News
New Vehicles Arriving at MTA and the Ukiah and South Coast Senior Centers:
Trolley
MTA is very excited about a brand new Trolley that will be delivered any day. Ordered through Specialty Vehicles and built by Supreme Corporation, the new Trolley replaces MTA’s current Trolley that is 21 years old and frankly a little long in the tooth. MTA purchased the original Trolley in 1999 from Elmonte Transit and was purchased specifically for the Holiday Trolley program in Ukiah. Since then, the Trolley has been a popular addition to MTA’s fleet and is used primarily for charters throughout the County for weddings and special events. Not only will the Trolley be easier for the mechanics to work on, it will emit cleaner emissions as it has a 6.8L gasoline engine as compared to the old Trolley’s 8.6L diesel engine. The new Trolley will be in service for the 2008 Holiday Trolley in Ukiah.
Sprinter
MTA will be one of the first transit agencies in California to purchase and put into service a newly developed paratransit Sprinter. The vehicle is modified by Chrysler to be used in MTA’s Dial-A-Ride service. One of the biggest advantages to adding this vehicle to MTA’s fleet is the improved driver visibility and up to twice the fuel economy. The Sprinter will be delivered mid to late October.
Senior Center Buses
MTA funds the transportation programs for six of the County’s Senior Centers. MTA also purchases their vehicles through its Capital program. Two recent vehicles that are being replaced are for the Ukiah and the South Coast Senior Centers. The Ukiah Senior Center is adding a medium-sized bus that will incorporate three wheelchair passengers, or three ambulatory passengers. The South Coast Senior Center has been experiencing increasing demand and has changed the size of their bus from an 8 passenger van to a 20 passenger van. Both of these vehicles are expected to be in service by late October.
Shelters and Benches:
In 2007 MTA received grant funding to install 10 new shelters and 20 new benches. New shelters have been installed in Ukiah on State Street (across from the Crest Motel), in front of Deep Valley Mobil Home Park, just south of Sherwin Williams paint store, on Jefferson Street (across from the Rorbaugh Center) and on S. Dora near the Ukiah Convalescent Hospital. Additionally, shelters in various locations have been changed to the new style shelters to accommodate solar lighting for passengers waiting for the Local 9 PM Service. 20 new benches will also be installed in various locations around the County.
Grants
MTA has received approval for funding from the following two grants:
Federal Transit Administration 5316 Job Access & Reverse Commute grant that provides funding for Local 9 PM Service in Ukiah from January 1, 2009 to August 21, 2010. Ukiah Valley evening service was started with these grant sources on August 20, 2007 and extends the Local 9 hours of operation until 10:51 pm weekdays.
Federal Transit Administration Section 5304 Transit Technical Planning Assistance grant to conduct a Commute Transportation Study for Mendocino County. The project will focus on the development of a commute service plan between the outlaying communities of Mendocino County to the City of Ukiah and the potential demand for commute service between the Willits and Ukiah areas to Sonoma County. Work on this project will start in early January.
Cameras
Funded by Proposition 1B Safety and Security, a state-wide bond issue for transit, MTA has equipped all of their revenue vehicles with video cameras and recorders. The digital cameras record to a hard drive and are on all of the time the vehicle is in service. The driver can push a button if there is an incident and the driver does not want it erased until it is downloaded. Also if there is an incident, such as an accident, the bus stops suddenly, or something is hit, the incident is flagged, not erasable, until downloaded.