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« Previous: APPENDIX B SURVEY RESPONDENTS THAT PROVIDE SUBURB-TO-SUBURB SERVICES
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX C SURVEY RESPONSES." Transportation Research Board. 1995. TCRP Synthesis of Transit Practice 14: Innovative Suburb-to-Suburb Transit Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9540.
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Page 35
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX C SURVEY RESPONSES." Transportation Research Board. 1995. TCRP Synthesis of Transit Practice 14: Innovative Suburb-to-Suburb Transit Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9540.
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Page 36
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX C SURVEY RESPONSES." Transportation Research Board. 1995. TCRP Synthesis of Transit Practice 14: Innovative Suburb-to-Suburb Transit Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9540.
×
Page 37
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX C SURVEY RESPONSES." Transportation Research Board. 1995. TCRP Synthesis of Transit Practice 14: Innovative Suburb-to-Suburb Transit Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9540.
×
Page 38
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX C SURVEY RESPONSES." Transportation Research Board. 1995. TCRP Synthesis of Transit Practice 14: Innovative Suburb-to-Suburb Transit Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9540.
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Page 39

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35 APPENDIX C SURVEY RESPONSES The number of responses does, in many cases, not equal the total number of respondents because most questions had the pos- sibility of multiple answers (i.e., "check all that apply". The number of responses to each question is listed first, followed by the percentage of total responses (example: 20 responses/80 percent of total responses)~. Question 1. Was Your Suburb-to-Suburb Service/Program Designed: In response to increased suburban travel needs: 20/~87%) In response to employer/business requests/Camber requests: 13/~6%) In response to clear' air compliance/trip reduction mandates or local trip reduction ordinance: 71~3%) Other responses: · "It (suburb-to-suburb service) is an incidental by-product of offering regular peak commute services from the suburbs to the city. In the process, we do make possible some suburb-to-suburb trips as well." (BART, Oakland, CA) · "Improve mobility of transportation disadvantaged." (SPACE Coast Area Transit, Cocoa, FL) · "Initiated at the same time transit seance started in the County part of overall transit program" (Cobb County Transit, GA) · "We have three bus routes that are suburb-to-suburb. Only one was specifically designed as a suburban commuter express service. The other two routes are local cross-town services." (MTA, Baltimore, MD) · "Customer/residents' requests." (Metropolitan Council Transit Operations, Minneapolis, MN) · 'Yncrease eldership in this market segment.'' (MTA Long Island Rail Road, NY) · "Coordination with railroad service development." (Westchester County DOT, NY) · "Political equity." (King County Department of Metropolitan Services, Seattle, WA) · "Regional growth ~nanagement strategy designed to develop regional town centers with sufficient mass to support high quality transit services." (BC Transit, Surrey, BC) · 'pro test innovative methods of service delivery." (New Jersey Transit, Newark, NJ) · "Integral component of the route network." (OC Transpo, Ottawa, Ontario) Note: Three of the Bother" responses indicate that suburb-to-suburb services are not new and have been an integral part of the agencies' services for some time. Question 2. Target Ridership: Commuters: Shoppers: Students: Senior Citizens: Transportation Disadvantaged: Other: 20/~87%) 14/~61%) 13/~57%) 14/~61%) 13/~57%) 21~9%) Question 3. Mode Used to Provide Suburb-to-Suburb Service: Fixed route bus: 40-ft coach: Smaller buses: Demand response: Buses: Vans: Rail: Shuttle from rail: Vanpools: Carpools: Other: 20/(87%) 15/(65%) 13/(57%) 6/(26%) 4/(17%) 3/(13%) 5/(22%) 91(39%) 7/(30%) 5/(22%) 3/(13%)

36 Question 4. Number and Age of Vehicles Used in Suburb-to-Suburb Service The total number of vehicles and the age of the vehicles used in suburb-to-suburb service is provided in Appendix D. For systems using fixed route buses. system size varied from 4 buses at C-TRAN in Vancouver Washington to 330 buses at MTA Long Island Bus in New York. The range of demand-response vehicles (buses and vans) providing suburb-to-suburb service ranged from 14 at Space Coast Area Transit in Cocoa, Florida to 316 at PACE in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Question 5. Number of Riders Served The number of riders served by suburb-to-suburb services is reported in Appendix D. Ridership varied greatly due to the variation in size of systems responding. For example. the service with 4 vehicles (C-TRAN) reported that 600 passengers were carried on an average weekday. MTA Long Island Bus reported that its fixed route service with 300 vehicles carried approximately 82,000 passengers on an average weekday. Question 6 Ridership Trends: Up: 17/~74%) Down: 2/69%) Steady: 7/~30%) Question 7. Does Your Agency Keep Separate Cost Data on Suburb-to~uburb Services? Yes: 3/( 13~G) No: 1 9/(83~C) Question 8.a. Are the Criteria Used to Evaluate Your Agency's Suburb-to-Suburb Services Different from Those Used to Evaluate Regular Services? Yes: 9/~39%) No: 13/(57%) Question 8.b. All agencies responding "yes" were asked to explain which criteria were used. The following responses were received: · The Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA) in Michigan uses 12 passengers/hour as its criterion for its suburban circulator versus passengers/mile criterion for its regular fixed routes. · New Jersey Transit expects 15 percent farebox recovery at the end of the first year. Other criteria used by New Jersey Transit includes whether the service is assisting employers in meeting their CAAA obligation. · At BC Transit in Surrey, British Columbia, services are considered to reinforce regional policy therefore lower levels of performance are acceptable. · Metropolitan Council in Minneapolis, Minnesota uses a $4.00 subsidy/passenger as its criterion for suburb-to-suburb service. For local radial, all day express and peak express services, a range of $3.25-$3.85 is considered acceptable. · Seattle Metro uses riders/trip, and riders/platforn~ hour to evaluate suburb-to-suburb services. The service is placed in a separate class from other services. Individual routes are compared to others within the suburb-to-suburb class. The bottom 10 per- cent are evaluated for possible termination annually. · DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) in Texas uses the same criteria for all types of service, however the various types are compared among similar route types. · PACE, the suburban bus operator for the Regional Transportation Authority in Chicago, has geographically based service evaluation criteria. These are discussed more fully in the Chapter 3 Case Studies. · The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) responded ;'no" to this question. However, MTA LIRR is currently developing a rail/bus service policy which will set the guidelines fOr evaluating the three demonstration rail shuttles currently operating. Question 9. Hours of Service Same as other service: 16/~70%) 1 1/~49%) Peak hours only:

37 Weekday service only: Daily service: Set by program participants: Other: ]0/~43~c) 91~39%) 21~9%) 5/~22%) There are many more responses to this question than survey respondents because agencies either operate more than one type of service or because hours of service vary even among the same service type. It should be noted that the response "set by program participants" refers to carpools and vanpools. Respondents who checked "other" had the following responses: · Weekday and Saturday service · Fixed-route service varies generally six days per week · Two shuttle services provide mid-day service for lunch, banking and shopping · Service hours are tailored to particular sites if appropriate, especially at colleges and universities. Most peak services oper- ate during normal commuter peak hours. Question 10. Desdnabons Served Shopping centers/malls: Schools/training centers: Office parks: Industrial parks: Medical facilities: Recreational centers/parks: Residential developments: Other: Question 11. Fare Structure 20/(87~c) 16/(70%) 70/(87%) 17/(74%) 15/(65~a) 1 1/(48%) 16/(70%) 61(26 DIG) Distance based: 10/(44~c) Flat fare: 13/(57~o) Coordinated/integrated fares: 6/(26%) Other: 6/~26~G) "Other" responses included the following: · MTA Long Island Bus and MTA Long Island Rail Road have special Uniticket promotional fares for their new circulator services which reduces the shuttle cost from $1.50 to $.75 per trip. · At PACE, subscription fares are tied to the cost of service to generate a 60 percent recovery ratio. · The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) in Detroit, MI has a paratra~sit zone base of am proximately 6 miles with a fare is $2.00 ($ 1 for seniors and disabled persons). SMART's regular fixed-route fare is $1.50. · San Mateo County Transit District/ Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board provides free shuttles to and from CALTRAIN rail stations. Employer subsidies of at least 25 percent replace fares for these services. The remaining costs are funded through the regional Air District (air quality compliance). Note: A complete listing of fares by transit agency and mode is provided in Appendix D. Question 12- Fare Range Note: A complete listing of fares by transit agency and mode is provided in Appendix D. Question 13. Incentives Provided Transit pass program: Outreach to business community: Guaranteed ride home: Preferential parking: Commuter club membership: Other: 19/~%3%) 15/~65%) 81~35~o) 21~9%) 61~26%) 3/~13%)

38 "Other" responses included the following: · PACE uses the RTA (Chicago) transit check program and direct passenger billing for vans and subscription buses. · MTA Long Island Rail Road uses TransitChek, a program to encourage the use of public transit where companies are given a tax break by purchasing (up to 60 a month) in transit checks for employees to use. · Metropolitan Council in Minneapolis provides carpool fuel in one corridor, Precision Tune discounts' and sponsors com- muter fairs where free pens and information are distributed. · SMART?s "get a job/get a ride" program provides 1st month free bus service for new employees and an unconditional money back guarantee on all services. · BART noted its cheaper fare of $.80 for shorter suburb-to-suburb trips. Question 14.a. Does Your Agency Become Involved In Site Design/Land Use Issues on a Routine Basis? Yes: 14/~61~o) No: 9/(39%) Quesion 1 4.b. If yes, does your agency have formal review authority of developer plans? Does your agency have standard site design/access criteria which it distributes to the development community? Please elaborate: . BART works with developers and communities on joint development. · The MTA in Baltimore has its "Access by Design" Program. · C-TRAN in Vancouver, WA produced a development handbook for transit friendly design. · PACE has widely distributed criteria document and reviews over 100 improvement plans each year. · Metropolitan Council in Minneapolis has design guidelines for bus operations, facility design and bus stop locations. This information is shared with public and private developers upon request. · New Jersey Transit recently produced a handbook to promote transit-friendly development, however NIT does not routinely become involved in site design and land use issues. Question 15. Does Your Agency Utilize Any of the Following Technologies to Provide or Enhance the Provision of Suburb-to-Suburb Service? Timed transfers: Priority treatment: APTS: Route deviation: Other: 17/~74~o) 61~26%) 1/~4437o) 4/~17~o) 61~26%) "Other" responses included the following: · GRATA in Grand Rapids cited its free transfers and/smaller more comfortable buses. · At MTA Long Island Bus system a new transit hub/center was constructed. At MTA Long Island Railroad the buses wait for the train. · New Jersey Transit cited its 'Flex" routes, preferential access to rail stations, and new services including fixed route, route deviation and demand-responsive services. · Westchester County DOT cited its guaranteed ride home and interstate fare structures. · OC Transpo in Canada cited its ability to determine the time of the next bus via automated telephone system, schedule dis- play monitors at major stations, printed timetables at Malay bus stops, marketing targeted specifically at employers in these areas, and seamless integration of services with the rest of the regular route network. Question 1 6.a. Are Different Marketing Techniques Used From Those of Your Regular Service? Yes: 16/(70%) No: 8/(35%) Note: SMART in Detroit reported that it uses different techniques to promote its paratransit service but not its fixed-route service. Question 1 6.b. If Yes, What Are They and How Are They Different? How is Your Suburb-to-Suburb Service Promoted/Marketed? · GRATA reported that many marketing techniques are the same, however there is much more marketing to businesses for the circulator routes.

39 · New Jersey Transit reported working through TMAs aloud also the use of direct mail to employers/employees. The San Mateo County Transit District reported that marketing plans are submitted by employers with various marketing techniques for its regional rail shuttle bus program. · Westchester County DOT reported greater en~loyer-based efforts and campaigns to highlight its Family of services" concept. · PACE reported that its ads are geared toward suburban commuting and that it has an outreach program for employers. · MTA Long Island Rail Road reported the receipt of federal grants to promote several of the services. Promotion has in- cluded: print media, posters, flyers, and private sector outreach. Marketing for shuttle services has been done by corridor, route and business. · OC Transpo in Canada reported promotional material specifically oriented to a particular employer or employment center as well as site visits and open houses. Question 17.a. Is There a Transportation Management Association/Organization (TMA/TMO) in Your Suburban Service Area? Yes: 12/(52%) No: 8/(35~o) Question 1 7.b. If Yes, is the TMA/TMO an Important Element in the Success of Your Agency's Suburban Service? Does Your Agency Have a Formal Relationship With the TMA? Does the TMA/TMO Actively Market and Promote Your Suburb-to-Suburb Services? Please Elaborate: Positive comments: "Yes, yes, yes." (New Jersey Transit) '1he LIRR provides technical assistance to the TMAs on Long Island. On several, we serve as Board Members. The ThiAs have promoted the services. There are a total of 7 TMAs on Long Island." (MTA Long Island Rail Road) · '1he Joint Powers Organization is a new organization. Once fully operations the answer to all above questions should be yes." (Metropolitan Council Transit Operations, Minneapolis) · 'IRMA input is taken into consideration.', (San Mateo County Transit DistriCt) · "This agency operates a Transportation Management District in one business district. The TMD actively markets and pros motes service to the area." (Montgomery County Division of Transit Services, Maryland) · "TMA is helpful in service issues. Two TMAs are proactive in promoting and advertising transit service to employees. Metro has had successful cooperation in financing and production of marketing information." (Seattle Metro) · "The TMO is a very important element in terms of marketing and service development. There is a formal relationship be- tween the County and the TMO." (Westchester County DOT) · 'the TMA works to promote vanpool service. Fleet management is performed by our agency." (University of Tennessee Transportation Center) Negative comments (not attributed): · "We have had mixed results with TMAs. Hey are not an important element in marketing and have not generated any sig- nificant ridership for us. We do maintain formal membership with them. We have concerns over TMA marketing practices and have riot encouraged them to market our services." · 'Jo." (2 agencies) · 'Jo, Yes, No." (relates to the three questions in 17.b.) · "TMAs are new to the local scene where our services have been around for a long time. Due to fiscal constraints, we are not able to respond to most service requests." Additional Information At the end of the survey, additional information was requested that could not be readily obtained through the survey. The fol- lowing types of material that directly relate to suburb-to-suburb services were requested: marketing materials, service descried lions, newspaper articles, photographs, customer-oriented information, etc. Information on innovative practices was also re- quested. Many systems responded to the request for additional information. This information was used to help select the case studies described in Chapter 3 and to discuss elements of success in Chapter 4.

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