VINE schedules may be tweaked so that more buses run on time, providing better service to both Upvalley and city of Napa riders.

Only 61 percent of buses in the city now run on schedule. Increasing traffic, particularly near South Napa Marketplace, causes buses to run late, the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency reported.

By scheduling longer layovers at the downtown transit center, on-time performance can be boosted to 95 percent, agency officials said.

The agency is considering a new VINE schedule that would take effect Aug. 1 if adopted by the agency board on July 18.

Most routes would remain as they are, but with more time allotted for drivers to make their rounds, said Adriann Cardoso, transit program manager.

The biggest change would be the elimination of Route 7, which is overlapped by Route 10. Route 10 buses can easily accommodate Route 7 riders, Cardoso said.

To keep Route 10, which runs from Calistoga to Vallejo, on schedule, an additional bus will be added and layover times at both ends of the route lengthened, Cardoso told agency members last week.

A consultant recommended that Route 10 be broken into two routes, with riders required to change buses in Napa. This would further increase on-time performance, IBI Consultants said.

The agency will study the impact on riders who want to go from the Upvalley to Vallejo before acting on this recommendation.

The performance of Route 11, which runs from St. Helena and Calistoga to Santa Rosa four days a week, was slammed by IBI as an "unproductive route."

Only 1.2 passengers per hour are riding Route 11 at a cost of $63.55 per trip. IBI is recommending dropping service to one day a week or canceling the route altogether. Dropping Route 11 would save $161,000, which could be used to upgrade service on more traveled routes, the consultant said.

At Wednesday's board meeting, agency members encouraged staff to redouble promotion efforts to try to save Route 11, which was started four years ago with a federal grant.

To encourage students to ride it, the schedule will be bumped up two hours so a student can arrive in Santa Rosa before 8 a.m., Cardoso said.

Before starting Route 11, the agency surveyed Upvalley residents who said they would use it for shopping and medical appointments. The promised ridership never developed.

"Everyone thinks it's a good idea, but when it comes to getting on the bus they don't do it," Cardoso said.

The consultant said that 93 percent of Upvalley residents own a car. "It's more convenient to use your car for this type of trip," Cardoso said.

Staff will look at ridership levels in six months, then come back to the board with a report, she said.

If service is discontinued, the consultant recommended that a community organization offer non-emergency medical transportation to Santa Rosa medical facilities.

Analyzing Upvalley transit needs, the consultant said that better service is needed for Angwin residents and people along Silverado Trail. Service from St. Helena and Calistoga to St. Helena Hospital is not convenient for many people.

One economical solution would be to market Lake Transit, which goes through Calistoga to St. Helena Hospital on weekdays, the consultant said. Scheduling a late morning trip by Calistoga HandyVan to the hospital would give riders a more convenient way to get back to Calistoga.

Farmworkers have special transportation needs, the consultant said. The agency should work with the wine industry to see if there is any interest in forming farmworker van pools.

The consultant recommended that students at Pacific Union College consider forming a ride share club. Travel needs would be posted online.

Because ride demand in Angwin is thought to be low, a ride share club would be an economical way to give students mobility without creating a new bus service, officials said.