CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-23-110 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Tammy Fiebelkorn by request
RESOLUTION
title
Approving The Transit Department’s Service Equity Analysis Of Proposed Service Suspensions Due To Staffing Shortages (Fiebelkorn, by request)
body
APPROVING THE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT’S SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED SERVICE SUSPENSIONS DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGES.
WHEREAS, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §2000d et seq. (“the Act”) and 49 CFR Part 21, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin; and
WHEREAS, as a recipient of FTA funds, the Transit Department is required to comply with the requirements of the Act and applicable implementing regulations; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to FTA Circular 4702.1B, the Transit Department is required to conduct a service equity analysis for any major service changes as defined locally and to submit that equity analysis to its governing entity for approval; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Department’s current 2020 Title VI Program, approved by City Council in November 2020, defines a major service change as a change that increases or decreases service revenue hours on a route by 35 percent or more or that adds or eliminates service to 35 percent or more of the bus stops on a route; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Department has been experiencing a severe staffing shortage in its Operations and Maintenance Divisions, and that staffing shortage has been resulting in the Department missing about 7% of its weekly scheduled service due to lack of drivers; and
WHEREAS, despite its efforts to increase hiring and retention through various means, the Transit Department is continuing to have difficulty in reducing vacancies, leading to a reasonable expectation that the current staffing shortage will continue for at least several more months; and
WHEREAS, to improve service reliability for all passengers, the Transit Department is proposing to suspend service to bring total scheduled service down to a level that current staffing levels can support reliably; and
WHEREAS, some of these service suspensions meet the “major service change” threshold; and
WHEREAS, the Department gathered public comment for a month from December 23, 2022 to January 22, 2023 and has considered those comments and addressed concerns wherever possible; and
WHEREAS, the Equity Analysis of the Proposed Service Suspensions Due to Staffing Shortages concluded that there was no disparate impact on minorities or overall disproportionate burden on low-income households after steps to avoid, minimize and mitigate those burdens as described in the Equity Analysis as defined in the Department’s 2020 Title VI Program; and
WHEREAS, the Council has considered and determined to approve the Transit Department’s Equity Analysis of the Proposed Service Suspensions Due to Staffing Shortages.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. That the Equity Analysis as set forth in the attached Exhibit A entitled “Proposed Service Suspensions Due to Staffing Shortages Spring 2023 ABQ RIDE Equity Analysis” is approved.
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