Agenda Item Wording:
title
Sequoia Shuttle 2025 Season Report and Direction for the 2026 Season Fare Structure - Receive a presentation on the completed Sequoia Shuttle 2025 Season and provide direction for the Sequoia Gateway Shuttle and Fare Structure for the 2026 Season. If time allows, otherwise this may be moved to the regular session.
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Deadline for Action: 12/15/2025
Submitting Department: Administration - Transit Division
Prepared by:
Caleb Bowman, Management Analyst, caleb.bowman@visalia.gov, (559)713-4594
Angelina Baker, Transit Manager, angelina.baker@visalia.gov, (559)713-4591
John Lollis, Assistant City Manager, john.lollis@visalia.gov, (559)713-4323
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Receive an update presentation;
2. Authorize Gateway Shuttle for the 2026 Season;
3. Authorize $15.00/Person Round Trip Fare with $5.00/Person Discount for Visalia Residents;
4. Authorize Use of LTF Funds for Gateway Shuttle, and to Pursue Other Funding Opportunities;
5. Return to a future City Council Meeting with a report by October 2026.
Summary:
When the Gateway Shuttle service began in 2007, the round-trip fare was $10.00 per person and was increased to $15.00 per person in 2008. In 2019, staff requested that the round-trip ticket be raised to $20.00 per person to adjust for increased costs of the Transit Operations contract at that time. The impact of the increased ticket cost from 2018 to 2019 was immediately reflected in a fifty-four percent (54%) drop in ridership on the Gateway Shuttle during the 2019 Season compared to the 2018 Season. The 2020 Season was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was again not offered in the 2021 Season, which reflected reduced numbers on the internal Park Shuttle. The 2022 Season demonstrated the service beginning to increase coming out of the pandemic, and then the 2023 Season was abruptly interrupted by the local transit driver strike that shut down Transit operations for six (6) weeks in the midst of the Sequoia season. In the 2024 Season with full service offered, the Gateway Shuttle did not experience ticket sales to the level prior to 2019, with the Gateway Shuttle transporting 3,391 passengers and the internal Park Shuttle transporting just under one million passengers.
During the City’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Rates and Fees process in June 2025, staff recommended that the round-trip Gateway Shuttle fare be reduced from $20.00 to $15.00 per person in the prospect of incentivizing increased ridership. In addition, the Gateway Shuttle route schedule was streamlined, eliminating the previously least utilized stop locations (including Exeter and Farmersville) and consolidating the stop locations within Visalia. The 2025 Season experienced a 14.5% increase in ridership of the Gateway Shuttle, increasing from 6,427 to 7,360.
When reviewing Transit ridership numbers for both the Gateway and internal Park Shuttle services, it is important to note that ridership is recorded as unlinked passenger trips, meaning that each time a passenger gets on the Gateway or internal Park Shuttles they are recorded as a new trip. This is due to not everyone riding in both directions on the Gateway Shuttle, and many passengers riding in multiple directions on the internal Park Shuttle. Staff does not currently have a means to track the same passenger throughout the park in order to reconcile the number of rides to number of passengers. The summary of these ridership numbers are shown in the table below:
Gateway Shuttle Ridership
|
2019 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
1,135 |
0 |
541 |
0 |
731 |
723 |
|
1,426 |
0 |
1,801 |
0 |
1,667 |
2,037 |
|
1,839 |
0 |
1,938 |
196 |
1,985 |
2,250 |
|
1,491 |
0 |
2,625 |
235 |
1,842 |
2,278 |
|
284 |
0 |
533 |
724 |
202 |
72 |
|
6,175 |
0 |
7,438 |
1,155 |
6,427 |
7,360 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
113.49% |
0.00% |
136.70% |
21.23% |
118.12% |
135.27% |
|
-54.22% |
-100.00% |
20.45% |
-84.47% |
-13.59% |
14.52% |
Internal Shuttle Ridership
|
2019 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
38,309 |
12,734 |
68,045 |
0 |
87,661 |
87,768 |
|
221,614 |
50,620 |
181,741 |
78,734 |
257,543 |
234,287 |
|
341,841 |
153,572 |
243,823 |
90,860 |
300,401 |
268,449 |
|
269,112 |
94,422 |
162,537 |
52,274 |
256,626 |
236,882 |
|
69,288 |
36,915 |
61,530 |
68,202 |
34,855 |
10,074 |
|
940,164 |
348,263 |
717,676 |
290,070 |
937,086 |
837,460 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
690.73% |
255.87% |
527.27% |
213.11% |
688.47% |
615.28% |
|
8.36% |
-62.96% |
106.07% |
-59.58% |
30.57% |
-10.63% |
Prior to the 2025 season when the fare was $20.00 per person round-trip, the only discount offered was a group purchase discount. If a group of six (6) or more tickets were purchased on the same booking, then the per ticket cost was reduced by twenty percent (20%) to $16.00 per person.
Background Discussion:
The Sequoia Shuttle service has been operating since 2007 and involves two (2) separate yet complimentary components of the service, including the external Gateway Shuttle that transports passengers from the valley floor (Visalia and Three Rivers) up to the Park, and the internal Park Shuttle that is comprised of multiple routes that move in and around the Park. The internal Park Shuttle operates in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) through a Cooperative Agreement, the most recent of which was approved in May 2023 for five (5) years and is in effect through the 2027 Season. The City is responsible for the ownership and operation of the buses used for the internal Park Shuttle service, as well as the camp trailers used to house drivers in the Park during the Summer Season.
Fiscal Impact:
The Gateway Shuttle service is financially supported significantly by Local Transit Funds (LTF). The LTF funds come from Transit Development Act (TDA) funds that are distributed by Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG). Some other funds that are included in LTF funding are Visalia Transit lease dollars, and any other monies earned that are not tied directly to grants. The use of LTF funds to subsidize the Gateway Shuttle reduces the amount of LTF funding available for the operation of Visalia Transit routes within the City of Visalia and/or other appropriate uses of these funds such as street maintenance. The comparison of revenues and expenses for the Gateway Shuttle service and the corresponding LTF cost for the 2024 and 2025 Seasons are shown in the table below.
|
Gateway |
|
2024 |
2025 |
|
Expenses |
Revenue |
LTF Cost |
Expenses |
Revenue |
LTF Cost |
|
$401,157.00 |
$34,218.00 |
$366,939.00 |
$544,516.00 |
$57,938.97 |
$486,577.00 |
|
Tickets sold |
Fare |
Ticket Sales |
Tickets sold |
Fare |
Ticket Sales |
|
3,391 |
$20.00 |
$34,191.00 |
4,056 |
$15.00 |
$57,902.00 |
As represented in the table above, the increase in Gateway Shuttle ticket sales from 2024 to 2025 was 665 tickets (19.6% increase). As mentioned previously, and to better explain ticket sales in comparison to ridership, ticket sales represent a complete $15.00 round-trip fare, while the total ridership will be less than twice due to not every rider completing the round-trip. Additionally, in 2024 when ticket sales were $20.00 for a round-trip fare, the previously mentioned twenty percent (20%) discount on bulk ticket sales provide additional ambiguity when comparing ridership and ticket sales.
The Gateway Shuttle service offers seven (7) daily shuttles on Saturdays and Sundays, and six (6) daily shuttles Monday through Friday. With each shuttle offering sixteen (16) seats equates to a total of 10,144 one-way tickets are offered going up to the Park, and the same number coming back down from the Park. Based on the data represented in the chart above, less than half of the available one-way tickets that were available for the 2025 season were sold.
It should be noted that the operational costs for the Gateway Shuttle increased thirty-five percent (35%) due to the change in the Operations Contract between the 2024 and 2025 Seasons, resulting in the significant increase in expenses and corresponding LTF cost
During the Rates and Fees Process discussion at its meeting on June 16, 2025, the Council inquired about additional discounts that may be offered such as for children, seniors and/or veterans, similar to Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) in Fresno to Yosemite. At the time, the only fare discount that was offered for the Gateway Shuttle was the twenty percent (20%) bulk discount reducing individual ticket prices from $20.00 to $16.00 each when six (6) or more tickets were purchased at one time. The Council’s stated priority was to encourage local residents to use the Gateway Shuttle to visit the Park. The Council may wish to consider an additional $5.00 discount for a $10.00 round trip fare on the Gateway Shuttle to any City of Visalia resident that presents a utility bill as proof of city residency, similar to the “Dump on Us” program administered by the City’s Public Works Department. With the data presented above, the operational costs of the Gateway Shuttle would not change by offering additional discounts to locals. Each Shuttle costs the same to the City whether the Shuttle is sold out or empty, due to the City paying the Operator per vehicle mile and per vehicle hour for this service. Accordingly, Visalia Transit could have theoretically sold the remaining 6,088 available seats on the Shuttles to locals for $5.00 each which would have generated an additional $30,440 in ticket sales or for $10.00 each an additional $60,880. With the 2025 Season total expenses of $544,516 (LTF contribution expense of $486,57), and ridership at 4,056, that places the cost for this service at approximately $134 per passenger ($120 per passenger for LTF). For comparison, the current cost per passenger for fixed route service is $22.39 and for the V-Line service is $30.04. If discounts were offered to locals and sold those unused seats at $10.00 per ticket, it would have decreased the net LTF contribution expense to $425,697 and lowered the cost per passenger to approximately $54 ($42 per passenger for LTF).
The table below provides a summary of the expenditure of LTF funds over the last five (5) operating years of the Gateway Shuttle:
|
Local Transit Funds |
|
Year |
Cost |
|
2019 |
$451,955.70 |
|
2022 |
$304,305.59 |
|
2023 |
$403,143.48 |
|
2024 |
$366,939.00 |
|
2025 |
$486,577.00 |
As previously mentioned, due to the pandemic, there was no Gateway Shuttle service in the 2020 or 2021 Seasons, therefore staff has provided the year 2019 to provide five (5) full years of LTF expenditures for the Gateway Shuttle.
On November 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced America-first pricing, making national parks more accessible and affordable for American residents. Effective January 1, 2026, non-American residents will pay a higher rate to help support the care and maintenance of America’s parks, which the eleven (11) most visited national parks will begin charging a $100.00 per person, including Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. During the 2025 Season, approximately sixteen percent (16%) of the ticket sales were by international visitors. While this additional fee does not impact Gateway Shuttle operations, it could impact bookings if individuals choose not to pay the additional fees.
According to the Phase 1 of the Visit California Regional Strategic Tourism Plan - Central Valley that was released in March of 2025,
Of the 108 assets that were measured, the Central Valley has limited large-scale attractions. The region has no demand drivers that have an international draw and three demand drivers with a national draw, including University of California, Davis, Fresno State and the Sequoia Shuttle. The majority of the demand drivers in the Central Valley region are either targeted regional draws or “must see if in the area” attractions. “Must see if in the area” attractions typically do not drive overnight visitation.
The Sequoia Shuttle both internal and external are significant items on the City of Visalia’s “resume” with the internal Park Shuttle transporting just under one million (1,000,000) visitors within the Park each season.
Visit Visalia reports that during the 2025 Sequoia Shuttle season it received over 100,000 views on social media content directly related to the Sequoia Shuttle service, making the service a well-known tourist attraction in the area.
Potential Funding Options
For the Council’s consideration and deliberation is the continued use of LTF funds to support the Gateway Shuttle service. In previous years, the National Park Service provided partial funding support for the Gateway Shuttle, as well as City staff used federal transportation grant funds such as 5311(f) which are designed for programs that connect people from urban to rural areas, and at the time the Gateway Shuttle was a valid applicant for those grant funds. The last time Visalia Transit received 5311(f) funds for the Sequoia Gateway Shuttle was 2020 in the amount of $233,000. The City received these dollars in arrears and was applied in the 2022 shuttle season. Following that grant award, staff were notified by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that the Gateway Shuttle service would no longer be eligible for those grant dollars going forward. Staff’s understanding is that these federal grant funds are designed to support transit routes similar to fixed route where local residents can purchase a ticket on the bus without a reservation. Staff is exploring the option of eliminating the reservation system and retooling the Gateway Shuttle service prior to resubmitting a grant application for federal 5311(f) funds if announced in the 2026 calendar year.
Other funding options that staff could explore at Council direction include financial support by the Visalia Tourism Marketing District, TCAG Measure R Public Transit Funds, Transient Occupancy Tax, and the City’s General Fund (not recommended).
Prior Council Action:
1. January 2019 Sequoia Shuttle Rates and Fees adjustment
2. June 2025 City Wide Rates and fees
3. May 2023 National Park Service Cooperative Agreement
Other: N/A
Alternatives: Council could direct staff to discontinue the Gateway Shuttle or seek other funds rather than the use of LTF. A discontinuation or a decision to not run the shuttle for the 2026 season is not prohibited in any way by the internal service contract with the National Park Service, however, it would increase the Park’s contract cost due to deadhead hours of additional shuttles going up to the Park each day to then circulate in the park.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Receive an update presentation;
2. Authorize Gateway Shuttle for the 2026 Season;
3. Authorize $15.00/Person Round Trip Fare with $5.00/Person Discount for Visalia Residents;
4. Authorize Use of LTF Funds for Gateway Shuttle, and to Pursue Other Funding Opportunities;
5. Return to a future City Council Meeting with a report by October 2026.
Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments:
1. City Council Staff Report: June 16, 2025
2. City Council Staff Report: May 15, 2023
3. City Council Staff Report: January 7, 2019
4. Meeting Presentation: December 15, 2025