CARES ACT Project Updates

In early 2020, the PACTS region received approximately $53 million in CARES Act funding to support the transit industry during the pandemic. PACTS has been allocating this funding in six-month phases and in support of the following four priorities: 

• Maintaining regional transit service in light of reduced ridership and passenger-based revenues
• Pandemic recovery and resiliency to support implementation of COVID-19 operating best practices and immediate efforts to rebuild ridership
• Transit system innovation to spur long-term ridership recovery as the pandemic subsides
• Municipal budget assistance to provide budgetary relief to municipalities that fund transit service through local match

As part of Phases II and III — covering the periods of July through December, 2020 and January through June,  2021, respectively —funding was allocated to several projects and studies to be managed by GPCOG. (GPCOG serves in a subcontractor role to METRO to manage these projects, and submits quarterly reports to METRO per Federal Transit Administration (FTA) contracting requirements. The following project updates reflect project status as of July 31, 2021.)

Projects status as of June 30, 2021

Improve Safety and Access for Older Adults, People with Disabilities, and People of Color 

• GPCOG hosted an in-person graduation celebration for the first cohort of Community Transportation Leaders members. The event was attended by 16 members, as well one CTL member's husband and children. Most people had not seen one another in over a year which made the event a joyful reunion.
• GPCOG staff conducted monthly coaching sessions with the eight (8) CTL teams -- and convened 4 full group meetings by Zoom.
• GPCOG staff provided support to CTL members, Mireille Kabongo and Leeann Brionez, in preparing for monthly PACTS Regional Transportation Advisory Committee meetings. Both Leeann and Mireille are contributing to the meetings and report feeling Included and empowered. 
• As the result of CTL advocacy, the Greater Portland Metro’s Training and Safety Manager and Marketing Manager took a train-the-trainer course through CTAA's PASS program and has begun using the training in his annual staff training. 
• The Bus Ambassadors Program team moved closer to launching the program. They began recruiting volunteers and have six interested people. They also worked on developing policies and procedures, along with a program handbook. Volunteer training will take place in August. 
• GPCOG staff conducted a program evaluation and worked on developing a CTL handbook. The evaluation included collecting feedback from all participants and conducting a staff workshop. 

Public Education and Customer Communications

• PACTS/GPCOG convened a marketing/communications task force, which includes marketing personnel and leadership from the region’s seven (7) transit agencies plus Concord Coach Lines.
• The first phase of the campaign, which began in March, focused on COVID safety and thanking drivers, ferry workers, and passengers. It brough visitors to TranstiTogether.org, a new website that serves as a hub for transit information in the region.
• The larger and more aggressive Phase 2 segment of the campaign launched on July 7 on digital, social media, radio and newspapers.  We created a set of videos and a jingle.  Watch the Channel 13 story about the transit jingle. Ads are running on the outside of Metro, BSOOB and Lakes Region buses. See the bus ads.  A television ad campaign is being considered for September.   
• The campaign aims to welcome back regulator riders while attracting new riders by showcasing public transit’s benefits vs. driving a car, such as a reduced carbon footprint and cost-savings.
• The campaign plans to spend remaining funds on advertising through October. 

Transit Together

•  GPCOG staff completed consultant interviews and entered into a project contract with the preferred consultant as of June 22.
• GPCOG and consultant team project managers are developing a project management plan.
• GPCOG and consultant project teams will meet for a staff kickoff meeting on July 21.
• The project management team will host a stakeholder kickoff meeting in August. 

Rapid Transit Feasibility Study

GPCOG staff conducted case studies and reviews of similar projects and spoke with national experts to learn best practices and lessons learned for the study.

• A presentation of the study was given at the June 2021 Regional Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) meeting. The committee unanimously voted to recommend approval of an additional $800,000 of CARES Act funding for completion of the study to go before the Policy Board at the July 2021 meeting. 
• Held early outreach meetings with the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, MaineDOT, and the Maine Turnpike Authority.
• Staff have begun drafting a Request For Proposals (RFP) for consultant services to complete the study, which is anticipated to be advertised in October 2021 and take approximately 18 months to complete.

Planning for Automatic Passenger Counters

•  Staff have researched and attended webinars on transit technology best practices, including automatic passenger counters (APC).
• Staff are planning to reengage local transit providers to determine their level of need and interest in procuring APCs, which will provide for better quality of data to modernize transit and offer a better basis for decision making. 

Health and Safety Investments for Volunteer Driver Programs

• Remaining funds will support Public Education and Customer Communications.

Transit Operating Procedures

• Remaining funds will support Public Education and Customer Communications.

Transit Signal Priority

• Neither project has begun.