SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

REGULAR BOARD MEETING

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Metro Headquarters

3rd Floor - Board  Room

One Gateway Plaza

Los Angeles

Thursday, March 28, 2002- 9:30 AM

Call to order:

Directors:

John Fasana, Chair

James Hahn, 1st Vice Chair

Zev Yaroslavsky, 2^nd Vice Chair

Michael Antonovich

Hal Bernson

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke

Paul Hudson

Don Knabe

Gloria Molina

Pam O’Connor

Beatrice Proo

Frank Roberts

Allison Yoh

Robert Sassaman, Ex Officio

Chief Executive Officer – Roger Snoble

Board Secretary - Michele Jackson

Inspector General - Arthur Sinai

Ethics Officer – Karen Gorman

General Counsel - County Counsel

36.    CONSIDER possible action regarding 2002 State Transportation Improvement Program Projects.

37.    FASANA/YOH MOTION:

Universities and colleges throughout the state have found innovative ways to finance local transportation services and provide transit passes to enrolled students.  These programs are designed to reduce parking problems around campuses, provide alternative transportation options, and improve the quality of life for students, faculty, and staff.

For example, California State University at San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly, SLO)                 subsidizes bus fares with funding primarily from parking citations; the program allows faculty, staff and students to ride the bus at no cost to the rider. In the San Diego area, San Diego State University; University of San Diego; University of California at San Diego; and Mesa, City, and  Southwestern colleges also offer subsidized transportation passes.

 

At UCLA, students "swipe" their school ID cards in the fare box onboard Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus and ride for free, and the university then pays the cost for each boarding.  California State University at Sacramento and University of California at Santa Barbara finance similar transit programs through student activity fees and tuition approved through student referenda.  These programs encourage public transit use, reduce the costs of education for low-income students, and offer all students, faculty and staff a viable and convenient alternative to driving, thereby reducing congestion and emissions.

The introduction of Smartcards at the Metro presents the opportunity to consider    similar programs and collaborations with universities and colleges.

WE THEREFORE MOVE that the Board of Directors direct staff to report back to the Board in June 2002 on similar approaches that may be viable in Los Angeles County.  The Board encourages staff to seek input from universities, community colleges, and trade and vocational schools to determine the levels of interest in these types of programs. 

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