Recommend approval to award a contract for a late-night alternative transportation pilot program to Downtowner in the amount of $294,000.00 for a six-month trial period.  The Mobility and Parking Services Department will use these services to provide on-demand services for populations within a defined geographic area. The service will be geared mainly to workers who park and live outside of the central business district and want safe, reliable transportation to and from their home. 

One of the primary concerns raised during discussions of the Parking Matters Plan was how employees who worked afternoon and evening shifts would be accommodated. Although the City has offered late-night rates within downtown garages, concerns remain within the business community about employees trying to move between their place of work and their parking, which in many cases is farther away than it was previously. To address this concern, the City issued an RFP seeking transportation solutions geared toward those late-night workers.

Downtowner is a point-to-point transportation service provided mainly to workers who park in remote areas outside of the Central Business District. Any person would be able to use it, but it would be marketed primarily to downtown employees who work between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Extending the Dot shuttles' operation past midnight would be cost prohibitive, as CAT’s fixed-route system shuts down, requiring the City to pay the full price of dispatchers, supervisors, mechanics, and other overhead.

In place of the shuttles, the Downtowner will be designed to act the same way as a ride-share service connected via mobile app. The company would maintain at least two electric vehicles on the street at all times and transport workers to and from their vehicles (or homes if they live within the service zone). All rides will be scheduled through a mobile app. The contractor is responsible for maintenance and operation of the app. The rider will not have a cost.

The contract will initially run for six months at a cost of $294,000.00, in which time usage would be evaluated.  At that time, the vendor and the City will negotiate a need to amend the contract to increase the number of vehicles should demand justify it, or terminate the contract if unsuccessful.

Approval