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City Council Report Date: June 8, 2026 To: City Council Through: Brent Stoddard, Assistant 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 2026/27. (Citywide) Purpose and Recommendation The purpose of this report is to review the FY2026/27 amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the City of Mesa and Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) for operation and administration of $41,409,954 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 2026/27 is $5,523,848. Mesa’s allocation of Public Transportation Funds (PTF) from Propositions 400 and 479 will fund $35,886,106. 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. The most recent agreement was approved in FY2025/26. Fixed Route Bus Service There are 20 bus routes that operate within the City of Mesa. These include 15 local fixed-routes, 3 express routes and 2 circulator routes. PTF funds nearly 85 percent of the fixed-route bus service in Mesa. 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. 2 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 an alternative service 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 The City Council approved a seven-year funding agreement with RPTA on January 26, 2026, for fixed-route bus, paratransit, and RideChoice services. The agreement is amended each fiscal year in coordination with the RPTA budget process. The FY26/27 amendment reflects a $2,407,393 increase over the transit service estimates for FY25/26. The estimate for Mesa funded fixed-route bus service (Schedule B) increased by $526,361 over the FY25/26 estimate. The estimate for the remaining transit services (Schedules A, C and D) are funded by Proposition 400 and Proposition 479 and are increasing $1,881,032 over the estimates for FY25/26. Fixed Route Bus Service As outlined in Schedule A of the agreement, Valley Metro will apply $28,273,734 of Proposition 479 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 $5,523,848 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 45,743 paratransit trips during FY 2026/27. As identified in the attached agreement in Schedule C, there is no city 3 contribution for paratransit service this year. The estimated cost for this service is $3,772,766 and will be funded by Proposition 479 funds. RideChoice is estimated to provide a total 113,186 trips this fiscal year. The estimated cost for this service is $3,839,606. Schedule D outlines the estimated costs and funding sources for RideChoice. There will be no city contribution for this program. It will be funded by a combination of Proposition 400 and Proposition 479 funds. In FY2026/27, RideChoice is estimated to provide approximately 71% 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 2026/27 is $41,409,954. The City funded portion of the total cost is $5,523,848, which is budgeted in the FY 2026/27 City budget using General Funds. Coordinated With This Intergovernmental Agreement was coordinated with the City Attorney's Office and the Regional Public Transportation Authority.