The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System has withdrawn from a grant program that covered the cost of more than a dozen minivans meant to help older adults and people with disabilities.

MTS received nearly $600,000 in 2021 as part of the Specialized Transportation Grant Program managed by the San Diego Association of Governments. But officials will now return the 14 minivans after failing to meet a minimum usage threshold outlined in the grant agreement. The minivans were used for less than 10% of what was agreed, according to SANDAG staff.

SANDAG approved a cancellation request sent by MTS during a Transportation Committee meeting last month. The vehicles are now worth roughly $4,800 each, or less than a cumulative $70,000, according to SANDAG staff.

MTS found the minivans to be less efficient than larger vehicles after a disruption in services led to the use of larger vans. Their use was also disrupted in mid-2023 during labor negotiations at Transdev, which operates minibus and paratransit services on behalf of MTS. By the time negotiations concluded, and with an increasing ridership and the resolution of driver shortages, MTS began using the larger vehicles. The shift made for more efficient services, but made the usage of the minivans purchased less viable, according to MTS officials.

SANDAG will now try to find other organizations that meet the grant requirements and are interested in using the vehicles.

SANDAG- Board of Directors Committees – Transportation Committee 09_20_2024 Download

This brief came from notes taken by Carlos Moyeda, a San Diego Documenter, at a SANDAG Transportation Committee meeting this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read more about the program here.

Type of Content

Brief: An account of a public government proceeding, written and edited by the San Diego Documenters.