Galesburg Reporter

City of Galesburg Public Transportation Advisory Committee met Aug. 8.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

Chairman John Peterson called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.

Roll Call Present: Kyle Kelley, Josh Kilpatrick, John Peterson and Kevin Stone. Absent: Linda Miller and Amy Rutledge. Ex-Officios: Kraig McCluskie and Amber Connour from Galesburg Transit, Dedra Mannon from Handivan, and Julie Main, Associate Planner.

A quorum was present.

Public Comment None

Kyle Kelley moved, seconded by Josh Kilpatrick to approve the minutes of the July 11, 2018 meeting. The minutes were approved.

PT-18-0801 Transit Maintenance Facility (TMF) – Transit Fair

Dedra Mannon has mailed out 120 flyers and has heard from a few people interested in having a booth at the Transit Fair. She said plans are moving along well and she will have more to report at the next meeting. John Peterson said he will invite the City Council members to attend this event.

Items from the Chairperson

Dedra Mannon sent a Letter to the Editor to the Register Mail regarding the benefits of using the Handivan program. The letter has not been published yet so Dedra will follow up. Galesburg Transit provided a draft Register Mail Letter to the Editor to the Commission for comment. The goal of the letters are to promote transit ridership.

Members discussed an Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system for the fixed route bus system. Kevin Stone asked if it would have a Voice Over function.

Kraig McCluskie showed a video to demonstrate how the AVL program works. A bus rider can use their cellular phone to find out where the bus is located along the bus route they want to take. These systems also have add on functions for additional costs such as automatic counting of bus passengers, television function to look at multiple bus routes, and an automatic voice annunciator at intersections and stops. There will be a one-time fee for the hardware (i.e. GPS transponder) for each vehicle and then there is a monthly subscription fee. The bus system will be able to post relevant information on the system such as upcoming bus reroutes. Members discussed alternative ways to pay for bus fare. Members felt the AVL system would be an effective way to reach their audience.

John Peterson moved, seconded by Josh Kilpatrick to recommend implementation of the Automatic Vehicle Locator system for Galesburg Transit. The motion was approved unanimously.

Handivan and Galesburg Transit Update

Dedra Mannon said the Handivan has 340 more rides than the same time last year. There is a full time driver position available and there have been several people apply. She said she viewed a FTA webinar regarding consolidation of services. Dedra is considering hiring a digital production company that will create a web page regarding Handivan services that can be viewed at doctors’ offices and local hospitals at a cost of $1,300 per year.

Amber Connour said Galesburg Transit ridership is up for June and July. She said there were 5 riders that used the Planet Fitness Dial-A-Ride service in July. She said Carl Sandburg College has funding approved for the 2018 – 2019 school year to continue the student id bus pass program. Galesburg Transit has seen an increase in the sale of bus passes to not for profit organizations these past few months. Amber said the bus route changes made in July have been working well.

Julie Main provided members a copy of the River to River Car cruise bus reroute map. Julie said the Amtrak/Burlington Trailways grant agreement was approved by the Galesburg City Council on July 16th. IDOT is applying for a grant to the FTA to replace two 2004 buses used by Galesburg Transit.

There is one vacancy on the commission.

Kyle Kelley moved, seconded by Josh Kilpatrick to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 1:46 p.m.

http://www.ci.galesburg.il.us/assets/1/20/PTACMin_Aug_8th__2018.pdf