Toolkit for Estimating Demand for Rural Intercity Bus Services (2011)

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A-1 A P P E N D I X A Rural Intercity Provider Survey Form Sample Interview Request Letter Dear __: I am writing to request an appointment by telephone with you or a member of your staff about the Section 5311(f) services operated by the your organization. The KFH Group is currently conducting Project B-37, Estimation of Demand for Rural Intercity Services, for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). The goal of this project is to create a model for estimating demand for rural public transit service that connects with intercity private carriers (such as Greyhound or Amtrak), based on characteristics of the service area, operations, and connectivity with local public transportation. The research for this project includes conducting surveys of rural intercity projects funded under the Section 5311(f) program to get details on the nature of the project, including service characteristics, service area, ticketing and information, ridership (including trends), and forecasting methods used to plan the services. More information is available online at http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1591. I understand through the _____ Department of Transportation that the _______service is funded under the Section 5311(f) program, and is the kind of rural intercity route that is the focus of this research. It would be very helpful for our study if we could find out more about this route. We would like to interview you or the appropriate member of your staff by telephone to gather responses to the attached survey. Could you let me know who to contact to schedule an interview, which will take approximately 30 minutes? I would be happy to call at a time that is convenient for you or the appropriate member of your staff, hopefully within the next couple of weeks. If you have questions about the survey or would like more information on this study for TCRP, please contact me at (_) ___ or ______@kfhgroup.com. In addition, you are welcome to contact Fred Fravel, Principal Investigator for the project, at 301-951-8660 or ffravel@kfhgroup.com. Thank you in advance for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best regards,

A-2 Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Project B-37: Estimation of Demand for Rural Intercity Services Provider Survey Contact information Organization name: _____________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________ State: ________ Zip: _______ Individual’s Name: ______________________________________________________________ Title: _________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: _______________________________ Email: ______________________________ 1. Who operates the S. 5311(f) service? ___ a public transit operator ___ directly operated ___ contracted out ___ a private intercity carrier If organization other than current interviewee, Name of operator: ________________________________________________________ Contact information: _______________________________________________________ 2. Please provide the following information for each route or service funded under Section 5311(f): bridge route para l lel route on non- inters tate highways Type of service: connections on both endsFixed- route, fixed- schedule Name of Route Demand- responsive Something in between Dead- end Days of Week Times of Day Seasonal variations Design of Route or Service Frequency of Service Survey Form

A-3 3. Please indicate the destinations served on each route, as well as any additional comments: 4. Please describe if and how reservations are made: They are: ___ required ___ available ___ not available Made by: ___ Internet ___ telephone ___ other (describe:) ___________________________ How far in advance? Earliest: ___________________________ Latest: ____________________________ 5. What are the fare levels? Name of Route Destinations served (towns i f fixed-route; genera l area i f demand-responsive) Additional Comments Name of Route General Public Seniors (min. age:____) People with Disabilities Youth (age range: _______) Other: Other:

A-4 6. What are the ticketing arrangements? a. Does the rural intercity service offer interline tickets with intercity carriers? ___ yes, we sell interline tickets connecting to: Name of carrier: ____________________________ Boarding at this station: ______________________ ___ yes, we accept interline tickets connecting from: Name of carrier: ____________________________ Boarding at this station: ______________________ ___ no, a separate ticket must be purchased for each carrier b. How are tickets sold? Please check all that apply ___ over the Internet with credit card ___ by our agency which accepts: ___ cash ___ credit cards ___ other: _____________________________________ ___ by the driver who accepts: ___ cash ___ credit cards ___ other: _____________________________________ c. If your agency sells tickets, (1.) Where is the ticketing office? ____________________________________________ (2.) What are the days and hours of ticket sales? ________________________________

A-5 7. How is the timetable and other service information made available to the public? ___ local system paper timetables (request copies ___) ___ local provider Web site(s) (URL: _______________________________________________) ___ local provider telephone (Number: ______________________________________________) ___ intercity carrier web sites (for interline partners) (URL: ______________________________) ___ telephone information systems (for interline partners) (Number: _____________________) ___ other transit provider timetables and web sites (indicate name and/or URL: ________________________________________________) ___ in Russell’s Official National Motorcoach Guide (indicate route number or other means of finding: ______________________________) ___ on state DOT Web sites (try to get instructions on where to find and bookmark once found) ___ on 511 services ___ through human service agencies ___ through caseworkers ___ trailblazer signs in the community ___ stop location signs ___ other: _____________________________________________________________________ 8. How does your service connect with other intercity modes? ___ schedules are timed to meet intercity routes ___ headed to: __________________________ (nearest large city) ___ headed from: _________________________ Does your route/service wait for the arrival of the intercity bus if it is running late? ___ no ___ yes – how long will it wait? _______ minutes ___ our bus stops are in close proximity Location of intercity bus stop: ______________________________________________________ Location of our drop-off point: ______________________________________________________ Location of our pick-up point if different: ______________________________________________ How long a walk separates them? ___________________________________________________ Is there a sidewalk? ____ yes ____ no Is there a shelter? ____ yes ____ no Is there a bench or other seating? ____ yes ____ no Is the area well lit? ____ yes ____ no Does it feel safe? ____ yes ____ no What is the surrounding area like? (e.g. industrial, rest stop on a highway, retail, tourist attractions, multi-modal transit center, other commercial use) ________________________________________________________________________ Is there a restroom available to bus customers? ____ yes ____ no Is it open at times when passengers might be waiting in between buses? ____ yes ____ no Is there a place to get a snack or cup of coffee nearby? ____ yes ____ no Is it open at times when passengers might be waiting in between buses? ____ yes ____ no Is there parking nearby? ___ no ___ long term/overnight ___ daily ___ short term

A-6 9. Does your rural Section 5311(f) service and its connections to your local transit services or the private intercity carrier(s) provide rural connectivity to regional travel destinations? What is your local transit system service area? Please indicate cities or counties. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ What travel destinations are served by your local transit system? Travel destination Is there one/are there any within your service area? (Y/N) If yes, Does your Section 5311(f) service stop near there? (Y/N) Do any of your other routes or services stop near there? (Y/N) Does your Section 5311(f) service connect with this other route or service? (Y/N) Military base College/university Job corps center Regional hospital Tourist destination Commercial airport Passenger rail station Major employer Major retail Other: Other:

A-7 What regional travel destinations does your Section 5311(f) provide access to through its connection with the private intercity carrier? Travel destination Where is the closet one? (city or town) Does the intercity bus service that your Section 5311(f) service connects with stop there? If yes, What time does your Section 5311(f) service connect with the intercity bus service headed toward this city? What time does your Section 5311(f) service connect with the intercity bus service returning from this city? Military base College/university Job corps center Regional hospital Tourist destination Commercial airport Passenger rail station Major employer Major retail Other: Other: Can human service agency clients use your rural Section 5311(f) service to get to and from human service programs? Does your Section 5311(f) service stop near any human service agencies? (Y/N) If yes, does it coordinate with human service program times (i.e., can agency customers ride this route to access agency programs)? ________________________________________________________________________ Other regional or local connectivity considerations: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

A-8 10. Please indicate the kinds of vehicles used for the 5311(f) service: 11. Do you collect ridership data on the Section 5311(f) routes/services? ____ yes, actual counts ____ no ____ yes, based on fare revenue/ticket sales If yes, can you email/fax us data by month or quarter for as many years as available over the life of the project? If no, can you estimate? Estimate boardings: _____ per ____ day / ____ week / ____ month Please indicate any seasonal variations you have observed: _______________________ When did this route/service begin operating? ____________________ (if Section 5311(f) funding started later, indicate start date: ______________) How long did it take ridership to grow to current levels? ________________________________ Have there been any significant service changes that happened since this route started up? ____ no ____ yes: Changes to our local services: _______________________________________________ Changes to intercity bus carrier services: ______________________________________ Name of Route Vehicle Type Seating capacity Wheelchair capacity Type of seating Baggage storage area (Y/N) Restrooms (Y/N) Other amenities

A-9 12. Are you aware of any studies, demand estimates or plans that led to the implementation of the service—in particular demand estimates, their source, model or basis, etc. ? 13. Please indicate how Section 5311(f) funds are used by indicating the amounts spent in each category in FY 2007: Capital: Operating: Administration: Planning: Marketing: Other: Total FY 2007: Additional comments: Thank you very much for your assistance on this important research project. Additional information on TCRP Project B-37 is available through the project’s Principal Investigator: Fred Fravel Vice President KFH Group, Inc. 4920 Elm St., Suite 350 Bethesda, MD 20814 301-951-8660 ffravel@kfhgroup.com www.kfhgroup.com