APPLICANT INFORMATION
(This form is mandatory for all applicants)
General Information
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City: Portland | State: OR | Zip: 97214 |
City: | State: | Zip: |
Type of Applicant (check one):
Private non-profit agency | Tribal government | Private for-profit intercity bus operator |
General purpose government (city, county, other government) | Transit or transportation district; County service district |
Consolidated Application Information:
Is this application submitted on behalf of other transportation providers?
If yes, list all partner agencies by legal name and identify a contact for each. (Add additional pages as needed.)
Agency: | Contact/Title: | |
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Applicant Information, continued
Service Description
Attach published schedule or rider’s guide, if available, and
Attach Service Description form.
Applicant Intent:
To the best of my knowledge, the information in this application is true and accurate, and this organization has the necessary fiscal and managerial capacity to implement and manage the project associated with this application.
Applicant Agency (legal name): | |
Innovative GreenTrips |
Signature: |
Date: |
Service Description
"Innovative GreenTrips" is designed to reduce discretionary drive-alone trips on congested corridors, in order to provide quick, inexpensive capacity for high value trips, such as freight, buses and vanpools.
GreenTrips would fund performance-based mini-grants for projects that move the most people at the least cost on congested corridors.
We will encourage Chambers of Commerce, industry associations, TMA’s, non-profits, public agencies and neighborhood associations to apply for up to $50,000 to provide incentives and information to their members on travel options (bus, train, walk, bike, carpool, vanpool, flextime). We will also encourage organizations to adopt policy changes, such as introducing flextime, telework and reflecting the true cost of parking. Each has proven to significantly reduce drive-alone trips.
The Innovative GreenTrips program is based on Washington State DOT's highly successful and popular "Trip Reduction Performance Program."
The "green" in GreenTrips refers to the fact that increased person carrying capacity on both roads and transit would be provided at a low cost, saving commuters, taxpayers and transportation agencies money.
Section V: Transit Innovations
Guidance and Application
The Oregon Transportation Commission has directed ODOT Public Transit Division to include innovative projects in the 2007-2009 discretionary grant solicitation. Any project being applied for in this discretionary grant solicitation may be considered an innovation. It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify a project as innovative and to explain why it should be considered in this light.
If an applicant is applying for an innovation project that does not fit into one of the existing grant application forms, use this application to describe your project.
1. Describe the innovative project. Be specific with details about how this project furthers transportation goals—either in the applicant’s local area or statewide.
Innovative GreenTrips is designed to reduce discretionary drive-alone trips on congested corridors in order to provide quick, inexpensive capacity for high value trips, such as freight, buses and vanpools.
GreenTrips would fund performance-based mini-grants for projects that move the most people at the least cost on congested corridors.
We will encourage Chambers of Commerce, industry associations, TMA’s, non-profits, public agencies and neighborhood associations to apply for up to $50,000 to provide incentives and information to their members on travel options (bus, train, walk, bike, carpool, vanpool, flextime). We will also encourage policy changes, such as introducing flextime, telework and charging the true cost of parking. Each has proven to significantly reduce discretionary drive-alone trips.
Trips with origins or destinations in Portland will be eligible for funding. Organizations outside Portland will be eligible to apply for funds.
Projects will be funded based on the price per trip proposed by the applicant, with the lowest cost per trip projects funded first. Up to 50% of requested funds will be available for start-up costs; any additional funds would be paid based on actual performance following the grant-end evaluation. If results are less than 50% of projected, no additional funds would be provided. If results are over 50%, funds will be provided up to 125% of projections. The more people shifted from driving alone to another mode, the more funds provided.
We intend to establish a project promotion and selection committee including representatives from ODOT, Metro, TriMet and at least one business and one non-profit association. The committee will strive to reach concensus on which projects are worthy of funding. No funding will be provided to projects deemed too risky by the committee.
The project would run in two cycles, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 and from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Results would be reported annually.
Innovative GreenTrips Solutions leverages existing programs, such as TriMet’s Passport program, Metro’s CarpoolMatchNW and the City of Portland’s SmartTrips by expanding their reach to diverse populations and organizations that currently don’t participate in these programs.
GreenTrips is modeled on a highly successful, low cost program developed by the Washington State DOT Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program, which reduced over 5,000 average daily drive-alone trips at an average cost of 97 cents per trip in its first two years. The Washington Trip Reduction Performance Program (TRPP) is funded by the Washington State Legislature, with support from Democrats, Republicans, business and environmental interests.
Innovative GreenTrips is particularly cost-effective because it uses existing social and business networks to disseminate the incentives and information, and because it is results-based.
Innovative GreenTrips supports numerous ODOT, Metro and City of Portland transportation system goals, such as those below.
ODOT's goals and strategies:
• Move people and goods efficiently
• Improve Oregon's livability and economic prosperity
• Use innovative program design and technologies to solve transportation problems
• Improve the return on investment of our transportation funds.
Metro's Regional Transportation Plan policies, too numerous to list here.
City of Portland's Transportation System Plan themes of:
• Stewardship
• Transportation Choices
• Environmental Sustainability
2. Describe the need for the project.
Metro, Portland Business Alliance, the Port of Portland, Oregon Department of Transportation and other public and private sector partners commissioned a "Cost of Congestion" study which identified the multi-billion dollar costs of traffic congestion on people and goods.
One of the quickest, cheapest and most effective strategies to increase capacity for high value trips, such as freight and transit, is to reduce the volume of discretionary drive-alone trips. Reducing the number and length of relatively low-value discretionary drive-alone trips increases the number of people carried on existing highways, streets, trains and buses, significantly improving the efficiency of the existing transportation system quickly and inexpensively.
The Washington State Department of Transportation reports that their "Performance Grant Program" (now known as the Trip Reduction Performance Program, or TRPP) reduced an average of 5,150 daily trips at an average cost of 97 cents per trip. The Innovative GreenTrips project is modeled after the WSDOT performance grant program (we believe in recycling good ideas). See http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/tdm/program_summaries/CTRPG_report.pdf to read the full report.
3. What are the characteristics of the project that make it innovative?
• Paying for results, rather than ideas. Contractors are paid for the trips they shift to more efficient modes, and the more trips they shift, the more they are rewarded.
• Leveraging the existing transportation network. Rather than expanding service, Innovative GreenTrips gets more people into carpools, vanpools, trains and buses, more efficiently using both transit and road assets.
• Leveraging existing business and social networks. Chambers of Commerce, non-profits, companies and neighborhood associations have formal and informal networks for distributing information and providing incentives. By funding projects through those networks we avoid the need to create our own distribution systems.
• A "bottom-up" approach. Rather than creating a "one-size fits all" program and offering it to the public, Innovative GreenTrips allows organizations to customize programs that their employees and members find most valuable, allowing many individual "bottom-up" local solutions.
• Creating cheap capacity. Expanding road and transit systems is necessary, but expensive and time consuming. Increasing the number of people using carpools, vanpools and buses quickly increases the person-carrying capacity of congested corridors, freeing space for freight and other high-value trips.
• Funding entrepreneurship. By offering a "pay-for-results" project, we encourage innovative thinking, rewarding innovation and setting the stage for new businesses that make the transportation system more efficient and effective.
4. How will you know if the project is successful? How do you plan to measure the benefits of this project?
We will require contractors to measure the number and length of trips in their target market before beginning the project and after 9 months. We chose 9 months to allow three months for project evaluation and revision before evaluating year 2 proposals.
Fifty percent of awards would be available for "start-up" costs; remaining funds will be paid strictly on performance. Each average daily trip shifted over the 50% base will be rewarded, up to 125% of the original projection.
5. Describe your efforts to coordinate or create partnerships to support the proposed project.
We intend to establish a project promotion and selection committee including representatives from ODOT, Metro, TriMet and at least one business and one non-profit association.
If the project is successful, as it has been in Washington State, we will offer to support state and or regional efforts to replicate the program elsewhere in Oregon.
6. If this is an ongoing effort, describe your agency’s plan to continue the proposed project or proceed to the next phase beyond the 2007-2009 biennium. Include funding sources other than ODOT PTD grants.
We will evaluate the results from year one and year two projects to determine whether to seek local, regional, state or federal funds to continue the program. The Washington State legislature provides $1.5 million/biennium to fund the "Trip Reduction Performance Program." The program has been so successful the legislature will consider doubling funding to $3 million/biennium in their 2007 session.
7. How will the applicant be able to complete the project (funded by this grant solicitation) within the funding period?
Portland Office of Transportation, Options Division, has a long history of successfully managing federal, state and regional grants. Options would provide an experienced project manager from current staff and hire a part-time 2-year project coordinator to run the program day-to-day.
Projects will be funded in two rounds, according to the following schedule:
• July: Form project selection committee, review draft solicitation.
• August 2007: Distribute draft solicitation.
• September 2007: Review and award funds to projects.
• October 2007 - June 2008: Support project implementation.
• June 2008: Round 1 project results due. Evaluate results and provide performance payments.
• July 2008: Project selection committee reviews Round 1 results and refines Round 2 solicitation.
• August 2008: Distribute draft solicitation.
• September 2008: Review and award funds to projects.
• October 2008 - June 2009: Support project implementation.
• June 2009: Round 2 project results due. Evaluate provide performance payments. Prepare final grant reports.
8. If this project will benefit the special needs populations (people with disabilities, seniors, people with low incomes), is the project derived from a coordinated plan? YES NO
We will encourage and seek projects that benefit ALL populations, especially those without access to traditional "options" information and incentives, through outreach to small businesses and community organizations serving seniors, people with disabilities and those with low incomes.
If no, describe how the project will be incorporated and adopted into a coordinated plan.
If the projects are successful, we will encourage coordinated plans to consider adopting appropriate projects into plans.
Section V: Transit Innovations, continued
5. Expenses – Provide current and estimated operating expenses for your proposed project:
Expense Summary of the Applicant’s Project Budget | Current | Estimated for this project 2007-2008 | Estimated for this project 2008-2009 |
Administration Expense: |
Personal Services (wages and benefits) | $N/A | $15,000 | $7,950 |
Facility (rent, janitorial, utilities, etc.) | $ | $ | $ |
Insurance | $ | $ | $ |
Professional Services | $ | $ | $ |
Services and Supplies (IT, travel, office expense, telecommunications, etc.) | $ | $ | $ |
Other (list): |
All facilities, services & supplies | $ | $10,325 | $5,472 |
| $ | $ | $ |
| $ | $ | $ |
Operations Expense: |
Cost of Purchased Service Agreement | $ | $ | $ |
Or, Cost of Direct Service: | Labor and Fringe Benefits | $ | |
$41,000 | $43,460 | Insurance | $ |
$ | $ | Fuel | $ |
$ | $ | Vehicle Maintenance (tires, oil changes, etc.) Do not include expenses in this category if you are applying for a preventive maintenance grant. | $ |
$ | $ | Facility (rent, janitorial, utilities, etc.) | $ |
$ | $ | Services and Supplies (IT, travel, telecommunications, etc.) | $ |
$ | $ | Training | $ |
$ | $ |
Other (list): |
Material Design & Printing | $ | $3,000 | $3,000 |
All facilities, services & supplies | $ | $28,220 | $29,914 |
Projects Funded | $ | $152,455 | $160,204 |
Capital Expense (physical, durable equipment): |
$5,000 or more (item ) | $ | $ | $ |
Less than $5,000 or more (item ) | $ | $ | $ |
Other capital (list): |
| $ | $ | $ |
| $ | $ | $ |
| $ | $ | $ |
TOTAL | $0 | $250,000 | $250,000 |
Section V: Transit Innovations, continued
Applicant: Portland Office of Transportation | Project Name: Innovative GreenTrips |
Budget summary | FY 07-08 | FY 08-09 | Total |
Total Project Cost | |||
Local Contribution |
6. Local match – Indicate the source of the funds contributed for this request and indicate if there are any restrictions on the match funds.
Type of Funding | Source | Amount | Restrictions? |
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Local: Options budget for project management, facilities, services & supplies | General Transportation Revenue, Parking revenue | Transportation | |
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* Contact PTD for match rate as it is based on project type.