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Findings and Recommendations 16 findings
F1
During 2003-2008 few new buses were purchased while NCTPA expanded its role from solely transit to planning, traffic congestion and other activities.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
According to data collected during the period of 2001 to 2012, VINE ridership declined by more than 50%.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
NCTPA has had more than $10 million rolled over annually in its reserve TDA fund since 2009 that can be used for transit related capital expenses with MTC approval.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Grand Jury recommends planning out the use of the $10 million reserve fund to meet transit’s existing needs over the next 10 years, including capital expenses and marketing costs by the beginning of the next fiscal year.
F4
There was a major restructuring of NCTPA management and of the Veolia contractor during 2009 – 2011 and between 2009 and 2013 31 new buses were purchased for the VINE Routes.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
A new VINE Transit Center and consolidated NCTPA office complex was completed in December 2012.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
A redesigned VINE route system began service December 3, 2012 and had positive growth in ridership numbers over the first nine months of 2013.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
A monthly VINE dashboard for the NCTPA Board of Directors (BOD) was implemented in 2012, reporting on ridership, maintenance, cleanliness, frequency of on- time running, and safety that showed in 2013, VINE buses were clean, running twice as often, and meeting on-time targets.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
There is a lack of community awareness of numerous route changes, additional routes and other significant improvements in VINE transit services as documented in the NCTPA consultant Ilium Associate’s 2011 Marketing Plan.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
The Grand Jury recommends NCTPA contract with an agency with transit expertise to develop and implement appropriate marketing efforts to targeted ridership populations and major employers that will drive awareness of all VINE services and improve ridership within the current and for the future fiscal year.
F9
Marketing of the VINE bus service is not perceived as a high priority for NCTPA management and thus the annual marketing budgets for the VINE are not being fully deployed consistently. Only 10% of the NCTPA marketing budget had been spent six months into the present (FY14) fiscal year.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
The Grand Jury recommends NCTPA contract with an agency with transit expertise to develop and implement appropriate marketing efforts to targeted ridership populations and major employers that will drive awareness of all VINE services and improve ridership within the current and for the future fiscal year.
F10
Open since December 2012, the new NCTPA Office/VINE Transit Center does not have any visible street or building signage to help direct riders to the Transit Center and VINE buses and bus shelters lack consistent branding/signage, not optimizing potential advertising revenue and marketing opportunities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
NCTPA should install at a minimum temporary signage as soon as possible for the new Transit Center that can be seen from Soscol Avenue and install a complete and consistent branding and marketing signage system for the center, buses and bus shelters, within ninety (90) days of this report.
F11
In the spring of 2013 the Route 29 service received special grant funds to conduct an extensive advertising (billboard, television and radio) campaign that increased ridership, demonstrating the effectiveness of a marketing campaign.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
VINE services are not optimally promoted on website home pages of the incorporated jurisdictions. American Canyon, Yountville, and Calistoga websites have links that contain information about transportation services, including the VINE. The home pages of Napa and St. Helena lack such links.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
NCTPA should implement within the current fiscal year a coordinated VINE marketing strategy with each Napa County jurisdiction so that NCTPA’s transit services are readily available and consistently communicated across all public, community and visitor websites.
F13
The VINE currently does not employ sufficient financial, quantitative and qualitative metrics, indicators toward adaptive (learning-based) management in decision-making to constantly improve transit operations and ridership service.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
NCTPA should develop financial, qualitative and quantitative reporting metrics that will identify problems in standards of system performance so operation corrections can be made through adaptive management actions, with those metrics in place by the end of the current fiscal year.
F14
Planning for VINE proper (Napa inner-city) routes does not utilize Transit- Oriented-Development (TOD) methodologies for achieving the most sustainable transportation route designs.
Related Recommendations (2)
R5
NCTPA should consistently utilize the Napa County Short Range Transit Plan FY 2013-2022 (June 2013) for guidance in the sustainable operation of the Napa transit system with timely progress reports to the Board of Directors (BOD) put in place by June 2014.
R10
NCTPA should explore, adopt and apply sustainability design tools such as TOD to determine ideal alterations to transit services within the 2014 calendar year.
F15
NCTPA lacks a coordinated logistics management system for its many different facilities including the transit center, maintenance area, bus parking, and fueling facilities which results in an inefficient operation.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The Grand Jury recommends that the BOD adopt and follow a capital budget that anticipates maintenance and equipment acquisitions, projects out costs and funding mechanisms, and monitors implementation with a consistent progress reporting method. If the recommendation is not implementable in the current fiscal year, then it should be implemented in FY 2014/15.
R2
The Grand Jury recommends that the BOD evaluate at least annually, with careful prior analysis by staff, any needed major acquisitions such as buses, maintenance yards, and fueling stations, with the goal of achieving the efficient integration of transit operations.
F16
As demands increase upon its role in congestion management and transportation planning, particularly from the increased traffic in American Canyon and on Route 29 throughout the Valley, the NCTPA BOD’s time allocated to the VINE may not be sufficient in light of the VINE’s increasing directional needs regarding marketing, other ridership incentives, and long-term planning.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Grand Jury recommends the BOD to explore ways to improve NCTPA management retention such as merit pay or other incentives, and put in place for the coming fiscal year.
No Responses Found 5
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.