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18 served by CTS, and said that the City would already have some of the administrative structure in place should the City provide the service. Mr. Vandever also noted that the City's entire bus fleet will be lift-equipped in September. Ms. Judith Mueller, Director of Public Works, said the staff will be in a position by mid-March to tell how the City might handle the para-transit service. Responding to a question from Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Helen Poore, Transit Manager, said that the response demand service proposed would require four-hours notice, is proposed to be contracted out, and would take customers to the nearest bus stop. Ms. Slaughter said she likes the idea of increasing the frequency of service, even if it is just at certain times of the day, as she thinks the current schedule is a deterrent to people riding the bus. Ms. Slaughter said she would like to encourage businesses to provide bus passes for their employees. Ms. Poore said CTS will be working with the RideShare employee who is now operating out of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Responding to a question from Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Poore said increasing service on West Main Street is included in the recommendation. Ms. Poore said the County has expressed some interest in expanding service to WalMart and Pantops Shopping Center. Ms. Poore said Route 7 would be the logical route to expand to these locations, noting that it is also recommended for increased service. This would provide the potential for a joint route and sharing of cost. Councilors expressed an interest in exploring the expansion with Albemarle County. Responding to a question from Ms. Slaughter about the status of the CTS/UTS merger, Mr. O'Connell said that the University is interested in the merger if the City can guarantee that the University's costs will not increase. Ms. Hannah Twaddell, planner with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, said a regional transportation district is being explored and different ways are being looked at to structure the district. Ms. Twaddell said that in light of the loss of federal funding, the state could grant localities the authority to impose a gasoline tax to help fund such a district. Ms. Twaddell noted that such an effort would likely take several years. Ms. Poore said that the City could serve as a role model by offering bus passes to City employees. Ms. Poore said an employee survey is being worked on, and development of a van pool is being explored. Ms. Slaughter suggested that Albemarle County be included in such an effort. Mr. Toscano said he would like to look at the transit funding formula with Albemarle County. Mr. Toscano questioned whether the demand-response service is worth $45,000 to implement or if it would be better to put the savings in increased demand. It was recommended that the University of Virginia student car policy be discussed at a PACC meeting. Ms. Twaddell said the University of Virginia needs to be shown the impact of student cars on the community and alternatives. Mr. Vandever asked what the JAUNT funding request would increase to if the fare increase is not implemented, and Ms. Baldwin said the amount would increase by approximately $20,000. Ms. Baldwin noted that the ridership for the first quarter of the current fiscal year has only increased by 1% which is less than projected.