Pierce Transit - Community Transportation Advisory Group
Improving Operations, Enhancing Revenue, Growing Ridership
The Pierce Transit board agenda for May indicates that the agency is getting ready to create a standing advisory group to help it improve operations, enhance revenue, and grow ridership. This is a great idea and one that I have long supported. It will bring Pierce Transit in-line with sister agencies that have had similar groups, such as Intercity Transit (Citizens Advisory Committee), Community Transit (Citizen Advisory Committee), and Sound Transit (Citizen Oversight Panel).
This new committee will help to support better accountability for the agency and communication between the agency, riders, and voters at-large.
The Community Transportation Advisory Group (or CTAG) will be composed of nine members - both riders and non-riders, from neighborhoods across the service territory. There will be an emphasis on forging public-private partnerships and making sure that voices from various constituent groups (e.g. students, senior citizens).
Specifically, the CTAG will help Pierce Transit:
1. Ensure quality customer service by providing information on service quality and changes in public needs, as part of a strategic cycle of public involvement;
2. Develop new markets by identifying new market segments, providing input on customer activity, and serving as ambassadors for the Agency to their respective constituencies;
3. Add value to the community by considering transit in their community and development planning efforts, gaining support for transit initiatives and ballot measures, and promoting the benefits of transit to the business community;
4. Develop new revenue streams by identifying potential public-private partnerships and legislative changes that encourage innovation, and making the case for transit investment; and
5. Value employee success by providing feedback on service quality, allowing the Agency to target training and professional development needs.
Application documents are drafts and still subject to change. At present applicants would need to either reside or be employed in the Pierce Transit service territory and not be Pierce Transit employees. Applicants will be vetted and approved by the Board once the advisory group is established and be expected to meet for two hours each quarter with terms of two years.