Business Plan for River Cities Public Transit 
                     Pierre, South Dakota 
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                        Prepared by 
                       Dr. James H. Miller 
                       Faculty Affiliate 
                   Small Urban and Rural Transit Center 
                    North Dakota State University 
                      Fargo, North Dakota 
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                        October 2007 
       Disclaimer 
       The contents presented in this report are the sole responsibility of the Upper Great Plains Transportation 
       Institute and the author. 
                           TABLE OF CONTENTS 
                            
                           1.  RIVER CITIES PUBLIC TRANSIT AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS BUSINESS PLAN..........1 
                                 1.1 A Brief History of River Cities Public Transit ................................................................................ 1 
                                 1.2 The Nature and Purpose of this Business Plan ................................................................................ 5 
                            
                           2.  RIVER CITIES PUBLIC TRANSIT ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE.........................7 
                                 2.1 Purpose and Mission of River Cities Public Transit........................................................................ 7 
                                 2.2 Board of Directors............................................................................................................................ 8 
                                 2.3 River Cities Public Transit Organization and Management Structure...........................................10 
                            
                           3.  THE MARKET FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE RIVER CITIES 
                                 PUBLIC TRANSIT SERVICE AREA.............................................................................................13 
                                 3.1 Demographics of River Cities Public Transit Service Area...........................................................13 
                                 3.2 River Cities Public Transit’s Current Markets............................................................................... 17 
                                 3.3 Analysis of River City Transit’s Markets and Future Potential.....................................................19 
                            
                           4.  DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT SERVICES, OPERATIONS, VEHICLES, 
                            AND FACILITIES............................................................................................................................. 21 
                                 4.1 River Cities Public Transit Services.............................................................................................. 21 
                                 4.2 Fare Structure................................................................................................................................. 25 
                                 4.3 Scheduling and Dispatching .......................................................................................................... 27 
                                 4.4 Maintenance................................................................................................................................... 28 
                                 4.5 Human Resource Management...................................................................................................... 29 
                                 4.6 Financial and Management Information Systems.......................................................................... 30 
                                 4.7 Marketing and Public Awareness..................................................................................................30 
                                 4.8 River Cities Public Transit Vehicle Fleet ...................................................................................... 31 
                                 4.9 Maintenance and Administrative Facilities.................................................................................... 34 
                                 4.10  Summary of Observations and Recommendations.....................................................................34 
                            
                           5.  RIVER CITIES PUBLIC TRANSIT’S MISSION, VISION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES......37 
                                 5.1 Proposed Performance Measures for River Cities Public Transit..................................................38 
                            
                           6.  NEW AND EXPANDED SERVICE OPTIONS FOR RIVER  CITIES PUBLIC TRANSIT....41 
                                 6.1 FTA Charter vs. Mass Transportation Regulations ....................................................................... 41 
                                 6.2 Proposed Service Expansion Options............................................................................................ 42 
                            
                           7.  FIVE-YEAR OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET PLAN....................................................45 
                                 7.1 Five-Year Operating Budget Projections....................................................................................... 45 
                                 7.2 Capital Improvement Plan and Budget.......................................................................................... 49 
                                    7.2.1 Vehicle Replacement Needs and Budget ................................................................................ 49 
                                 7.3 Maintenance, Storage, and Administrative Facility....................................................................... 51 
                                    7.3.1 The Need for Expanded Facilities........................................................................................... 51 
                                    7.3.2 The Alternatives...................................................................................................................... 52 
                                    7.3.3 Funding Requirements ............................................................................................................52 
                                 7.4 Summary of Capital Needs and Capital Budget............................................................................ 54 
                            
       8.  SUMMARY OF PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................................................57 
         8.1 Summary of Key Findings............................................................................................................. 57 
          8.1.1 River Cities Public Transit System’s Goals ............................................................................ 58 
          8.1.2 Organization and Governance................................................................................................. 58 
          8.1.3 The Market for Transit in the River Cities Public Transit Service Area.................................58 
          8.1.4 Operations, Vehicles, Facilities............................................................................................... 59 
         8.2 Key Action Items for the Next Five Years .................................................................................... 59 
          8.2.1 Funding.................................................................................................................................... 59 
          8.2.2 Facilities.................................................................................................................................. 61 
          8.2.3 Staffing.................................................................................................................................... 61 
         8.3 Updating this Business Plan........................................................................................................... 61