By Carl Jackson

SEDONA, AZ - Oct 21, 2008 - Is it just me, or do the Sedona Roadrunner trolleys that shuttle back and forth between Hillside and Uptown Sedona, transporting tourists for free, seem like a lot more bus than we need? 

Each time they make a turn, I cringe thinking they're going to clip a piece of red rock out of a nearby hillside; and whenever I've peeked through one of their windows they have been largely empty.

Don't get me wrong, getting between point A and point B in Sedona is like maneuvering through an obstacle course with a blindfold on.  A transit system to shuttle folks back and forth between Uptown and Hillside is a noble goal.  It lets people park their car once rather than clogging up our already stretched roadway arteries, provides easy access to Sedona businesses, and provides a fun amenity that enhances the visitor experience.

But how much does it cost to maintain these lumbering giants, and where do we store them?  How much bio-diesel do they guzzle? Is it worth it, or is there a better way?

Luckily, I'm not the only one asking these questions.  In 2008, the city established an 11 member Sedona Transit Commission to evaluate the performance of the Roadrunner circulator and to make recommendations as to its continued existence, and in what form.

As background, the Sedona Roadrunner system is operated by the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) that includes Sedona, Coconino County, Yavapai County, Flagstaff, Cottonwood and Northern Arizona University.

The 1.3 mile route between Uptown and Hillside, known as the circulator route, began in October 2006.  NAIPTA utilizes four bio-diesel trolleys that each cost about $287,000 new.

The trolleys are stored in a dirt lot out in Cottonwood, and NAIPTA recently asked the Sedona City Council for $1 million to construct a maintenance facility.

Two buses each complete 60 roundtrips per day. With average daily ridership of 249, that means that there are about 2 people on each roundtrip. The same passenger who gets on, then off and on again is counted as two riders. Therefore the system is really only transporting about 125 unique tourists each day. Out of 8,500 to 11,000 tourists in town each day, that amounts to serving less than 1.5% of the available customers each day.

The Roadrunner costs $95 per hour to operate compared to $85, $92, and $78 per hour for Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson, respectively.

The cost per passenger mile is $13.10, compared to 64 cents, $1.77, and 65 cents for Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson, respectively.  So, to go from Uptown to Hillside and back costs over $26 per person.

Sedona Transit Commission member Greg Zucco has proposed that NAIPTA replace the trolleys with smaller, zero emission neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs).  He proposes a fleet of 10-15 NEV’s disbursed among 4-5 NEV “stands” - Municipal lot, Uptown, Los Abrigados, and Hillside.  A four passenger NEV costs between $10,640 and $11,730, while a six passenger NEV costs between $13,680 and $14,775.

According to Mr. Zucco, the NEVS can reach 25 mph, range 30-35 miles, have zero emissions, and cost 2-3 cents per mile.

Sedona Transit Commission member Greg Zucco proposes replacing the current Roadrunner trolleys with energy efficient Neighborhood Electric Vehicles.

One big benefit of using NAIPTA is that the City of Sedona obtained grants to help fund the initial equipment capital investment and ongoing costs, and in the future our system may be expanded for residents to include West Sedona and Cottonwood and could even connect to a larger regional transit system.  The transit system also operates a paratransit (curb-to-curb) van service for those who are disabled or unable to use the Sedona Roadrunner.

Mr. Zucco, says his transit proposal would carry more people at less cost, and could be funded entirely from the city's share of funds currently supporting the Roadrunner system. Mr. Zucco says this is not a 'maintenance of the status quo' proposal and he would like to have NAIPTA involved in some way, but he understands their reluctance.

Said Zucco, "Replacing the fossil fuel burning diesels might be just what mayor Rob Adams has in mind in his quest to see Sedona become a model of sustainability in our state and beyond. Not only would this be outstanding for the environment, but it would be very practical and efficient in accomplishing the transit mission in Sedona. To have such a visible demonstration of an eco friendly form of transportation certainly will make Sedona a leader in this movement. Think of the opportunity we have to expose huge numbers of riders from all over the world to an alternative fuel type of transportation; and everyone will have a lot of fun in the process."

In economics there's a term called "sunk cost."  Basically it says don't look at the money spent in the past to make an economic decision.  That money is down the drain.

This thinking might be applied to the trolleys.  If we have to give the trolleys back to NAIPTA and lose our initial investment, so be it, so long as the all-in cost to purchase and maintain new electric vehicles and operate the transit system going forward will be less costly.

Let's give neighborhood electric vehicles a serious look.

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