City's transit manager recommends axing MV Transportation, e-Tran as Elk Grove's bus service provider



December 10, 2018 |  

Aside from conducting a swearing-in ceremony, the Elk Grove City Council will face a full agenda of hearings at their regular meeting - their only one in December, when they convene this Wednesday night. Among the items under review is the possibility of Elk Grove dropping its contract transit provider, MV Transportation, which operates the city's e-Tran bus service.

In a staff report prepared by Michael Costa, the city's public transit system manager recommends the city enter into a contract with Sacramento Regional Transit (Sac RT) to provide its bus transit services. The city has been contracted with MV Transportation since 2006 when it split from Sacramento Regional Transit.

As outlined in Costa's report, while the cost savings between the two entities will be negligible, there are quantitative and qualitative benefits for the city to contract its services with Sac RT. On a quantitative basis, Costa notes that Sac RT offers better pay and benefits for drivers, which could alleviate driver shortages, which leads to bus route disruption, that has been experienced by private sector contractors like MV. 

On a qualitative basis, Costa contracting with Sac RT could "provide the City with a greater ability to collaborate with SacRT on regional transit operations and long-range capital planning efforts." The 2006 Elk Grove City Council had a go-it-alone philosophy that fractured many regional relationships and has dogged the city as an uncooperative government entity.

The city could allow Sac RT to annex Elk Grove to its service area, but Costa recommends that the city test the waters and initially contract with the agency. If it were to annex Elk Grove into its service area, the city would lose all control of federal and state mass transit funding.

Although MV has been in a long-time relationship with the city, it has not been without several rocky periods. As noted in the report, MV staffing failures have resulted "with several routes running late, or being missed completely, due to a lack of available drivers to run the service."

Although the report is tilted towards contracting with Sac RT, MV is no without ammunition in the battle to keep their franchise. MV has been a frequent campaign contributor to members of the Elk Grove City Council. 

Wednesday's meeting starts at 6 p.m.

     






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2 comments

D.J. Blutarsky said...

Funny how things work out. EG has come full circle, from thumbing its nose at RT, going it alone with their green machines, then to humbly go back to RT!

Wonder if the decision to abandon the County Animal Control services and go it alone with the new Bow-Wow Taj Mahal will pan out financially in the long run?

Wait until the next police union labor contract comes up for renewal! Some might begin to question the decision EG made to thumb their nose at contracting with the County Sheriff. Oh well, that horse is already out of the barn and Mello Roos supplemental taxes can carry that burden.

JD said...

”MV has been a frequent campaign contributor to members of the Elk Grove City Council.”

Regardless if you think EG should go crawling back to RT or not, I think the above is reason enough to not waste your time advocating one way or the other. We all know how decisions go when council members get bribes...er...campaign contributions. Every single person in the room could favor ditching MV, but it won’t matter. Money speaks louder than the will of the people. They’ll vote to keep MV, guaranteed.

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