The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), operator of the WHEELS bus system, is conducting two transit workshops and a public hearing to receive citizen comment on a fare increase and bus service reduction proposal planned to take place later this year.

Transit Workshop Information

LAVTA is hosting two transit workshops and a public hearing to review future service reductions and fare increases. The first workshop will be held on Monday, January 12th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the conference room of the LAVTA administrative offices in Livermore. A second transit workshop is being held on Wednesday, January 14th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the City of Dublin Public Library in the Program Room. LAVTA staff will be available at these workshops to answer questions relative to the proposed fare increase and service reductions, as well as to explain the other cost cutting measures they are undertaking to address the shortfall in federal, state and local funding.

Public Hearing

A public hearing is also scheduled to be held in conjunction with the regularly scheduled LAVTA Board of Directors meeting. Some decisions on the proposal may be made at this time. The public hearing is being held on Monday, February 2nd at 4:00 pm at LAVTA's administrative offices in Livermore.

Description of Proposed Service Reductions

• Route 1   Combine routes 1A/B and 1E to serve Hacienda Drive, Santa Rita Jail, Gleason Drive, north Dublin Ranch (including Fallon Middle School), Rose Pavilion, and Rosewood Drive. Frequencies would remain at 30 minutes. Discontinue Saturday service. Route 1C - Discontinue service as a stand-alone route; See Route 12 and 50 for replacement service

• Route 3   Discontinue midday service between approximately 9 am and 3:30 pm. Discontinue Saturday service. Route 3V - Reduce service frequency to the Shannon Park area to three daily trips; Those trips serving main bell times at the Wells Middle and Dublin High Schools would remain, as would one trip during the 5 pm hour.

• Route 8   Reduce PM 30-minute service frequency so as to begin at 4 pm instead of the current 2 pm. This would effectively increase the time where only hourly service is provided to be approximately 9 am to 4 pm. Discontinue weekend service.

• Route 10   Discontinue the All Nighter (810) service to/from the Bay Fair BART station in San Leandro. This would also discontinue local late-night service along the Route 10 corridor (Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station to the Livermore Transit Center), and service would now end daily after approximately 1 am. Reduce service frequency on weekday evenings, Saturday evenings, and all day Sunday from 30 minutes to 40 minutes.

• Route 11   Reduce service from four AM and four PM trips to two AM and two PM trips, effectively narrowing the route's service hours to approximately 7:00-8:30 am and 4:00-5:30 pm.

• Route 12   The overall number of daily trips would stay approximately the same; however, schedule efficiency improvements would be done that would yield some frequency inconsistencies (some departures would be 15 minutes apart; some would be 45 minutes apart; most would remain at 30 minutes apart). This could also lead to less well-timed transfer opportunities at either end of the route. Express (12V) trips would now operate in both directions during both the AM and PM commutes. Local (non-V) trips would be extended to serve the Dublin Ranch Villages area on the portion of Dublin Boulevard between Tassajara Road and Fallon Road. The route would now use the Fallon Road interchange instead of the Tassajara Road interchange to access I-580, traveling on Dublin Boulevard from the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to Fallon Road (and onto Livermore via I-580) and vice versa. Express (V) trips would continue to use the current routing in Dublin.

• Route 16   Discontinue 6:53 pm trip.

• Route 18   Discontinue midday service, such that no service on this line would operate between approximately 9:30 am and 2:00 pm. Discontinue Saturday service.

• Route 20   Reduce service frequency from the current 30-45 minutes to a consistent 45-minutes and operate the PM service between approximately 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Current westbound service in the AM, eastbound service in the PM would be interlined with the 12V; this would continue to enable passengers to use the reverse service by remaining on the same bus; frequencies for these riders would be effectively reduced and total trip times increased.

• Route 50   Discontinue service to the Koll Center park-and-ride lot in Dublin. Reroute service to provide better coverage in the Hacienda Business Park, including the CarrAmerica complex. Reduce AM service span to operate between approximately 6:30 am and 9:00 am.

Proposed Fare Increases

• Regular cash fare would change from $1.75 to $2.00 - $2.25

• Discount "Fare Buster" ticket would change from $1.40 to $1.60 - $1.80

• Regular monthly pass would change from $53.00 to $60.00 - $67.50

• Senior/disabled cash fare would change from $0.85 to $1.00 - $1.10

• Senior/disabled monthly pass would change from $16.00 to $18.00 - $20.25

• BART transfer fare would change from $0.85 to $1.00 - $1.10

• Paratransit (Dial A Ride) would change from $3.00 to $4.00 - $4.50

• Other fare considerations include the following: Charge a fare for Senior/Disabled riders on fixed route services at all times; rescind policy which allows senior passengers to ride free of charge Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; rescind policy which allows LAVTA ADA certified clients to ride fixed route service free; and charge a fare for Route 50 from Koll Center Park & Ride to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.

• NOTE: No changes to fares are being proposed that will affect Hacienda's EcoPass program.

How to Comment

Interested parties may submit comments on the proposed fare increase and service reductions for March/June 2009 in a number of ways: Submit written comments by 10:00 am, February 2, 2009 to LAVTA Board of Directors, 1362 Rutan Court, Suite 100, Livermore, CA 94551, by fax to (925) 443-1375, complete the online comment form at www.wheelsbus.com or by calling (925) 455-7500.

Additional Information

Additional information is available on the meetings and service changes. You may contact LAVTA directly using the information below.

Contact Information

Rosemary Booth
Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority
1362 Rutan Court, Suite 100, Livermore, California  94550
(925) 455-7558 phone     (925) 443-1375 fax
rbooth@lavta.org e-mail     www.wheelsbus.org WWW

Hacienda Owners Association
4473 Willow Road, Suite 105, Pleasanton, California  94588-8570
(925) 734-6500 phone     (925) 734-6501 fax
info@hacienda.org e-mail     www.hacienda.org WWW