From the Director –
Last month the Transit Director attended the Zero Bus Emission (ZEB) Conference in Anaheim, CA. This conference is organized by Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), a leader in electrification transition. While at the conference, the Director also had the opportunity to tour the Proterra manufacturing facility in City of Industry, CA (San Gabriel Valley/Los Angeles). The 157,100 square foot facility is a “one stop shop” assembling the batteries and buses. Additionally, Sandy was allowed to observe as a California transit agency performed their post build inspections and final road tests before accepting delivery of their vehicles. Proterra is an All American Company with best-in-class electric powertrain technology for heavy-duty vehicles and is the manufacturer the City partnered with for the Federal LowNo Grant Program. Currently SMART, in Wilsonville, operates Proterra Electric Buses with resoundingly positive reviews.
https://www.proterra.com/press-release/proterra-los-angeles-battery/
Post conference, the City reached out to PGE with many questions about charging management systems, utility demand services, off peak charging, emergency measures for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and more. As the City begins to build the infrastructure for electrification, it is important that we also build a best practices model that can be followed for optimal costs, range of operation and safety prioritization.
In the beginning of November, PGE will be out for a site walk to begin the design and build process. PGE estimates the design and build to take about 14 months. Proterra also estimates the bus build-out timeline at 14 months. Grant funding will be available for 3 years.
SAM has recently participated n the Special Transportation Fund Advisory Committee (STFAC) for the 24-25 biennium funding process. SAM was successful during the process and was awarded all of the funding requested for a total of $640,726. This includes:
SAM Estacada: $89,515; SAM Elderly and Disabled Program: $85,322; SAM rides local dial-a-ride: $273,113; Preventative Maintenance: $146,426; SAM bus and bus stop improvements (upgrades of solar lighting): $46,350.
Also in September, SAM attended the big kick off celebration of TriMet’s first Bus Rapid Transit route (the FX on Division) and was invited on the first official ride of their 60 foot articulated buses.
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From the Program Administrator – Ridership Stats and Other Highlights
Historically, September has typically experienced a decrease in ridership compared to the other months of the year. The usual September decrease, in combination with driver shortages and changes due to the pandemic, showed a slight decrease of 2.30% as compared to September 2021 ridership. Transit agencies nationwide are experiencing similar drops in ridership with an average of 60% ridership compared to pre-pandemic levels. SAM services fall in step with the current trend with some services ranking higher than the average. SAM-Gresham is is at 69.39% ridership, Estacada is at 39.88% ridership, the Shopper Shuttle is at 55% ridership and SAM rides is at 66.52%.
SAM, along with SandyNet and Public works, have switched to FirstNet radio service, the same service emergency responders use. Radios are a vital connection for drivers and dispatch. The range and clarity is excellent, and has many additional features in the software that our current radios do not have. The cost remains the same but we are not charged for replacing malfunctioning equipment.
SAM is also in process of updating our dispatch software to Passio Go. This grant funded project will include features that our previous software had including providing riders with real time information on buses, valuable reporting for staff and automated voice announcements. It will also have many new features such as automated call reminders for scheduled rides and electronic manifests that can be updated on demand.
SAM rides provided a group birthday ride for a group to celebrate at Bornstedt Park. The trolley ride was a highlight for the group! This is one of the innovative ways SAM serves the community.
