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City Council Report Date: January 26, 2026 To: City Council Through: Brent Stoddard, Deputy City Manager From: Jodi Sorrell, Transit Services Director Subject: Intergovernmental Agreement with the Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) for citywide Fixed Route Bus, Paratransit and Ride Choice services for Fiscal Year 2025/26. (Citywide) Purpose and Recommendation The purpose of this report is to review the proposed Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the City of Mesa and Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) for operation and administration of $39,002,561 of transit services operated within the City of Mesa. Staff recommends the City Council adoption of the attached resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute the amendment with the RPTA. Total cost to the City for the transit services included in the Agreement for FY 2025/26 is $4,997,487. Mesa’s allocation of Public Transportation Funds (PTF) from Propositions 400 and 479 will fund $34,005,074. Background The City of Mesa contracts with Valley Metro to operate and administer fixed-route bus, paratransit Service, RideChoice and the ADA Platinum Pass services for Mesa residents. The City enters into a new master IGA with RPTA every seven years. In the subsequent years, the IGA is amended to adjust the estimated annual costs to provide the services. This IGA also includes a mutual aid clause which, in times of emergency, allows the Mesa Solid Waste Department to use the Valley Metro facility on Greenfield to fuel their vehicles and likewise allows Valley Metro to use the West Mesa Service Center to fuel their vehicles. The City had to utilize this agreement in late September when Solid Waste did not have sufficient fuel for their fleet to perform service on a Saturday due to a power failure. Because of this clause, 45 vehicles were able to get the fuel needed to complete their work. 2 Fixed Route Bus Service There are 18 bus routes that operate within the City of Mesa. These include 13 local fixed-routes, 3 express routes and 2 circulator routes. Nearly 80 percent of the bus routes are funded by PTF. The remaining routes are funded by City funds (General Fund). Accessible Transit The City offers two accessible transit options – paratransit and RideChoice - for individuals who are disabled or over the age of 65 years who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through Valley Metro. Valley Metro paratransit provides door-to-door transportation for ADA certified individuals who are unable to navigate fixed route bus service. The system fulfills the City’s obligation to provide paratransit service within ¾-mile of fixed route bus stop or light rail station. RideChoice is a mobility option that ADA certified individuals can take advantage of instead of using paratransit. This service offers participating residents more flexibility to go where they wish to go, which also helps to stabilize Mesa’s costs for the paratransit service. During the in-person assessments for ADA certification, qualifying individuals are offered the option of receiving an ADA Bus and Rail Pass. This program is intended to reduce ADA operational costs by encouraging ADA certified passengers to use fixed route buses and light rail service in-lieu of more traditional ADA paratransit services whenever possible. Fares associated with participation in this program are paid for by RPTA on behalf of the City and are eligible for reimbursement by PTF. Discussion Fixed Route Bus Service As outlined in Schedule A of the agreement, Valley Metro will apply $25,952,408 of regional funding toward the cost of fixed route service in Mesa. The funding will be applied to the following routes: Route 30 (University Drive), Route 40 (Main Street), Route 45 (Broadway Road), Route 48 (48th Street), Route 61 (Southern Avenue), Route 77 (Baseline Road), Route 96 (Dobson Road), Route 104 (Alma School Road), Route 108 (Elliot Road), Route 112 (Country Club Drive), Route 136 (Gilbert Road), Route 156 (Williams Field Road), Route 184 (Power Road), Route 531 (Mesa/Gilbert Express), Route 533 (East Mesa Express) and Route 535 (Northeast Mesa/Downtown Express). The City of Mesa will contribute $4,997,487 toward the cost of the remaining bus routes operated in the City. Schedule B outlines the City funding for, Route 61 (one weekday trip on Southern Avenue), Route 120 (Mesa Drive), Route 128 (Stapley Drive), Mesa Downtown BUZZ and Mesa Fiesta BUZZ. Accessible Transit Mesa residents are projected to take approximately 53,560 paratransit trips during FY 2025/26. As identified in the attached agreement in Schedule C, there is no city contribution for paratransit service this year. The estimated cost for this service is $4,493,585 and will be funded by PTF. RideChoice is estimated to provide 99,870 trips this fiscal year. The estimated cost for this service is $4,168,940. Schedule D outlines the estimated costs and funding sources for RideChoice funding sources. There will be no city contribution for this program. It will be funded by PTF. In FY2024/25, RideChoice provided approximately 63% percent of all accessible transit trips within the City. Alternatives The City Council could choose not to authorize the City Manager to execute Agreement with the RPTA. Not executing this agreement would discontinue fixed- route, paratransit and RideChoice services in the City. Fiscal Impact The total cost for RPTA provided transit, administrative, marketing and customer service activities during FY 2025/26 is $39,002,561. The City funded portion of the total cost is $4,997,487 which is budgeted in the FY 2025/26 City budget using General Funds. Coordinated With This Intergovernmental Agreement has coordinated with the City Attorney's Office and the Regional Public Transportation Authority.