Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to enter into an agreement to continue ride-matching services via an internet based application. The cost of subscription fees will be $18,647 in 2023, which is $1,220 higher than 2022. Additional costs will be reflected in MPO's 2023 budget request. About 84% of the MPO’s budget is covered by federal grant funding with the remaining matching funds covered by the city of Madison and other communities in the MPO planning area.
Title
Authorizing the Greater Madison MPO to enter into an agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission to continue providing ride-matching services via an interactive, Internet -based application
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Madison Planning Division provides staffing for the Greater Madison MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) and the city serves as the MPO’s fiscal and administrative agent; and
WHEREAS, the Greater Madison MPO (“MPO”) is the designated MPO for the Madison Metropolitan Area with responsibilities to perform metropolitan transportation planning and programming activities; and
WHEREAS, the MPO administers a transportation demand management (TDM) program called RoundTrip (formerly named Rideshare Etc.), which provides van/carpool ride-matching and other alternative transportation promotion services, works with employers to conduct TDM programs, coordinates TDM efforts of other agencies and organizations, provides assistance on other initiatives to promote alternatives to single-occupant driving, including employer-based commuter challenges, and produces and disseminates TDM marketing materials; and
WHEREAS, the MPO and the City of Madison recognize the need for and many benefits of TDM programs and other strategies to promote the use of alternatives to single-occupant driving, including public transit, car/vanpooling, bicycling, and walking in the region; and
WHEREAS, the MPO and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (“WisDOT”), which has a statewide Rideshare Program, have had agreements dating back to 2005 to cooperate in providing interactive ride-matching services and sharing in the costs of a ride-matching software application and associated services; and
WHEREAS, the current agreement was entered into in January 2022, updating a 2015 agreement in order to incorporate the new names of the Madison MPO and TDM program (RoundTrip) following rebranding, include language about the new RoundTrip website (which links to the ride-matching application) and how costs associated with it will be handled, and more accurately reflect purchasing and invoicing policies in place between the two agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (“SEWRPC”), the MPO for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area, has recently started a regional TDM program called CommuteWise and wishes to cooperate with the Greater Madison MPO and WisDOT in providing interactive ride-matching services and sharing in the costs; and
WHEREAS, an agreement between the Greater Madison MPO, SEWRPC, and WisDOT to share in the cost of acquiring and maintaining an online ride-matching software application provides for cost savings due to the overlapping areas of service of the three agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Greater Madison MPO, SEWRPC, and WisDOT recognized the expanded partnership as an opportunity to evaluate and improve the existing ride-matching platform and to create a model for bringing on additional regional partners in the future; and
WHEREAS, the three agencies went through an extensive process of research, vendor outreach, and vendor selection led by WisDOT, the contracting entity, and agreed to switch to a different vendor, RideAmigos, from the current vendor, TripSpark, for the online ride-matching software application, as it offers superior features that will help the agencies address feedback from users and employers regarding issues with the existing platform; and
WHEREAS, the RideAmigos platform will be easier for users to see, explore, and connect with their trip options and easier for program staff to administer the platform, track metrics, and evaluate user engagement; and
WHEREAS, the new features and improvements include:
• Customized regional program setup, which allows for setting up custom-branded regional sub-sites for the Greater Madison MPO and SEWRPC;
• Employer engagement tools that offer custom-branded webpages for employers, better incentive and gamification features, and opportunity for employers to create event pages for one-time events;
• Better user experience through improved interface with new and improved features such as mobile application with passive trip-logging capability and “ride board” that supports one-time ride offers;
• Better trip planning and logging tools; and
• Better administrative tools, reducing staff time; and
WHEREAS, WisDOT has agreed to pay for the implementation costs for the new platform, and therefore the partnership with SEWRPC and WisDOT will allow the Greater Madison MPO to offer a much improved ride-matching software platform while reducing the MPO’s overall share of the project and only slightly increasing the MPO’s actual cost; and
WHEREAS, the MPO and WisDOT therefore desire to update the current agreement executed by the City of Madison in January 2022 in order to add SEWRPC as a third party and make other changes related to the change in platform to RideAmigos in 2023 as the vendor for the ride-matching platform, including addressing project management and the purchasing, licensing, and use of the application.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Common Council do hereby authorize the Greater Madison MPO Director/Planning Manager to enter into an agreement with WisDOT and SEWRPC to provide continuing ride-matching services via an interactive, Internet-based application and share in the cost of the software and services.