Title
April 2018 Proposed Bus Service Improvements
Description
Request authorization for the City Manager, or his designee, to implement bus service changes effective April 23, 2018. The recommended changes are provided through Phoenix’s Transportation 2050 (T2050) Plan and the estimated annual net cost is $1,810,000, with a cost of $382,900 for fiscal year 2017-18.
Report
Summary
For implementation in April 2018, staff identified the following service improvements:
Increased Frequencies
Route 3 (Van Buren) - Increase Off-Peak Frequency to 15 minutes. The proposed improvement is to increase the early evening frequency to 15 minutes until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday between 35th Avenue and 32nd Street. Current 10-minute peak frequencies will remain unchanged. The overall impact will be reduced passenger wait times between bus connections in the off-peak period for the route.
Route 19 (19th Avenue) - Increase Off-Peak Frequency to 15 minutes. The proposed service improvement is to increase the early evening frequency from 24 minutes to 15 minutes until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday between Van Buren Street and Union Hills Drive. Current 12-minute peak frequencies will remain unchanged. The overall impact will be reduced passenger wait times between bus connections in the off-peak period of the route.
Route Extensions
Route 32 (32nd Street) - Extension to Baseline Road via 40th Street. Extend the south end of the route from its current terminus (Sky Harbor International Airport’s Sky Train Station) to 40th Street and Baseline Road via 44th Street and University Drive and further extend the route by traveling east on Baseline Road and terminating near Arizona Mills Mall at Baseline Road and Priest Drive. The route extension would provide connections to Routes 40, 45, 48, 52, 56, 61 and 77. The City of Tempe will fund the portion of the extension to Arizona Mills Mall within Tempe.
Route 51 (51st Avenue) - Extension to Baseline Road to Vee Quiva Casino. Extend the route by combining Route 51 and Route 251 and eliminate the duplicative service on Baseline Road between 51st Avenue and the 27th Avenue/Baseline Park-and-Ride. This option will create a single route on 51st Avenue between ASU West, Vee Quiva Casino, and the Komake Health Center, and would create multiple new passenger connections along Routes 51 and 77. The Gila River Indian Community will fund the portion of the extension within their boundaries.
Modify Routing
Route 1 (Washington Street). Staff proposes to modify routing at Sky Harbor International Airport’s Sky Train Station to eliminate the deviation to the Sky Train Station by keeping the Route 1 on Washington Street between 41st Place and 44th Street, and avoid minor streets not built to accommodate frequent bus traffic. The route modification impacts are improved safety, faster travel times and cost savings for the route overall while maintaining passenger connections.
Central South Mountain East RAPID. Staff proposes to modify the Central South Mountain East RAPID routing between the 24th Street/Baseline Park-and-Ride and Downtown Phoenix. The proposal is to reroute the Central South Mountain East RAPID to travel along 24th Street and utilize Van Buren Street for downtown stops. Current riders from the 24th Street/Baseline Park-and-Ride would be able to debark at the same RAPID stops in Downtown Phoenix as other routes and continue traveling into Central Station, thus offering new connections. Other routes that travel along Central Avenue would remain unchanged.
Route 30 or Route 70 - Extend Peak Trips to 24th Street and Francisco Drive. The proposed project would extend peak hour bus service south of Baseline Road on 24th Street to Francisco Drive on either Route 30 or Route 70. In April 2017, as the result of public input, Route 70 was modified to terminate at the 24th St./Baseline Park-and-Ride. The route previously continued south to serve the neighborhood near 24th Street and South Mountain Avenue. Since the change was implemented, some residents have requested peak service to the area and have worked with neighborhood residents and Public Transit to develop potential routing for peak-hour trips.
Service on South Mountain Community College (SMCC) Campus. SMCC staff informed Phoenix and Valley Metro of their plan to increase security measures at campus entrances that would close the campus when school is not in session. Full campus closures would occur nightly, on weekends and school break times, and would affect Route 30 (University) and Route 77 (Baseline). SMCC currently serves as the western terminus for Route 30. Should SMCC elect to eliminate bus service on campus, Route 30 can terminate at the 24th St. and Baseline Road Park-and-Ride. Route 77 would remain on Baseline Road and no longer deviate to the campus during peak hours. These service changes would result in approximately $137,000 in annual savings. The service change proposal is dependent on the SMCC’s decision based on ongoing consultation and public feedback.
As required, a Title VI analysis for the proposed service changes was prepared and finalized. Per the City’s Title VI policies, the report identified ‘major’ service changes potentially impacting low-income and/or minority populations for the Route 32 and 51 extensions. The impacts on the extensions are positive, thus no mitigation is necessary. As per the Title VI protocol, no ‘major’ impacts were identified for the staff recommended service changes.
Financial Impact
The total estimated annual cost of the staff recommended April 2018 service changes is $1,810,000, with a cost of $382,900 for fiscal year 2017-18. An additional $137,000 annual savings would be realized if South Mountain Community College elects to eliminate bus service on campus. Funding is available in the Public Transit Department's operating budget using T2050 funds.
Public Outreach
The Public Transit Department used the locally adopted public outreach process for the proposed April 2018 bus service changes. Staff coordinated closely with Valley Metro in communicating and conducting the public outreach process which included Phoenix and regional changes. From October 16 - November 17, Public Transit and Valley Metro staff provided multiple opportunities for public comment on service changes, including a webinar and a public hearing on Nov. 14, 2017. For service changes within Phoenix, approximately 184 comments were received from the public regarding potential service changes.
Regarding the two proposals with fewer "in-favor" comments than "not-in-favor" comments:
- Staff recommends moving forward with the Route 1 proposed routing change. Removing the deviation would still maintain all existing transfers between bus and the Sky Train and would save approximately $161,000 annually.
- Staff does not recommend implementing peak hour service on 24th Street between Baseline Road and Francisco Drive. Comments received on the proposed service do not indicate a clear majority preference. Staff has also reviewed the area and consulted with the operating contractor and received safety concerns in regards to operating large bus service along narrow residential streets (Francisco Drive, 24th Way, and Alicia Drive).
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee recommended this item by a vote of 3-0 on Jan. 9, 2018. The Citizens Transportation Commission recommended approval of the April 2018 bus service changes to the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Jan. 4, 2018 by a vote of 12-1.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.