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CHASER THREE
CASE STUDIES OF SELECTED APPROACHES TO SERVING
SUBURB-TO-SUBURB TRAVEL
The survey responses discussed in Chapter 2 provided the
basis for selecting the four case studies outlined in this chap
ten The selected agencies represent the wide diversity of sub-
urb-to-suburb transit services being provided in both the
United States and Canada. The agencies and their services
differ in nature, focus, and size, and are not meant to be com-
pared with one another. Rather, the case studies represent
various ways transit agencies are meeting the suburb-to-
suburb travel needs of the communities that they serve.
The four case studies are
· PACE, the suburban bus division of the Regional
Transportation Authority (RTA) in Chicago, a suburban
agency in which 48 percent of all trips are suburb-to-suburb;
· New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), a statewide transit
agency with a new suburban employment initiative;
· Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA), a mid-
size transit agency in Michigan, which is reinventing itself to
meet future mobility needs including those of suburb-to-
suburb commuters; and
· Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission (OC
Transpo) in Ottawa, Ontario, which considers suburb-to-
suburb trips to be an integral part of its regional transit service
and which has a regional policy in place to focus development
in areas well served by transit.
PACE, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS
PACE was created in 1984 following a reorganization of
the RTA into three service boards: the Chicago Transit
Authority (CTA); Metra, the commuter rail division; and
PACE, the suburban bus division. PACE is charged with ad-
ministering and providing all non-rail mass transit service in
suburban Cook, Dupage, Kane, Lake, McElenry, and Will
counties in Illinois (with the exception of the CTA's suburban
bus services in Cook County).
The PACE service area measures 8,925 km2 (3,446 mi2)
(nearly the size of the State of Connecticut), and includes six
counties, which incorporate 264 municipalities. Transportation
needs within this broad area are as unique as the individual
communities that comprise it. The suburb-to-suburb commute
trip has now become the dominant travel market in the region
and is primarily served by the automobile.
Services Provided
The following types of services are provided by PACE.
Fixed Route
PACE operates fixed route service over 140 regular routes,
79 feeder routes, 9 subscription routes, and 2 seasonal routes.
These routes serve 200 communities and carry nearly 3.0 mil-
lion riders per month using 558 vehicles during peak periods.
Approximately 48 percent of PACE's customers on the fixed
route service are making suburb-to-suburb trips.
Dial-a-Ride/Parc~iransit
Dial-a-ride service is available throughout the six-county
PACE service area. PACE uses 192 lift-equipped vehicles to
provide door-to-door service to approximately 102,800 riders
each month, the majority of whom are elderly and/or have dis-
abilities. PACE also uses 124 lift-equipped vehicles to provide
door-to-door paratransit service to approximately 21,250 riders
each month who are unable to use PACE's regular fixed route
service. Together, these paratransit services carry an average
daily ridership of 5,867 individuals. All trips made on these
paratransit services are suburb-to-suburb trips.
Vanpool Incentive Program
PACE established a vanpool incentive program (VIP) to
serve the commuting needs of small groups of individuals in a
changing market. The VIP service provides passenger vans to
small groups (S to 15 people), allowing them to commute to
and from work together. The program continues to be well re-
ceived, with 172 vans currently in use (90 percent of which
serve suburb-to-suburb trips). PACE plans to increase this
number to 215 by the end of 1995.
The vanpool program has been recently expanded to in-
clude the ADvAntage element, which provides an alternative
service for those unable to use the regular paratra~sit service
or to those living outside the 1.21-km (0.75-mi) service area.
ADvAntage is intended to provide a transit alternative to in-
dividuals with disabilities who commute on a regular basis to
worI; sites or rehabilitative workshops. About 20 ADvAntage
vans are currently in use.
Fares for the vanpool services are based on round trip mile-
age and the number of passengers in each van. The vanpool
services recover more than 100 percent of their operating costs.
Subsc'iption Service
The nine subscription bus routes operated for Sears em-
ployees by private contractors are adding nearly 200,000 an-
nual riders to PACE. Fares are set to equal 60 percent of the
cost of service. A minimum of 30 passengers is required for
each bus, and the service is open to the general public.
Operating Environment
The following information describes the unique operating
environment in which PACE operates
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9
Population and Employment
The suburban area has a 1990 population of 4,454,317 and
employment of 2,163.600. The suburban area exceeds the City
of Chicago in terms of absolute population and employ-
ment, and continues to grow while population and em-
ployment in Chicago have been declining since 1970, as
shown in Figure 1.
3
2
more effective service. Reviews are advisory and are done a
no cost to the submitter. PACE has published PACE Devel-
opment Guidelines to assist developers in evaluating their
projects.
Highway Traffic Congestion
The substantial growth in suburban population, employ-
ment, households. and office space has increased traffic con-
gestion on the Chicago regions highways. Between 1980 and
1990, traffic volumes increased 33 percent, while highway
miles increased by only 5 percent. The situation is likely to
worsen considerably by the year 2010 unless new funding is
provided for both highway and transit improvements.
Journey to Work Market
Nearly 80 percent of PACE passengers use the service to
get to work. The total of one-way work trips in the region
reached 3.3 million in 1990, up more than 9 percent from
1980. At the same time, total ridership for the region's mass
transit providers fell by 16.7 percent, a loss of more than 137
million annual trips. The region's work commute market can
be divided into four major segments (Figure 2), which illus
' Clip -~'rop,,/q bate the effect that population and employment shifts have on
19~o ~ wagon traveland transit demand.
FIGURE 1 PACE service area population and employment.
Between 1980 and 1990, Chicago's population and em
ployment base declined by 7.3 percent and 6.2 percent, re
spectively. Growth in suburban population at 9.3 percent and
employment at 24.7 percent offset losses in the city s popula- Cityto Suburb (.3)
lion and employment for net region-wide population, and em
ployment gains of 2.2 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively.
Suburban Office Space
Forty percent of the Chicago region's office space is outside
the city limits. Since 1975, more than 55 million ft2 of office
space has been built in the suburbs, the majority of which is
poorly accessible to transit patrons. Large building set-backs
and a lack of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are typi
cal of the suburban environment. To ensure that future de
velopment is transit accessible, PACE is working closely
with interested municipalities and developers to provide
assistance in incorporating transit planning into their proj
ects. By becoming part of the plan review process' transit
amenities can be incorporated into development plans at
the outset.
In 1993, PACE provided technical advice on 26 proposed
development plans and 28 Illinois Department of Transporta
tion (IDOT) roadway improvement projects. By cooperatively
working with IDOT, PACE has been able to incorporat
transit needs such as bus turnouts, shelters, turn lanes, and
signal modifications into road improvements to provide faster,
Suburb to City:
``Suburb to Suburb (1.6)
FIGURE 2 PACE journey to work travel market segments, in
millions (based on 1990 Census Transportation Planning
Package data).
Of these major market segments, the suburb-to-suburb
commute market is by far the largest and is approximately
equal to the other three markets combined. Also, between
1980 and 1990. this market segment grew by more than
300,000 a.m. trips, making it the fastest growing of the major
commute markets. As represented in Figure 3, city-related
travel markets (both city-to-city and suburb-to-city) experi-
enced minor declines and could best be described as stable,
while the suburb-to-suburb trip market grew by 22 percent
and the much smaller city-to-suburb market grew by nearly 33
percent. The primary factors underlying the changes in travel
market volumes have been the shifts in regional population
and employment, both of which were discussed earlier.
The Chicago region's strongest transit markets have tradi-
tionally been the city-to-city and suburb-to-city commute
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10
markets, and, as shown in Figure 3, they have either declined
or remained constant from 1980 to 1990. In contrast, the sub-
urb-to-suburb and city-to-suburb (reverse commute) markets
have grown dramatically from 1980 to 1990.
0.8
0.4
1 980
· 1990
Suburb to Suburb City to City Suburb to City City to Suburb
FIGURE 3 PACE journey to work trip volume by major
market, 1980 vS.1990.
PACE routes that primarily serve suburb-to-city trips expe-
rienced a decline in ridership of 6.6 percent over the 5-year
period between 1989 and 1993. During that same period,
routes serving suburb-to-suburb trips increased by 1.3 percent
and city-to-suburb trips increased by 7.3 percent. The rela-
tively constant performance in the suburb-to-suburb market,
where most of the regional travel growth has taken place, is of
concern to PACE.
Clean Air Act Amendments/Employee
Commute Options Act
Significant legislation at both the federal and state level has
been passed to prevent the further deterioration of air quality
and to bring air quality up to standard in regions where it cur-
rently does not meet minimum standards established in the
Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990. The northeast
portion of Illinois is considered a severe nonattainment area
for national air quality standards. Given this status, Illinois is
required to take corrective actions within a specific time frame
to attain national air quality standards under the CAAA of
1990.
As part of this effort, the Illinois Legislature enacted the
Employee Commute Options (ECO) Act, which, in part, re-
quires suburban employers with more than 100 employees to
increase the average passenger occupancy (APO) of autos ar-
riving at the employment site (during peak periods) to 1.36 by
July 1998. To achieve this, employees will need to work
flexible schedules, carpool, or more importantly for PACE,
form vanpools and use PACE fixed route services. Under the
Act, employers will be required to survey employees to de-
termine current APO and to develop a compliance plan that
demonstrates an APO of 1.36 will be achieved.
PACE anticipated that compliance efforts would create
significant demand for services. To assist employers, PACE
recently implemented its ECO-System survey support effort.
PACE can now offer employers a fast and efficient survey
mechanism for a nominal fee. The data collected by the survey
allow employers to determine their APO by site and provide
PACE with valuable trip information for service planning.
In March 1995, the Governor of Illinois suspended the
compliance requirement of the ECO Act for budgetary pur-
poses. As a result, suburban employer interest in pursuing the
survey has waned. However, PACE still finds a great deal of
interest by suburban employers in dealing with transportation
issues that impact them directly, such as access to labor mar-
kets, congestion, and relocation-related employment issues.
Operating Strategy
The operations of PACE are guided by a strategic plan,
which stems from a general strategy of simultaneously in-
creasing ridership and the farebox recovery ratio. PACE has
taken numerous actions to fulfill this objective including es-
tablishing consistent criteria to determine when service should
be expanded or reduced; implementing cost containment pros
grams such as self-insurance, decentralized purchasing, dial-
a-ride cost ceilings, and competitive bidding for privately ok
crated services: and implementing new services such as the
PACE VIP, which has a high recovery rate (more than 100
percent) and provides effective service in low density markets.
PACE has established minimum performance standards for
all of its services (see Table 11. For the fixed route services,
evaluation criteria are geographically based. It is significant to
note that all suburban services are permitted to operate at one-
half of the recovery rate of 35 percent required by the RTA of
PACE for other services.
The Future
In 1992, PACE developed a long-range comprehensive ok
crating plan (COP), which established a vision for the subur-
ban transit agency to the year 2010. The COP provides a direct
link between the region's 2010 transportation system devel-
opment plan and PACE's 5-year capital plan and annual ok
crating and capital budget elements. Specific efforts to be pur-
sued in the development of a comprehensive suburban public
transportation plan include the following:
· Doubling the level of fixed route services offered by the
year 2010. Over a dozen corridors were identified to provide
high-speed linkages to major suburban, employment centers.
· Expanding dial-a-ride services throughout the service
area to provide vital transportation service to low density areas
not efficiently served by fixed routes.
· Expanding the VIP and subscription bus program to
meet the 2010 goal of 500 vans. These services have high re-
covery rates (100 percent vanpool, 60 percent subscription
bus) and are consistent with PACE's general strategy.
· Expanding the total vehicle fleet from approximate!
1,000 now to 3,200 by 2010. Additional vehicles will be re-
quired for vanpools, express bus routes, fixed routes, para-
transit, and dial-a-ride expansion. PACE will also experiment
with other vehicle designs to meet market conditions such as
more comfortable seating configurations for long distance ex-
press bus routes.
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11
TABLE 1
PACE SERVICE CR1lERIA
Fixed Routes (Minimum Performance Standards)
Inner Satellite
Suburban City
Outer Rush Subsc~p.
Suburban Hour Only Bus
Performance
(Pass. per revenue
hour)
Finance
18.7 14.6 10.2 11.3 N/A
(Recovery Ratio) 17% 17% 17% 17% 60%
Riders
(Minimum)
40 per day* 30 per trip
* Rail feeders
Note: The 17 percent recovery rate represents one-half of the recovery rate (35 percent)
required by RTA of Pace.
Note: The passenger performance criteria represents one-half of the average performance for
the route classification.
Paratransit: PACE requires local governments and other organizations to subsidize the
service. PACE limits its financial contribution to $2.50 per trip or 75 percent of the deficit
whichever is less.
Vanpool: The program is structured to achieve a minimum 80 percent recovery ratio but has
typically achieved over 100 percent recovery rate.
· Expanding present garage facilities as necessary to ac-
commodate growing service levels. PACE is currently in the
final stage of construction to renovate and replace the eight ga-
rages it operates. The need for three additional garages has
been identified.
· Constructing 96 park-and-ride facilities by 2010 to
maximize access to limited access highways and reduce bus
circulation through residential communities A large percent-
age of park-and-rides are planned near expressways and toll-
ways. These facilities will improve auto-bus connections for
customers who prefer or need to drive to get to a transit facility.
· Implementing eight additional transportation centers
and 74 new transfer facilities by 2010. Transit centers will be
implemented in major development areas to facilitate the in-
terchange of express and local routes. Smaller transfer facili-
ties will be integrated into small developments such as show
ping centers. Both facilities may be constructed in conjunction
with park-and-ride lots.
· Implementing, 158 restricted use facilities along the
major highways in the region. A restricted use facility would
allow buses and other high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) to by-
pass high congestion areas such as interchanges. Also, exclu-
sive toll bypass ladles and bus only exitlentrance ramps are
proposed at several locations.
· Identifying 75 corridors that would benefit from signal
preemption for transit vehicles. The PACE 1995 capital pro-
gram contains funds for the first phase of this agency's devel-
opment. The on-time performance and operating speed of
PACE vehicles can be significantly enhanced through the use
of signal preemption systems, which can determine whether or
not a bus is on schedule and adjust oncoming traffic signals to
speed its movement through all area.
· Conducting an effective employer outreach program and
offering multiple service options; in Pace's experience, these
are the most critical elements in the marketing of suburb-to-
suburb services. PACE's field representatives make direct
contact with suburban employers and are able to determine
what. if any? transportation related issues the employer has.
Based on this input, the representative can then offer appro-
priate solutions. Typical employer interests have included con-
ducting awareness events to inform their employees of avail-
able transit connections; surveying employees to determine
trip origins and interests in transit services (fixed route, van-
pool, subscription bus, rail-feeder connections); sued becoming
an on-site sales agent for PACE s monthly pass and/or partici-
pating in the regional Transit Check program.
PACE has found that working with employers relocating
from the city to the suburbs, or front an inner suburb to a fur-
ther outlying suburban area, has yielded the most significant
level of employer interest and success.
PACE's most noteworthy accomplishment in this area has
been with the Sears relocation from Sears Tower in downtown
Chicago to suburban Hoffman Estates (approximately 56.4 km
(35 mi) northwest of Chicago's central business district
(CBD)~. Through extensive pre-relocation planning and inter-
action with employees via group meetings and surveys, PACE
was able ~ capture approximately 25 percent of the 5~000
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12
member work force on transit. The employees using PACE are
split approximately among vanpools (45~. subscription routes
(9), and fixed routes (2), each carrying about 800 riders per
day. Roughly one-third of the employees reverse commute
front the city, while the remainder make a suburb-to-suburb
commute. Interestingly, a majority of the subscription bus rid-
ers drive their autos to the route origin point and pay an
$88/month subscription bus fare for the commute trip, which
averages about 75.7 km (47 mi) one way.
From the Sears experience and by working with other sub-
urban employers, PACE has identified the following factors
that are important to the success of suburb-to-suburb transit
services:
· Direct marketing via representative personal contact
with employers is essential.
· Working with relocating employers prior to relocation to en-
sure service is in place on the first day of the relocation is critical.
· Having more than ogle service option to offer to meet as
many trip needs as possible will maximize transit share.
· Guaranteed ride home programs are important to em-
ployees at locations that are not well served during off-peak
periods, especially for va~pool and subscription bus patrons.
· Providing opportunities for park-and-rides for long ex-
press commute trips is important.
· Providing as many sheltered bus stops as possible is
important. In suburban Chicago, unsheltered and 'pedestrian
hostile" waiting conditions are common and believed to be a
major deterrent to system use.
· Creating opportunities for off-street transfer activities to
take place is important. PACE has a significant level of transfer
activity taking place at suburban shopping centers where allowed.
· Distributing widely route and schedule information to
counter (though not fully make up for) the poor visibility of
service in low-density markets served with low-frequency
service (half-hour to one-hour headways).
· Measuring implemented services, which primarily
benefit a single employer, against specific service criteria that
objectively determine their status in the future absence of em-
ployer subsidies, because employers are usually reluctant to
subsidize service for more than a buffer period (of 3 months to
1 year) after relocations.
NEW NIELSEN TRANSIT (Nd TRANSIT),
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
NJ Transit, a public corporation. is the nation's third larg-
est provider of bus, rail, and light rail transit, covering
13,791.8 km2 (5,325 mi2) and linking major points in New
Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia. Operating 1,856 buses on
170 routes and 582 trains on 12 rail lines statewide, NJ
Transit serves more than 290,700 customers daily. The
agency's fleet provides 166 million passenger trips each year,
and travels more than 1 billion miles annually.
N.] Transit's services include urban, suburban, intra-state,
inter-state, and shuttle routes, many of which provide some
suburb-to-suburb travel options, and are continually being
evaluated and modified to match changing market demands.
However, it is impossible in most cases to separate the suburb-
to-suburb features of any particular route from the overall
context of the route. This case study focuses on NJ Trm~sit's
new suburb-to-suburb services, which were the result of the
agency's suburban transit initiatives program.
Suburban Transit Initadves Program
There is a great need for improved public transit in New
Jersey. A 1993 Rutgers University study reported that between
1982 and 1990, 80 percent of the new jobs created in New
Jersey were in the suburbs. In August 1992, NJ Transit began
to study how it could expand its reach into suburban areas by
identifying new suburban travel markets and developing inno-
vative transit services to best meet the needs of suburban
travelers. To accomplish this, the agency arid its consultants
worked with seven TMAs, as well as local Chambers of
Commerce and county officials across the state, to help iden-
tify new suburban travel markets. The program, initially
known as the suburban transit initiatives program, identified
three ways in which NJ Transit could market services to sub-
urban residents: modifications to the fixed route concept, new
employment-based transportation services. and new commu-
nity-based transportation services.
As a result of this study, a list of 90 suburban service pros
posals was developed. The study also stimulated the idea for
the WHEELS services, which are discussed next.
NJ Transit has implemented a $7.0 million project sum
ported by federal-aid highway program funds to improve
transit access to employment sites. The project, WHEELS, has
three components: fixed route bus, rail, and suburban em-
ployment. The WHEELS services are marketed as a "whole
new generation of commuting."
The suburban employment component is a new mode for
NJ Transit, and the new suburban routes are different for sev-
eral reasons. First, they were designed solely for the suburban
employment market. Second, they were designed in conjunc-
tion with major employers and TMAs. Third, they are oper-
ated with minibuses (see Figure 4~. Fourth. they are marketed
differently. And lastly, they use a different or nontraditional
method of operation, such as flex routes, a new concept pin
neered by NJ Transit that combines features of fixed, demand-
responsive, and route deviation operating methods. Nontradi-
tional options such as flex routes allow customers to reserve a
ride in advance; circulator routes provide greater access to
downtown retail areas; and additional park-and-ride and train
station shuttle services further improve the convenience of
public transit.
The suburban employment services are classified into four
distinct categories: transit connection, park-and-ride, flex
routes, and circulator services. By early 1993, NJ Transit had
plans for 15 separate services. The first service was initiated in
November 1993, while the majority were initiated during the
summer of 1994. NJ Transit has contracts with private opera-
tors for the operation of all WHEELS routes. Examples of
each service type are provided in Tables 2, 3, and 4.
Ridership
Monthly ridership on the WHEELS services has steadily
increased from 258 passengers, with just one route operating
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FIGURE 4 NJ Transit WHEELS minibus. (Courtesy of NJ Transit)
TABLE 2
SERVICE TYPE: TRANSIT CONNECTION
IABLE 3
SERVICE TYPE: PARK-AN-DE
Service:
Description:
Reservations: No
Ridership during
April 1995:
Fares:
Convent Station Employer Shuttle Service:
(966)
A shuttle operation between the
Convent Station rail station on the
Morris & Essex rail line and area
businesses. Two separate routes
operate to allow frequent and
convenient service to and Mom
employment sites.
Description:
Reservations: No
R dersh p during
61.7 passenger trips/day April 1995:
$.50 per trip
Frequency: 5 trips a.m. and 5 trips p.m. on each
route
Fares:
Implementation: Began operation December 13, 1993;
operated by Town & Country.
Frequency:
(November 1993), to 14,843 passengers, with 19 routes on
crating (April 19951. Table 5 illustrates monthly ridership by
route from November 1993 to April 1995.
The WHEELS program is coordinated by the Service Dee
velopment and Bus and Rail Service Planning Divisions of NJ
Transit. Currendy, 18 out of 21 counties in New Jersey are classi-
fied as severe nonaRairunent areas for ozone. The WHEELS
Sparta I-80 Diamond Express (967)
and Hackettstown I-80 Diamond
Express (968)
Service to two office parks in
eastern Morris County from park-
and-ride lots in Sussex and western
Morris counties. Uses the State's
new HOV (high-occupancy vehicle)
"diamond lanes" on I-80.
23.9 passenger trips/day
Implementation:
From Sparta: $2.55 one way; $23.00
ten trip; $76 monthly pass
From Hackettstown: $2.90 one way;
$26.00 ten trips; $86 monthly pass
One trip each morning and each
evening to Morris Corporate Center
from each origination point; two
trips each morning and each evening
to Prudential Business Campus from
each origination point.
Began operation June 20, 1994;
operated by Town & Country.
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14
TABLE 4
SERVICE TYPES: FLEX ROUTE AND CIRCULATOR
Service: (flex Marlton/Mt.Laurel East Gate
route) Express (992)
Mt. Holly/ Mt. Laurel East Gate
Express (993)
Description:
T. . .
wo reservation services providing
commuter hour trips to the East Gate
office/industrial park in Burlington
CounW.
Reservations: Yes; call Lion Tours at:
(609) 267-3156
Ridership during 37 passenger trips/day
April 1995:
Fares:
From Marlton and Ramblewood in
Mt. Laurel: $1.00 one way; $37.00
monthly pass
From Mt. Holly: $1.70 one way;
$15.00 ten trip; $57.00 monthly pass
service, and contain schedule, map, and fare information; the
brochures also include information on the NJ Transit Business
Pass and the TransitChek programs.
The Business Pass Program allows companies to sell
monthly bus and rail passes to their employees directly at their
work site. Businesses can use payroll deductions or direct
payment by en~loyees to cover the cost. The TransitChek pro-
gram is an easy way to provide a fringe benefit to workers.
Employers purchase TransitCheks (good for up to $60 toward
the cost of a monthly pass), and provide them to workers as an
incentive to commute regularly by public transit. TransitCheks
are a tax-deductible expense for employers and cannot be
counted as taxable income for employees.
The WHEELS brochures also provide telephone numbers
for service providers (private contractors) and TMAs in the
area. If the TMA has a guaranteed ride home (GRH) program,
this information is also included. The seven New Jersey
TMAs actively market transit services within their jurisdic-
tions under contract to NJ Transit; a NJ Transit representative
sits on the Board of Directors of all of the TMAs.
To encourage ridership on the new services, all routes had a
free fare period ranging from 1 to 3 months. Free ride passes
(Figure 5) were distributed at employment sites and were good
for unlimited rides for a specified period of time.
Frequency: 4 "peak" hour trips each morning and
evening; times to be based on demand
Service: Circulator portion of above route _
Description: A lunchtime circulator complements - - WHEEL
the "peak hour" service, giving East am_ Suburban Transportation Services
Gate employees transportation to the
Moorestown Mall for lunch and Free Ride Pass
errands.
Reservations: No
This pass is valid for unlimited rides on the following WHEELS service:
#962 West Essex Shllftle
for the period ending September 30, 1994.
Fares: $.50 per trip This pass is valid for use only on the alone WHEELS services and only for the period indicated.
This pass has no cash value and may not be refunded or sold.
Frequency: Every 20 minutes during lunch hours
Implementation: Began operation July 18, 1994;
operated by Lion Corporation
services will assist employers to meet the requirements of the
CAAA of 1990 arid the state's own employer trip reduction
(ETR) legislation (Traffic Congestion and Air Pollution Con-
trol Act). Under this legislation, employers with more than
100 employees must achieve an average passenger occupancy
rate of not less than 25 percent above the average vehicle oc-
cupancy rate set for all such trips in the region by November
15, 1996. NJ Transit will work with employers to plan similar
services in the future.
Marketing Strategies and TMA
Involvement
To market the suburban employment services, NJ Transit
developed a brochure specifically tailored for each service.
These attractive user-friendly brochures provide a description
of the WHEELS program, tell customers how to use the
For more information about WHEEIS,
please call Red & Tan Tours at:
1 (201) 420-9292
This WHEELS .ser~ice is brought to you by NJ TRANSIT and Transit Plus,
the Transportation Manugernent Association of Essex and Union Counties.
~ WHEEI ~
Suburban Transportation Services
TRAHS/T3 TRANSIT
P£`JS ~ The Way To Go.
f SUES ~ UNION COUPES _
FIGURE 5 WHEELS free ride pass, NJ Transit.
Service Evaluation
WHEELS services are required to meet a 15 percent recov-
ery ratio goal by the end of the first year of operation.
Throughout its system, NJ Transit operates with a 55 percent
farebox recovery ratio. Of the 19 WHEELS services? four
routes were meeting the 15 percent recovery ratio goal by
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15
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16
April 1995. NJ Transit has divided the services into three
categories: services that are doing well, those in which service
or schedule modifications need to be made, and those that are
likely not to succeed. The agency has already begun making
modifications to several of the services. Each service will be
monitored for a 1-year period and then evaluated to determine
continuation. TMAs also provide assistance in monitoring and
evaluating services operating in their jurisdictions and provide
a direct link with employers. NJ Transit provides ridership re-
ports to the TMAs on a weekly basis.
GRAND RAPIDS AREA TRANSIT AUTHORITY
(GRATA), GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Grand Rapids, Michigan is the state?s second largest city,
with a 1993 population of close to 980,000 that is rapidly
growing. The Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA)
is currently expanding and improving its services to meet the
needs of this high growth area. Maintaining a fleet of 82
buses, GRATA operates 58 fixed route buses offer a 388.5-km2
(15~mi2) service area during peak times. GRATA's annual
ridership including paratransit services totals 3.5 million rides
per year.
Mobile Metro 2020
To serve the area's growing needs, GRATA is in the proc-
ess of "reinventing" itself through its long-term planning
process, Mobile Metro 2020. Highway traffic congestion, the
growth of businesses and employment opportunities away
from the downtown area, and increased air pollution as more
motorists travel farther to get to work are among the problems
that face the metropolitan area. GRATA believes that im-
proved mass transit in Grand Rapids is key to solving these
problems. GRATA conducted a 4-month study of transporta-
tion needs in the region to address these problems head on.
The product of the study is a transportation plan, which will
carry Grand Rapids into the first quarter of the next century.
In April 1994, GRATA held five public meetings in the
Grand Rapids area to share initial findings on Phase I of the
transit development study and to obtain feedback from the
community. Phase I outlined a system with consistent bus
headways of at least 15 or 30 min. suburban circulators in ar-
eas previously unserved, longer hours of service on Saturdays,
and revised schedules that are easier for riders to understand
(see Appendix E;).
Phase I was intended to lay a foundation for future expan-
sion of the system. The Phase I improvements, exclusive of the
circulator services, required no fare increases or additional
funding, although some minor service adjustments had to be
made. Route segments proposed for elimination had low rider-
ship at about 0.6 riders per mile, while the average ridership
on all GRATA routes was 1.8 riders per mile. GRATA plans to
increase the system-wide average to 2.2 riders per mile.
Suburban Circulator Service
In March 1995, GRATA's two new suburban circulators
began operating in the communities of Kentwood, Grandville,
and Wyoming Using 14-passenger minibuses, one of which is
shown in Figure 6. These routes provide shoppers. workers,
and area residents with convenient, comfortable transportation
along West Michigan's busiest roads. These routes also con-
nect to each other through other routes in the GRATA system,
providing linkages to other parts of the region (see Figure 7~.
Both circulator routes have two shuttles, one moving clock-
wise and one moving counter clockwise. It takes approxi-
mately 1 hour for a bus to complete each loop.
FIGURE 6 GRATA minibus. (Courtesy of GRATA)
~:~ ~
~ . 1
__ 1
:~:
_
,
.
.
::
· i:
:~ ..
Route 15 provides service to Kentwood located southeast
of the Grand Rapids. The Kentwood circulator provides serv-
ice to the fastest growing suburban employment center in the
area. The Kentwood area includes an airport, hundreds of
employers, a major department store, two shopping malls,
Kentwood City Hall, and several office parks.
Route 11 serves the suburban communities of Grandville
and Wyoming located southwest of Grand Rapids. The
Grandville/Wyoming circulator provides service to four major
shopping areas, the Wyoming Community Education Build-
ing, and the Wyoming Public Library. This route serves a mix
of residential and commercial locations including small
manufacturers, service businesses, and residential areas.
The new circulator routes are supported in part by federal-
aid highway program funds, which are available for a 2-year
period. By the end of the 2-year programs, GRATA will have
worked with both local governments to assess the use of the serv-
ice and determine a plan for continuation. The routes are projected
to carry 12 passengers per hour. GRATA's other fixed routes
are evaluated based on the number of passengers per mile.
Since the initiation of service on March 6 through early
May 1995. these two routes carried nearly 15~000 one-way
trips. Route 11 has been doing quite well, but ridership on
Route 15 is building at a quicker pace (see Figure 8~. For the
first 10 weeks of service, the average number of passengers
per week on Routes 11 and 15 was 894 and 582, respectively.
Ridership on Route 15 has nearly doubled since initiation of
service, with an average weekly increase of 8.75 percent.
Additional Service Improvements
As part of the transit development plan, GRATA also in~-
proved frequencies on five routes to provide consistent 30-min
headways (replacing the previous 43- to 70-min frequencies).
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
fixed route
17
6 Mile 2
In,.
I 5 Mlle
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1000
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s
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-
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-
~. ~
-
.W
2 3 4
6
7 8 9 10
Week
| ~ ROUTE 11 - WYOMING/GRANDVILLE ~ ROUTE 15 - KENTWOOD
FIGURE 8 GRATA circulator rouses weekly ridership (March 6-May 12, 1995~.
One of these routes. Route 14, provides crosstown suburb-to-
suburb service and serves as the connector route between the
two suburban circulators. GRATA also implemented an im-
proved transfer policy to allow passengers to use a transfer on
any route or multiple routes within 1 hour after de-boarding a
bus. Lastly, GRATA extended Saturday service hours on all
routes. Previously, GRATA had very limited Saturday service
on four routes from 6:00 to ll:00 a.m. and stopped service
entirely at 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Suburban service now op-
erates until 9:30 p.m.
Regular cash fares on all GRATA services are $1.25. Sub-
stantial discounts (up to 52 percent) are available with
GRATA's Super Saver program when a 10-ticket book is pur-
chased for $7.00. GRATA's $27.00 monthly pass provides un-
limited trips during a calendar month.
The next phase of the planning process, which has recently
begun. is a study of access and travel needs in the immediate
downtown area. Although GRATA's route service is currently
centered on Grand Rapids' CBD, significant transportation
needs remain within the city's core. In the future, GRATA will
continue to analyze weekend, evening, and suburb-to-suburb
travel patterns to determine if new circulator routes and hours
can be added to meet community needs.
RIDEFINDER Program
Because GRATA views itself as a mobility and transit
provider, its services go well beyond traditional bus transporta-
tion. Since 1990, GRATA has been involved in promoting and
facilitating ridesharing through its RIDEFINDER program.
The program provides free assistance to individuals and em-
ployers interested in developing shared ride arrangements. A
marketing brochure is used to explain the benefits of
ridesharing and to provide information on GRATA's bus serv-
ices and convenient park-and-ride lot locations (see Appendix
F). The brochure contains a mail back ridesharing application
so that individuals may receive a free matchlist of persons who
live and work near them. After receiving potential matches
from GRATA, it is up to the persons to contact one another to
form a carpool.
Periodic surveys of all individuals in the RIDEFINDER
database allow GRATA to stay in touch with carpoolers to
provide additional service and to gather participation data.
About 20 percent of the surveys are resumed and are used by
GRATA to update and purge the database as required. A
sample survey is provided as Figure 9.
Thirty-six percent of all persons who receive a ~natchlist
actually become involved in caspooling. About 400 new car-
poolers begin carpooling each year. GRATA's typical carpool
has an average vehicle occupancy of three persons, travels
93.4 km (58 mi) per day (round trip), arid operates 4 days per
week. RII:)EETINDER works closely with employers to develop
and implement ridesharing programs. The employer-oriented
programs include distribution of marketing materials, and
provision of an information booth and on-site convoluter ride
matching services. When bus service is available to a work
site, ongoing distribution of bus schedules and sale of tickets
and passes is offered. Metropolitan Hospital. Steelcase, Inc.,
and several temporary employment agencies are among those
that promote GRATA services through RIDEFINDER.
The RIDEFINDER program also provides assistance in
vanpool formation. Vanpool efforts are coordinated with the
State of Michigan's MichiVan program. MichiVat1 is a state-
wide service provided by VPSI, Inc., and sponsored by the
Michigan Department of Transportation. MichiVal, provides
groups of 5 to lS people with a luxury passenger van, insur-
ance, maintenance, and support services. One member of the
19
A serria of the Brood Ropids Ares Fronsit Authority
RlDEFINDER recently attempted to identify a possible
ride match for you. Ride matching is a computenzed service
used to find persons you can carpoo! -with. Ride matching
also determines whether you could vanpoo! or ride on a
transit bus.
Please take a minute to complete and mad! the attached,
postage-paid survey form. Your responses will provide
RIDEFINDER with valuable information on your commuting
patterns and assist in improving our service. Your survey
responses are completely confidential.
',..
Please mark the one most appropriate response for each
question. Your responses are strictly confidential.
1. Did you receive from RIDEFINDER a list of Yes _ 4. How do you usually get to your primary
persons who you might share a ride with? No destination?
2. If you received a-list, did you attempt to Yes Carpool
contact anyone on the list? No = (List # of persons including yourself _)
Have you been able to form a rideshare
arrangement?
Yes, using the RIDEFINDER list
Yes, without RlDEFINDER's help
No, rideshare arrangement formed
before RlDEFINDER's help
No, but still trying to
No, do not intend to
Vanpool .-
{List # of persons including yourself )
Drive Alone Bus
Walk Bicycle_
5. Any additional comments or questions?
(j Thank you for taking the time to complete and return this survey.
FIGURE 9 GRATA RIOEFINI:)ER survey.
vanpool volunteers to drive, and in return rides free and ret
ceives unlimited personal use of the van on evenings and
weekends. Passengers pay low monthly fares to cover the cost
of the vanpools. In a period of 6 months. nine new vanpools
were started. GRATA will soon begin reporting vanpool mile"
age in its Section 15 operating statistics, which will permit the
agency to obtain additional operating assistance.
Dunning 1995 and 1996, RIOEF]NDER is conducting an ad-
verdsing campaign targeted to suburban commuters to improve
shared ride options for both suburb-to-suburb and suburb to cen-
tral city commuters. Ibis campaign is targeted to commuters liv-
ing outside of GRATA's bus service area. In the very early stages
of this campaign, two dozen new carpoolers were registered.
OTTAWA-CARLETON REGIONAL TRANSIT
COMMISSION (OC TRANSPO),
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
The Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC) is
a metropolitan region consisting of 11 municipalities with an
overall population of approximately 706,000. About 90 per-
cet~t of the population resides in the urban area. Ottawa, the
largest municipality, accounts for more than 300,000 of the
population. In teens of employment, the region supports about
370,000 jobs of which 22 percent are in the federal public
service sector. Ottawa-Carleton is a relatively affluent region
and traffic congestion is not a major factor in attracting transit
20
REGIONAL COUNCIL
ALL DECISIONS ~ r M~.C!PAt ~Y--~ Y
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
AND/OR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
PLANNING, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION
OF TRANSITWAY AND TRANSIT
MEASURES ON ARTERIAL ROADS
1-
DECISIONS
STAFf LIAISON
TRANSIT COMMISSION
OC TRANSPO
SERVICE PLANNING AND OPERATION
FlGVllE 10 Local government organization for public transit. (Source: OC Transpo
"Strategic Plan for the 1 990s," March 1991)
patrons, particularly in the off-peak direction. This mattes it
difficult to attract riders in many suburban locations, particu-
larly those who have ample free parking. However, the region
has a planning structure in place that focuses development on
areas well served by transit. This case study focuses more on
how transit planning is done at OC Transpo rather than on
particular aspects of the suburb-to-suburb transit service pro-
vided. Suburb-to-suburb services at OC Transpo are considered to
be an integral part of the region-wide transit service and are not
treated differently from any other types of transit service.
To understand the way in which transit planning is carried
out and how it influences land-use and development, it is in~-
portant to understand the political organization structure in
Ottawa-Carleton. The region is a two-tier system in which the
RMOC (upper tier) is responsible for certain region-wide
functions while the lower tier, or area municipalities, perform
other functions relating to local concerns.
The formation of the Ottawa-Carleton regional government
in 1969 was a direct response to the rapid suburbanization oc-
curring immediately outside the boundaries of the City of Ot-
tawa. During the 1950s and 1960s, significant urban devel-
opment had begun in the rural townships surrounding Ottawa.
The traditional annexation approach failed to control this trend
because the flexibility offered by the automobile meant that
regulation of new development in one municipality simply
shifted the development across the nearest municipal bound-
ary. A comprehensive planning approach for an area large
enough to encompass the total commuter area appeared to be
the correct solution. Thus, a lower-tier government- the
RMOC, with specific jurisdiction in the provision of major
services and overall planning was formed by the Ontario
Government.
The RMOC's responsibilities regarding urban transportation
include developing and implementing a regional transportation
plan covering the arterial road system and, through OC
-
Transpo, the public transit service. The Regional Council also
has some approval powers in the areas of municipal zoning,
subdivision plans, and traffic by-laws. Other responsibilities
include water and sewer. The relationship between the RMOC
and OC Transpo is illustrated in Figure 10.
OC Transpo has sole authority to operate public transit
services within the urban transit area. With a fleet of more
than 830 buses, OC Transpo carries more than 76 million
passengers annually, providing about 50 million km (31 mil-
lion mi) of service. Transit operations and capital expenditures
are subsidized at rates of approximately 17.5 percent and 25
percent, respectively, through a transit levy on local taxpayers.
The levy is collected through an equalized assessment of
homes within the urban area.
The Province of Ontario also exerts considerable influence
over the provision of transit in the region through subsidy
payments towards operating and capital costs. For operating
costs, the province sets a target revenue to cost ratio based on
transit property size and pays one-half of the difference between
the revenues and costs. For OC Transpo, the target is 65 per-
cent and the operating subsidy from the province is 17.5 per-
cent. Capital expenditures for buses, garages, and construction
costs are subsidized at a rate of 75 percent by the province.
On a macroscopic level, the RMOC has included a number
of policies favoring transit in its official plan, such as
· The proportion of all jobs located at Transitway stations
will be increased, including the central area. Except for Vanier,
all primary employment centers, employing at least 5,000 per-
sons, will be located at existing or future Transitway stations.
Smaller secondary employment centers are allowed off the
Transitway, but must have access to frequent and efficient
all-day transit service. It is intended that 40 percent of all
jobs in the region will be located at Transitway stations in-
cluding downtown. The current figure is about 32 percent.
21
· Large regional shopping centers with snore than
375,000 ft2 of gross leasable space must be on the Transitway
or future extensions thereof' except for Carlingwood, which is
exempt for historic and geographic reasons.
· New developments are to be contiguous with existing
areas, avoiding pockets of isolated development that are inef-
ficient to serve.
· New developments are to be designed to be transit
friendly (see Appendix G. Subdivision Transit Guidelines).
· Policy guideline modal splits (PGMS) have been estab-
lished for fourteen major screenlines ranging Dom 20 to 45 per-
cent, with one central area screenline set at 70 percent. The Re-
gional Council must consider the PGMS in setting priorities
among road and transit projects in each corridor. Subdivision de-
sign, Transitway extensions, and preferential treatment for transit
on regional roads are all methods to help achieve the PGMS.
Additional items examined as part of the design of new
subdivisions include
· Transportation in general, and transit specifically, is
viewed as an essential service along with such things as water,
sewer, and other utilities. Issues such as capacity and staging
must be addressed for all services.
· Collector roads are designed first to meet transit require-
ments. Any additional requirements for auto access to a commu-
nity are added later. Bus-only links may be required in some areas.
· Collector roads must have adequate geometries (e.g.,
width, curves) and construction standards (e.g., pavement
depth) to accommodate buses. A sidewalk on at least one side
of each collector nest be designated for transit use.
· Low-density residential subdivisions are typically
served by transit on their internal collector roads rather than
from the adjacent arterial roads. This is because it can be very
difficult for pedestrians to cross busy arterials without the aid
of traffic signals, which in turn increases walking distances
unless signals are very closely spaced.
TUNNEY'S ~ Albert
WESTBORO PASTURE LEBRETON __= +
~ _~~`i'e - - - - - - - e · ~ - - - ears_ ~
~ ^~_~.s ~;~w _ . ~3a;_~^ _ _ _ >~_ ego
¢ ~ee~_~ee-eeeeeee_ee-e-~eeee~_ee~,~ ~- ~HAS
Slater I me,,_ C}
; ~, 6
e'}
_~~ ABBEY
_~;.~ SMYTH
~e,'> - RIVERSIDE
~ !- PLEASANT PARK (1996)
`'V BILLINGS BRIDGE
t HERON
WALKLEY
SOUTH KEYS
HUNT CLUB
AIRPORT/ AEROPORT
LINCOLN
FIELDS
~ ~. _ ~ .
REV _"" hi'=!
KANATA BAYSHORE
QUEENSWAY-
IRIS-
BASELINE
~ CARLINGWOOD
FIGURE 11 OC Transpo Transitway system map.
· Land use within communities is arranged so that the
highest density uses (e.g.. senior citizens' residences) are placed
closest to transit lines and major roads while the lowest densi-
ties (e.g., single family residential, parks) are the farthest.
· Building orientation is important, especially for com-
mercial buildings. Ideally, major buildings (also other struc-
tures such as townhouse complexes) should be close to the
street with a major entrance close to the bus stop, and with
parking at the rear. The RMOC is encouraging mixed-use de-
velopment at secondary employment centers so that office
workers do not have to leave the site to go to places such
as banks and restaurants.
· Proper staging of new developments is very important.
New developments should be contiguous with existing devel-
opment and should be staged in ways that efficient and effec-
tive transit service can be provided at all times. Temporary bus
turnarounds or temporary roads for bus use may be required.
· Bus shelters and pads (paved waiting areas at stops)
may be required from the developer.
· Based on this strategic direction of the Regional
Council, a two-phase approach to meeting future transit needs
has been adopted. First, every effort has been made to maxi-
mize the efficiency and use of the existing bus-based transit
system Second, an appropriate rapid transit strategy for Ottawa-
Carleton's Transitway has been investigated and adopted.
The Transitway
The Transitway is the region's largest ever transportation
project. The Transitway's dedicated system of bus-only road-
ways provides an exclusive rapid transit link for more than
200,000 passengers daily across much of the region's urban
area, and particularly the downtown business and retail core.
Operated by OC Transpo, 25 km (15.5 mi) and 18 stations
currently provide rapid transit service throughout the region's
urban area (see Figure 11~.
,17~
22
Weekday passenger volume on the Transitway is about
200,000. Approximately 190 buses operate in the peak hour in
each direction. Transitway route 95 stops at all stations in the
southwest and east corridors, while routes 96 and 97 serve the
west and southeast corridors. Route 95 operates every 3 min
during peak hours, every 5 min during the day, and every 10 to
15 min in the evenings. Fifty express routes provide peak-
period service? to and from the suburbs and downtown, via the
Transitway. Forty local routes provide timed transfers at
Transitway stations, and 6 other trunk routes also use various
parts of the Transitway. Without the Transitway, 145 more
buses would be required in OC Transpo's fleet to carry the
same number of passengers at a capital cost of $45 million
(CAN), and annual operating costs of $25 million (CAN). The
initial 31 km (19.3 mi) of Transitway approved in 1978 will
be completed by the end of 1996 at an estimated cost of $450
million (CAN).
An examination of available land in the proximity of
Transitway stations has shown that by the turn of the cen-
tury, 40 percent of the region's employment could be
within walking distance of the Transitway. For example,
a Transitway station serves Tunney's Pasture. a major fed-
eral government office complex that houses 9,500 employ-
ees (Figure 121. The majority of users walk to the station;
however, bus service to and from the station is provided
throughout the complex, particularly for staff in buildings
that are located farther away.
FIGURE 12 Tunney's Pasture Transitway station with the
Tunney's Pasture office complex in the background.
(Courtesy of OC Transpo)
Currently, about 34 percent of the region's employment is
within walking distance of the Transitway. Approximately
82,300 jobs are located in the CBD of Ottawa amounting to
about 21 percent of total regional employment. Another 4 per-
cent, or about 13,600, of the region's jobs are located along
the Transitway. The remaining jobs are located in other urban
areas (62 percent) or in rural areas of the region (4 percent). It
is estimated that close to $1 billion (CAN) of investment in
new development has occurred or is committed close to the
Transitway.
A key component of the Regional Council's strategy to
promote transit usage is to develop a rapid transit system in
the Transitway. In the region's recently updated official
plan, conceptual links to three suburban centers Kanata
Town Centre in the west, Orleans in the east, and Bar-
rhaven in the south" have been identified. The clear de-
lineation of the Transitway in the official plan for the next
20 to 30 years enables municipalities to plan to take ad-
vantage of it.
A good example of this is Orleans, a community of about
80,000, which straddles two area municipalities in the eastern
portion of the region. The Transitway is unlikely to reach Or-
leans until the end of the century, but development in the
community's center has already begun in anticipation of the
Transitway. The Regional Council hired a consultant to work
with a committee consisting of its own staff, OC Transpo, two
municipalities, two major developers, electrical utility com-
panies, and the Ontario freeway and transit agencies to de-
termine the best location for a Transitway station. The process
was difficult, because so many interests were represented. The
Transitway station in Orleans opened in 1994, well ahead of
the extension of the Transitway, ensuring a high profile for
transit as the community develops. This process is now being
repeated in Kanata Town Centre and B arrhaven.
Bus Service Description
OC Transpo operates two different types of route networks.
Regular, all-day service operates on a feeder-line-haul system
similar to the airlines. Local feeder routes serve individual
communities, and terminate at major stations where transfers
can be made to other feeder routes, mainline routes along
higher density major arterials, and Transitway routes that
provide frequent cross-regional rapid transit service. Most
major stations are Transitway stations. A timed transfer sys-
tem is operated at several stations. Many regular routes
also intersect other regular routes at street corners that are
not stations.
In peak periods, a radial system of express routes is super-
imposed on the all-day network. The express routes pick up
within individual communities and operate via the Transitway
to downtown in the morning, and then return in the afternoon.
Suburb-to-suburb commutes are considered to be an integral
component of the entire route network.
Suburban Employment Centers
Some major suburban employment centers, including Or-
leans, Kanata' and Barrhaven, are located on or near Transit-
way stations, where frequent cross-regional rapid transit serv-
ice is always available. These centers have a high level of
accessibility from most parts of the region due to the fast and
frequent service provided along the Transitway. For example,
the Place d'Orleans Transitway station (see Figure 13) is
physically separate from the rest of the Transitway, but enjoys
a rapid transit frequency and speed of service due to a shoul-
der bus lane on the freeway. An overhead walkway connects
the Place d?Orleans station with the Place d'Orleans, a major
regional suburban shopping center. The walkway also extends
across the highway to a park-and-ride lot. Bus service to Orleans is
provided as frequently as every 6 min during the peals hour.
23
FIGURE 13 The Place d'Orleans Transitway station with the Place d'Orleans, a major regional suburban shopping
center, in the background. (Courtesy of OC Transpo)
For employment centers located away from the Transitway,
it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve the critical mass of
riders required to operate a high frequency of service from
multiple corridors, and travel time quickly becomes uncom-
petitive with the private automobile. The availability of exten-
sive free parking at many of these sites, combined with the
various income tax regulations on employer-subsidized park-
ing versus employer-subsidized transit passes, means that
there is little incentive to use transit.
Suburban employment centers located away from the
Transitway are generally served by one or both of the follow-
ing types of service: all-day service on a regular route (either
mainline or local feeder route), or peal`-period only on coun-
terpeak direction routes that travel from Transitway stations to
the employment center in the morning, and are reversed at
night. Some of these routes travel only to the nearest major
station while others travel along the Transitway to the edge of
downtown Ottawa.
For suburban employment centers. all routes (both
regular and counterpeak) serve a dual function of accommo-
dating both reverse and suburb-to-suburb commuters. Any com-
bination of different route types may be used to retake a trip de-
pending on the individual origin and destination pairs. Some
typical suburb-to-suburb commute trips include using a com-
bination of local feeder routes and/or mainline arterial routes
and/or Transitway routes, as required, entirely on the regular
(all-day) route network; on the counterpeak routes, using a
local or mainline route to a nearby Transitway station, then
transferring to the counterpeak route; or using a Transitway
route (perhaps after transferring from another local or mainline
route) or an express route to a more distant station, where a
transfer can be made to a counterpeak route. Some passengers
are fortunate enough to have direct service from home to des-
tination without transferring, using any of the different route
types. All transfers between routes are free.
The routes serving outlying employment centers form part
of the regular route network and serve many other functions as
well. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the number of buses
or riders using these services specifically for suburb-to-suburb
trips. Modal splits for non-CBD employment centers range
from up to 40 percent at Transitway stations to between 5 and
10 percent for some outlying areas. A 1986 OC Transpo sur-
vey determined mode splits for several locations (Table 6~. As
shown in the table, the Confederation Heights station had
significantly lower modal splits then did Tunney's Pasture
. . .
station. Confederation Heights is located somewhat farther
from downtown than Tunnels Pasture, and road access to
Tunney's Pasture is more restricted relative to transit. The fact
that Confederation Heights is not served directly by a Transit-
way station plays a role in the lower modal split due to the ex-
tra inconvenience associated with travel to this station. Algon-
quin College station, located in the west end beside Baseline
Station, had higher modal splits than Carleton University,
which is more centrally located but is farther from the Tran-
sitway. The University of Ottawa modal splits are similar to
other downtown locations.
TABLE 6
OC TRANSPO: TRANSIT MODAL SPLITS FOR SELECTED
LOCATIONS
Destination Origin
6:00 to 9:00
All UTA
Tunney's Pasture
41 47
Confederation Heights 25 29
University of Ottawa 53 68
Carleton University 31 38
Algonquin (Woodroffe) 45 51
5:00 to 8:00
All UTA
43 49
27 31
45 50
35 40
35 44
Modal split = transit users/car + transit users.
All trips = all trips within the survey area (urban and rural
parts of the RMOC in Ontario and the Communaute Regionale
de l'Outaouais in Quebec).
UTA trips = trips with the urban transit area (UTA) of
RMOC and the central part of Hull, where a trip by OC
Transpo is a reasonable alternative.
24
Despite the region's best efforts, the number of jobs located
at outlying locations is continuing to increase. The nature of
the interline scheduling used on the express bus network
makes it relatively inexpensive to implement new counterpeak
routes from T.ransi.tway stations to outlying employment ce~.~-
ters. Much of the revenue time for the counterpeak routes
would have been deadhead (non-revenue) tinge between ex-
press trips, so the marginal cost to implement new counter-
peak routes is often much lower than for other types of routes.
Generally, OC Transpo tends to use average seated loads dur-
ing the peak hour rather than marginal costs to conduct route
evaluations.
