About RTLC

The Regional Transit Leadership Council is Southeastern Wisconsin's united voice and platform for regional multimodal transportation. A 501c3 non profit organization, we are a coalition of public and private sector leaders from throughout the seven county Southeastern Wisconsin region who understand that robust,viable multimodal transportation options are critical to the region's economic future.

Our vision is to connect the Southeastern Wisconsin region with multimodal transportation that crosses county lines and other jurisdictional boundaries, provides rapid service over long distances and offers the flexibility and ease of use expected by today's commuters.

This project seeks to advance our vision by developing an actionable plan for flexible, on demand transportation serving the seven counties of Southeastern Wisconsin. This service would supplement existing and future fixed route transit by addressing the "last mile" problem, which hinders viable public transit throughout the region. This service could consist of public- private partnerships with for-profit ride share providers, the launch of a non-profit provider working in partnership with local governments, a fully public solution, or a combination of all three.

Spatial Mismatch and the "Last Mile" Problem

Currently, only half of the jobs in Southeastern Wisconsin are accessible by transit ride of 90 minutes or less. With 19% of city of Milwaukee households lacking access to a car, the difficulty in reaching jobs presents a significant barrier to employment.

The Milwaukee region's "spatial mismatch" is exacerbated by the challenges inherent in providing traditional fixed route transit service in low-density suburban areas, where many jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector, are located. The "last mile" problem, which often arises in areas where low density means fixed route transit cannot effectively serve every job site directly, has long hindered efforts to connect the city and suburban communities with viable transportation options.

A 2017 study from Wisconsin Policy Forum entitled The Last Mile: Connecting Workers to Places of Employment explored the Last Mile problem in the Milwaukee area and made several recommendations based on the experience of other metro regions, including regional public- private collaboration, and a regional flexible transit model or ride share service.

Launching this kind of regional service in Southeastern Wisconsin will require regional action, public/private partnerships and new thinking on how to address mobility issues.

Scope of Work

The RTLC is seeking responders with significant national experience in planning innovative, next-gen transportation programs to address last-mile challenges. The scope of this RFP is focused on the due diligence required to plan a viable transportation program. Community and business outreach will be led by RTLC and its partners with the support of an additional consultant (outside the scope of this RFP). The responder awarded this contract will work closely in partnership with RTLC, its partners, and community/business engagement consultant

to deliver a series of recommendations backed by data, and fully vetted and understood among the RTLC's diverse constituencies. Drawing upon employment data, ridership forecasts, and national/international models, the successful responder will drive due diligence to yield clarity on the parameters of a successful, sustainable program or suite of services.

Project Tasks

The successful responder to this RFP will provide sufficient evidence of the ability to carry out the following tasks to successfully complete the project:

1. Support stakeholder engagement
   1. Partner with community engagement consultant and RTLC/partners to communicate a complex topic to stakeholders
2. Due diligence
   1. Evaluate and analyze costs of model programs
   2. Evaluate legal issues, equity and accessibility
   3. Recommend potential governance and funding models
   4. Forecast ridership and costs for three years of pilot program
   5. Investigate, vet and recommend potential funding sources for pilot
   6. Support development of matrix to evaluate potential transportation providers.
3. Program evaluation
   1. Develop pilot program evaluation instrument to be used by RTLC Task Force to track two years of pilot program results.
   2. Produce deliverable of pilot program planning document (see Project Phase 2 below)
   3. Project Phases

Phase 1 – Outreach to businesses and community (community engagement consultant driven)

In Phase 1, we will convene businesses and business groups in three targeted areas – New Berlin, Franklin/Oak Creek. These business convenings will go in depth into ride share partnerships in peer cities,including Columbus, Kansas City and Indianapolis, potentially with a representative from one of these cities present. They will serve as a vehicle to disseminate knowledge about national models for micro-transit, and will be used to identify potential business partners to participate in the pilot.

Working in partnership with community partners, we will also convene 2-3 small community focus groups,sharing national models and soliciting meaningful input to guide the planning process.

Timeline: July 2021 to November 2021

Phase 2 – Project Development (led by consultant selected from this RFP)

During the project development phase, our planning team will lead, with staff and consulting support, the due diligence around several key questions:

• Pilot program costs
• Identify lead agency (local government, non profit, etc)
• Cost per ride and cost share breakdown
• Legal considerations
• Assuring equity and accessibility

Phase 2 will result in a thorough plan document outlining in detail the key issues above and presenting recommendations for pilot launch.

Timeline: September 2021 to March 2022

Phase 3 – Pilot launch and tracking outcomes (RTLC driven with consultant support)

After lead agencies are identified and key considerations are met, the planning team will support the identification and vetting of potential contracting ride share or other transportation companies, and take the lead on tracking on outcomes of the pilot program, including:

• Number of users
• On time arrival of employees
• On time arrival of departure from work rides
• Safety and comfort of passengers
• Change in employee attraction, retention and turnover Timeline: March – July 2022

Project Budget

Consulting fees: Program Developer: $60,000

Printing — $500

Supplies —$500

Travel expenses (for national presenters) —$2000

Total: — $63,000

1. Response requirements
   1. Provide brief description of the responder organization's history and experience
   2. Provide list and resumes of all staff responsible for carrying out this project and hours expected they will spend on the project.
   3. Provide detailed written evidence of ability to complete tasks outlined in section 4
   4. Provide three written references speaking to organization's and individual's abilities to carry out the project

Please send responses by June 18, 2021 to dave.steele@rtlcouncil.org