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From page 20... ... 20 Case Examples Introduction The six case examples presented in this chapter provide results from the survey of agency practice that determined which transit agencies were selected for case examples. Researchers conducted one-hour virtual interviews with representatives from each of the six selected transit agencies (Table 1) Read the entire page →
From page 21... ... Case Examples 21 baseline for identifying communities with the greatest needs and supplemented the data with market research to identify segments of the population and trips with the highest need and propensity for transit use. Bus network changes were evaluated based on customer-focused performance metrics, with particular focus on communities with the greatest mobility needs. Read the entire page →
From page 22... ... 22 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns mothers. This customer segment has specific concerns about safety and trip-chaining, and sometimes moves children, groceries, or packages with them through the system. Read the entire page →
From page 23... ... Case Examples 23 to analyze trip-making characteristics and intensity. The LA Metro's Transit Propensity Score evaluates transit propensity at the Census tract level and uses three categories of indicators: 1. Read the entire page →
From page 24... ... 24 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns Community Engagement The bus network redesign had an expansive community engagement component. Outreach efforts were guided by the agency's Public Participation Plan, which includes Metro's Equity Platform Framework and its CBO strategy (LA Metro 2019) Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... Case Examples 25 Despite the large scope, resources were leveraged as efficiently as possible to start the outreach process and keep the project moving. As a large agency, LA Metro has many resources at its disposal. Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... 26 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns bus service. This 3-year pilot is being developed hand-in-hand with the bus network redesign. Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... Case Examples 27 In June 2018, LTD embarked on the Transit Tomorrow system redesign study. An example of community engagement for this study is shown in Figure 11. Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... 28 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns leadership in 2020, also led LTD to examine how the agency can "center equity" in the transit redesign process. As a result, LTD will not implement Transit Tomorrow and now intends to restart the transit system redesign planning process and create a new plan for a system redesign in the future. Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... Case Examples 29 Frequency versus Coverage The balance of service provided between frequency of service and coverage of a service area is a trade-off faced by all agencies undertaking a bus network redesign. To better align transit service with transit demand and increase ridership, Transit Tomorrow focused LTD's resources on populations that rely on transit and are its most frequent users today. Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... 30 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns In the City of Eugene, a large proportion of the community was already entitled to fare free transit, including all persons over the age of 60, students attending two local universities (including the University of Oregon) , and many workers of employers participating in LTD's employer pass program. Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... Case Examples 31 systems. Headway data was then associated with each route to allow demographic information to be further sorted based on frequency. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... 32 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns Working with CBOs is also key to understanding how individuals from specific communities (e.g., the unhoused, or persons with low income) use the current transit system, what their travel needs and challenges are, and what types of service changes may best serve their needs. Read the entire page →
From page 33... ... Case Examples 33 sessions with bus operators, and feedback from over 3,000 bus riders collected via outreach activities that took place at bus stops and stations and through an online feedback form. What MBTA heard in the Better Bus Project is that the primary desires of their riders are to make the bus faster, more reliable, and safer, and to provide more direct service. Read the entire page →
From page 34... ... 34 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns reect public feedback received during the outreach for Better Bus. e Bus Network Redesign's goals also include creating "a framework for a future bus network that can be implemented over time" and creating "metrics that are exible, data-driven, and assess service quality so that as the region evolves, so will the bus network." MBTA has integrated equity into each of the metrics used to assess service quality, as the transit agency determined that if there is a metric that is important enough to be measured it should be measured for performance for equity populations as well. Read the entire page →
From page 35... ... Case Examples 35 Title VI Service Equity Analysis MBTA intends to conduct a Title VI service equity analysis that uses the same methodology that is used for every major service change. However, MBTA staff noted that the Title VI service equity analysis methodology consistent with the requirements of FTA C 4702.1B was designed to analyze incremental changes to bus service and not a full-scale, clean slate redesign like that they are currently undertaking. Read the entire page →
From page 36... ... 36 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns Source: Personal communication with MBTA. High Frequency Corridors Figure 15. Read the entire page →
From page 37... ... Case Examples 37 engagement, and that operational and political considerations will also inuence the nal service plan for the Bus Network Redesign. Competitive Access Framework MBTA created the Competitive Access Framework in response to a need that they saw to measure not just which destinations a transit rider can reach within a specied amount of time, but to measure bus network quality in relation to actual travel demand (i.e., where travelers want to go) Read the entire page →
From page 38... ... 38 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns well service proposals for the Bus Network Redesigns (and service changes planned subsequent to the redesign) perform, rather than to design the system explicitly to a specific set of metrics. Read the entire page →
From page 39... ... Case Examples 39 places. The transit agency is undertaking special measures to target two groups whom they know are underrepresented in LBS, older adults and persons with disabilities, to ensure that the data informing the Bus Network Redesign is reflective of their travel and ideas of competitiveness. Read the entire page →
From page 40... ... 40 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns The Metro Transit Network Redesign began in late 2020 and was under development at the time of this synthesis. The existing system, developed in 1998, is a hub-and-spoke system that is centered upon Downtown Madison and four transfer points (North, East, South, and West) Read the entire page →
From page 41... ... Case Examples 41 households, and race/ethnicity) to identify these populations in addition to local knowledge about pockets of poverty and information about who uses the transit system. Read the entire page →
From page 42... ... 42 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns This access-based approach aligns with larger city-level equity-related goals. Other equityrelated measures include the second phase of the BRT that will run north to south and serve low-income communities. Read the entire page →
From page 43... ... Case Examples 43 Impact of the Pandemic Metro Transit's desire to provide more off-peak service, with the aim of better serving transitdependent equity populations, was an impetus for undertaking a redesign prior to the pandemic. However, the travel patterns and needs that have emerged during the pandemic have validated Metro Transit's understanding of the need to implement more frequent and consistent all-day service. Read the entire page →
From page 44... ... 44 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns demand for bus service, expanding weekend service, and simplifying bus service patterns, with the aim of creating a system that better meets the needs of their ridership today. e new system responded to the public's desire for more frequent and reliable service and made it easier to ride RTS. Read the entire page →
From page 45... ... Case Examples 45 primarily with persons in equity populations, and RTS was guided by early public engagement that demonstrated that their customers' top three priorities for Reimagine RTS were faster, more direct service, 30 minutes or less wait time, and more frequent service (Regional Transit Service 2019) Read the entire page →
From page 46... ... 46 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns system was at 55% of its typical ridership, while its buses had a 50% capacity limit. RTS's staff believe that the high rate of ridership retention at their agency reflects its ridership's intensively transit-dependent nature. Read the entire page →
From page 47... ... Case Examples 47 community outreach events, as well as extensive employee in-reach activities. Taking outreach to where equity populations are, including conducting frequent engagement with riders at their downtown transit center, is a best practice that RTS uses to ensure inclusive engagement. Read the entire page →
From page 48... ... 48 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns following the launch of the Reimagine RTS system, customers without smartphones faced a learning curve related to how they can book and track their rides. At the time the interview for this synthesis was conducted, RTS sta were working to increase the functionality of the RTS On Demand system for individuals who do not own smartphones. Read the entire page →
From page 49... ... Case Examples 49 484 square miles, has a service population of 692,587 and as of 2019, operated a transit system with 9,686,880 unlinked trips (FTA 2019) Read the entire page →
From page 50... ... 50 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns • Downtown transit priority; • A secondary downtown transit hub; • New and expanded shelters; • Access/mobility-on-demand improvements; and • Fare capping. The improvements are estimated to require $180 million in capital investments and $29.5 million in annual operating expenses. Read the entire page →
From page 51... ... Case Examples 51 values indicate minority and low-income populations are less impacted than the remaining population. Equity Analyses Other than Title VI Service Equity Analyses Incorporating Origin-and-Destination Survey Information into Equity Analysis WeGo has begun using O-D survey information to inform its understanding of when, where, and how equity populations are using its system. Read the entire page →
From page 52... ... 52 Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns However, the process provided a model for how the same analysis could be conducted in the future with updated origin-destination data. Accessibility-Based Measures WeGo planners are using access-based metrics, such as the percentage of the population accessible to frequent bus services, the percentage of boardings occurring at sheltered bus stops, and the percentage change of access to jobs within an hour, to evaluate the impacts of proposed service plans for Better Bus (Figure 23) Read the entire page →
From page 53... ... Case Examples 53 In parallel with the Better Bus project, WeGo has started to explore pilot options for mobility on-demand services. In summer 2021, WeGo is launching a pilot with Uber and a local taxi company to serve an area that had a route cut during the pandemic. Read the entire page →

From page 20...

... 20 Case Examples Introduction The six case examples presented in this chapter provide results from the survey of agency practice that determined which transit agencies were selected for case examples. Researchers conducted one-hour virtual interviews with representatives from each of the six selected transit agencies (Table 1)