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Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service (2008)

Chapter: Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Three - Higher Capacity Buses in Various Applications." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13919.
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23 Three case studies will illustrate the use of HC buses in dif- ferent contexts: • Denver, Colorado—Regional Transportation District. • Victoria, British Columbia—Victoria Regional Transit System/BC Transit. • Champaign–Urbana, Illinois—Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT (DENVER, COLORADO): HIGHER CAPACITY BUSES AS A COMPONENT OF A FAMILY OF SERVICES The Regional Transportation District (RTD) was created in 1969 by the Colorado General Assembly to plan and build a public transportation system for a six county area. Over the years, the RTD has grown to become a large multi-modal public transportation provider serving a service area popula- tion of approximately 2.5 million and an area of 2,327 square miles. The RTD serves 38 cities in the six counties and two city/county jurisdictions. RTD operates 1,071 total buses, of which 311 are HC vehicles (about 28% of the active fleet). The RTD operates three types of HC buses: articulated, 45-ft, and a special purpose 45-ft mall-shuttle vehicle. The RTD deployed M.A.N. articulated buses in 1983, and began using 45-ft coaches in 1997. Bus service is provided on 174 fixed routes, which are divided into Local, Express, Regional, Lim- ited, skyRide, and Circulator service classifications. Three center of city stations, Market Street, Civic Center, and Union Stations, are the hubs for all HC buses with stops in down- town Denver. An HC shuttle tying together the Market Street and Civic Center stations provides mobility in the Denver downtown area. These stations are under street level reducing street congestion and have off-board ticketing to facilitate quick boarding. All Local route buses remain at street level. Why Higher Capacity Buses and How Are They Used The three primary reasons why RTD uses HC buses are to in- crease the seating capacity for the higher volume services, save labor costs through increased operator productivity, and reduce vehicle requirements during peak service periods. The articulated buses are primarily used on RTD’s Lim- ited stop routes and for Express routes with high volumes. The 45-ft coaches are used on Regional and skyRide routes. All HC buses are also used for special services at sports events, such as Broncos Ride. How Regional Transportation District Uses Higher Capacity Buses Several of the bus corridors have medium to high ridership and the RTD provides a combination of Local and Limited service for the same route path. Forty-foot buses are used for the all-stop Local service and articulated buses are used for the Limited stop service. There is a companion Local route for every Limited route. The 15 Limited is an exam- ple; its route map is shown in Figure 1. A 15 L articulated bus is shown in Figure 2. This integration of types of buses allows the slower accelerating articulated buses to maintain schedule speeds because the Limited stops are spaced far- ther apart. For the lower volume Local/Limited route com- binations, RTD uses 40-ft buses for both services. For the original M.A.N. articulated buses, RTD added 10% longer running times for schedule planning compared with their 40-ft buses. Another use of articulated buses at RTD is Express ser- vice. Many Express routes are characterized by inbound morning service with a few local stops in outlying communi- ties or at park-and-ride lots, and then continuing nonstop (some have exception stop service) to one of the stations in downtown Denver. The afternoon service is essentially the reverse. A few Express routes (e.g., the 120X) have high volumes throughout the day. These routes provide 10-min to 15-min frequency service during peaks and 30-min service off peak between one of the downtown stations and various outlying municipality terminals or park-and-ride lots. A map for Route 120X is given in Figure 3 showing both the exception stop and the high-occupancy vehicle sections that facilitate shorter running times. Also, note that the 120X inbound has an exception stop at Union Station. Figure 4 shows an RTD articulated bus at the Wagon Road Terminal as a passenger loads a bike. One of the principal applications for using 45-ft buses is for Regional route services. Before federal legislation in the 1990s enabled the use of 45-ft buses on NN highways, RTD used a 40-ft intercity coach for the Regional route services. CHAPTER THREE HIGHER CAPACITY BUSES IN VARIOUS APPLICATIONS

24 FIGURE 1 Map of East Colfax Limited, Route 15L. FIGURE 2 Articulated bus on 15 Limited route. There are 18 Regional routes providing high quality service from the larger municipalities in the RTD service area to a downtown Denver station. Some of the Regional routes are designed to provide service between these outlying cities and various employment centers, with service generally operat- ing only on weekdays. The schedule frequencies are typi- cally 30 min, with service only provided during the morning and afternoon peaks. One of the Regional routes is extended to a ski resort during the period of November through April. The 45-ft intercity bus cargo bays are ideal for transporting ski equipment and luggage. RTD’s most popular Regional service is the Boulder B or BX service, which is an exception stop service over the same route. The route map for the Bolder Regional is shown in Figure 5 and the Regional B bus is shown in Figure 6. RTD’s second use of 45-ft buses is on the six skyRide routes. These routes operate between the larger RTD Park-n- Ride lots to the Denver International Airport (DIA), as illus- trated in Figure 7. One, the AF Route, has a scheduled stop at the Market Street Station on the way to DIA. Scheduled ser- vice begins as early as 3:07 a.m. and runs to 12:07 a.m. The service hours were chosen to meet the needs of airport em- ployees as well as airline customers. The marketing for skyRide service stresses the frequency, ease, comfort, and low cost transport to DIA for Denver area residents. The large cargo bays of the 45-ft buses offer easy transport of baggage. Three of the skyRide routes stop at the Airport Boulevard/40th Avenue Park-n-Ride as a last stop, and serve as a shuttle for those using the Park-n-Ride to the DIA termi- nal. RTD’s Park-n-Ride lots are free and provide an alterna- tive to airport parking for local residents. Modification of Facilities and General Operational Information RTD uses mostly far side bus stops, with not much modifi- cation done to the bus stops other than ensuring adequate length for the articulated buses. The two downtown under- ground stations were built after articulated buses were in ser- vice and were designed to accommodate 45-ft buses in ten of the bays and articulated buses at the two end bays. The RTD has seven bus maintenance facilities. RTD employees use

25 FIGURE 4 RTD articulated bus at Wagon Road Terminal. FIGURE 3 Wagon Road/Thornton Express, Route 120X. FIGURE 5 Map of the Boulder Regional, Routes B and BX. three, and three RTD contractors use the other four. Only RTD employees operate HC buses. Because RTD has been operating HC buses for more than 23 years, there were no available records of the costs of any modifications to mainte- nance facilities that were made to accommodate HC buses. RTD has no special training for articulated or 45-ft coach operators, except in-bus practice of entering the two downtown (Market and Civic Center) stations, which are at the ends of the MallRide Shuttle. A Route 120X articulated bus operator commented that driving in the stations was easy. The operator, who had about 20 years of driving experience, said that the articulated buses handled well, but possessed slow acceleration capability. Apparently, a FIGURE 6 An RTD 45-ft Boulder Regional bus.

26 FIGURE 7 An RTD 45-ft skyRide bus at Denver International Airport. FIGURE 8 RTD’s MallRide Shuttle at the Market Street station stop. Year 1997 2000 2001 Type 45-ft Articulated 45-ft Model 102D3 436 AN 345/3 Passenger Seats 55 63 55 No. of Buses 71 119 85 Floor Height High High High Source: Survey responses and Reference 1. TABLE 30 SUMMARY OF THE RTD HC BUSES required environmental engine adjustment had resulted in lower performance. RTD does not have any wage differential for operating HC buses. They did not experience any legislative or regula- tory impediments to the use of HC buses. RTD has no service restrictions, such as standees, on any of their HC buses. The wheelchair accommodations for the articulated buses are a lift in the first door and two forward-facing wheelchair securement positions in the front of the bus. The 45-ft coaches have a lift in a second door and two forward- facing securement positions. RTD’s experience with the transport of passengers using wheelchairs was reported as the same as with their 40-ft bus fleet. However, the 45-ft coach lift was reported to be very slow, resulting in long loading times. Front bicycle racks are used on the articulated buses (see Figure 4), and on the 45-ft intercity coaches (see Figure 6). Several of the survey responses commented on the diffi- culty of operating articulated buses in snow conditions. The RTD regularly uses snow tires on the drive axle of its articu- lated buses during the winter months. In December 2006, three large snowstorms struck the Denver area. All service was temporarily halted, but HC buses, including articulated buses, were equally deployed as service was restored. The articulated fleet is equipped with recording security cameras. The 45-ft intercity coaches have reclining seats, luggage racks, and reading lights. A summary of some of the features of RTD’s current HC fleets is given in Table 30. Both articulated and 45-ft intercity coaches have been a vital part of the RTD fleet. The use of these types of buses will likely be reduced over the next decade as selected major bus corridors are converted to light rail or commuter rail service. Free MallRide Shuttle A unique feature of RTD’s downtown transportation net- work is the MallRide shuttle. MallRide provides mobility between all three downtown stations (Market Street, Civic Center, and Union Station), as well as an easy (and free) transport system to downtown offices and retail stores. The MallRide shuttle is a special purpose 45-ft HC bus, with three wide doors, low-floor entrance, and a capacity for 116 passengers. Average weekday boardings are ap- proximately 64,000 passengers. The shuttle is powered by an environmentally friendly hybrid propulsion system [compressed natural gas (CNG), electric]. It has a wheel- chair ramp to enable passengers with disabilities to board and exit with greater speed and ease. As the shuttle travels the 16th Street Mall, it provides connections for all bus routes entering the downtown as well as the D Line light rail at Stout and California Streets and the C Line light rail at Union Station. Figure 8 shows the MallRide shuttle at the Market Street station. VICTORIA REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM/BC TRANSIT: SEARCH FOR HIGHER CAPACITY IN AN OLDER CITY CONTEXT The city of Victoria is located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and has a population of 340,000. Transit service at the Victoria Regional Transit System is provided by BC Tran- sit, a provincial Crown corporation. Victoria Regional transit has a fleet of 211 conventional buses. In addition to providing the transit service in Victoria, BC Transit plays a prominent role in transit in the small communities across the province

27 FIGURE 9 Victoria Regional Transit System service area. (excluding the Vancouver region); among its various activi- ties, it coordinates and funds the procurement of a province- wide municipal fleet, and provides planning and marketing assistance to the small transit systems in the province. BC Transit enjoys a reputation of being one of the most progressive and innovative transit systems in Canada. In 1991, it was the first transit system in North America to intro- duce low-floor accessible 40-ft transit buses, paving the way for a wave of interest across Canada. It has been also been at the forefront of introducing various ridership-building initiatives including Transportation Demand Management, employer-based commuter transportation options, and em- ployer- and university-based special transit pass programs (e.g., Eco Pass and U-Pass). Background The city of Victoria has deep historical roots. Founded as a trading post in 1843, its population rose dramatically after gold was discovered in British Columbia in 1858, becoming the base supply port and outfitting center for miners. In 1871, it became the provincial capital when British Columbia joined the confederation, and enjoyed a large real estate boom just before World War I that left a large legacy of his- torical buildings downtown. Victoria is also a geographically constrained city as shown in Figure 9, squeezed on narrow strips of land and peninsulas that are sandwiched between mountains and the surrounding sea and inlets. The geographic constraints and historical evolution of the city have resulted in a very dense network of operation for the region’s transit routes. Transit operates on relatively few arterials (Figure 10), mostly radially feeding into a down- town core, which consists of typically narrow streets, with short blocks and a high concentration of pedestrian and traffic activity in a very limited area (Figure 11). In the mid-1990s, BC Transit management sought options for increasing vehicle capacity, especially on certain heavily used long-distance routes on which ridership was growing and had periodically experienced overload situations. The use of HC buses could alleviate the overload conditions while providing capacity for growth. Articulated buses rep- resented a significant operational challenge in the downtown core given the levels of traffic, pedestrian congestion, and the great competition for curb space caused by the street layout. Management had contemplated double-deck buses as an option, but existing double-deck bus models were not com- patible with the agency’s policy of full accessibility; the agency was particularly proud of having been the first transit system in Canada to deploy low-floor accessible buses. Justification In 1997, a major order of more than 1,000 low-floor double- deck buses was delivered to Hong Kong, which convinced se- nior management at BC Transit that the concept of a low-floor double-deck bus was technically feasible. Staff explored with various manufacturers of low-floor double-deck buses the pos- sibility of developing a vehicle for their North American market with the minimum size of fleet that would be mutually acceptable. One manufacturer expressed interest in the concept. An agency report was prepared in May 1998 by BC Tran- sit staff to review options for deploying HC buses, which assessed both double-deck and articulated buses, in terms of capacity, cost, and other factors. The assessment concluded that in Victoria’s context, there was considerable merit to rec- ommending deployment of double-deck buses for BC Transit. In particular, double-deck buses had the following advantages: • The shorter length of the double-deck bus more closely matches the shorter street block length within the Downtown Core. The longer articulated bus would add to congestion within the Downtown Core and reduce the efficiency of major downtown bus stops. • The double-deck bus has a higher passenger carrying capacity than the articulated bus (120 versus 108) and also provides seating for the majority of the customers (90 for a double-deck versus 54 in an articulated bus). This provides improved pas- senger comfort, particularly on the intended routes which have relatively long travel times (18). In addition, the financial assessment of the vehicle appeared quite positive. The estimated cost of purchasing the 11 vehicles

28 FIGURE 10 Transit service in Victoria. was $6.5 million [Canadian (Cdn)] and the report estimated that 11 double-deck buses would provide the same level of service as 16 standard buses. This would eliminate the need to purchase and operate five buses, reducing annual operating costs by $300,000 Cdn. The net present value savings would be $2 mil- lion Cdn over the service life of these vehicles. As a result, BC Transit Management recommended that the Victoria Regional Transit Commission acquire 11 low- floor double-deck buses stating the following key benefits: Double-deck buses improve operating and service quality in three ways, namely: • elimination of the need to dispatch a second “overload” bus when peak loads exceed the passenger carrying capacity of the regularly scheduled buses, • introduction of high capacity buses enables transit to increase the carrying capacity of the route with little increase in the cost of service, and • double-deck buses increase capacity by increasing seating rather than standing capacity (18). The report also identified a detailed deployment plan based on the following logic: The fleet of double-deck buses provides an opportunity to attract a growing market without increases in operating costs through the provision of additional capacity. The buses are most suitable to longer trips where passengers are on-board the bus for longer time periods. These trips also provide the best opportunity to increase service efficiency. Suburban locations such as Sooke and Sidney are well suited to the use of double-deck vehicles as the passengers tend to be col- lected at a relatively few stops and travel to a limited number of destinations (for example, Western Exchange or Downtown Victoria). This travel pattern minimizes the number of “ons and offs” experienced at stops along the route and provides the most suitable target market for double-deck buses . . .

29 FIGURE 11 Downtown Victoria: Street layout and transit service. The first eleven double-deck buses would be focused on pro- viding EXPRESS service to the Western Communities and Saanich Peninsula during peak hours. In addition, trips will be scheduled to reduce the need for “overload” buses to post- secondary institutions during the late AM peak and early PM peak and to accommodate growing demand and reduce over- load requirements for service to BC Ferries throughout the day and weekends (18). The recommendation was accepted, and staff proceeded to negotiate the procurement of these buses, which were introduced into service in June 2000. Preparation for Deployment There were three key aspects to preparing for the deployment of double-deck buses: • Development of a North American version of the vehicle, • Pre-deployment planning, and • Required modifications for vehicle maintenance. Development of a North American Version of the Vehicle This was the first deployment of an accessible low-floor dou- ble-deck bus for transit service in North America. As a result, BC Transit staff had to work closely with the manufacturer to develop a vehicle specification that would allow it to be cer- tified in Canada (and subsequently in the United States), and be equipped with standard North American components to facilitate servicing and maintenance.

30 FIGURE 12 Low-floor double-deck bus of the Victoria Regional Transit System. (Source: BC Transit.) FIGURE 13 Interior of the upper deck of the double-deck bus. (Source: BC Transit.) Figure 12 is an exterior picture of the bus, and Figure 13 is an interior photo of the upper deck. The lack of intrusions (e.g., doors and wheelchair securement positions) allows for a large number of seats (i.e., 53), which explains the high total seat capacity of 81 seats for the bus, as illustrated in the floor plans for the bus (see Figures 14 and 15). The double- deck bus also incorporates some special customer amenities such as reading lights and a quiet the upper deck, which are highly appreciated by passengers. Pre-Deployment Planning The 1998 report had included an implementation plan that identified the initial routes where the double-deck buses would be deployed. These consisted of a number of long-distance peak express routes, as well as specific trips experiencing over- load situations on a regular basis (e.g., to the University and to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal with ferry service to the mainland). The second requirement for deploying the vehicles was to work with the provincial regulatory authorities to obtain a provincial over-height exemption. The relationship be- tween BC Transit and the provincial regulatory agency was excellent, and staff from the two agencies worked closely together to obtain the exemption certification (which must be carried in the vehicle). It should be noted that the manu- facturer has subsequently re-engineered the HVAC system, moving some of the ductwork to the walls, allowing a reduction of the height by a two inches (from 14 ft 2 in. to 14 ft 0 in.). Third, staff had to check the height along the six double- deck bus routes; this was carried out by attaching a 14-ft stick to a supervisor’s vehicle to measure height clearance. This process identified a number of utility structures that were not in compliance with clearance requirements, and these were communicated to the utility companies. Although a few streets had to be avoided by the buses because they included historic trees with low canopies, planted as a war memorial, it did not cause any significant problem. It should be noted that the vehicle incorporates a “tree-guard” in the front at the roof line, which provides some additional protection against low branches. The only significant problem identified was the identifica- tion of one rail overpass where the bridge needed to be lifted at a cost of $125,000 Cdn. This was the only significant cost item for accommodating the double-deck buses. Street furniture and stops also needed to be assessed. The double-deck bus has a shorter wheel base (224 in.), compared with that of standard 40-ft buses (285 in.), resulting in a sweep that is considerably greater. The former clear zone requirement for the 40-ft bus on the sidewalk had been 18 in., but the double-deck bus requires a clear zone of 27 in. As a consequence, street furniture needed to be relocated. It should be noted however that the 27 in. clearance is now also required by the 30-ft buses operated by BC Transit because of their short wheel base. Required Modifications for Vehicle Maintenance The garage facilities had sufficient height clearance to accom- modate the double-deck bus height, and had occasionally been used for maintenance of private tourist-style double-deck buses. The only modifications required were:

31 FIGURE 14 Floor plan of lower deck of Victoria’s double-deck bus. (Source: Alexander Dennis.) FIGURE 15 Floor plan of upper deck of Victoria’s double-deck bus. (Source: Alexander Dennis.) • The acquisition of a 6-post hoist, • A scissors-lift work platform for mechanics to access to the roof area for maintenance, and • A modification to the vacuum system. Bus wash height is also a consideration. However, a new bus wash had previously been installed that could handle the vehicle’s height. Deployment As outlined in the implementation plan, the initial deploy- ment was as follows: • Service from Sooke and Western Communities (a.m. and p.m. Commuter Peak Express): These routes are charac- terized by increasing demand. Most passengers are col- lected in relatively small areas and travel to concentrated destinations. On-board times are considerable (one hour from Sooke, 40 min from CanWest Mall) and frequency of service to these areas is six to seven buses per hour. • a.m. and p.m. peak buses to Saanich Peninsula (Routes 70—Pat Bay, 72—Sidney, and 75—C. Saanich): These routes are also characterized by increasing demand and longer travel times (travel from Sidney in the a.m. peak is approximately 45 min. Frequency of service is 12 buses per hour in the peak periods on the 70 or 72 routes. Figure 16 provides the details of Route 70, which serves the Saanich Peninsula and the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. In addition to the long-distance commuter express ser- vices, the double-deck buses were also deployed on specific trips characterized as follows: • Peak shoulder period service to post-secondary institu- tions: After the a.m. peak trips and before the p.m. peak

32 FIGURE 16 Route 70 serving Saanich Peninsula and BC ferry terminal. trips from downtown to suburban destinations, the double- deck buses were deployed to increase efficiency and accommodate the growing demand to post-secondary in- stitutions (University of Victoria and Camosun College). Buses were generally provided through overtime. Using the HC vehicles in these busy periods helped eliminate the need for “overload” trippers. • Off-peak service to Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal and Butchart Gardens: Demand for service to these two important destinations was growing. At times, three buses were also deployed to provide sufficient off-peak capacity to meet the demand for travel from the Ferry Terminal or the Gardens. A typical pattern for use of the double-deck buses in the initial deployment might have been as follows: • Early peak: Inbound express commuter trips. • Late morning peak and mid-day: University route. • 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.: School tripper with overloads. • Afternoon peak: Outbound commuter trips. Ten buses were eventually acquired and deployed as out- lined previously. The deployment of these first buses was so successful that a subsequent 29 buses were acquired, with more to be acquired in the future. Three of the double-deck buses operate in the city of Kelowna in central British Columbia, a city of just over 100,000, with a fleet of 47 con- ventional buses. In Victoria, half of the current fleet is operated in Express commuter service and half is now operated in base trunk urban service. Figure 17 illustrates an example of a heavy demand urban route serving major demand genera- tors (e.g., both the University of Victoria and Camosun College), where double-deck buses have been successfully deployed. Experience The experience in Victoria with double-deck buses has been overwhelmingly successful. Examples mentioned by inter- viewees include: • Regular customers and tourists truly appreciate the view from the upper deck and the quiet; these seats always fill up. • During the introduction of double-deck buses, cus- tomers would let regular buses pass so that they might ride on a double-deck bus. • There continues to be a “wow” effect, even six years after their initial deployment, and staff still receives positive comments from customers. • Although no formal measurement of ridership impact has been undertaken, staff is convinced that it has had a positive effect. • The introduction of HC buses facilitated the implemen- tation of BC Transit’s U-Pass programs; the deployment of HC buses to the routes serving the University and College has enabled BC Transit to accommodate the in- creased ridership stimulated by the U-Pass Program.

33 FIGURE 17 Route 4 University—Example of trunk urban service operated with double-deck buses. • These buses are highly desired by operators, because of the quality of the ride and handling offered by the vehi- cles, as well as because of the recognition factor associ- ated with the unique buses; senior operators always sign up for these runs first. The following sections discuss a few specific issues related to the deployment of double-deck buses by BC Transit. Scheduling Staff was somewhat concerned about the scheduling of the dou- ble-deck buses, and decided at the outset to add some additional recovery time at the end of the runs, whenever double-deck buses were introduced to a route. The experience has been that the vehicle’s acceleration is no different than standard low-floor buses; however, dwell time can be higher, merely because of the increased vehicle capacity. This is somewhat mitigated by a tendency of passengers on double-deck buses to pre-position themselves in advance of their stop (i.e., to initiate their descent from the upper deck at the stop preceding theirs). The Auto- matic Passenger Counting (APC) system tracks schedule adherence in addition to passenger activity and is used by staff to continuously monitor running times. These data enable staff to reduce, as warranted, any additional recovery time that has been added when the double-deck buses are introduced. Safety and Security Safety of passengers ascending and descending the internal staircase is an obvious area of concern. BC Transit’s experi- ence has been that this has not turned out to be an issue. The staircase is narrow and has sufficient handholds and stan- chions as can be seen in Figures 18 and 19, and standees are not allowed on the upper deck. There appears to be an informal self-sorting among pas- sengers; those few passengers who may have concerns tend to stay on the lower deck. In addition, it has been observed that passengers prepare to exit the bus well in advance of the stop, and this has taken place without any information campaign by the agency. Interviewed staff indicates that no significant ac- cidents have occurred, and there are fewer passenger inci- dents inside double-deck buses than for passengers exiting the second door on any bus (standard or double-deck). To ensure the security of passengers on the upper deck, closed circuit television cameras have been installed, with a

34 FIGURE 18 Internal double-deck staircase as seen from above. (Source: BC Transit.) FIGURE 19 Internal double-deck staircase as seen from below. (Source: BC Transit.) monitor provided to the operator; this replaces the periscope mirror that was traditional in older generation Route Master double-deck buses. Vehicle Performance The performance of the vehicle has generally been positive. Acceleration, grade climbing, turning maneuverability, and range were ranked in the survey response as superior to that of their standard 40-ft buses, and reliability was ranked as the same. One interesting aspect was an initial concern that staff had about the potential leaning or tipping of the bus, which might create a feeling of sway for customers on the upper deck. The experience has been that, despite its height, the double-deck bus has a suspension system that maintains its vertical to a higher degree than do standard buses, and there is no per- ceived sway on the upper deck. Snow Operation Another issue concerned vehicle performance in snow con- ditions, because the initial order of buses experienced poor traction in snow conditions. The bus manufacturer, working with BC Transit staff, identified an engineering solution to reduce this problem. A manual switch was installed, which can be activated by the operator when required. When acti- vated, some air is bled off from the suspension of the tag axle so that the weight is more focused on the drive axle, provid- ing better traction. After the bus gets going, the air bag fills up automatically again. With this modification, the perfor- mance of double-deck buses in snow conditions is equivalent to that of the standard buses. Accommodation of Wheelchairs As mentioned, BC Transit has been one of the leaders in pro- moting accessibility of transit service and was the first tran- sit system to introduce low-floor accessible 40-ft buses in North America. When these buses were introduced in 1992, BC Transit developed its own version of a practical forward- facing securement system. The introduction of the double- deck buses, in parallel with that of a new fleet of 30-ft buses, provided an opportunity to reexamine the securement system in use. Although rear-facing wheelchair position was the norm in the United Kingdom and some transit systems in Canada had also moved in that direction, there had not been any standardized approach. BC Transit staff actively partici- pated in the development of a Canadian Standards Associa-

35 FIGURE 20 Wheelchair positions on BC Transit low-floor double-deck buses: Combi system roadside and rear-facing system curbside. Note: Both wheelchair positions have backrests with flip-down seats. tion standard (18), and explored alternative configurations that would meet the needs for the BC Transit fleet. The resulting designs are discussed in detail in a previous TCRP synthesis report (19), but a standard approach emerged from these efforts. Figure 20 illustrates this standard approach as it appears on the current generation of low-floor double-deck buses. There are two wheelchair positions: • A roadside “combi design” position where the wheel- chair can be positioned in either a forward-facing or a rear-facing direction, and • A curbside rear-facing position. The rear-facing position includes a padded backrest and a wall-mounted retractable belt to prevent tipping of the wheel- chair. The rear-facing position provides more independence to customers in wheelchairs, provides a more rapid positioning of the wheelchair, and is generally preferred by customers. The rear-facing wheelchair position has been valuable in reducing dwell time and maintaining schedule on the double-deck buses. CHAMPAIGN–URBANA (ILLINOIS) MASS TRANSIT DISTRICT: SMALL SYSTEMS CAN EFFECTIVELY USE HIGHER CAPACITY BUSES The twin cities of Champaign and Urbana have a combined population of approximately 110,700 and are the home of a large university, the University of Illinois, with a student pop- ulation of more than 42,700. The combined population of faculty, staff, and students of approximately 53,700 makes the campus area a busy and challenging transportation issue to solve. Buses began operating on the streets of the small twin cities as early as 1925. National City Lines, which operated the system through World War II, was later sold to Westover Transit Management, which suffered the familiar decline in public transit ridership in the years after the war. A referendum to create a mass transit district was overwhelmingly approved in November 1970, and the Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) began operations in August 1971 (20,21). A 1993 trade journal article listing reasons and conditions when transit agencies should consider articulated buses prompted MTD’s interest in articulated buses. Because the MTD met all of the needed conditions, a search began. Owing to limited capital funds, new buses were not feasible, and 13 1981 Crown Ikarus articulated buses were purchased from the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. One bus was cannibalized for parts, and the remaining 12 were placed in revenue service on July 1, 1994. The Crown Ikarus vehi- cles were replaced with new low-floor diesel-powered artic- ulated buses in 2001. The MTD in 2007 operates a fleet of 100 buses of which 12 are articulated buses. The ridership in 2006 was approx- imately 9.6 million. The total service area is about 30 square miles, and there are 24 week-day day-time routes, which are divided into community service (18 routes) and campus service (6 routes). Why Higher Capacity Buses and How They Are Used The primary reason MTD chose the articulated bus was to save on labor costs. Because operator cost is approximately 70% of total operating costs, the HC articulated bus appeared to be an obvious choice. A secondary reason for using artic- ulated buses was to reduce street congestion. The articulated buses are used on two campus and two community routes. The major use of the articulated buses is to handle the heavy campus loads on the 21 Quad and the 26 Pack routes. On each route, four articulated buses replaced eight 40-ft buses. During peaks, an articulated bus and a 40-ft bus are used in mixed- vehicle service on the 13 Silver route, which provides service from an off-campus housing and commercial area to the main campus. One articulated bus is used in an afternoon supple- mental service on the 7 Grey route. Two articulated buses are held in reserve and for scheduled maintenance. Reasons Higher Capacity Buses Work So Well: Fare Collection and Short Dwell Times All University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff have un- limited access to all MTD routes and services at all times by presenting a valid I-card to the operator. All campus routes are “open” service; that is, no fare is collected, enabling all three wide doors to be used for boarding and exiting, mini- mizing dwell times. Many of the community service routes intersect with campus routes, which provide excellent con- nectivity for the students with community services and for commuting by the faculty and staff. Fares are collected on community routes and boarding is limited to the first door. About 87% of the community routes fares are prepaid. As a result, about 92% of all fares are prepaid for MTD.

36 FIGURE 21 Map for 21 Quad route. Campus Service Operations The 22 Quad and the 26 Pack are similar campus routes that provide access from large student residence halls to the main campus buildings. Both provide 5-min headway service from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 7-min headway service from 4:30 p.m. to 7:17 p.m.. The weekday passenger ridership for 21 Quad is 5,700 and 5,200 for 26 Pack. MTD experiences peak periods throughout the day (approximately 20 min be- fore and after the hour), with loads of 129 per bus on 21 Quad and 118 per bus on 26 Pack. A typical peak-period dwell time is approximately 34 s. Figure 21 shows a map for the 21 Quad. The route is approximately 4 miles in length and average travel time for the route is approximately 15 min. The buses have brief layovers at the student residence halls. The 13 Silver route provides transportation for students from an off-campus residential community to the main campus. This route is assigned one articulated bus, and one 40-ft bus is added during peak periods. During weekdays, a 30-min scheduled service is provided in both directions from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.. MTD currently has STOPwatch passenger information dis- plays at 14 major stops. Six are in the Champaign and Urbana communities and eight are located along campus routes. The STOPwatch sign displays the minutes to a bus departure in real time (integrated with an automatic vehicle location system) for the routes using that particular bus stop. The display is essen- tially a countdown to the next bus departure for a given route. MTD also has STOPwatch Plus at two locations, the Illinois Terminal and the Lincoln Residence Halls, that display time and date, and messages for re-route and safety information. The information displayed on STOPwatch is available in a number of ways: cell phones, PDAs, and laptops may ac- cess the information through a wireless application protocol, or by text messaging to the MTD number or by widget.web using a browser. Figure 22 shows a STOPwatch display at a stop served by all campus and several community routes. Mass Transit District Articulated Bus: High Loads and Short Dwell Times The buses are equipped with 47 seats and hip rests in the ar- ticulated joint. The decision to use of hip rests versus seats

37 FIGURE 22 STOPwatch display at Wright Street stop. FIGURE 23 Hip rests used in MTD articulated buses. was to accommodate more passengers. The hip rests are shown in Figure 23. Eight passengers can easily use the hip rests compared with two double seats, which would accom- modate only four. Because trips are short, having a majority as standees is not a problem. The buses have three doors; the second and third doors are extra wide (44 in.) to facilitate shorter dwell times. The entire right (curb) side of the articu- lated bus kneels to facilitate quicker dwell times. Crush loads as high as 130 have been observed on the buses. The wheelchair ramp is installed in the first door so that the operators can observe the operation without leaving their seat and, if assistance is requested, the operator would not have to work through a crowded interior to get to a second door. The articulated buses used by MTD are New Flyer D60LF equipped with Cummins ISL330 engines and Voith trans- missions. MTD uses a 5% blend of bio-diesel with their low sulfur diesel fuel. MTD buses have eight closed circuit tele- vision cameras installed in the bus: one for each doorway, four looking forward and aft covering the entire interior, and one looking forward through the windshield. The buses have two or three (articulated has three) strobe lights (light emit- ting diodes) on each side of the bus that flash when the left or right turn signal or 4-ways flashers are on. The reason for the flashing lights is to alert motorists and pedestrians that the bus will be turning and to reduce incidents at intersections. MTD buses are also equipped with an audio “beep” signal that is activated when the right turn signal is on to alert pedes- trians that the bus is making a right turn. The capital cost of the bus was $425,000. MTD articulated buses are shown in Figures 24 and 25. In Figure 24, a 21 Quad bus is waiting at the residence halls stop with all doors open for boarding. Fig- ure 25 is a 13 Silver bus at the Illini Union stop with side strobes flashing. Passengers are only boarding at the first door because this is a community service bus. Mass Transit District Maintenance Facilities At the time articulated buses were being considered, MTD was constructing a new maintenance facility that was de- signed to accommodate MTD 30- to 60-ft vehicles. MTD has one pit that is 60 ft in length and equipped with a mov- FIGURE 24 21 Quad articulated bus at student residence hall stop. FIGURE 25 13 Silver articulated bus at the Illini Union stop.

38 FIGURE 26 MTD hoist equipment for articulated buses. Bus Type Articulated 40-ft Fuel Consumption (mpg) 2.58 4.04 Maintenance Parts Cost ($/vehicle-mile) $0.27 $0.11 Total Operating and Maintenance Cost ($/vehicle-mile) $1.05 $0.60 Source: MTD. TABLE 31 MTD OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE EXPERIENCE WITH ARTICULATED BUSES able axle jack. They also have one three-post in-ground hoist. The two end posts are movable and can accommodate vehicles of 30 to 60 ft in length. MTD hoist equipment is shown in Figure 26. Modifications Made to Accommodate Articulated Buses Only a few modifications were done after the facility was built. One was to extend the paint booth approximately 6 ft to accommodate the articulated buses. All MTD buses are stored in a garage. The only change implemented to accom- modate the articulated bus was to relocate the air hose drops for the three rows assigned to these buses. Four articulated buses require the same length that six 40-ft buses require; therefore, the entire garage space is utilized. MTD maintains a full air charge on all buses in storage. This reduces opera- tor time for pull out by approximately 4 to 6 min (the time it would take the bus air compressor to fully charge the bus air system). With the addition of articulated buses to the fleet, some bus stop zones and layovers were lengthened to accommo- date the added length of the articulated bus. For some stops this required the loss of some on-street parking. The maneu- verability of the articulated bus was equal to the 40-ft bus, so no roadway modifications were required. Mass Transit District Operating and Maintenance Costs Overall, MTD is pleased with the performance of their artic- ulated buses. On a vehicle-mile basis, the maintenance expenses compared with that for a 40-ft bus are higher. How- ever, that is to be expected because there is more equipment (e.g., door, axle, brakes, and tires) to be maintained on an articulated bus. MTD articulated buses had traveled approx- imately 79,700 miles; however, there had not been any brake maintenance required, because of the effectiveness of the retarder. Table 31 provides a summary of operating and maintenance costs for MTD articulated and 40-ft buses on a vehicle-mile basis. The total costs include all operational costs except for the operator costs. Because MTD has been able to replace two 40-ft buses with one articulated bus, the articulated bus operating and maintenance costs on a passen- ger transported basis look good.

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TRB's Transportation Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 75: Uses of Higher Capacity Buses in Transit Service explores the use of higher capacity (HC) public transit buses in trunk, express, long-distance commuter, Bus Rapid Transit, and special (e.g., sports and special events) services in North America. For purposes of this study, HC buses included articulated, double-deck, 45-ft, and other buses that have a significant increase in passenger capacity compared with conventional 40-ft buses.

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