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TO: |
Board of Trustees |
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THROUGH: |
Jay Fox, Executive Director |
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FROM: |
Nichol Bourdeaux, Chief Planning and Engagement Officer |
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PRESENTER(S): |
Shaina Quinn, IMS Program Manager |
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TITLE:
title
Tooele County Microtransit Electrification Project
end
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:
Discussion
RECOMMENDATION:
Informational item for discussion
BACKGROUND:
In partnership with Tooele County, the purpose of this project is to transition UTA Flex Route and Dial-a-Ride with UTA On Demand microtransit service to provide better coverage, increased access, and more flexibility for riders. In addition, UTA is replacing gasoline powered vehicles with electric vans and is installing electric charging stations. Capital costs are largely funded by a $1.3 million FTA Low-No award, and this is UTA's first Software as a Service (SaaS) deployment.
DISCUSSION:
In August 2022, the Tooele County zone was launched as part of the UTA On Demand service expansion. The service is currently undergoing an active transition to an all-electric fleet. In July 2023, 10 Ford E-Transit electric ADA-accessible 6-passenger vans were delivered to Tooele County and are currently being tested in revenue service.
As part of the transition, 13 Level 2 overnight chargers have been installed and are operational. Construction work for the Level 3 fast chargers is in progress. The Level 3 fast chargers are expected to be operational in October 2023 with a total of 6 charging ports.
Project evaluation is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2024, and it will mark the conclusion of the entire project. The evaluation will likely provide valuable insights and outcomes about the success and effectiveness of the all-electric fleet transition.
PROJECT BENEFITS
UTA On-Demand microtransit service provides low-cost coverage service in rural areas, like Tooele County. This investment in microtransit software and a small fleet of all-electric microtransit vehicles is yielding remarkable results. One year after microtransit service launch, transit ridership in Tooele County has tripled from about 70 to 220 riders every day. The strategic environmental goal of this project is to support a better quality of life for Tooele County residents by converting to zero-emission vehicles for cleaner air. In the initial month of operation, these electric vans collectively reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 2.7 metric tons.
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
This project is supported by capital project REV234 with an approximate total budget of $1.7M, and a 5-year operating agreement with Tooele County for approximately $1.0M annually. Each electric ADA-accessible van cost approximately $90,000.
ATTACHMENTS:
None