May-June 2016: The Bus Rennaissance - Intercity Travel, Bus Rapid Transit, Technology Advances, Rural Services (2016)

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Buses form the backbone of public transit operations in the UnitedStates and are a major means of intercity transportation. Accord-ing to the American Public Transportation Association, Ameri- cans took approximately 5.1 billion trips by transit bus in 2015, accounting for nearly half of all transit trips. In addition, intercity buses, which have experienced a renaissance in the past decade, carry many more passengers than trains, even in the modally diverse North- east Corridor. This special issue of TR News is dedicated to the ubiquitous, but often overlooked, bus. The articles showcase recent developments and innovations in bus planning, operations, and services, highlighting the uses of data and technology by operators and their customers, the challenges that rural bus operators are addressing, the revitalization of intercity bus travel, and bus rapid transit or BRT—perhaps the most sig- nificant innovation in bus transit in recent times. Notable Successes BRT integrates several service features to mimic light rail, while pro- viding the flexibility and cost of buses. Jennifer Flynn explains the BRT concept and describes the history of the mode, from its origins more than 40 years ago in Curitiba, Brazil, to its present-day incarnations in cities throughout the United States. Randal Davis of the Connecticut Department of Transportation offers a glimpse into one of the newest BRT systems in the nation, CTfastrak in Hartford. Launched in March 2016, CTfastrak already has served more than two million passengers. Despite the growing use of BRT systems in the United States and around the world, critics maintain that BRT does not compare favor- ably with rail transit. In a Point of View article, Samuel Zimmerman and Herbert Levinson examine some common myths about BRT service, including limited capacity, rider preferences for rail, and the inability of BRT to promote economic development. Zimmerman and Levinson argue that BRT has proved successful when properly planned and implemented. Intercity bus travel was once considered a “mode of last resort” in the United States. Joseph Schwieterman describes the industry’s resur- gence and explains how innovations have contributed—such as curb- side operation and ticketless boarding. Although amenities in buses and express downtown service have attracted riders, the industry also has benefited from the commercialization of the Internet and the advent of smartphones, which have reduced ticketing costs and have enabled easy access to schedule information. David Hall, General Manager of BoltBus, gives a firsthand account of the intercity bus renaissance by detailing the challenges that Greyhound—the parent company—faced at the close of the 20th century and the company’s response in expand- ing its brands and services. Applying Technologies The traditional transit bus has been the subject of innovation in recent years, benefiting from information technology and telecommunications advances. Catherine Lawson describes how data routinely collected by transit agencies are being used to improve bus service and operations planning. In a Research Pays Off article, Kari Edison Watkins and Can- dace Brakewood discuss the open-source mobile application OneBus- Away, which provides transit riders with real-time information about bus schedules and arrivals. A sidebar traces the Kansas City Area Trans- portation Authority’s introduction of on-demand “microtransit” bus service in partnership with the private service Bridj. Riders can hail small transit buses via a mobile application similar in concept to the taxi-like services of Uber and Lyft. In this way, the bus stop “comes to the riders, on the rider’s schedule.” Jill Hough and Jeremy Mattson discuss how rural bus operators are innovating to serve the needs of rural communities. The authors point to the many challenges on the horizon for rural bus operators as the demographics of their service areas undergo changes. For these bus operators, innovation is not an option—it is essential for meeting the challenges. Research, technology, and innovative service strategies have con- tributed to maintaining the role of the bus as the workhorse of public transit. These same forces are increasing the importance of buses for local and longer-distance transportation. Special thanks to Jennifer Flynn for assisting us in the coordination of the articles for this issue; to Frank Spielberg, emeritus member and past Chair of the TRB Bus Transit Systems Committee, for his help in the review of the articles; and to Thomas R. Menzies, Jr., who originated the idea for this issue, assisted in shaping the contents, and served as liaison to the TR News editorial board. TR N EW S 303 M AY–JUN E 2016 3 The authors are with the Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida, Tampa. Perk is Senior Research Associate, and Hinebaugh is Interim Executive Director. Perk serves as Vice Chair of the TRB Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Committee, and Hinebaugh is Chair of the Public Transportation Group and immediate past Chair of the Bus Transit Systems Committee. The Bus Renaissance Innovations Drive a Boom V I C T O R I A A . P E R K A N D D E N N I S P. H I N E B A U G H INTRODUCTION TRN_303.e$S_TRN_303 7/1/16 11:46 AM Page 3