The State of The Rapid: a cost efficient system
A Transit Master Plan or TMP is a comprehensive, 20-year plan that will guide the future development of The Rapid transit system. The following is a section pulled from the approved TMP. Download the full Transit Master Plan from The Ra
A Transit Master Plan or TMP is a comprehensive, 20-year plan that will guide the future development of The Rapid transit system. The following is a section pulled from the approved TMP. Download the full Transit Master Plan from The Rapid's TMP website.
The Rapid Compared to Other Transit Agencies
The six cities opted to partner with each other to support The Rapid and The Rapid, in turn, promised to provide a return on that investment, by delivering service as effectively and efficiently as possible. As part of the 2030 Transit Master Plan, the project team was asked to evaluate The Rapid’s performance relative to ten peer systems. The ten peer systems were selected based on system size and regional demographic characteristics. Criteria used to choose the peer systems included urban area population and physical size, annual vehicle revenue hours, and annual unlinked passenger trips. System performance measures were computed for each peer system using annual National Transit Database (NTD) reports. The selected peer systems were:
1 Akron, Ohio: Metro Regional Transit Authority (Metro)
2 Ann Arbor, Michigan: Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA)
3 Dayton, Ohio: Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA)
4 Flint, Michigan: Mass Transportation Authority (MTA)
5 Lansing, Michigan: Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA)
6 Louisville, Kentucky: Transit Authority of River City (TARC)
7 Madison, Wisconsin: Metro Transit System (Metro)
8 Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)
9 Rochester, New York: Regional Transit Service (RâGRTA)
10 Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA)
Bus Service – How Much Service is Needed?
One of the questions the public asked in the first round of workshops was, “How much service do we need” A comparison of how much service the peer agencies currently provide, relative to their service area population gives a partial answer. The amount of service demanded may vary by city due to size of the transit dependent population or the ability of the transit system to attract choice riders. Despite a greaterâthanâaverage service area population, The Rapid is slightly below the peer average with respect to the amount of bus service provided, meaning we have less service than comparable cities. As displayed in Table 4â1, The Rapid’s annual bus revenue miles, bus revenue hours, passenger trips, and peak buses operated are all below average of the peer systems.
In 2008, The Rapid provided 0.67 annual bus revenue hours of service for every resident in the service area. The peer average was 0.74 annual bus revenue hours per resident, with a range between a low of 0.40 (Flint, MI) and high of 1.50 (Madison, WI). Portland, OR, a city many members of the MM2030 and the public admired and thought Grand Rapids should model itself after, provides 1.26 annual bus revenue hours per resident, which does not account for their light rail and streetcar services. The Rapid clearly has room to grow as a system, but only if the region is willing to invest in the service enhancements.
Bus Service – How Productive is The Rapid?
In terms of fixedâroute service utilization (i.e. ridership relative to service provided), The Rapid reported slightly lower total trips per busâhour and busâmile than the peer average; however, the overall service productivities have trended upward between 2000 and 2008, as the public responded to the improved transit service by using it more. Table 4â2, below, shows increasing productivity over The Rapid’s first nine years of service.
Bus Service – How Cost Efficient is The Rapid?
Compared to its peers, The Rapid was one of the most cost efficient systems (i.e. cost per unit of service) according to all cost efficiency metrics, and on the operating expenses per vehicle revenueâhour metric, was the most efficient. Table 4â3, below, shows The Rapid’s cost effectiveness relative to the ten peer systems. Over the years, The Rapid has delivered on its promise to provide as much service for as low a cost as possible.
GO!Bus Service – How Much Service is Needed?
Of the ADA/Paratransit systems evaluated, The Rapid’s GO!Bus service ranked third in annual passenger trips provided, third in peak vehicles operated, fourth in vehicle revenue hours and fourth in vehicle revenue miles. The GO!Bus service statistics relative to the ADA/Paratransit service provided by the peer agencies are shown below in Table 4â4.
ADA/Paratransit service is typically the most expensive service to provide per unit of service and typically agencies operate as little of it as possible. The Rapid opts to provide more paratransit service than is legally required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For example, GO!Bus service is provided from one location to another within the six cities, regardless of whether a fixed route is operated in the area on the day and time the paratransit ride is needed. Because GO!Bus already goes above and beyond the minimum requirements, there is far less room for service improvement than was the case with fixedâroute services.
See the Full Master Transit Plan
