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26 <br /> Commissioner McKee asked if there is a plan in place for residents who do not have a <br /> computer or phone that is capable of making the appointment or paying. <br /> Theo Letman said residents can call the office to make an appointment. He said staff is <br /> working on a system to allow riders to pay using a fare card system, which can be reloaded with <br /> money to pay for rides. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked if the process to get to down town Chapel Hill could be <br /> identified. <br /> Theo Letman said the MOD program would get the rider to the Southern Human <br /> Services Center or the Eubanks Park and Ride, where one can then switch to Chapel Hill <br /> transit. <br /> Commissioner McKee said the final slide showing the $5/trip is misleading, since if a <br /> rider crosses a border, the rate will go up. He said this should be made clearer. <br /> Commissioner Greene said congratulations, and this is the type of project we need to <br /> make our funds go further for transportation. She asked if the total number of cars could be <br /> identified. <br /> Theo Letman said the program can respond with five vans, but the rest of the transit <br /> fleet can also be available. <br /> Commissioner Greene asked if the program has been well received. <br /> Theo Letman said families really excited about opportunities for shopping and getting to <br /> and from work after normal services have stopped. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton referred to the round trip fare from northern Orange County to <br /> Chapel Hill, and clarified that this would it be $15 each way. <br /> Theo Letman said yes. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked if it is $15 per person, or would a family pay $15. <br /> Theo Letman said that is a good question, and they would probably charge one rate for <br /> the whole family. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked if there was a process used to determine the rates, and <br /> is there a ridership threshold that needs to be met to make the project viable. <br /> Theo Letman said a fare study was completed, and looked at similar services in other <br /> areas, and this price point was acceptable and user friendly. He said this is a pilot program, <br /> and they will accept comments. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton asked if a certain projected ridership is desired. <br /> Theo Letman said staff ran scenarios, which he will send to the BOCC. He said this is <br /> a choice ride program, and he thinks it will expand the existing services, and is likely the <br /> transportation of the future. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said all of the vehicles involved are vans, which seems counter <br /> intuitive if only one person is being collected. He said private ride sharing services will charge a <br /> little less if one shares with another person. He said, environmentally, the booking software <br /> should provide an option to ride share and maximize van trips. <br /> Theo Letman said the vans have a capacity of five people, but COVID-19 precautions <br /> mean that the vans are not full due to social distancing at this time. He said if the demand is <br /> high, the full transit fleet could be brought in. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said, in the future, the program should look at other types of <br /> vehicles, such as electric, to reduce the environmental impact. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said the advantage of this program is that is reaches the lower <br /> density population, but it does put more cars on the road. He said there is much to learn from <br /> other programs that have already provided this service. He encouraged staff to gather feedback <br /> from the ridership. He asked if there is a timeline for the pilot. <br /> Theo Letman said 6 months. <br />