SCMTD February 2004 Board of Directors Agendas - Santa Cruz ...

SANTA CRUZ METROPOLITAN TRANSIT DISTRICT
DATE: February 27, 2004
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Board of Directors
Leslie R. White, General Manager
CONSIDERATION OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
PRINCIPLES BETWEEN CALTRANS, THE CAPITAL CORRIDOR
JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY, THE VALLEY TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY, AND METRO FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE
HIGHWAY 17 EXPRESS SERVICE AND THE SANTA CRUZ-SAN JOSE
AMTRAK CONNECTOR SERVICE.
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
That the Board of Directors authorize the General Manager to execute a Memorandum of
Understanding between Caltrans, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the Valley
Transportation Authority, and METRO for the consolidation of the Highway 17 Express
service and the Amtrak Santa Cruz-San Jose Connector service.
II.
SUMMARY OF ISSUES
• METRO currently operates Highway 17 Express Bus service from the Soquel Park-n-
Ride and Scotts Valley to the Diridon Station and downtown San Jose through a Joint
Powers Authority Agreement with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
(VTA).
• The Highway 17 Express service operates Monday through Friday with no service on
weekends or holidays.
• METRO has received numerous requests to extend the Highway 17 Express service
to the Santa Cruz METRO Center (Pacific Station) facility and to operate the service
365 days a year.
• Currently, METRO does not have the operating funds necessary to expand the service
on the Highway 17 Express.
• Caltrans funds the Amtrak Connector service between Santa Cruz and San Jose
through the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA).
• Caltrans policy requires that the fares collected from passengers equal the amount of
funds that they provide on a route-by-route basis. Currently, the Amtrak Connector
between Santa Cruz and San Jose does not meet this criteria and, therefore, the
service is susceptible to being cut or eliminated.
• Representatives from Caltrans, the CCJPA, Amtrak, VTA and METRO have
developed principles for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would