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Ih' <br />lhalre County <br />Similar to Durham County, Wake County stands to benefit from a more uniform branding <br />of services and the added marketing effort a regional system could provide. While the <br />percentage of out-of county trips currently made by WCTS or the TRACS services is <br />relatively low, removing cost and operational barriers to regional trips will also benefit <br />customers, from both cost and scheduling standpoints. <br />Wake County is geographically the largest of the three counties, As a result, operations of <br />the TRACS coral general public service are divided into zones. This serves to control <br />costs, as smaller, independent vendors are contracted to operate in the different zones. <br />Passengers also pay a premium fare to cross zone boundaries within Wake County, In a <br />regional system with more extensive vehicle and labor resources, these ]imitations may <br />be mitigated, along with the cross county trips mentioned earlier, <br />An added benefit to each of the counties through the development of a more consolidated <br />system is that more efficient vehicle and trip scheduling will provide opportunities for <br />more trips to help meet increased demand. As the population in the counties continues to <br />increase significantly, and since the three county services are already reaching maximum <br />service limits based on the availability of resources, this benefit will increase in <br />importance.. <br />Summary of Potential Funding Impacts <br />The three alternatives may potentially impact the manner in which funds are distributed <br />within the region, including local, state and federal sources, Currently, the local funds <br />utilized by the counties fall into the following categories: passenger fares, contract <br />revenues (i.e., revenues for service provided to other agencies) and local contributions. <br />State funds for community transportation programs consist primarily of Rural Operating <br />Assistance Program (ROAP) funds. The three components of ROAP funds include: <br />Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance Program (EDTAP), Rural General Public <br />(RGP) Program, and Work First-Employment Transportation. In addition to ROAD, the <br />counties also receive state administration funds, The state funds also include applicable <br />federal funding, such as FTA Section 5.310 funds for the elderly and persons with <br />disabilities as well as Section 5311 rural funds. In addition, TTA receives other federal <br />funds such as 5307, which are formula funds for urban areas and 5309 that are capital <br />earmarks.. There is potential to add the miles and hours of community hansportation <br />services to increase the 5.307 formula share as well as for the community transportation <br />programs to receive Section 5309 capital earmarks. <br />Triangle Regraral Ti arrsportation Development Plan - Elecutive Summmry 12 <br />