Title
October 2018 Proposed Bus Service Improvements
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to implement bus service changes effective Oct. 22, 2018. The recommended changes advance Phoenix’s Transportation 2050 (T2050) Plan bus service improvements. The estimated annual net cost is $595,000.
Report
Summary
The City of Phoenix, Valley Metro, and regional transit partners evaluate changes to transit service to be implemented twice each year, in April and October. Described below are bus service changes proposed to be implemented in October 2018.
Restoring Weekday Service Level on Five Holidays
In coordination with all cities under the Valley Metro system, staff proposes to restore weekday service levels for local bus routes and Light Rail on five holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve.
Before July 2010, local, Express/RAPID, and Light Rail were operating on weekday service levels on these five holidays. Due to budgetary constraints, these holidays were converted to operate Sunday service levels in July 2010 along with other service reductions. Sunday service levels have a narrower span of service and operate less frequently than weekday service levels. On weekdays, buses and Light Rail operate between 4 a.m. and midnight. Some routes have a peak frequency of eight minutes. On Sundays, buses and Light Rail operate between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. Phoenix Sunday service levels operate at a maximum frequency of 30 minutes.
Since the service reductions on these five holidays in 2010, City of Phoenix and Valley Metro has seen an increase in customer complaints of overcrowding on local buses during these holidays. To address the need of having more bus service on these holidays, the region is proposing to restore weekday service levels on local bus routes and Light Rail. Express/RAPID service to Downtown Phoenix will continue to not operate on these holidays as most Downtown Phoenix workers continue to have these five holidays off.
If weekday service levels are restored for the five holidays, Dial-a-Ride service hours for these five holidays will also expand to match the local bus service span.
Frequency Improvement
Route 41 (Indian School) - Increase Off-Peak Frequency to 15 minutes
Staff proposes increasing the off-peak service frequency during weekdays in the higher ridership segment of the route. Route 41, the fourth busiest route in the region, operates on Indian School Road from near 107th Avenue on the west end to Granite Reef Road in Scottsdale on the east end. Currently, the high ridership segment (between 59th Avenue and 32nd Street) operates at 10-minute frequency during peak service periods and 20-minute frequency during off-peak times before 7 p.m. The proposed improvement is to increase the early evening frequency to 15 minutes until 7 p.m. With the improvement, Route 41 will have a minimum service frequency of every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday between 59th 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.
Modify Routing
Route 8 (7th Avenue)
Staff proposes to modify the southbound Route 8 routing near Central Station in Downtown Phoenix. Currently the southbound Route 8 from 7th Avenue turns east on Fillmore Street, south on 1st Street, east on Van Buren Street before turning north to service the bus stop inside Central Station. Route 8 departs Central Station by turning west on Polk Street, south on 1st Avenue, west on Washington Street before returning on 7th Avenue. Staff is proposing to modify the southbound Route 8 routing from Fillmore Street to turn south on 1st Avenue, service the bus stop at 1st Avenue and Van Buren Street, then continue current routing from 1st Avenue to Washington Street and to 7th Avenue. With the reconfiguration, a bus stop would be installed at Fillmore Street and 1st Avenue to service the bus riders near the Westward Ho and the post office. The modified routing would reduce about 0.5 mile per trip on Route 8. All bus transfers would still be available at Central Station between Route 8 and other bus routes.
Route 56 (Priest)
The City of Scottsdale is proposing to eliminate Route 56 service in Scottsdale. The proposal would impact Route 56 service in Phoenix by the Desert Botanical Garden. Currently the route is operated by Valley Metro and connects 48th Street and Ray Road in Ahwatukee and Skysong Transit Center in Scottsdale via Ray Road, Priest Drive, and McDowell Road. The route also provides bus service to Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden. With the elimination of Route 56 in Scottsdale, the route would have to terminate at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix instead of continuing service to McDowell Road. The span and frequency of the service will remain unchanged.
Route 106 (Peoria Avenue)
Staff proposes to modify routing at Metrocenter to speed up bus service and reduce service cost. Route 106 currently offers bi-directional service on the Metro Parkway loop to the east of the mall. The proposed modification is to change the service on Metro Parkway to a clockwise loop. The new routing will continue to service the bus stop at Metro Parkway and 28th Drive as well as the Metrocenter Transit Center. The impacts of the route modification are faster travel times and cost savings for the route overall, while still providing the necessary passenger connections.
Public Input Process
The Public Transit Department used the locally-adopted public outreach process for the proposed October 2018 bus service changes. Staff coordinated closely with Valley Metro in communicating and conducting the public outreach process which included Phoenix and regional changes. The public comment period was open from April 30 through June 1, 2018. During this period, Public Transit and Valley Metro staff provided multiple opportunities for public comment on service changes. A webinar on the proposed changes was conducted on May 9, 2018. The public hearing was held on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Outreach efforts included signs on major bus stops on Route 41; signs at the impacted bus stops on Routes 8, 56 and 106; in-person contacts along each affected route; and extensive outreach through social media and email.
During the public comment period, 141 comments were received from the public regarding the proposed changes.
As required, the 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 restoring weekday service levels on five holidays. The impact on the proposed schedule modification is positive, thus no mitigation is necessary. As per Title VI protocol, no ‘major’ impacts were identified for the staff recommended service changes.
Additional Information
The process for successfully implementing the proposed service changes beginning Oct. 22, 2018 includes the following:
- Conduct required public outreach and public hearing (regional effort) - April/May 2018 - Completed on June 1, 2018.
- Obtain Citizens Transportation Commission approval: May 31, 2018.
- Obtain Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee approval on June 19 and seek City Council approval of final proposed bus service changes by June 27, 2018.
- Prepare transit books, develop operational logistics, and coordinate operators: July through October 2018.
- Implement approved bus service improvements: Oct. 22, 2018.
Financial Impact
The annual cost of the proposed October 2018 bus service improvements is estimated at $595,000. With the changes to be implemented in October, the cost for FY 2018-19 is estimated to be $397,000. Funds are available in the Public Transit Department's operating budget, using T2050 funds.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
On May 31, 2018, the Citizens Transportation Commission (CTC) recommended Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee and City Council approve the proposed bus service improvements to be implemented in October 2018 by a vote of 13-0.
On June 19, 2018, the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee recommended City Council approve the proposed bus service improvements to be implemented in October 2018 by a vote of 4-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.