2009-2010CDTARoutePerformanceReport

8/7/2019 2009-2010CDTARoutePerformanceReport

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2009 -- 2010 Route Performance Review

Introduction

This is the CDTA annual report on route performance for fixed route and flexible services covering fiscalyear 2010 (April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010). The report includes an evaluation of objective informationon ridership and productivity along with recommendations for route adjustments in the coming year. Inaddition, this years report includes a review of service changes that have occurred and the impact onridership. This report will guide our planning activities through 2011 and help the organization use itsresources effectively.

State of Affairs

During 2009-10, major changes occurred that had a significant effect on CDTAs ridership and service.First, gas prices fell sharply from their previous high, which had been the primary contributor to recordbreaking ridership levels in the previous fiscal year (FY09). Secondly, due to the recession, its effect offunding sources, and resulting deficit, CDTA raised fares for the first time since 1994 and reduced over35,000 hours of service. These factors led to an erosion of the previous years ridership by -10%.

CDTA conducted large-scale route restructurings throughout the region, not only to reduce service-hours,but also to reorient our routes in accordance with the principles in the Transit Development Plan toincrease ridership. This report describes these route changes and their results.

At the time of the writing of this report, operating funds from the State of New York continue to be

reduced forcing a reduction and refocus of services. With the majority of very unproductive services (thelow hanging fruit) already eliminated, we are being forced to make difficult decisions on how tocontinue to increase efficiency while impacting the fewest customers possible.

Existing Route Evaluation

This evaluation focuses on CDTAs trunk, neighborhood, express, shuttle, and rural routes which areevaluated on two primary criteria:

Total Riders: The easiest way to understand and evaluate transit service is to look at annualridership. CDTAs Route Classification system establishes thresholds and ranges of ridership by

route category. Acceptable annual ridership thresholds vary depending on the type of service:Trunk 250,000 ridersNeighborhood 100,000 ridersShuttle 75,000 ridersExpress 30,000 ridersRural 1,000 riders

2010 Service Evaluation2011 Service Proposals


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Riders per Revenue Hour: The number of riders per revenue-hour measures a routesproductivity and indicates whether resources are being used efficiently. A route may have highridership, but due to an over allocation of resources, be unproductive.

Acceptable productivity thresholds vary depending on the type of service:

Trunk 25 riders/hourExpress 25 riders/hourNeighborhood 15 riders/hourShuttle 10 riders/hourRural 5 riders/hour

Routes that fall below acceptable thresholds are analyzed, including an assessment of promotionalopportunities, route changes and schedule adjustments to increase patronage. Routes that exceed therange for the category, or perform well above the average, are examined to determine if a change incategory is warranted, or if a route restructuring is advisable.

It is possible that a route may perform well in one criteria but not in another. If a route isunderperforming in terms of total riders but overperforming in terms of riders per hour, this could

indicate that the route warrants increased resources. If the opposite is true, a reduction in service may bewarranted.

Although total riders and riders per hour are clear quantitative measures, routes are also evaluated on thefollowing:

Ridership Trend over the Previous Three Years: The percent ridership change over time is usedto judge the effectiveness of past route changes and other factors. CDTA provides new andrestructured services with a trial, or growth period to obtain ridership targets.

Community Service Needs: CDTA provides consideration for vital community services, such asmedical facilities, convalescent centers, and locations that serve the elderly, disabled, and other special

need populations.

The following tables show the fiscal year 2010 (April 2009 to March 2010) performance data by routeclassification for CDTA routes.


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FY 200 9-2010 PERFORMANCE

TRUNK ROUTES

NOTES:

Many trunk routes are just below 25 riders/hour and with small changes in routing, frequency, and span couldeasily surpass the productivity threshold. Many of these are included in the Albany County RouteRestructuring and will be addressed in the summer of 2011.

Trunk routes carry the majority of our customers and on average have the highest productivity. The mostproductive trunk routes experience overcrowding during peak time periods as capacity is inadequate for thelevel of demand. For NY5 service, we have identified that a capital purchase of higher capacity vehicles wouldbe a cost effective way to address the existing capacity constraints.

Trunk routes carry more riders per service hour devoted to them than any other route classification.When improvements have been made in terms of frequency and span to trunk routes in the past, they haveyielded strong returns. Strengthening our base at every opportunity should continue.

Ranked by Riders per Revenue-Hour

Route Description Total RidersRevenue-

Hours

% Rider

change

06-09

Riders per

Revenue

Hour

Comment

55 Schenectady-Albany* 2,002,727 49,403 6.6% 40.5Warrants additional resources;

BusPlus service proposed for 2010

12 Washington Avenue 1,104,128 28,792 18.2% 38.3 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

1 Central Ave./Wolf Rd. 875,709 25,406 18.7% 34.5 BusPlus service proposed for 2010

22 Albany-Troy-Watervliet 1,072,827 34,611 15.9% 31.0 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

10 Western Avenue 915,681 33,083 -3.9% 27.7 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

11 UAlbany Shuttle 342,426 11,196 -4.0% 30.6 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

18 Delaware Avenue 350,234 13,293 5.8% 26.3Warrants Sunday service;

Included in Albany County Route Restructuring

Above productivity

threshold

85 Troy-Waterford 547,857 22,660 7.7% 24.2Below productivity

threshold

8 Arbor Hill 608,021 25,353 14.4% 24.0 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

6 Second Avenue 324,461 13,732 -10.5% 23.6 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

87 Beman Park Sycaway 379,979 16,251 12.5% 23.4

7 Glenmont 211,999 9,186 -10.9% 23.1 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

13 New Scotland Avenue 559,952 25,222 4.8% 22.2 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

80 Albia-Fifth Avenue 409,779 20,220 -2.1% 20.3Route split into #80 / #280 based on differing ridership patterns north and south of

downtown Troy (September 2010)

70 Troy-Schenectady 227,026 11,679 0.4% 19.4 Lacking frequency of a trunk route and Sunday service

90 Troy-Latham-Crossgates 255,081 14,328 2.7% 17.8Lacking frequency of a trunk route and Sunday service

Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

50 Route 50 222,600 18,051 3083.6% 12.3Major increase in service hours in 2007 but still lacking the frequency of a trunk

route

TOTAL 10,410,487 372,466

AVERAGE 612,382 21,910 28.0

AVERAGE (excluding #55) 525,485 20,191 26.0

% of System 77.1% 61.6%


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NEIGHB ORHOOD ROUTES

Route eliminated/consolidated in 2010 route restructurings

NOTES: Several neighborhood routes underperform in terms of yearly ridership and riders per revenue-hour. This is where

route restructuring and public outreach is most warranted.

Routes such as the #2, #29, #82, and #473 are allocated revenue-hours that are at trunk route levels. Restructuringor reduction in frequency and span will provide a more efficient level of service and allow reallocation to trunkroutes.

When comparing % of ridership vs % of revenue-hours, neighborhood routes are shown to have substantially moreresources allocated compared to the number of riders using this route classification.


Route DescriptionTotal

Riders

Revenue-

Hours

% Rider

change

06-09

Riders per

Revenue

Hour

Comment

62 State-McClellan 106,000 3,768 -11.1% 28.1 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

61 Van Vranken Avenue 85,337 3,740 -7.3% 22.8 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

52 Scotia/Crane Street 81,377 3,837 -46.1% 21.2 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

51 Broadway 72,536 3,643 9.4% 19.9 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

2 West Albany 317,890 16,053 3.2% 19.8 Reduced peak and mid-day frequency (August 2010)

224 Albany-Troy via I-90 168,437 8,800 17.1% 19.1 Reconfiguration of #24 via I-90/I-787 (September 2009)

54 Scotia Wal-Mart 77,375 4,044 10.1% 19.1 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

3 Quail St. Belt 150,363 8,192 -23.6% 18.4 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

214 Rensselaer 3rd Street 179,565 10,228 N/A 17.6 Consolidated with former #15 and extended to Walmart (May 2010)

29 Albany-Cohoes Via Route 9 174,913 11,344 18.8% 15.4 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

53Altamont Avenue /

Hamburg Street51,898 3,381 0.6% 15.3 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

9 Whitehall Rd. 102,314 6,742 -16.1% 15.2 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

30 Belt via Hackett 114,808 7,599 0.3% 15.1 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)Above productivity

threshold

63 Route 20 55,906 3,950 -25.1% 14.2 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)Below productivity

threshold

31 Shaker Road 21,554 1,531 6.6% 14.1 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

82 Troy-Cohoes Via Green Island 165,722 11,844 -3.3% 14.0 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

59 Nott Street 36,056 2,803 -45.0% 12.9 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

77 Schenectady North Loop 13,423 1,084 -45.1% 12.4 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

289 Griswold Heights - St. Mary's 64,015 5,210 N/A 12.3Consolidated with former #84 and extended to St. Mary's Hospital

(September 2009)

4 #4 Pine Hills & #27 Corp Woods 79,717 7,446 -22.9% 10.7 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

232 Hampton Manor 14,004 1,350 N/A 10.4 Weekday / peak hour route created from deviations of the former #33

233 Albany / Schodack 44,200 4,462 N/A 9.9 Mainline route created from base pattern of the former #33

472 Lake Avenue 36,336 5,798 N/A 6.3

473 Jefferson Street 67,567 11,216 N/A 6.0Short-turn in downtown after 9pm & additional weekend night service

as part of new Skidmore College contract (August 2010)

66 Schenectady South 3,616 808 27.1% 4.5 Replaced as part of Schenectady Route Restructuring (May 2010)

471 Union Avenue 5,606 1,493 N/A 3.8 Seasonal service

286 RPI Shuttle 17,511 6,805 -12.4% 2.6 Contracted service with RPI

TOTAL 2,308,046 157,172

AVERAGE 85,483 5,821 14.7

% of System 17.1% 26.0%

*% Rider Change unavailable for certain routes due to data unavailable or routes that have not been in service for entire three years


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Hours

% Rider

change

06-09

Riders per

Revenue

Hour

Comment

96 Renssealer Rural 3,441 498 2.0% 6.9 Excessive resources allocated as route operate 5-days a week

810 Berne / Knox 800 145 N/A 5.5 Included in Albany County Route Restructuringbove pro uctivity

threshold

812 Rensselaerville 335 133 N/A 2.5 Included in Albany County Route RestructuringBelow productivitythreshold

870 County Shuttle 4,829 2,298 N/A 2.1 Reduced to one-day a week (May 2010)

TOTAL 9,405 3,074

AVERAGE 2,351 769 3.1

% of System 0.1% 0.5%

SHUTTL E ROUTES

NOTES: CDTA operates two forms of expresses - Park & ride based service operating almost entirely on highways

with a higher fare structure (#540 - NX) and feeder-express service with a standard fare.

CDTA is currently conducting the Regional Park & Ride / Express Bus study which will create acomprehensive plan for express bus services in the region



Hours

% Rider

change

06-09

Riders per

Revenue

Hour

Comment

55X (57) Schenectady-Albany 157,765 4,837 47.0% 32.6 To be restructured as part of BusPlus (April 2011)

35X Troy-Albany 35,544 1,412 -3.0% 25.2

Above productivity

threshold

540 Northway Express 181,900 12,073 6.7% 15.1Harriman Campus and Wolf Rd trips to be eliminated with

Mechanicville trip operated in-house (November 2010)

Below productivity

threshold

520 Nassau 23,582 1,572 N/A 15.0

56X Schenectady-State Campus 8,705 606 -2.3% 14.4 Eliminated (May 2010)

21X Altamont 17,259 1,208 -5.5% 14.3 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

19 Voorheesville 17,217 1,304 -48.3% 13.2 Included in Albany County Route Restructuring (Summer 2011)

90X Troy-State Campus 856 395 N/A 2.2 To be eliminated (November 2010)

TOTAL 442,828 23,406

AVERAGE 55,353 2,926 18.9

% of System 3.3% 3.9%

SHUTT LE ROUTES

NOTES:All shuttles are below minimum productivity thresholds and may warrant a reduction of service hours, which

are at the level of most trunk routes.



Hours

% Rider

change

06-09

Riders per

Revenue

Hour

Comment

26 Shuttle Fly 140,641 15,745 58.1% 8.9To be restructure and renumbered as #610 with increased segments operating as

fixed-route with established stops (November 2010)

Below productivity

threshold

27 Shuttle Bug 98,342 17,949 33.2% 5.5To be restructure and renumbered as #611 and #612 with increased segments

operating as fixed-route with established stops (November 2010)

620 Flex Service Bee 15,123 5,079 -46.4% 3.0

TOTAL 254,106 23,028

AVERAGE 84,702 12,924 6.6

% of System 1.9% 3.8%

RURAL ROUTES

Route eliminated/consolidated in 2010 route

NOTES: Rural routes are life-line services to rural areas and primarily operate 1 day a week Dial-a-ride service will be explored as an alternative for certain rural rotues

EXPRESS ROUTES


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New Service Evaluat ion Process

Due to changing development patterns, employment sites, and residential population, we constantlyanalyze new service needs, using the criteria listed below. New services or improvements to existingservices are evaluated with respect to design guidelines and consistency with adopted policy principles.We weigh service investment decisions to provide incentives for community support of transit in policy,funding, zoning, and site design.

New services depend on our budget and can only be initiated when funding allows (surplus, resourcereallocation, or pilot grant funding). Due to our current financial situation, no service expansions arepossible unless they are supported by an outside source, such as a grant or reimbursement from therequesting businesses or organization.

Introduction of new services are subject to a trial period before becoming permanent, and haveperformance targets commensurate with the service category and level identified prior to implementation.

Proposals are evaluated in terms of market effectiveness using objective criteria.

Market Potential: Potential ridership for new service is determined based on the demographicprofile of an area (density, income level, ridership generators, and other demographic characteristics).

The Transit Propensity Index (TPI) is a measurement tool developed as part of our TransitDevelopment Plan. It provides a relative measure of an areas likelihood to support new orimproved service.

Market potential can also be determined by employer commitment to fare subsidies, parking fees,and/or priority bus entry and loading areas. Travel demand management programs present anotheropportunity to meet existing market potential and grow the market to that needed to support fixedroute transit.

Route Spacing & Network Connectivity: New service should avoid duplication with existingservices. In general, a quarter mile is the maximum distance a customer will walk to a bus route, soto avoid overlapping service areas trunk routes should be no closer than half a mile. In the Capital

Region the radial street pattern into city centers makes this a difficult rule to follow precisely, but thegoal is for major routes to be spaced so people are within walking distance of a bus stop. In rural orsuburban areas, route spacing is dictated by travel corridors, park and ride lots, and pedestrianinfrastructure.

For neighborhood and feeder routes, the focus is on connections to trunk routes to maximizegeographic coverage. These routes should provide cross-town service, interconnecting trunk routesand providing multiple directions of travel. Local and trunk services should be designed so that tripsrequire no more than one transfer.

Pedestrian Accommodations: Transit accessibility is directly related to the pedestrianenvironment. The presence of pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks, signals with

pedestrian phases) has a major impact on whether transit service is successful. Lack of safepedestrian access to a route can be sufficient to prevent a new route from attracting riders.

Geographic Equity: Underserved areas of the region are identified by objective data related tounderlying market characteristics. Comparable service should be provided in comparable areas.

Community-Based Service Needs: We provide special consideration for community services, likemedical facilities, convalescent centers, and locations that serve the elderly, disabled, and other specialneed populations. Benefits to non-users of transit services can also be a consideration, such asreducing travel congestion.


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2009-2010 Servic e Changes

In the last two years CDTA has implemented a number of service changes to reduce operating costs andto realign service with demand. Nearly 40,000 hours of service were eliminated while routes werererouted to access grocery stores, employment centers, and other desirable destinations. The followingtable describes each minor and major service change from January 2009 to September 2010.

Route Name Service Change Service Improvement DateChange in

Annual Hours

2 West Albany Reduction in peak and mid-day frequencySeptember

2010-4,225

5 Northern Boulevard Eliminated due to low ridership and consolidated with #6May

2009-3,400

6 Second AvenueRerouted to eliminate duplicitive service with #22 and consolidate with

#5

Direct access to St. Peters Hospital and Albany Memorial

Hospital

May

2009-

8 Arbor Hill Eliminated deviations to Thruway Authority;Move route to N Pearl Street for access to Ida Yardbourgh

Homes; Improved route uniformity (reduce variants)

September

2009-

9 Whitehall Road El iminated Saturday service due to low r idershipMay

2009-420

14Rensselaer

3rd Street / Amtrak

Consolidation with #15 to replaced with new route #214; Eliminate

deviation to West Sand Lake;

May

2009-

15Rensselaer

East Street

Eliminated due to low ridership and consolidated with #14 into new route

#214

May

2009-1,860

16Downtown Albany

CirculatorEliminated due to low ridership

January

2009-4,960

18 Delaware Avenue Eliminated deviation on Fernbank Ave due to low ridership Improved route uniformityMay

2009-

24Albany - Troy

via Rensselaer

Rerouted via highway to reduce travel time between HVCC

and Downtown Albany; Renumber to #224

September

2009104

29Albany - Cohoes

via Route 9Eliminated deviation to Latham Circle Mall due to low ridership Improved route uniformity

September

2009-

33 Nassau

Numerous route patterns divided into three distinct routes (#232, #233,

#520); Segments with low ridership eliminated Improved route uniformity

May

2009 1080

Reroute for two-way service and eliminate variants due to low ridershipIncreased service to relocated Department of Social

Services

January

2009-

Replaced with new neighborhood route system as part of Schenectady

route restructuring with productive segments incorporated into #351

May

2010-

52Mont Pleasant /

Crane Street



May

2010-

Eliminated all trips to General Electric due to low ridershipMay

2009-



May

2010-

54 Scotia / WalmartReplaced with new neighborhood route system as part of Schenectady


May

2010

-

Eliminated all trips to General Electric due to low ridership -

Added PM Peak bus (cost offset by reduction in stubs and late s lips) Improved on-time performance -

56xSchenectady -

State CampusEliminated due to low ridership and cost of operations

September

2010-1,127

Eliminated deviation to General Electric due to low ridershipMay

2009



May

2010-

53Altamont Avenue /

Hamburg Street

Schenectady-Albany

Nott Street

55May

2009

51

59

Broadway


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Annual Hours

2 West Albany Reduction in peak and mid-day frequencySeptember

2010-4,225

5 Northern Boulevard Eliminated due to low ridership and consolidated with #6May

2009-3,400

6 Second AvenueRerouted to eliminate duplicitive service with #22 and consolidate with

#5

Direct access to St. Peters Hospital and Albany Memorial

Hospital

May

2009-

8 Arbor Hill Eliminated deviations to Thruway Authority;Move route to N Pearl Street for access to Ida Yardbourgh

Homes; Improved route uniformity (reduce variants)

September

2009-

9 Whi teha ll Road Eliminated Saturday service due to low r idersh ipMay

2009-420

14Rensselaer

3rd Street / Amtrak

Consolidation with #15 to replaced with new route #214; Eliminate

deviation to West Sand Lake;

May

2009-

15Rensselaer

East Street

Eliminated due to low ridership and consolidated with #14 into new route

#214

May

2009-1,860

16Downtown Albany

CirculatorEliminated due to low ridership

January

2009-4,960

18 Delaware Avenue Eliminated deviation on Fernbank Ave due to low ridership Improved route uniformityMay

2009-

24Albany - Troy

via Rensselaer

Rerouted via highway to reduce travel time between HVCC

and Downtown Albany; Renumber to #224

September

2009104

29Albany - Cohoes

via Route 9Eliminated deviation to Latham Circle Mall due to low ridership Improved route uniformity

September

2009-

33 NassauNumerous route patterns divided into three distinct routes (#232, #233,

#520); Segments with low ridership eliminatedImproved route uniformity

May

20091080

Reroute for two-way service and eliminate variants due to low ridershipIncreased service to relocated Department of Social

Services

January

2009-



May

2010-

52 Mont Pleasant /Crane Street

Replaced with new neighborhood route system as part of Schenectadyroute restructuring with productive segments incorporated into #353

May2010

-

Eliminated all trips to General Electric due to low ridershipMay

2009-



May

2010-

54 Scotia / WalmartReplaced with new neighborhood route system as part of Schenectady


May

2010-

Eliminated all trips to General Electric due to low ridership -

Added PM Peak bus (cost offset by reduction in stubs and late slips) Improved on-time performance -

56xSchenectady -

State Campus

Eliminated due to low ridership and cost of operationsSeptember

2010

-1,127

Eliminated deviation to General Electric due to low ridershipMay

2009



May

2010-

53Altamont Avenue /

Hamburg Street

Schenectady-Albany

Nott Street

55May

2009

51

59

Broadway


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Annual Hours

409Clifton Park-Malta-

Saratoga SpringsNew route introduced as pilot service supported by CMAQ federal grant

New service to shopping centers and apartment complexes

surrounding Exit 9 as well as mobile home parks adjacent

to Route 9

May

2010-7900

(reinbursed)

471Union Avenue

(Seasonal)Reduced service to seasonal-only (Memorial Day to Labor Day)

May

2009-4,520

Added deviation to Embury Apartments due to elimination of #474 May2009

-

Short-turned at 9pm in downtownIncreased late night weekend service(reinbursed by Skidmore College service contract)

September

2010-789

474 Saratoga City Shuttle Eliminated due to low ridershipMay

2009-2,630

520Albany-Nassau

ExpressNew Route (from former #33)

Increased number of express trips from Nassau and

Schodack P&R

May

2009-

620Flex Service

Shuttle BeeNew numbering/branding for Shuttle Bee

Route travels entire length of Rt 4 continously from Rt 9/20

to HVCC

May

2009-

811 Westerlo Eliminated due to low ridershipSeptember

2009-230

830 Duanesberg Eliminated due to low ridershipSeptember

2009-180

870Saratoga County

ShuttleReduced to one-day a week to align with ridership demand

May

2010-1,974

Adjusted tripper capacity to meet demandJanuary

2009-

Restructured into two distinct runsSeptember

2009-300

Martin Luther King Day

Veterans Day

Presidents Da

September

2009-4,500

2009 Reduction in Hours -26,800

2010 Reduction in Hours -10,200

Total Reduction in Hours -37,000

Albany High Trippers

Troy Shopping Buses

Increased Days with Holiday

Service

473Jefferson Street /

Saratoga Night Loop


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0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

TotalRidership

Month

Former#33Routes

520

233

232

Impac ts o f Ma jor Route Rest ruc tu r ingsMany of the service changes that took place over the last two years occurred as restructurings thatinvolved multiple routes. They have been in place for over a year and can be reviewed to determineimpact on ridership and productivity. Several routes that were restructured have had suchsubstantial changes that make direct comparisons difficult.

#33 Spl i t - #232, #233, #520Date: May 2009

In May 2009, CDTA restructured the route #33 into three distinct routes #232, #233, #520.Route #33 was one of CDTAs most confusing routes with 5 different variants.

The #520 now operates as a peak feeder-express traveling local from the village of Nassau tothe Schodack park & ride lot and then traveling express to downtown Albany.

The #232 operates peak-only local service on Columbia Turnpike (Route 9 & 20) to theneighborhood of Hampton Manor (it was later extended to 3rd Avenue and the Defreestvillepark & ride lot).

The #233 provides service throughout the day, operates on Columbia Turnpike from theSchodack park & ride to downtown Albany, and accesses shopping centers and relativelydense suburban neighborhoods. Mid-day service was added to assess whether the corridorwould generate ridership beyond commuters.

The following chart shows the ridership of the three routes combined from June 2009 to July 2010.


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Ridership Trend:

Ridership on these routes has fluctuated over the months since they began service. This may beattributed to the nature of the service, which is primarily used by choice riders who are easilyswayed to and from service depending on gas prices and weather.

Productivity:

#232: 10 riders/hour#233: 10 riders/hour#520: 15 riders/hour

These routes have been in existence for over a year allowing enough time to attract ridership, butall of the routes are below their related productivity thresholds.

The #233s low productivity is attributable to its having triple the amount of service hourscompared to the other routes. The addition of mid-day service will be reviewed and marketed tonon-commuters.

The #520 is the most productive of the three routes, but does not meet the 20 rider/hourthreshold for express routes. Due to its nature it has the highest percentage of choice riders, but amarketing effort to attract current automobile drivers to the transit service could increase ridership.

The #232 has the lowest ridership and little potential for attracting new ridership as the routetravels in areas where service had existed for decades. Service in this area will be reviewed forreduction or elimination.


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0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

TotalRidership

Month

Route#214

#14/#15 Consol ida t ion - #214Date: May 2009

CDTA consolidated routes #14 and #15 into one new route #214. Both routes were duplicativeservices in the city of Rensselaer and the #15 had low ridership that did not warrant continuation.The #15 provided service to the Walmart and surrounding shopping centers on Route 4 in East

Greenbush. The #214 was extended to this segment and the #15 eliminated.

The following chart shows the ridership of the three routes combined from June 2009 to July 2010.

Ridership Trend:

Ridership on the #214 has increased over the last year. This is especially apparent when onecompares June and July in 2009 with the same months in 2010.

Productivity:

The restructuring can be considered a success as there was not only a substantial savings in servicehours but the route also now surpasses the productivity threshold.

#214: 17 riders/hour (last 12 months)20 riders/hour (last 3 months)


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#5/#6 Consol idat ion New #6Date: May 2009

We consolidated routes #5 and #6 to reduce duplicative services and increase productivity. The#5 had low ridership and a majority of the route duplicated the #29. The route providedadditional service to Albany Memorial Hospital and service to apartment complexes on WardsLane in Menands. The #6 was a trunk route primarily serving residents in the South End of

Albany. The route duplicated the #22 north of downtown which provides ample service to theseareas.

The #6 was rerouted on its northern end to operate to Albany Memorial Hospital and Wards Laneand the #5 was eliminated. The #6 was also extended along Whitehall Rd to St. Peters Hospitalallowing for direct connections from the South End to two hospitals in the city.

The following chart shows the ridership of the #6 from June 2009 to July 2010.

Ridership Trend:

Ridership on the #6 was projected to decrease as riders on North Pearl would shift to the #22

once duplication was eliminated. This does not explain the recent drop in ridership (last threemonths of service).

Productivity:

The #6 does not meet the productivity threshold for a trunk route but does surpass the thresholdfor annual ridership. The route will be reviewed as part of the Albany County Route Restructuringand additional service changes may be considered.

New #6: 23 riders/hour (previous year)18 riders/hour (last two months)

0

5000

10000

15000

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25000

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35000

TotalRidership

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NewRoute#6


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#84/#89 Consol idat ion - #289Date: September 2009

We consolidated routes #84 and #89 into a new route #289. The #84 had low ridership but wasthe only service to St. Marys Hospital in Troy. The majority of the riders on the #89 weretraveling between Griswold Heights and Pawling Avenue to downtown Troy.

The #289 was created by rerouting the #89 and providing a direct connection to downtown. Theroute was extended to St. Marys Hospital allowing for the #84 to be eliminated. Service hourswere extended until 11:00pm to allow more service to Griswold Heights and meet shift changes atSt. Marys hospital.

The following chart shows the ridership of #289 from October 2009 to July 2010.

Ridership Trend:

Ridership on the #289 has remained consistent since its inception (grew slightly in the spring).

Productivity:

The #289 is just below the productivity threshold for a neighborhood route. No overallconclusions can be made until ridership has been reviewed for an entire year. The route, especiallythe additional night service, will continue to be monitored for minor service changes.

#289: 13 riders/hour (last 3 months)

0

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TotalRidesrhip

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Route289


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0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

June2 01 0 J uly2010 August2010

TotalRiders

hip

Month

SchenectadyCountyNeighborhoodRoutes

358

354

353352

351

Schenect ady County Route Rest ruc t ur ingDate: May 2010

Schenectady County neighborhood routes (#51, #52, #53, #54, #59, #61, #62, #66, #77) wererestructured to improve service for existing riders and attract new riders. The planning processinvolved substantial community input through stakeholder interviews and public meetings forpeople to share their ideas for service. The restructuring was nearly budget-neutral with only a

small increase in service hours.

Five new cross-town neighborhood routes (#351, #352, #353, #354, #358) were created with thefollowing improvements:

Later night service on all neighborhood routes; Reduced transfers with establishment of cross-town routes; Increased service to major generators such as Ellis Hospital and Rotterdam Square Mall; Increased access to grocery stores (Altamont Avenue Price Chopper and Glenville

SuperWalmart)

The following chart shows the ridership of new routes for the first three months of operation.

Ridership Trend:Since rollout of the newneighborhood routes, ridership hassteadily increased on all routes, butsubstantially on the #353 and#354.

Productivity: The #351, #353, and #354 havethe highest ridership and meet or

exceed productivity thresholds.The #352 and #358 are below thethreshold, which can be partiallyattributed to the fact that they arethe two routes that do not enterdowntown and most riders need totransfer to complete their trip.

#351: 15 riders/hour#352: 8 riders/hour#353: 18 riders/hour#354: 23 riders/hour#358: 5 riders/hour

We will review the neighborhood services in Schenectady in the spring of 2011 when they havebeen in operation an entire year.


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Bus Stop Consol idat ionDate: May, September, and November 2009

In addition to service changes, we consolidated bus stops on all trunk routes to improve on-timeperformance and improve rider safety. Over 300 stops were eliminated with trunk routes nowstopping every 2-3 blocks, instead of every block. Stop locations were determined based upon thefollowing criteria in order of importance:

Safety Stops were located at traffic signals or crosswalks to allow riders to safely cross the road.

Spacing Stops were spaced roughly every 1,000 feet, which is equivalent to 2-3 city blocks.

Ridership Stops with significantly high ridership may have a shorter spacing then listed above.

The following table lists each route where stop consolidations occurred:

Route CorridorConsolidated Month #ofStops %ofStops1 Aspartof#55 May2009

6 Entireroute May2009 32 19%

7 Aspartof#6 May2009

8 OutsideofdowntownAlbany November2009 14 14%

10 BetweenFullerRdandManningBlvd September2009 22 18%

11 Aspartof#10 September2009

12 BetweenBrevatorStreetandAllenStreet September2009 18 21%

13 WestofMadisonAvenue September2009 25 21%

18 SouthofHollandAvenueMay2009

November200940 23%

22 NorthAlbany,Menands,Watervliet November2009 16 16%

55 BetweendowntownAlbanyanddowntownSchenectady May2009 19 10%

70 WestofHudsonRivertooutsidedowntownSchenectady November2009 25 16%

80 NorthofdowntownTroy September2009 33 19%

85 Entireroute November2009 31 21%

87 HoosickStreet November2009 3 4%

90 Aspartof#70 November2009

214 WithinCityofRenssealer May2009 22 22%

233 EastofHudsonRiver May2009 17 7%

289 GriswoldHeights September2009 3 5%

TOTALStopsConsolidated 320


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Service Recom mendat ions for 2010

An objective of this route performance review is to determine direction for the upcoming year.While the goal of service changes in 2009 and 2010 was to reduce service, the focus of 2011 is tomaintain service levels, but restructure routes to increase system-wide productivity throughreallocation of resources. The work plan that follows groups routes geographically so that routesthat interconnect and have similar service areas can be analyzed together.

Albany Count yAlbany Count y Rout e Restr uct ur ing The last two years of service reductions eliminated the majority of unproductive routes in oursystem. Remaining unproductive services cannot be outright eliminated as they have segments thatproduce sizeable ridership or some other circumstance that justifies their existence (ex. dedicatedfunding source).

By comprehensively restructuring Albany Countys route network, we can improve our service with

existing resources. By eliminating service on segments that are unproductive and establishing newroutes that combine productive segments, resources will be better aligned with demand.

We will generate three scenarios for the restructuring depending on our budget situation at the timeof implementation:

1. A decrease in overall service hours if a budget deficit exists2. A cost-neutral scenario with no net increase or decrease3. An increase in overall service hours if funding is restored.

Restructuring will be implemented during the spring/summer of 2011 to minimize confusion forcustomers. The fall of 2010 will consist of gathering data and public input through surveying onroutes, public meetings, and stakeholder interviews. Although some routes overlap, the followingdescribes the three distinct geographic areas for each phase:

Northern Albany CountyMunic ipal i t ies: Cohoes, Latham , Green Is land, and Waterv l iet

Routes: #29, #82, #90

Routes #29, #82, and #90 straddle the definition of a trunk and neighborhood with annualservice hours above 10,000 but below 15,000. The routes also straddle the productivitythreshold for neighborhood routes. These routes travel within northern Albany County,interconnect in Latham, Cohoes and Watervliet, and due to their proximity, can be restructuredinto routes with a level of service that align with demand.

We will introduce a peak hour Mechanicville-Waterford-Cohoes-Troy local route in November2010 to try to grow the market which was previously served by an NX trip. This route will bemonitored and analyzed as part of the Northern Albany county examination.


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Cit y of Albany and adjacent suburbsMunic ipal i t ies: A lbany, Menands, eastern Gui lder land, southern Colonie,

nor thern Beth lehem

Routes: #2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #18, #22, #27, #30, #31, #63,

Shutt le Fly (610)

The bulk of service in Albany County exists within the City of Albany and areas directly adjacent

to its border. This area also has the highest number of riders in the region. Many of theneighborhood routes listed at or below the productivity threshold in this report operate in thecity. Although all of the trunk routes in the city meet or exceed the 25 rider per hour threshold,there are areas for improvement (small route alignment changes to access new ridershipgenerators or the elimination of irregular route deviations).

A restructuring of Albany routes will improve service by eliminating duplication betweenneighborhood and trunk routes, improving cross-town service, reducing transfers, andestablishing stronger connections between employment sites and neighborhoods outside of themain corridors.

Sout h / West Suburban Albany CountyMunic ipal i t ies: Gui lder land, S l inger lands, Bethlehem , Voorheesvi l le, A l tam ont ,

New Scot land, Berne, Knox, Rensselaerv i lle

Routes: #18, #19, #21x , #63, #810, #812, Shut t l e Fly (610), Shutt le Bug (611, 612)

The last group of Albany County routes includes the express, shuttle, and rural routes operatingin municipalities in the south / west of the county. Every route is below its productivitythreshold for route category justifying major changes in these routes whether by restructuring,reclassification, or out-right elimination.

Shuttle Fly and Shuttle Bug are two shuttle routes with resource levels near that of most trunks(~15,000 annual service hours), which contribute to their low productivity. The first two phases

of the Albany Route Restructuring may reinforce the need for changes as new fixed-routeservice may be provided to the locations that these routes currently serve.

These routes are the last phase of the restructuring because they consist of the least amount ofservice and riders, even though they cover the largest area geographic area. Depending on thetime of implementation of the first two phases, the final phase may be delayed.


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Rensselaer Count yNo major service changes are planned for Rensselaer County in 2011-12 as they are productiveroutes in CDTAs system and many routes had been previously restructured. Routes will continue

to be monitored for minor service changes.

Sc henect ady CountyNo major service changes are planned for Schenectady County, except for the service changesassociated with the implementation of the BusPlus BRT line in April 2011 discussed below. Acomprehensive restructuring of Schenectadys neighborhood routes was implemented in May 2010and all routes will continue to be monitored for minor service changes in spring 2011.

Sarat oga Count y The route system in Saratoga County was restructured in the summer of 2007 and included adoubling of resources. Although some of the routes and segments have garnered ridership, themajority of the system has remained unproductive. After three years of operating, trunk andneighborhood routes in Saratoga County are far below the minimum thresholds, which led to theelimination of the #474, #870, and reduction of the #471 to seasonal only.

The Northway Express (NX) is the most productive service in Saratoga County. Many tripsexperience capacity loads and those with low ridership will be eliminated in November. As muchof the county is higher income, low density, and auto-oriented, investment in transit should befocused in commuter-coach, express, and park & ride based service.

Saratoga Spr ings / Wi l t on Restruc t ur ingMunic ipal i t ies: Saratoga Spr ings, Wi lton

Routes : #50, #471, #472, and #473

Saratoga Springs and Wilton do have ridership generators with continued need for quality servicesuch as downtown Saratoga Springs, Skidmore College, Wilton Mall and surrounding shoppingcenters. Although CDTA may still adjust the overall level of service, we plan to conduct a smallerrestructuring to realign the existing service to those areas with demand. Our outreach efforts areshowing that much of the unmet demand and mobility needs in Saratoga County are humanservice in nature and coordination with human service agencies may be a better approach than

through fixed route bus service.

Either as part of the route restructuring or as its own service change, CDTA will specificallyreview the following:

#473 Short-turn The #473 is one of Saratogas most productive routes as it connects SkidmoreCollege to downtown Saratoga Springs. The route is still underperforming because the southernsegment from downtown, primarily along Jefferson Street to the Racino, produces little ridership.CDTA will spend the months of October and November marketing the route to the generators in


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the corridor and will review ridership in the spring of 2011 to determine whether service should beeliminated from this segment.

#471 Elimination The #471 was reduced to seasonal-only service in 2009 and operates onlyduring the summer months. Even with the reduction in service the route is still the second leastproductive in CDTAs system and will be reviewed for elimination.

Route 9 Pi lot Serv ice Munic ipal i t ies: Cl if ton Park, Hal fmoon, Mal ta, Round Lake, Saratoga Spr ings

Routes: #409

In May we unveiled new service operating on Route 9 between Saratoga Springs and the shoppingcenters and park & ride lots surrounding Exit 9 of I-87. This is a pilot service being funding by agrant from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program to determine if transit service isviable in the corridor.

A major hindrance to both the routes design and sustained performance is the lack of pedestrianinfrastructure and dense nodes of development along Route 9 itself. Outside Saratoga Springs the

roadway has high traffic volumes, high speeds, and is five lanes wide. This severely limits theplacement of bus stops as there are few safe locations to stop the bus with safe pedestrian access.In turn this has forced CDTA to deviate off of Route 9 (which increases overall travel time) or tobypass potential ridership generators.

A substantial marketing effort is underway to generate as much ridership as possible before thepilot funding ends in May 2011. At this time CDTA will review the agencys budget and theproductivity of the route based on the 15 riders/hour threshold and determine if the route willcontinue.

BusPlus - NY Route 5 Bus Rapid Tran s i tMunic ipal i t ies: A lbany, Colonie, Niskayuna, Schenec tady

Routes # 1, #2, #55, #55x

Most of the routes serving the New York Route 5 corridor are productive and experience overcrowdingand reliability issues during most times of the day. Time of day ridership analysis shows a plateaubetween the peaks of consistent and heavy demand. With over 3.5 million riders on the corridor, anupgrade in service is warranted.

In April 2011, bus rapid transit service, branded BusPlus will debut between the downtowns of Albanyand Schenectady at 18 new stations which are being installed currently. BRT will be limited-stop, and

have faster service due to transit-priority infrastructure and improved amenities for customers.

Local service that makes more stops will be restructured to match the demand on the ends of thecorridor. The current #1 will continue to service local stops between downtown Albany and ColonieCenter. The #55 will be short-turned and service local stops between Colonie Center and downtownSchenectady.

Express routes will also be modified to park & ride based commuter service. These routes will no longerduplicate existing services on Route 5 but travel directly from park & ride lots in Schenectady County todowntown Albany.


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Regional Park & Ride / Ex press Bus / Rideshar ing StudyCDTA is currently undergoing a long-range planning study on park & rides in the region and theservices that use them such as express buses, vanpools, and carpools. The study will documentexisting conditions and usage at current park & rides, recommend areas for expansion, and developa comprehensive service plan for expansion of express bus services in the region. This service planwill recommend viable corridors for new or increased express services based upon land-use and

traffic patterns. It will also establish a brand identity for each type of express (BRT, commuter-coach / park & ride, and feeder-express) as well as a fare policy based on service type and distancetraveled.

This study consists of representatives from the CDTA, NYS Department of Transportation Region 1 and Main Office, NYS Thruway Authority, and the Capital District TransportationCommittee. The study will be completed by September 2011, but certain recommendations may beimplemented prior.

Publ ic Out reac hDuring service changes and restructuring, customer, public and employee input on recommendationscontained in this Route Performance Report and Service Plan will actively be sought. Outreach methodsinclude the following, which CDTA makes its best effort to conduct 1 month or greater prior to a routechange, depending on the amount of service impacted:

Publication on web site; Bus advertisements;

Employee forums and newsletters; Targeted surveys to riders of affected services; Letters to affected municipal officials; Notices to self-identified CDTA riders (those who provide contact information); Quarterly county-level meetings; and Ongoing customer comment program service suggestions.

2009-2010CDTARoutePerformanceReport

Documents

Transcript of 2009-2010CDTARoutePerformanceReport