drivers license so they can safely run the bus• Both busses will be accommodated with handicap help and

accessibility• And all people who get on the bus will be not able to sue due to

the fact there will be a terms and conditions written for the entry of the bus