October

The following actions were taken during the RTA’s Board of Director monthly meeting on Thursday, October 26, 2006:

UC Riverside Students to Benefit from Expanded Crest Cruiser

Board members authorized the expansion of the Crest Cruiser to serve larger portions of the UC Riverside campus and surrounding areas. Beginning October 30, RTA will add a second trolley to the new route, which was launched last month and provides free transportation for UC Riverside students. The route will expand to include larger portions of Iowa Avenue, Canyon Crest Drive and include Spruce Street. The improvements, which were requested by UC Riverside, will add one-third of a mile to the route to better serve housing complexes where students live.

Ridership Continues to Climb

Board members received new data showing RTA ridership on the rise for the fifth month in a row. In September, the Agency logged more than 604,000 riders. Directly operated routes grew as much as 26 percent, contracted routes grew as much as 71 percent, and the number of people using Dial-A-Ride increased 20 percent.

Agency Slashes Worker’s Compensation Costs

Board members received a report showing a 15 percent reduction workers’ compensation costs to the Agency between Fiscal Year 2005 and 2006. Over the last four fiscal years, RTA slashed workers compensation costs by 42 percent. Thanks to an aggressive safety program that aimed to increase employee understanding of workers’ compensation, not a single employee missed a work day due to an injury between March 2004 and May 2006.

7-Day Pass Usage on the Rise

Board members reviewed a new report that showed a steady increase in 7-Day Pass usage. Since its creation in April, the pass has enjoyed growing popularity. During September, onboard sales climbed to 1,118, which is 10 percent higher than a month ago and 60 percent higher than in June. The pass was used on average 606 times per day, which is 17 percent higher than in August and 40 percent higher than in June. In addition, ridership is up in all fare categories and overall revenue has increased 9 percent compared to a year ago.

New Dial-A-Ride Vehicles Coming to RTA

Board members approved the purchase of 23 vehicles to serve passengers who rely on Dial-A-Ride for their travel needs. The new vehicles will replace those in RTA’s fleet that have exceeded their recommended service life. The average mileage for the replacement vehicles exceeds 250,000 miles. The new vehicles seat as many as 12 passengers and can accommodate two wheelchair users.

The next board meeting will be held on Thursday, November 16 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact: Bradley Weaver, Communications Specialist