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Amendment #1 to the CEA with the City of New Orleans to provide the Opportunity Pass
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DESCRIPTION: Request to amend the existing CEA between the City of New Orleans and the RTA to implement a special transit program for Opportunity Youths.
AGENDA NO: Click or tap here to enter text.
ACTION REQUEST:
? Approval ? Review Comment ? Information Only ? Other
RECOMMENDATION:
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Authorize the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to receive and execute an amended Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) between the City of New Orleans (CNO) and the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) for the purpose of operating a pilot program entitled "Zero Transit Fare for Opportunity Youth Program."
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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In September 2024, the RTA entered a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the City of New Orleans to determine the terms of administering funds for a special transit pass program that allows opportunity youth, young people between the ages of 16 and 24, to ride RTA transit services at no cost to themselves. In lieu of program-eligible riders paying for fares at the time of activation, the City of New Orleans compensates RTA for the cost of one-day passes activated by program participants during the pilot period.
In 2023, the New Orleans City Council allocated $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for this pilot program.
The original CEA specified a two-year length for the program (ending August 31, 2026) and certain terms for the distribution and reimbursement of fare media.
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DISCUSSION:
This amended CEA will extend the length of the program through the end of calendar year (December 31, 2026); reduce the total amount of money allocated in the program fund from $2.5 million to $1.8 million in response to demonstrated demand for the program; and enable the distribution of paper passes through the program as coordinated by RIDE New Orleans.
These changes to the Opportunity Pass program will ensure that fare media can be made ...
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