Overflow crowd expresses mixed feelings on proposal to replace Minibuses
GRF TOWN HALL
by Ruth Osborn
Communications Director
It was standing room only at a town hall May 24 to consider a plan to replace Leisure World’s on-site Minibus transportation service with an on-demand, appbased ride service called Circuit Transit, Inc.
The GRF Board was to vote on the proposal at its meeting May 28 ( see box at right), and judging from the feedback received Friday, it would not be an easy decision. At least half the people attending expressed concern about losing the community’s blue-and-white Minibus fleet. It includes four 2006 shuttle buses and four new 2024 buses (recently delivered but ordered three years ago and delayed due to supply issues). Five shuttles are used daily Monday-Friday, and two of the new buses are equipped for Access handicap service, according to GRF Fleet Manager Grant Winford. Shuttles provide on-call service on weekends. The fleet also provides large-event transportation services.
But ridership has sharply declined in the post-COVID years and insurance costs have skyrocketed, according to a GRF cost-savings study group, chaired by Director Carole Damoci of Mutual 12.
The study found that GRF’s 2024 insurance bill included a 1,050% increase in automobile liability insurance. The transit task force conservatively attributed $118,000 of the insurance premium hike to the buses.
This raised the 2024 cost-perpassenger boarding to $18.38, and the per resident assessment for bus services to $8.35 per month for each of the community’s 6,608 units, according to the study.
Still, residents expressed concern over the plan at the town hall, some from the podium and some, by a show of hands, and applause and catcalls. Most of those who spoke expressed concern over losing Minibus ease of use and comfort, and friendly drivers, the lack of resident input in the replacement plan, and the speed at which the Circuit proposal has progressed.
People also questioned safety, the smaller size of the electric cars, the app-based platform and the company’s ability to handle the challenges of serving a senior community, including managing mobility aids.
GRF Director Nick Massetti from Mutual 17 led the town hall. He emphasized that the board was highly motivated to look into less expensive transportation services to thwart the increasingly high insurance costs. The Minibus fleet was deemed to be “the main driver in adverse pricing,” according to the GRF’s insurance broker. Most insurance underwriters declined to offer quotes because of “age demographics of your community and the drivers of the Minibuses.”
Minibus service is conservatively estimated to cost $597,000 in 2024, and insurance contracts are finalized in November for the 2025 fiscal year. This is why the board has accelerated studying the proposal, hoping to capture savings ahead of the next year’s contract if the replacement service is deemed a good fit for Leisure World, Massetti said.
Circuit Transit, Inc., owns and maintains the all-electric GEM cars and pays its own insurance. The fixed cost, five-year term for the service is estimated at $489,561. That’s a savings of about $100,000, attributed to the elimination of rising liability and fleet insurance costs, labor and maintenance costs and propane fuel costs.
Residents will be able to get a ride on demand via a userfriendly cell phone app, by calling Security to enter the information for them, or by flagging down a passing GEM on the street. The company cannot schedule rides in advance, meaning people cannot request return rides from doctor’s appointments at the same time they request rides to appointments. Circuit also includes an ADA-compliant (disabilities) GEM equipped with a wheelchair ramp to ensure accessibility for passengers.
Circuit’s four vehicles would be parked and charged behind Clubhouse 4, and GRF would pay electricity, about $150 a month. Charges last for 10-12 hours, according to Daniel Kramer, director of sales for Circuit.
The service area is within Leisure World and to the Dollar Tree only. Seal Beach and Orange County transportation programs would be unaffected by any change to Minibus service.
Should the Minibus service be discontinued, buses would be sold following a test period to ensure the new ride service is a success, and current bus drivers would no longer be GRF employees. Circuit has committed to hiring as many GRF drivers as possible to maintain the close relationships and excellent service they provide, Massetti said.
