The 4-0 decision to allow businesses to submit proposed service agreements had no effect on the current budget, and funding decisions for a possible program would be made at a later date. Council members Mel Kirkland and Bobbi Hutchinson abstained from the vote.
The details
City Council was presented with three options—two transportation network company models and a turnkey service model.
The TNC models would require cooperation with a company like Lyft or Uber. For the turnkey model, the city would select a contractor who would provide every aspect of the transportation service.
Zooming in
The options were broken down into three scenarios for council to consider.
The first scenario would provide an on-demand microtransit service to anyone in Cedar Park. Users would schedule a ride with a service like Lyft or Uber. An example of how the fare would be paid provided in the agenda documents was a $10 subsidy per ride after the rider pays an initial fee, and any cost incurred from the ride after the subsidy would also be the responsibility of the rider. For this scenario, a separate partnership would be needed to accommodate wheelchair accessibility.
The second scenario would operate similarly to the first, but the service would only be available to Cedar Park residents who are over age 65, disabled or do not own a vehicle. The cost model would be similar as well, and a separate partnership with a wheelchair accessible transit provider would be required.
The third scenario would entail the city selecting a contractor to provide every aspect of the transit service. According to the agenda, this model is likely to be more expensive than the others, and in consideration of the budgetary constraints associated with it, city staff recommended a smaller service area. Users would pay a set amount per ride and the rest would be covered by the city.
Council voted to put out RFPs for the first and second scenarios.
Quote of note
Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said the most important goal of the program for him is to serve people who don’t have other transportation options due to their age or disability.
“[My] No. 1 goal [is] serving the people who are not served by our car-centric situation we have now,” he said.
