CUPERTINO — Through a system modeled after rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft, the city of Cupertino soon may be trotting out shuttles that allow anyone to request one for a ride to and from any destination within city boundaries.
Although the pilot shuttle program is expected to cost the city about $2.1 million, officials believe it’ll be worth the expense by reducing traffic congestion.
At its meeting Tuesday, the City Council directed staff to return with a formal proposal for paying the app company Via to run 10 six-passenger shuttles for a fare, possibly $3.50 a ride. Unlike Uber or Lyft, riders would have to walk as far as 1,300 feet to catch the nearest shuttle and get dropped off close to their final destination so the service can operate as efficiently as possible. Disabled or elderly residents would get picked up directly.
Via already operates pilot shuttle programs in West Sacramento and Los Angeles and provides the technology for similar services in Marin and Orange counties.
“I think we need to experiment, given the VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) service is so incredibly poor,” councilman Rod Sinks said.
The city originally considered a shuttle service with a fixed circular route but ultimately determined that it would be too slow and inflexible for residents, who, according to a community survey, largely drive cars to get around and don’t take buses.
Users would use Via’s app or call a phone number to book a ride to and from anywhere within Cupertino, as well as to the Caltrain station in Sunnyvale and Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center in Santa Clara. The shuttles would run 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The overall cost could change depending on what fare the city charges and how the program is structured. Some shuttle and bus services, for example, charge a flat fare no matter how far someone rides, while others divide their service area into zones and charge riders based on how many zones they cross.
City staff suggested a fare structure identical to West Sacramento’s, which charges riders a flat fare of $3.50, or $1.75 for seniors and people with disabilities. It also offers a $15 weekly pass that allows up to four rides a day.
Council members supported the idea but disagreed about the overall cost of the program and how much to charge riders.
Fares for bus and shuttle transportation typically recoup a low percentage of the actual service expenses, but a fare that is too high might not attract enough riders.
The program, as proposed, would recover about $40 per shuttle per hour, according to city staff.
Vice Mayor Liang Chao asked whether the system could charge residents and nonresidents different fares.
Sinks said he would support charging some riders more than others.
“If a person is heading up to the city for a job, I’m OK with that person paying substantially more than a senior citizen or someone who is income-challenged,” Sinks said. “I think it’s OK as a social policy to have some people paying more and some people paying less.
Councilman Darcy Paul said he would rather see the shuttle service be completely free.
“That’s a significant amount of transit we’d be taking off single-use vehicles,” Paul said.
If the shuttle were free, Paul said he would consider limiting how often someone can use the service each day.
“If we subsidized it completely, we’d probably have to have pretty well-thought-out rules with regard to how often someone could use it … what if someone decides to use it as a regular commuter?” Paul said.
“Which is why it shouldn’t be free,” Mayor Steven Scharf responded. “(But) it shouldn’t be $5.”
The overall cost of the program could range between $1.7 million and $2.4 million, according to transportation planner Chris Corrao.
At a previous meeting, some council members suggested Apple should pitch in for the cost of the program, through either a one-time donation or by helping to cover ongoing expenses because it has a giant work force that contributes to area traffic. The company’s Apple Park headquarters employs roughly 25,000 people.
“It’s a great idea, but how do we fund this on an ongoing basis? We don’t really have someone like Google who is willing to step up,” Scharf said, referring to the search giant’s more traditional employee shuttle system. “I’m just concerned about what we’re going to cut to fund the shuttle.”
Apple already is negotiating with the city over funding for bike and pedestrian transportation projects in a bid to prevent a possible increase in business license fees based on the number of employees.
But the company isn’t interested in funding “something that hasn’t been proven,” and previous conversations have focused on bike and pedestrian improvement projects, not shuttles, said Interim Public Works Directer Roger Lee.
City staff will return to the City Council with a more concrete proposal in coming weeks. The council will consider that along with all other new budget requests at a study session on April 30.
If the program is approved along with the final budget in June, the shuttle program could be running by the end of this summer, according to Corrao.
Contact Thy Vo at 408-200-1055 or tvo@bayareanewsgroup.com.
