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Page 1 of 3 Item #4 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT February 6, 2024 Library and Recreation TITLE: APPROVE SUBMITTAL OF AN ALAMEDA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION GRANT APPLICATION TO THE 2024 PARATRANSIT DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM FOR UP TO $536,000 IN GRANT FUNDING SUMMARY The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) recently initiated a call for proposals for its 2024 Paratransit Discretionary Grant Program (PDGP) to solicit applications for transportation programs that will improve the transportation system. The funding is available for five years, over Fiscal Years (FY) 2024/25 through 2028/29; ACTC has an estimated $12 million to allocate for projects. To meet the January 31, 2024, application deadline, staff submitted a grant application requesting $536,000 for the five-year cycle for the Pleasanton Rides Program and is requesting the City Council's approval. The funding request would supplement current Measure BB paratransit funding to add a driver to the program and purchase a second fully electric vehicle to be added to the fleet. RECOMMENDATION Approve submittal of an Alameda County Transportation Commission grant application for the 2024 Paratransit Discretionary Grant Program for up to $536,000 in grant funding. BACKGROUND In recent years, the City has reconfigured the Pleasanton Rides program, formerly the Pleasanton Paratransit Service. Reconfiguration followed recommendations from the 2019 Mobility Forward – Tri-Valley Paratransit Study. It included a service agreement with Black Tie Transportation (executed in February 2020) to provide Pleasanton Rides service to Pleasanton residents aged 70 years and older and a Memorandum of Understanding with Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (executed in January 2023) to offer Americans with Disabilities Act qualified rides to Pleasanton residents aged 18 years and older. ACTC’s Measure BB funds fund both agreements. DISCUSSION The funding provided by this ACTC grant would provide an additional driver for the program two days per week and fund the purchase of a second fully electric vehicle. Adding a driver two days per week would allow the City’s Pleasanton Rides contractor to increase the one-way ride output by 1,300 per year to meet growing demand. Since moving Pleasanton Rides to a contract operator, the annual rides have increased year-over-year, with an average of 37 percent more rides each year. In the first six months of FY 2023/24, the service averaged nine new riders per month. Additional service availability would allow the contractor to continue to improve the service that keeps over 900 Pleasanton senior citizens on the move. Staff estimates the cost for adding a driver for two days of service to be $67,000 for FY Page 19 of 554