FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 22, 2024
The City of Porterville will officially relaunch Porterville Transit on July 1, 2024, with an in-house transit management team to enhance efficiency and sustainability.
“We are committed to providing efficient and sustainable public transportation that meets the needs of our community,” said Patrice Hildreth, Porterville’s City Manager. “Our skilled staff, including Richard Tree, an expert in public transportation, will lead the department. This move aims to offer more transparent, efficient and effective service to those who live, work and play in our city.”
Porterville helped establish TCRTA in 2020, expecting that doing so would offer a more efficient and cost-effective regional transportation infrastructure. City officials even shared Tree, who previously led its transportation department, to spearhead the launch of the new agency. Tree ultimately became the full-time Executive Director of TCTRA. After he left the agency in 2022, TCRTA’s new leadership stopped providing appropriate financial and operational information to member municipalities while expanding its administrative overhead at a higher level than expected for the service it provides.
After exhausting efforts to uncover the reasons for the exponential rise in membership fees, Porterville notified the agency a year ago of its intentions to leave and submitted a second formal declaration per the established procedures in January. TCRTA’s leadership still refuses to engage the city in a formal exit plan.
“We are committed to delivering a reliable, fully functional transportation service by July 1,” said Tree. “That is our top priority
City of Porterville
291 N. Main Street
Porterville, CA 93257 www.ci.porterville.ca.us/newslist.php
For more information contact:
Yuriko Velarde, Administrative Analyst
yvelarde@ci.porterville.ca.us
(559) 306-1211