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Change on direction: City debating making changes to COMPASS
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
Changes may be coming to the city's COMPASS service. The city council discussed possible changes to its mass transit project during its regular work session.
"Things have been going very well. We have broken the 12,000 passenger mark," said Jerry Dittman, assistant city manager.
The COMPASS service is a weekday commuter shuttle service from Hanby Stadium to the Lawnview Station on the DART Green Line.
One of the changes Dittman recommended to the council was the addition of a special service day on Oct. 1, which is the Mesquite ISD's fair day. DART provided a preliminary estimate indicating that the additional cost to operate COMPASS from 5 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Oct. 1 at 30 minute intervals will be approximately $1,600.
"I would like to see us try it out at least once," said Bill Porter, city councilman.
The city recently conducted a rider survey and a service change request is for later return trips between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. where the most requested changes.
"The number one most requested change has been for a later return time," Dittman said.
Based on this request, the city staff analyzed the ridership to determine the lowest volume of riders. The staff concluded that the ridership on the 3:38 p.m. shuttle, which averages 1.6 passengers daily, could be cut to add the later return time. After coordination with DART, the city staff proposed adding one additional return trip and moving the 3:38 pm trip to later in the evening to create 6:58 pm and 7:38 pm departures from Lawnview Station. The annual estimated increased cost for the service adjustments is $25,000.
The rider survey also indicated a desire for midday service between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. DART staff estimates that adding midday service and extending evening service would add nine additional round trips per day at an annual cost of approximately $165,500.
The city currently has a $460,000 grant to cover part of the cost of the COMPASS project. The grant is a 50/50 match from the North Texas Council of Governments.
"If we go through the grant fund in a year it doesn't matter as long as we match it 50/50," Dittman said.
The council consensus was not in favor of spending additional revenue on the service unless it was funded by grants.
"I would not support any additional funding. I don't think the ridership supports allocating additional funding for it," said Dennis Tarpley, city councilman.
DART has proposed fare changes but the DART Board of Directors has yet to take action on the proposed fare changes so the impact to the COMPASS service is unknown.
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