Transit staff reports progress toward direct 5307 funding, short'range plan and complaint procedures

Transit staff told the Bullhead Area Transit System Commission on Monday that the agency has made significant strides toward becoming a direct Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5307 recipient after its designation as a small urban area/UZA.

The staff member said transit projects are now included on the MPO's TIP and the state STIP (referred to in the meeting as the STEP), which allows the city to pursue grant applications directly rather than acting as a subrecipient routed through ADOT. Staff completed required certifications and assurances with assistance from City Attorney Garnet Emery and are preparing grant applications in FTA's TRAM system. Once awards are received, staff will apply for reimbursements for operating expenses incurred while the agency operated without direct awards, aiming to catch up by late summer or fall.

On rider complaints, staff said the quarter produced no formal passenger complaint reports beyond minor service gripes. Formal Title VI and ADA complaints follow posted procedures; staff will investigate formal complaints, maintain records as required by federal rules and escalate issues to the commission when warranted. Transit staff said informal driver incident reporting uses an internal written incident report; because the system is federally funded, the agency generally can suspend a passenger's service for short periods but keeps long'term denial of service to court orders or other formal actions (the staff member recalled one judge'issued ban roughly a decade ago).

Staff also outlined planning efforts: the Bullhead Area Transit System Short Range Transit Plan will be funded via an FTA 5305(e) grant administered by the MPO. An RFP for the short range plan closed May 1; transit and MPO staff are reviewing proposals, and the MPO selection committee and MPO board are expected to advance a consultant contract in June, after which the study will start (staff said similar plans typically take about a year). Staff also said they are part of the technical advisory/evaluation committee for the MPO's long'range transportation plan, which looks ahead 20'25 years and will include transit considerations.

A commissioner asked whether requests for transit service have increased from Fort Mohave or Mohave Valley; staff said they have not seen a significant uptick but expect increased input as the agency finalizes short and long range planning while operating within the UZA.

Staff announced that transit service will not operate on observed city holidays: Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth) and Friday, July 3 (Independence Day).

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes of 02/02/2026: motion made, corrected and seconded; commission voted to approve (vote taken on the record during the meeting).