Part one of two.
Seal Beach has a pilot electronic shuttle service. The program is currently set to end in April 2025. The City Council approved the pilot program in February 2024.
District One Council Member Joe Kalmick argued that the program is needed. Seal Beach resident Marc Loopesko argued that the program is a waste of money. In response to an informal Sun social media survey, several individuals on social media said they like the program. However, other participants argued that either the shuttle was a waste of money or complained that it served only a limited area of the city. In all, the Sun received 40 comments about the shuttle program. (Because the answers to the survey took up nearly 2,000 words, highlights from the survey will run in part two.)
The social survey found that many people don’t even know it exists.
On Sept. 26, the Sun weekly online poll question asked: “Do you use the Circuit shuttle?”
The results, published Oct. 3:
No—46.67%
What shuttle?—40%
Yes—13.33%
Several individuals, including Kalmick, have said the program needs more publicity.
Whether the program will continue is not yet known.
The service
Circuit provides shuttle services to about 40 cities throughout the United States, including Seal Beach and Long Beach, according to the Circuit website. Circuit provides shuttles in two Long Beach areas: Downtown Long Beach and Belmont Shore.
The shuttles are small five-passenger electronic cars. The driver takes up the sixth seat. There are no fixed stops for picking up or dropping off passengers. The shuttle has been observed parked in various locations when it is not transporting passengers. Passengers are allowed to walk up and ask for a ride.
The Seal Beach shuttle serves Old Town, The Hill, and Bridgeport.
The service runs from 4 to 10 p.m., Thursday to Friday, from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. According to the deputy director of Public Works, the shuttles will run on all holidays that fall on service days, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cost to passenger: $2 a ride. In August (and September, according to Kalmick), the city offered the first ride for free. One passenger reported getting a ride for free.
You download the app to summon a shuttle or wave down a car, according to the banner on the city’s website.
Cost to Seal Beach?
“As per the Council-approved agreement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), the City is contributing half of the total program costs. So far, $65,309.91 has been expensed, with the City’s proportionate share amounting to $162,891,” according an Oct. 9 email from Deputy Public Works Director Kathryne Cho.
“It is common practice for municipalities to explore various funding options to support community programs and initiatives. We’re always evaluating opportunities to enhance our city services and improve the quality of life for our residents through Federal, State, or local funding sources,” Cho wrote.
Ridership
According to Cho, in August there was an increase in passengers. “We had 198 total rides for the month of August with 398 riders,” Cho wrote on Sept. 25. She later clarified that the shuttle gave a 198 rides to 398 individuals.
According to Cho, as of September, there have been 1,537 riders on the shuttle since the service began.
The population of Seal Beach is 24,352, according to a 2023 estimate posted on the Census Bureau website.
Limited service area
The shuttles have a limited service area.
More than one person commented on this in the survey.
Kalmick also said that other city districts feel they have been left out.
According to Kalmick, the electric vehicles are limited to streets with a speed limit of no more than 35 miles an hour. “They can’t even go up to Surfside,” Kalmick said.
The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed this. “The operator of a low-speed EV may not operate the vehicle on any roadway with a posted speed limit greater than 35 mph except to cross a roadway at an intersection,” according to the DOE website.
Kalmick said the shuttle can cross Pacific Coast Highway, but can’t go on PCH. According to Kalmick, the shuttle service could not go up Seal Beach Boulevard to Heron Pointe.
Advertising?
Asked if the shuttle was his idea, District One Council Member Joe Kalmick said: “In a sense, it was.” He had heard about the Huntington Beach program. “Our downtown parking is so congested,” he said, he thought a shuttle would help relieve that problem.
Kalmick said staff followed up on it.
“I think we need to do a better job of publicizing it,” Kalmick said.
An individual identified as Diane D. on Nextdoor wrote that the city should have done a better job of advertising.
“A lot of people don’t know anything about it,” wrote Rob Jahncke, who owns a Main Street business, in an email.
“I fault the city for not getting the word out enough,” Jahncke wrote in a recent email.
“I downloaded the app but have not used the service. I am afraid not a lot of people know about it,” wrote Rita V. Strickroth on Facebook.
“I have seen the shuttles but have no idea how to schedule or find them,” wrote Lisa Kaminski, also on Facebook.
Enea O. wrote on Nextdoor that she saw the van and didn’t know what it was about.
“How do you publicize it?” Kalmick asked during the interview.
Kalmick said the city had summer concerts on Wednesdays. The shuttle service is Thursday to Sunday. Kalmick speculated that if the city had been able to park a shuttle at the Pier during the concerts, that might have generated more interest in the service.
“All advertising or marketing is being handled using in-house staff and the City’s social media platform,” wrote Deputy Public Works Director Cho.
“The City has been advertising the program since before the ribbon-cutting event in April. Advertising efforts have included social media, the City newsletter, City and Chamber of Commerce events, and postings within businesses along Main Street,” Cho wrote. According to Cho, there is no data available on how many people know about the shuttle.
The Sun requested data on traffic to the city’s website, which includes a banner for the shuttle service. It turns out that the city doesn’t currently get data on traffic to the website. (See “No city web traffic data available,” sunnews.org.)
Kalmick said Seal Beach doesn’t have a person who manages the city’s social media. Kalmick said the Orange County Fire Authority has a full time social media person.
“I’m hoping that we can do a better job to get the word out,” Kalmick said.
He said he considered having the city put up a banner, but said staff had been so impacted by state mandates and preparing for the November election that he was reluctant to have them make a banner.
“We have to get them in front of the public,” Kalmick said, referring to the shuttles.
He said he already spoke with Paul Dunlap (owner of the Bay Theatre) about working with Circuit service.
Deputy Public Works Director Cho wrote: “ All advertising or marketing is being handled using in-house staff and the City’s social media platform.”
Cho also wrote: “The City has been advertising the program since before the ribbon-cutting event in April. Advertising efforts have included social media, the City newsletter, City and Chamber of Commerce events, and postings within businesses along Main Street.”
Pro and con
“Why would anybody not want to have that available?” Kalmick asked.
He said if there were more people using the shuttle, there might be more parking available.
“I’ve used it twice and loved it! Drivers are super friendly! Also something I didn’t know until they told me is that besides using the app, you can also flag them down like a taxi,” wrote Vanessa Prast Reynolds.
Jackie Dominick called for the program to be cost-neutral in light of the city’s financial situation.
“‘Kalmick’s Folly Trolley’ cost us $160,000 this year. Those funds could have, and should have been used for other much more needed demands like police, infrastructure, water, pool repairs & capital improvement projects. It was never marketed or promoted. I never see passengers in them and the driver just parks for hours in the library parking lot waiting for a service call, that rarely comes,” wrote Marc Loopesko.
In a recent Letter to the Editor (see sunnews.org), Loopesko also called the program a “boondoggle.”
“Mark is entitled to his opinion,” Kalmick said when asked for a comment. “People who are using it might beg to differ.”
Dawn Southern, responding to Loopesko on Nextdoor, wrote: “Many older and disabled adults in town have been using it. It allows them more freedom about town. Better it goes to something like this than Jill’s ridiculous salary.” She was apparently referring to City Manager Jill Ingram, whose resignation goes into effect on Oct. 31.
Diane D.of College Park East, responding to Southern, wrote in part: “However the rest of the city has been left out of this. CPE and CPW get nothing. Yet we are paying tax dollars toward it. That $160,000 could have been used toward repairing the flood problem in CPE. There are many other things that need to be fixed.”
Michael Bremsuer wrote, in part, “My guess is the $2/ride fee is a tiny fraction of the real cost. We probably could give out coupons for free Uber rides and spend less money. Is subsidized transportation really a critical need for our community?”
Future?
Kalmick said he hoped the shuttle would become a fixture, a permanent service.
He said the council will access the success of the shuttle program by different parameters.
Asked what metrics Seal Beach was using to assess the program, Cho wrote:
“The City receives monthly reports from Circuit Transit, assessing the program by providing metrics on our areas of interest such as participation rates, satisfaction surveys, cost-benefit analysis, and tangible outcomes. We also meet with our Circuit representative who provides requested information outside of the reports. By tracking these metrics, we can gain valuable insights into the program’s effectiveness and make data-driven decisions to optimize its performance.”
Does the city have a definition of what success would look like for the program?
“Yes, the city does have a clear vision for the success of this program,” Cho wrote.
“We generally evaluate success based on a combination of factors, including:
“Community Impact: Does the program effectively address the needs of our residents and improve their quality of life?
“Sustainability: Is the program financially viable and capable of continuing into the future?” Cho wrote.
Is Seal Beach looking for more grant funds to support the program?
“We’re always evaluating opportunities to enhance our city services and improve the quality of life for our residents through Federal, State, or local funding sources,” Cho wrote.
