Agenda Item Wording:
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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 operatio...
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