Elk Grove City Council to Consider Cuts, Modifications to e-Tran Bus Services

May 26, 2015 | The Elk Grove City Council will consider various cuts and modifications to the city's e-Tran bus services whe...



May 26, 2015 |

The Elk Grove City Council will consider various cuts and modifications to the city's e-Tran bus services when they meet tomorrow night for their regular meeting.

The proposed route changes, which would coincide with the opening of Regional Transit's Light Rail Blue Line station at Cosumnes Community College and Franklin Boulevard, would alter e-Tran's popular commuter express routes to Downtown Sacramento. Instead of running the routes from Elk Grove to downtown, the buses would be rerouted to feed riders to Light Rail lines. 

In February and at two subsequent public workshops meetings, the most controversial of the various proposals was the proposed modification of the commuter routes. If those changes were implemented, the changes are expected to reduce e-Tran operating costs by $434,432.

At both workshop meetings and in comments submitted to the city regarding the proposal, the majority of people have opposed the proposed commuter route changes. The comments have centered on increased commute times and safety on Light Rail.

Tomorrow's meeting starts at 6 p.m.   



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18 comments

Anonymous said...

Disappointed in the lack of options given in the staff report and their ramifications. Raising fares to $4.00 each way will dramatically reduce ridership so their assumption of increased revenue is bogus. Same for having all commuter routes funneled to LR. In many cases commuters will simply drive to Franklin or CRC to avoid the slow and painful process of transferring. This will also reduce fare collection but it looks like they assumed ridership will remain the same.

I'm very supportive of some changes to Etran services but hoped for more thinking outside the box.

Connie said...

Though we will hear that the money is coming from different accounts, the fact that the Elk Grove City Council borrowed money from one account, the drainage funds, to buy those 100 acres shows me at least that the city cannot live within its means; meaning there is no money for million dollar purchases.

Likewise, when the Elk Grove City Council voted to form our own transit service, much to the outcry of people it would be a losing proposition, or worse, the riders would ultimately pay the price, it is hard to swallow that what was predicted is coming true.

The only thing riders will understand is that their services are being cut and fares increased in one hand while the city is living large by robbing Peter to pay Paul with the other.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it is time to give it back to RT

Anonymous said...

How right you are Connie and there will be a day of reckoning on the heads of the taxpayers in the end.

Connie said...

In reading the agenda item and the actions of the Elk Grove City Council of late in voting to approve new increases that benefit them, only one quote comes to my mind and that is from the great philosopher Mr. Spock from the movie, The Wrath of Khan, “Clearly logic dictates the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

And in this, the needs of the few are the Elk Grove City Council who ironically were voted into office to represent the needs of the many!

However, the flip side of this is we can only hope the only principle consistent with logic, and thus with humanity, is that if we want to “live long and prosper” and that certainly is true of services provided by the city that there is one council member among them who in representing in the needs of the individual will possess the value judgments that are in line with needs of the many e-Tran riders.

Lynn said...

Corrupt as Bell, Bankrupt as Vallejo. IMO Can't prove it....time will tell...

Anonymous said...

The bidding for the contract for transit comes around every five years, and Elk Grove has had the opportunity to have RT get the contract.
However, the City has turned down RT's bid and gone with MV, a terribly run company.

It was indeed a huge mistake for our young city to try to run a transit service.
Cuts, cuts, cuts have been the result - starting with severe cuts to service for the disabled not so long ago.

Our city leaders do not understand the importance of transit to a city. So short-sighted.

I wish more citizens realized that ALL transit is subsidized, highways, bridges, mass transit, airports, and that ALL transit are drivers (ha!) of commerce, moving people, ideas and goods.

The city never has cared about the real needs of its citizens, and our city leaders could care less about the results of 'surveys'.
Foregone conclusion.

Ralph Kramden said...

I think the Council thought they could slip this item in the budget and no one would catch it in time. Then word got out and things got heated. Then the Council punted and put it back on staff to hold meetings and smooth the ruffled feathers and hope the opposition died down. If the Council chambers are packed, look for a fall guy "or gal" to go down with the ship as a scapegoat.

Anonymous said...

In reading the City Council Agenda item, I found it unbelievable that correspondence from riders was included with Names,addresses, email addresses and phone numbers for all the world to see. Wonder how many people knew that would happen when they provided that to E-Tran....why would the City or E-Tran not have deleted/blacked out that info?

Anonymous said...

I wanted to add to anonymous comment above:

Our city leaders are selves serving and spiteful, they treated everyone as opponents and that include the citizens they are suppose to serve. Haven't we noticed that they have repeatedly doing every thing that their citizens have publicly opposed? I have no doubt that they purposely posted their citizens' (riders') information for everyone in the world to see knowing for a fact that their action may compromise their citizens safety. Our Mayor Davis and Councilmen have been going through great lengths, including sleeping with our enemies (criminals) to outwit their citizens and everyone else. Lawless and reckless leaderships. THEIR ACTIONS GO AGAINST BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNING AND AMERICANS' VALUES! ARE THEY ANY TALLER THAN THE SHORTEST MAN ON THE PLANET?

Anonymous said...

What a violation of the peoples trust. We guard this information with unlisted numbers and shred everything for protection, then e-Tran and the City just throw it out there like so much garbage for the public to see.

Anonymous said...

Cutting necessary services to your citizens. Elk Grove is "GROWING"!

Anonymous said...

As most of you know, Planning and Council
Meetings are always streamed LIVE. If unable to view LIVE, a Video of the meeting will be made available late the following day. Hopefully this will work for you....

http://elkgrove.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3

Joyce said...

I definitely am against the cutting of E-tran commuter busses to downtown. EG City council members must be held accountable (even if it's their predecessors who were short-sighted (and arrogant?) in their decision in taking on running their own bus transit system when they should've contracted out to more experienced organizations like RT). EG City contracts out so much -- garbage, some of the sewer/water provision, etc. I'm not sure why they insisted on having their own bus transit system. Simply foolhardy. Thank you for those who provided historic perspective. I forgot about that part until now, I only have a vague memory of hearing about it in any case.

As a downtown worker, my commute would be doubled at least and that's not feasible for a young mother of two young toddlers. I'd have to get back into my car and drive to work, which I really haven't done ever while working downtown, only when I worked in South Sac for a few years. It'll be interesting to see the turnout and the likely uproar tonight at the City council meeting.

On such an open website, I'm writing with only my first name, but I can verify (by saying so like I am now) that I am an EG resident who lives in the Cresleigh Ranch area.

Anonymous said...

This place is becoming a big joke.

Why don't they pitch this to the producers of a reality TV show?

You could call the show "Low Times in the High Times".

"It's High Time to visit Elk Grove.

Our city's motto is "It's Grow Time".

How about bringing light industrial and office jobs to Elk Grove instead of more houses, low income housing projects and strip centers?

Miles and miles of houses thrown up during the start of a historically severe drought.

Thousands of low income housing projects to serve residents who have low paying retail and food service jobs.

Garish billboard signs to further glamorize this steaming dumpster fire of a city.

Anonymous said...

Well if that wasn't a complete waste of my time...poorly executed and lacking in research by e-Tran. Lucky for us Mr. Hume did focus on the problems and it won't go forward willy-nilly. Our Mayor has such a one-track mind he can't move from one Destination or Grow problem to the next easily.

Anonymous said...

What's with Councilman Detrick suggesting adding $100/mo to Etran fares.

Anonymous said...

To Anon at 9:43

It is easy to ask others to pay up out of their personal accounts when you pay for everything, legal or illegal, from your campaign account. And when you run out, just go and demand the developers for more!

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